Bayoneted and shot, but the ultimate commando wouldn't die

AN OUTSTANDING collection of medals awarded to a heroic Gordon Highlander hailed the "ultimate commando" are to go on public display in Scotland for the first time in a new exhibition celebrating the regiment's illustrious links to Britain's special forces.

The exploits of Sergeant Jack Byrne - who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, one of Britain's highest bravery awards - read like the stories out of the pages of the Commando comic.

In a truly remarkable journey through the Second World War, he was bayoneted in France while fighting with the Gordons rearguard in 1940 and left for dead in a ditch, only to be saved by French civilians who took him to the evacuation beach at Dunkirk.

The Englishman was then transferred to the Commandos where he took part in actions in Syria against the Vichy French. He was then selected as one of the original recruits for the 1st Special Service Brigade, the unit formed by Sir David Stirling and forerunner of the SAS Regiment.

Captured by the Nazis in Libya while returning alone from a special sabotage mission, he was shot in the face at close range by a German officer but survived and was sent to the notorious Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp in Poland.

After being transferred to another camp, he escaped successfully at the third attempt by crawling through a latrine drain, and made it back to Britain.

But the extraordinary war of the "soldier who wouldn't die" was far from over. He rejoined the Commandos and stormed ashore at Sword Beach on D-Day before being wounded again. He returned to duty in time for the Battle of the Bulge and remained in the thick of the fighting as his regiment pushed into Germany.

After the war, Sgt Byrne served with the Kenyan Police until 1948 when he rejoined the Gordons, fighting terrorists in Malaya before transferring to the Malayan Police.

His incredible service came to a violent and bloody end in 1953 when he was shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a terrorist. Sgt Byrne survived and the terrorist was arrested.

His collection of medals is the centrepiece of a new exhibition at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen, which explores the stories of the "extraordinary" members of the regiment who served with the elite units of Special Operations Executive, the Parachute Regiment, Special Air Service, Special Boat Service and the Chindits.

Jesper Ericsson, the curator of the museum, said: "Some extraordinary characters are celebrated in this special exhibition. But I think it is fair to describe Sergeant Byrne as the 'ultimate commando', considering his service career.

"The exhibition is tribute to Sgt Byrne and his other extraordinary colleagues."Among the other heroes celebrated are Lt-Col Stuart Chant-Sempill, who helped lead the legendary commando raid on the German U-boat base at the French port of St Nazaire in March 1942, and Lt-Col Ivan Lyon, DSO, who led British and Australian commandos of Z Special Unit until he was killed in action.