WW2 Battle of Winnekendonk Military Medal Group of Five – Cpl. E. Spye, 2nd Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment

A second world war MM group of five awarded to 4541601 Corporal Ernest Spye, 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. 

George VI Military Medal named to 4541601 Cpl. E. Spye. Linc. R. 
1939-45 Star unnamed as issued 
France & Germany Star unnamed as issued 
WW2 Defence Medal unnamed as issued 
War Medal 1939-45 unnamed as issued 

The medals are in good condition.

Spye won his MM at the Battle of Winnekendonk, Germany on the 2nd March 1945, fighting against German Paratroopers. 

His citation reads:
  ‘During the attack on WINNEKENDONK on the evening of 2nd March 1945 Cpl Spye was leading his section in the right forward company, “D“ Company, 2 LINCOLNS. This Company was on the most exposed flank of the attack and soon became under very heavy fire from machine guns to the right. Casualties quickly occurred, Cpl Spye saw a spandau post firing across the Company at the troops advancing on his left. This post was about 100 yards from his line of advance. He immediately left his section and rushed forward and shot the crew of two germans who were firing the gun and regardless of the fact that he was himself a very prominent mark and was being fired at by other machine guns over to the right. By this prompt and very brave action Cpl Spye saved numerous casualties to the platoon on his immediate left, which was being fired at by the gun in question, and thereby enabled the advance to flow through by his initiative and complete disregard for his own personal safety.’

Ernest Spye’s daughter, Patricia, wrote a brief article about him which reads:
  ‘My dad, Ernest Spye, joined up as soon as war was declared. He married my mum Ellen on 22 August 1940, and I was born on 5 September 1942. My dad only spoke about the war in later years. He was with the Lincolnshire regiment in the second wave of the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, from where they made good progress, and my dad was later awarded the military medal. This is what my dad told me about how he earned his military medal.

On 3 March 1945 Corporal Ernest Spye, was in charge of a Bren Gun platoon fighting in Germany. He said his platoon was pinned down by enemy fire from a German machine gun nest in Winnekendonk. My dad saw his lads were being picked off one by one, so he said “Come on lads, let’s get them.” My dad had learned how to run, dodging bullets on the beach at Normandy, on Sword Beach. He knocked the machine gun nest out, turned round and saw none of the others had followed him. That’s why he was awarded the military medal for bravery in the field. He was 26 years old. He also had a letter from the king.

My dad had a best friend from City Road in Sheffield, who was with him. His name was Johnny Hotchin and he had a little boy called John. They went through the war together from 6 June until the last attack before the end of the war. The Germans fired tracer bullets, which by then were banned. John was beside my dad and the bullets killed John outright. This really was something my dad never forgot. He wrote to my mum and she went to tell John’s wife Mary.

Later on, when my mum died in 1992, Mary rang my dad as she had seen my mum’s death in The Star. My dad’s Military Medal was reported in The Star with his picture.’