Lionel Ernest Queripel
Encyclopedia
Lionel Ernest Queripel VC
(13 July 1920 – 19 September 1944) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
and had been awarded the DSO
had served during the Boxer Rebellion
in 1900 and later in Mesopotamia, France and Russia during the First World War. His grandfather who was awarded a CB and great grandfather were also soldiers. He was born in Winterborne Monkton
, Dorset
, England
(now the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
(PWRR)) just before the start of the Second World War. After the battle of El Alamein
in 1942 (where they sustained heavy casualties) the Battalion was selected to be converted to a parachute battalion. Originally, when the Battalion was scheduled for conversion it was known as ‘S’ Battalion. However, the War Office then decreed that a regular unit could not be transferred to the Army Air Corps and the Battalion remained on strength bolstered by men of the 4th & 5th Battalions. There were 200 or so men of the 2nd Battalion who volunteered for parachute training and they formed the basis of the 10th Parachute Battalion at Kabrit under Lieutenant-Colonel KBI Smyth OBE of the South Wales Borderers. Attempts were made to retain the ‘S’ for Sussex in 10 Para’s title but the War Office ruled against this.
in The Royal Sussex Regiment, British Army
, attached 10th Parachute Battalion during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
.
. As is often the case with posthumous VC winners there are many Regimental memorials to Lionel Queripel, these include: the Royal Sussex Book of Remembrance in Chichester Cathedral
, the Parachute Regiment Role of Honour which used to be in St Martins-in-the-Fields Church, London but is now in Aldershot, Queripel House the site of 10 Para’s HQ at Duke of York’s in London, the entrance porch to the village church at Somerby
, Leicestershire where 10 Para emplaned and of course the Royal Sussex Museum and airborne museums at Aldershot
and Oosterbeek
. Recently, Captain Queripel’s school, Marlborough College
, has unveiled a VC/GC memorial on which his name is commemorated.
Recently his home town of Tunbridge Wells (to where the family moved in 1926) added his name to the Town War Memorial but he had already been included in a unique VC Memorial in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells. 10 VC recipients had lived in Tunbridge Wells including the very first VC to be awarded to Charles Lucas
, who as a mate on HMS Hecla
during the Crimean War
in 1854 picked a live shell with a burning fuse from the deck and threw it overboard. There is also another PWRR connection with Major William Sidney VC Grenadier Guards (later Viscount de L’Isle
) who was descended from Sir Robert Sidney (1563–1626) the first colonel of the Holland Regiment (later the Buffs) who are also a forebear Regiment of the PWRR.
In February 1945 when the award of the Victoria Cross was announced Tunbridge Wells Council commissioned a poem by Herbert Hope Campbell. At the time Lionel Queripel was posted as missing, it was not until after the war that it was confirmed he was killed:
On 19 September 2007, Lionel Queripel's sword which had been held with B Coy the London Regiment was presented to the Royal Sussex Regiment Museum in Eastbourne. His surviving sister, her family and Regimental representatives were present.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(13 July 1920 – 19 September 1944) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early life
Lionel Queripel came from a well established and highly decorated military dynasty; his father, Colonel LH Queripel who was a CMGOrder of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
and had been awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
had served during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
in 1900 and later in Mesopotamia, France and Russia during the First World War. His grandfather who was awarded a CB and great grandfather were also soldiers. He was born in Winterborne Monkton
Winterborne Monkton
Winterborne Monkton is a hamlet and civil parish in the south-west of the English county of Dorset.It is just off the A354 road, three miles south of Dorchester. The village has a population of 84 , and consists of a few houses and a church. The great hill fort of Maiden Castle stands within the...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Second World War
Captain Queripel had been commissioned into the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex RegimentRoyal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
(now the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
"PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division...
