Here we have the story of a man who did his best in a hopeless battle and was awarded a Victoria Cross. His daughter never knew of the medal in his lifetime, not due to estrangement or embarrassment. Rather he just never thought to mention it. Worth remembering even if us in younger generations can’t hope to measure up to the mountain of sacrafice of those that came before. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Here we have a German Tiger II tank coming for Major Cain in Arnhem. All Major Cain has is a PIAT anti tank rifle that has no hope of penetrating the Tiger’s Armor and 25 % of it’s shells are duds. Yet he doesn’t run away. He is hoping that if the tank crews hear a lot of scary sounding booms they will back off and more of his men can be rescued. This all happened but the stamp shows a Tiger II when the tanks coming for him were really Sturmgeshutz III assault guns. Don’t blame the stamp designer, Major Cain’s Victoria Cross Citation got that detail wrong.
Todays stamp is issue A59, a 10 Penny stamp issued by the Isle of Man on September 29th, 1981. It was a four stamp issue in various denominations honouring the Royal British Legion on it’s 60th anniversary. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth only 25 cents whether used or unused.
R. H. Cain was born in Shanghai to Isle of Man parents. He joined a Territorial Army (reserve) artillery unit while attending King William’s College and then working for Royal Dutch Shell, work which took him around the world. In 1940 he accepted an emergency reserve Commission in the Army and was assigned to the 1st Airborne Division. In 1943 he parachuted into Sicily as part of Operation Ladbroke. He was promoted and given command of a company.
After D Day, the British high command put together Operation Market Garden that would land the Ist Airborne division and an attached Free Polish Airborne Brigade in Arnhem in the hopes of seizing bridges over the Rhine River. The Rhine was a natural last line of defense for western Germany. What they did not realize was that there were two SS German divisions stationed in Arnhem getting refitted. Refit meant incorporating new recruits and new equipment including tanks. Airborne forces cannot parachute in heavy weapons. The battle saw inexperienced but well armed Germans facing fewer lightly armed but battle hardened men like Major Cain. The Germans were able to keep Arnhem but many more of the British and Polish paratroopers were able to be evacuated thanks to the bravery and the inexperienced Germans not pressing their advantage. The scary booms of the PIAT rifles really were intimidating. Late in 1945, Major Cain left the army and returned to his job at Royal Dutch Shell. In 1965 re retired back to the Isle of Man and died of cancer in 1974.
The Royal British Legion was a merger of three veterans groups of World War I. It was decided for the first time that officers and the ranks should be in the same organization to ensure equal treatment of the veterans from the lower classes. After World War II membership got up to 3,000,000 members. It still exists and promotes an Armed Forces Covenant that stresses that the unique sacrifices of the armed forces means that their service should be respected by all regardless of politics. They are behind the red poppies on lapels.
I mentioned above that Major Cain’s daughter did not know of his medal in his lifetime. She later helped get his story out. She was married to Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson and he hosted a BBC documentary on his late father in law. Time better spent than dropping pianos on old Morris Marinas.
Well my drink is empty and so I will have to wait till Monday for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.