Thomas Gilzean, born Dec. 5, 1920 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Certain that war was imminent he volunteered for Royal Engineers and trained in bomb disposal. After serving in Egypt he was sent to Benghazi, Libya. When Rommel's troops attacked his regiment had to retreat, but not before booby-trapping the hotel in which they had been staying. The building subsequently blew up, killing many German officers who had moved in. He survived the seven-month siege of Tobruk, and was then posted to Burma where he fought with the famed Chindits, seeing heavy action at Imphal. He returned to Britain and joined the XXX Army Corps fighting in Belgium, Holland and at the Battle of the Bulge.
© Jonathan Alpeyrie
