1944. Wikipedia
Born: 8 December 1915, Smethwick
Died: 6 June 1944, Bénouville, France
Buried: Ranville Churchyard
Award: Mentioned in dispatches
Service number: 237676
Den Brotheridge
Den Brotheridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 December 1915 Smethwick, Staffordshire England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 6 June 1944 (aged 28) near Ranville, France |
| Buried | Ranville Churchyard[1] |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1944 † |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Service number | 237676 |
| Unit | Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Mentioned in dispatches |
Lieutenant Herbert Denham Brotheridge (8 December 1915 – 6 June 1944) was a British Army officer who served with the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (the 52nd) during the Second World War. He is often considered to be the first Allied soldier to be killed in action on D-Day, 6 June 1944. He was killed during Operation Tonga: the British airborne landings which secured the left flank of the invasion area before the main assault on the Normandy beaches began.
Blogger: Of deep interest to me as he was in my Dad's regiment.
Dad knew the leader of the attack on Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal and met him at a number of regimental reunions.
