French town pays tribute to Wisbech war hero Charles WH Cox
A Wisbech war hero - probably better known in the town for his electrical shop - has been honoured with a tribute in France.
Charles WH Cox, who ran his business in Little Church Street, died in Wisbech in 1997, but his heroics, which helped uncover German radar secrets has not been forgotten in Bruneval in Northern France.
And on the 81st anniversary of a daring raid carried out by Charles and men from the 1st Air Troop Royal Engineers (later 1st Parachute Squadron RE) a plaque, paid for by a community fundraising effort was unveiled in tribute to their bravery.
Charles joined the RAF during World War Two and became a Flt Sgt specialising in Radar.
In February 1942 he found himself assigned to take part in a daring parachute raid on Bruneval, just north of Le Harve, with the aim of collecting components of a German Wurzberg Radar.
Operation Biting, as the mission was named, happened on February 27 1942 and saw Flt Lt Cox complete his task in minutes while under heavy enemy fire.
The parts he collected that night and brought back to Britain with the help of the Navy was used to help understand the German technology so the allies could neutralise its impact.
Charles was awarded the Military Medal by the army for his efforts - even though he was in the RAF - with the citation for the honour highlighting his bravery and devotion to duty.
The screwdriver used by Charles in that daring raid was later used by him when he carried out repairs in his electrical shop after the war.
The plaque, which was unveiled at the end of last month in the presence of 44 British paratroops from the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment and 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was bought thanks to the efforts of Nicolas Bucourt.
Nicolas, who lives in France, grew up in the Bruneval area and was fascinated by the stories of Operation Biting.
He researched what happened on the night of February 27/28 1942 and with a friend, Alain Millet, he has written a book and articles about the raid.
He also set up the association 'Bruneval Raid: Operation Biting' which has brought together relatives of those who took part in the raid, and also organised conferences, exhibitions and ceremonies in France to pay tribute to the Bruneval Raid heroes.
Nicolas launched a fundraising effort to raise cash to pay for the plaque, which was unveiled on the town hall in the village of La Poterie Cap D'Antifer where the radar had been located, by Colonel Antony McCord, attaché to the British Embassy in Paris along with French dignitaries.
Nicolas is still hoping for more donations to help pay for the tribute he designed and commissioned. He and the association are also looking for any relatives of those who took part in the raid and might be interested in getting in touch.
You can find out more by visiting the Facebook page: 'Bruneval Raid: Operation Biting'.
