Remembrance Sunday Fall blow to Churchill guard hopes
ONE Southport man keen to pay tribute to his comrades-in-arms was Winston Churchill’s former guard.
Sgt Alan Ware BEM, now living in MHA Connell Court care home, planned to march through the town on Sunday to mark the sacrifice made by fellow military personnel, but a fall at the last minute meant that he was unable to attend the ceremony.
In the spring months of 1942, Alan was close to missing out on his opportunity to become a Royal Marine because he was colour blind.
But a sergeant saw the potential in the 6ft 5in man before him and he joined the British Army as a regular in the 412 Kings Squadron in Plymouth.
Alan quickly surpassed his training regime and was taken to the company office to learn where he was to be stationed.
“Party Med” was the location, but no one knew what it meant.
Later, after being instructed to board the battle cruiser HMS Queen Mary on a voyage to Halifax in Canada, to his surprise he was selected among 19 others to guard the Prime Minister and his family on their travels to the Second Quebec Conference at Château Frontenac.
It was meeting at this high-level that Sir Winston Churchill would discuss plans to demilitarise Germany with American President Franklin D Roosevelt.
Alan said: “Churchill would snooze in the afternoon and work late into the evening.
“He was a very hardworking man.
“One night at about 2.30am Mr Churchill came to the door that I was guarding and asked me to get the Air Chief Marshall.
“‘I want to see him immediately. Recognising the urgency, I rushed to find the Air Chief Marshall – who was clearly not too pleased to see me at that unearthly hour – and summoned him to see Mr Churchill.”
Trusting Alan with a number of highly confidential documents, as part of their visit to Canada, Churchill ordered him to board a flight and deliver the paperwork to the Commandant’s Office Senior in New York.
Returning to England in the battleship HMS Renown, Alan was on duty outside the Admiral’s Cabin when the ship’s X turret swung round and, with no warning, fired one round.
Only 35ft from the barrel, Alan was blown against the wall, causing temporary hearing loss.
This was not to be Alan’s only adventure guarding the PM.
Months later he was sent to accompany Churchill en route to Gibraltar, where he was ashore for just a few hours before sailing to Libya to meet Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Alan went on to become a highly decorated soldier, receiving many medals and recognitions including the British Empire Medal, as part of the Royal Navy’s Trincomalee of Fleet during intensified military operations in the Far East.