Northcott, Richard Henry, son of Walter Wynne Northcott of Edinburgh and Maude Elsie, d. of Maj.-Gen. Arthur Hill; b. 26 Apr. 1910; adm. Sept. 1923 (R); left Dec. 1927; 2nd Lieut. The Welsh Regt Jan. 1932, Lieut. Jan. 1935, Capt. Jan. 1940, temp. Maj.; m. 7 Apr. 1941 Elizabeth Hope, d. of George Douglas Budge and sister-in-law of George Edric Nee (qv); killed in action (Normandy) July 1944.
Richard Henry Northcott was born at Paddington, London on the 26th of April 1910 the only son of Walter Wynne Northcott and Maude Elsie (nee Hill) Northcott of 27, Craven Road, Paddington, later of Rochester House School, Edinburgh. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from September 1923 to December 1927. He was a member of the 1st Rowing VIII in 1927 where he rowed at stroke. The Elizabethan wrote the following on his 1927 season: - “Rather short in the swing, but otherwise an excellent stroke, showing good judgement and an ability to rally his crew.” He served as a member of the Officer Training Corps and was promoted to Lance Corporal in September 1927.
He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in the Territorial Army on the 29th of March 1930 before being commissioned with the same rank in the 1st Battalion, Welch Regiment in the regular army on 30th of January 1932. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 30th of January 1935 and to Captain in January 1940. He was married at Kensington on the 7th of April 1941 to Elizabeth Hope (nee Budge).
He was promoted to temporary Major on the 5th of February 1943 and joined the 1/5th Battalion of his Regiment as a company commander on the 29th of July 1943.
On the 16th of June 1944, an advance party from the Battalion left their base at Herne Bay and travelled by road to Canning Town. They were joined there by the main party and entrained for their marshalling area at Lingfield in Surrey. The main group began embarking at Newhaven at 2pm on the 24th of June and landed at the Jig Beach section of Gold Beach in Normandy at 1.30pm on the 26th of June 1944.
By the morning of the 21st of July 1944, the 1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment was at the town of Baron. At 3pm that afternoon, enemy smoke and high explosive shells began landing in the Battalion positions with A Company, on the right of the line, soon reporting that they were under attack by four tanks accompanied by infantry. At 4pm a Platoon from B Company, which was positioned on the left of the Battalion and was on a line which ran along the Croie de Filandriers to Le Bon Repos road, was overrun by four enemy tanks supported by infantry. At 7pm two Squadrons of British tanks moved along the Battalion’s left flank in an attempt to bring the Germans under enfilade fire but this failed. At 8pm, A Company reported that the enemy tanks were now within 50 yards of their positions and by 9.30pm they were reported to be within 10 yards, after which there was no further communication from them. At 9.30pm C Company reported that the enemy force attacking them consisted of four Mk IV tanks with infantry and that they had knocked out two of the tanks, one with a PIAT and one with a six pounder anti tank gun. The Company was engaged in heavy fighting throughout the night, during which they were cut off and, with the enemy force within 50 yards of their position, they were ordered to withdraw at 6.30am the following morning.
C Company had suffered casualties of 25 men during the fighting while A Company was assumed to have been wiped out. Richard Northcott was among the dead.
He is commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial Panel 15, Column 3.