(PWRR)) just before the start of the Second World War. After the battle of El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
in 1942 (where they sustained heavy casualties) the Battalion was selected to be converted to a parachute battalion. Originally, when the Battalion was scheduled for conversion it was known as ‘S’ Battalion. However, the War Office then decreed that a regular unit could not be transferred to the Army Air Corps and the Battalion remained on strength bolstered by men of the 4th & 5th Battalions. There were 200 or so men of the 2nd Battalion who volunteered for parachute training and they formed the basis of the 10th Parachute Battalion at Kabrit under Lieutenant-Colonel KBI Smyth OBE of the South Wales Borderers. Attempts were made to retain the ‘S’ for Sussex in 10 Para’s title but the War Office ruled against this.
Battle of Arnhem
Queripel was 24 years old, and a captainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in The Royal Sussex Regiment, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, attached 10th Parachute Battalion during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
Victoria Cross
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces MuseumParachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum
The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum is now located at Imperial War Museum Duxford. Prior to 2008 it was based at Browning Barracks in the Aldershot Military Town area near Aldershot in Hampshire...
.
Legacy
Queripel is buried in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War CemeteryArnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery
The Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, more commonly known as the Airborne Cemetery, is a military cemetery in Oosterbeek, Arnhem, the Netherlands. It was established in 1945 and is home to 1759 graves from the Second World War...
. As is often the case with posthumous VC winners there are many Regimental memorials to Lionel Queripel, these include: the Royal Sussex Book of Remembrance in Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
, the Parachute Regiment Role of Honour which used to be in St Martins-in-the-Fields Church, London but is now in Aldershot, Queripel House the site of 10 Para’s HQ at Duke of York’s in London, the entrance porch to the village church at Somerby
Somerby
Somerby could be:* Somerby, Leicestershire, a village near Melton Mowbray* Somerby , Lincolnshire, a hamlet near Brigg* Somerby, West Lindsey, a hamlet near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire* Somerby Golf Club and Community in Byron, Minnesota...
, Leicestershire where 10 Para emplaned and of course the Royal Sussex Museum and airborne museums at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
and Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Renkum, about 5 km west of Arnhem.The oldest part of the village of Oosterbeek is the Benedendorp , on the northern bank of the river Rhine...
. Recently, Captain Queripel’s school, Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, has unveiled a VC/GC memorial on which his name is commemorated.
Recently his home town of Tunbridge Wells (to where the family moved in 1926) added his name to the Town War Memorial but he had already been included in a unique VC Memorial in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells. 10 VC recipients had lived in Tunbridge Wells including the very first VC to be awarded to Charles Lucas
Charles Davis Lucas
Charles Davis Lucas VC was an Irish born officer of the Royal Navy and the first recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, who as a mate on HMS Hecla
HMS Hecla
Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hecla, after the volcano Hekla in Iceland.* The first Hecla was a 10-gun bomb vessel purchased in 1797...
during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
in 1854 picked a live shell with a burning fuse from the deck and threw it overboard. There is also another PWRR connection with Major William Sidney VC Grenadier Guards (later Viscount de L’Isle
William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle and 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC , was the 15th Governor-General of Australia and the final non-Australian to hold the office...
) who was descended from Sir Robert Sidney (1563–1626) the first colonel of the Holland Regiment (later the Buffs) who are also a forebear Regiment of the PWRR.
In February 1945 when the award of the Victoria Cross was announced Tunbridge Wells Council commissioned a poem by Herbert Hope Campbell. At the time Lionel Queripel was posted as missing, it was not until after the war that it was confirmed he was killed:
We who are burghers of your native town
Hail you today with your illustrious name,
Your knightly valour wins for you renown;
We glory in your courage and your fame!
May we be worthy of your daring deed
Performed by you in England’s hour of need.
On 19 September 2007, Lionel Queripel's sword which had been held with B Coy the London Regiment was presented to the Royal Sussex Regiment Museum in Eastbourne. His surviving sister, her family and Regimental representatives were present.
External links
- VC at Arnhem (Arnhem operation details and photos)
- The Arnhem Archive entry for Captain Queripel