Middlesbrough D-Day Victoria Cross winner wrote to fallen comrade

Descendants of two Second World War heroes linked by a beautiful letter of condolence will meet for the first time next week.

The letter was written by Sergeant Major Stan Hollis, the only soldier to be decorated with the Victoria Cross on D-Day, to the parents of Private John Armstrong, his colleague from the 6th Battalion, Green Howards, who had died a few days later.

The letter was sent from Stan Hollis in Middlesbrough to William and Emily Armstrong in Langley, near Hexham in Northumberland (Image: THE GREEN HOWARDS MUSEUM)

Pte Armstrong, himself decorated with a Distinguished Conduct Medal, was killed on June 1944. A veteran of the conflict in Dunkirk, the Middle East and on D-Day, he died aged 24 after standing on a mine.

His parents, William and Emily, wrote to Sgt Maj Hollis from their home in Langley-on-Tyne, near Hexham, to ask what had happened to their son's personal kit.

Private John Armstrong, DSM, from Langley-on-Tyne, who was killed after stepping on a mine in June 199 (Image: THE GREEN HOWARDS MUSEUM)

Hollis, who was convalescing after being wounded in his leg, said he was "very sad" to learn of his friend's death as he had expected him to recover.

He wrote: "The last time saw him was when he was on a stretcher being taken back to the Medical Officer (MO), he had stood on a mine, and was unconscious, but very much alive.

"I saw the MO later in the day and asked how he was as I thought he wouldn’t live. However, the MO told me he was not so badly injured as we all thought, and that he had every chance to get over it, and until I got your letter I thought he was OK as did all the Bn (batallion), when I left. They will all be deeply shocked."

Stan Hollis, from Middlesbrough, the only person to be awarded a Victoria Cross on D-Day (Image: THE GREEN HOWARDS MUSEUM)

Hollis, from Middlesbrough, was recommended to receive the Victoria Cross for two separate incidents of heroism on D-Day. He rushed two pillboxes and cleared a trench, taking multiple prisoners, and later created a diversion to ensure two of his men escaped from an enemy position after an unsuccessful attack.

It's clear from the date of Hollis's letter - August 22, 1944 -  that he had already been informed of his VC honour, but mentions none of it in his letter. Instead his concern is for the family of the fallen man.

An extract from the letter written by Stan Hollis to the parents of his fallen comrade, John Armstrong (Image: THE GREEN HOWARDS MUSEUM)

He writes: "I want you to know that Johnnie, (and this is quite true as any one will confirm) was always looked upon in the Bn, as the bravest man it ever contained, Johnnie’s word was law in ‘D’ Coy."

And he adds: "Although I know that nothing can compensate you for your great loss, and I wish to offer my honest, heartfelt sympathy, he was more than a soldier to the Bn, and I count it one of the finest things I know, that I could claim Johnnie Armstrong as one of my best friends."

Recommended reading:

• Stan Hollis: The 'man they couldn't kill' and only D-Day Victoria Cross recipient
• For Valour: The North-East's greatest D-Day hero who saved the lives of many men
• Following in the footsteps of Boro's Stan Hollis, the only man to win a VC on D-Day

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The letter has been in the possession of the Armstrong family ever since. It was loaned to the Green Howards Museum, in Richmond, as part of its D-Day 80th anniversary events.

Stan Hollis’ granddaughter, Amanda Hart, will be meeting John Armstrong's neice, Susan Law, at museum, for the first time on Monday (July 29), to discuss the letter and the heroism of their ancestors.

The Northern Echo will be speaking to both women at the meeting next week.