Wounded at Le Mesnil

In leafing through some files last night, I rediscovered this lovely little sketch of a Twelfth Regiment officer, 1825-40 (the original of which is in the regimental archives) which was completed by Captain E.T. Lummis whilst he was convalescing from wounds received in Normandy.

Eric Lummis was one of the last draft of pre-war officers to join the Suffolk Regiment from Sandhurst before war was declared (the others being Johny Calder and John Fisher-Hock; all of who remained with the Regiment for many years). Eric commanded the Reinforcement Company on D-Day and succeeded to command ‘A’ Company after the death of Captain Ryley on Hillman. What however is remarkable, is that this little sketch was completed with his left hand - his right hand having been almost severed by shellfire on D+7 (13 June 1944).

Eric had been badly mauled by shellfire as his Company’s positions were shelled in Le Mesnil Wood. He also suffered a bad gash along his right leg, but he was swiftly evacuated to the Advanced Dressing Station in nearby Cazelle Wood, from where he was flown to England where he was operated on at a hospital in Chester. After several weeks of recuperation at Roehampton Hospital in London, where his hand which was thought to be useless and it had been suggested they amputate, slowly returned to life. He passed the next five months at Bungay Vicarage where his father, Cannon William Lummis, MC was vicar (he had commanded 2nd Suffolk in 1918).

Whilst the nerves recovered, Eric learnt to write and draw with his left hand and even undertook to embroider a fire screen. He would later return to the Battalion in Palestine in 1946.

Anyway, the reason I came across it was that I was looking for the list of attendees who were present at the unveiling of the memorial to the Battalion at the Chateau de la Londe in 1994. Eric had been the driving force behind getting the memorial erected and its unveiling was attended by over fifty 1 Suffolk veterans and was even covered on the local BBC News.