J K Stanford served in the following Regiments:
- London Scottish 1914
- Suffolk Regiment 1915-1916
- Tank Corps 1917-1918
- National Defence Company, The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1939
- Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1940-1945
JK joined-up in the ranks in 1914, deciding he “could stand it no longer and must enlist”. It didn’t take the army long to recognise his calibre and he was soon commissioned into his county infantry regiment – the Suffolks – no doubt as a result of his aptitude, education and class. His lot was typically horrific: he was wounded twice and suffered shell shock.
After convalescence in England, he returned to the front to witness the conclusion of 300 years of equine warfare and the ghastly opening chapter of armoured warfare in tanks. His conduct in the war merited a Military Cross and was also Mentioned in Dispatches.
During the early summer months of 1939, JK must have experienced at least a hint of déjà vu, as he pondered, whether to join-up in order to fight against a German enemy. As had been the case in 1914, there seemed to be little doubt in his mind as to what the appropriate course of action was: “I wished to obey orders and make a good impression on those above me.” In July 1939, in spite of his self-confessed lack of modern training, relevant experience and his advancing years, he joined-up voluntarily, which certainly provides an insight into the value he placed on service, self-sacrifice and patriotism.
At the age of 47, the only avenue available to him was that of the National Defence Company (NDC) of his county regiment, which he duly joined. Hereafter JK served in the British expeditionary Force (BEF) and its ill-fated withdrawal from continental Europe, the tug of war that was the North African campaign, and also the post D-Day pursuit of the retreating German army across the low-countries and into Germany in the concluding stages of the war in Europe. Although JK’s primary role was concerned with logistics, JK experienced more than many of his rear echelon contemporaries.
His 300 kilometer late night drive across Germany when he heard that the PoW camp that his son Neil was in was to be liberated the next morning, is an indication of the acute reality of JK’s war. JK was demobilised again, in 1945, this time in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.