George Henry Nix
In 1939 George was working for Grantham Borough Council has a bricklayer.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Son of George and Elizabeth Anne Nix of Boston, Lincolnshire.
Siblings: Raymond born in 1915 and Joseph Derrick in 1918.
On 3rd May 1937 he married Nona Parker in Grantham. Their daughter, Christine N was born a few weeks before her father's death in 1944.
Nona married Gerard Hickson in 1947 in Mansfield.
7th Bn War Diary:
1/6/1944: embarked on "Empire Lance"
2/6/1944: off The Needles, rough seas.
5/6/1944: D-Day postoned 24 hrs.
6/6/1944 D-Day: Reveille at 03:00 hrs, breakfast 04:00 hrs. 04:20 hrs start loading L.C.M (landing craft mechanised). Beached at 08:00hrs under mortar fire. Landed near Ver-Sur-Mer.
On 1st October 1944 the 7th Bn made a heroic stand at the farm of Heuval when the battalion was attacked by a Panzergrenadiere of the 9th Panzar division supported by a company of King Tigers (tanks) on the island between Nijmegen and Arnham.
At 05:00 hrs tanks were heard approaching from the north-west and at 05:30 hrs the full firy of the German counter-attack struck the battalion. Along with heavy mortar and artillery barrage the Germans got within 50 metres of the forward positions. This was followed up with more tanks and the attack continued all day until at 23:00 hrs the 7th bn was relieved by the 5th East Yorks.
69 Brigade Report:
"the 7th Green Howards fought a magnificant all day battle against repeated enemy attacks. The right forward company being over-run in the early afternoon and infiltration having taken place between the forward and rear companies during the evening."
German losses were very heavy, the Panzargrenadiere Regt 11 only 11 men out of 120 at the end of the day.
George was one of 15 men from his battalion that died that day.
There is a very good documentry re the 6th bn and 7th bn of the Green Howards on D-Day,
History Hit: TheGreen Howards, One Unit's Perilous D-Day Story: 24 Hours in Normandy.
One of the contributors was filmed on the 80th anniversary of VE Day, 8/5/2025 talking about his experiences on D-Day and beyond, You Tube: Ken Cooke D-Day Veteran 7th Bn Green Howards.
These 2 films will give an idea of George's D-Day. Ken explains after he was wounded and returned to the front after a period in England he couldn't rejoin the 7th bn because they had lost so many men at Heuval that the survivors had been send to other units.
No photos