Officer who evaded the Italians by using his schoolboy Latin
MAJOR RICHARD GIMSON, who has died aged 95, won an MC in 1943 in the Italian campaign.
On September 11 1943, Gimson landed at Salerno with the first batch of sappers. His tank landing craft had been strafed by German fighters and it took three attempts to get ashore.
He was a platoon commander serving with 571 Army Field Company RE and, as the senior Royal Engineer officer, it was his job to make sure that mines were cleared and the port was made available for shipping.
Despite coming under constant shelling, mortar fire, sniping, and taking heavy casualties, within two weeks the port had been made ready for reinforcements to land.
The following month, his platoon was constructing a bridge across the River Volturno at Grazzanise when they came under relentless mortar fire. Such was the spirit of one of his sections that they refused to leave the site until ordered to do so by the Commander RE in person.
Of the seven officers who landed in Italy with Gimson, six became battle casualties. He was awarded an MC for his inspiring leadership throughout the campaign.
Richard Allynne Stanford Gimson was born on December 12 1922 at the White House, Clarendon Park, Leicester, built by his great-uncle, Ernest Gimson, a leading member of the Arts and Crafts movement.
He was educated at Uppingham and at Clare College, Cambridge, where he completed a two-year Mechanical Sciences degree in six months. After officer training at Aldershot, he was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Engineers.
In 1941 he was part of a draft of sapper officers who embarked for Egypt on the Queen Mary. To relieve the monotony, bets were placed on how many miles the liner covered each day. The sappers’ calculations were based on playing “Pooh sticks” and they won so frequently that they were banned from the competition.
In the second Battle of El Alamein, Gimson had to crawl through an Allied minefield to lift and defuse enemy mines while enveloped in clouds of sand and with the ground shaking from the huge artillery barrage that marked the beginning of the engagement.
On one occasion he was captured by Italian forces, but escaped in the dark wearing an Italian uniform. When challenged, he said afterwards, he saluted smartly and muttered “Good evening” in schoolboy Latin.
After the capture of Tunis, when George VI reviewed the troops at Tripoli, Gimson’s platoon was detailed to construct a magnificent “thunder box” over a hole in the desert. Higher Command supervised the project and issued a length of red velvet that was fitted to the seat.
In early 1945 Gimson’s company took part in an unopposed landing in the south of France before joining 21st Army Group in the final phase of the campaign.
After the war he worked for engineering companies including, finally, Babcock and Wilcox where, as export director, he travelled extensively.
He became chairman of the Middle East Association and, in 1977, formed his own company on the Suffolk coast, where he became involved in exploring alternative energy long before it became fashionable. For many years, he was a JP in Lincolnshire and Essex.
Gimson enjoyed hunting and shooting, stalking in the Scottish Highlands and planting trees. A generous and entertaining host with a fund of good stories, he kept open house to visitors from all over the world.
In 1987 he and his wife set up the Warden’s Trust to provide recreational facilities for disabled children and adults. He was appointed MBE in 2007.
Richard Gimson married, in 1947, Elspeth Ogilvie, who survives him with their twin daughters and a son.
Richard Gimson, born December 12 1922, died January 18 2018