Fred Kite
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Frederick William Kite MM** (5 January 1921 – June 1993), known as Buck, was a highly decorated
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
who fought in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Kite was born in
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme ( RP: , ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. The 2011 census population of the town was 75,082, whilst the wider borough had a population of 1 ...
in 1921. He attended Hassell Street School followed by The Orme School. At the age of 17 years he joined the 3rd
Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as th ...
. For gallantry in action, Kite received the
Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
and two
Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
s.Note 34, page 228, British Gallantry Awards, (2nd ed., 1981). Peter Abbott, John Tamplin. Nimrod Dix and Co, London. He received the Military Medal for bravery in
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
in January 1943 when engaged on a special reconnaissance mission. The first Bar was awarded for leadership, initiative and personal courage during action near the village of Bras,
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
in July 1944. The second Bar was awarded for great personal courage before being seriously wounded at Le Grand Bonfait,
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. His third Military Medal was awarded for the "greatest personal courage and his example of remaining in action against odds that were much against him". The action took place on 3 August 1944 at Le Grand Bonfait where Kite was commanding one of several tanks on the edge of an orchard. His position was attacked by at least one Tiger and four Panther tanks. He held the position although all his unit's other tanks was put out of action. He made at least five direct hits on enemy tanks at short range before he was hit himself and seriously wounded.
Field Marshal Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and th ...
's signature appeared on all three citations, first as general officer commanding Eighth Army, then as commander-in-chief
21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...
, and finally as
field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
. Kite also saw action in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
and
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, rising to the rank of
Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
.
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
presented his medals to him at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
. Kite died in 1993 at the age of 72. He has the unique distinction of being the only member of the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
to receive the Military Medal three times in the Second World War.


In popular culture

The fictional character Sgt. Paddy Donovan in Peter Elstob's novel '' Warriors For the Working Day'' is based on Kite's career in the
Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...
.


See also

*
British and Commonwealth orders and decorations This article concerns the orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms awarded by the sovereign in right of each nation. Awards are listed by order of wear. Antigua and Barbuda * Order of the National Hero * Order of the Nation * Order of Me ...


References


External links


TracesOfWar.com website, Kite, Frederick William "Buck"



Geograph.org.uk website, Memorial to Sergeant Fred Kite MM
1921 births 1993 deaths Military personnel from Staffordshire Royal Tank Regiment soldiers People from Newcastle-under-Lyme British Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Medal {{UK-army-bio-stub