Jack Horne
This is a photo of the grave of James Tibbett, our own Waterloo Pensioner. Traditionally a service was held each year to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and this tradition was repeated in 2015 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle. Members of the Friends of the Church on the Hill held a short service and placed a wreath on the gravestone as was done previously.
The gentleman on the right is Mr Jack Horne, who lived opposite the church and, together with his wife, Joan, cared for the graveyard and church for many years. In July 2019 The Churches Conservation Trust presented Jack with a special certificate recognising his and Joan’s long voluntary service.
Jack was our own local hero.
Funeral Eulogy 2023 Delivered by Andy Stephenson 1st June 2023
Secretary & Poppy Appeal Organiser of Aldbury Branch BR0551
Hertfordshire County Secretary
Jack Horne 1924-2023
'Apart from other volunteer functions within my Royal British Legion Branch of Aldbury I look after a scheme entitled Branch Community Support.
This is an extension of normal welfare issues and designed to capture those in danger of becoming lonely and isolated and it was within this role that I first met Jack in January of this year, not that he does not have a supportive son and family, he did, but they can’t be there all the time and a whole week on your own in an empty house, is a long time, and basically Jack wanted the company of another former military person with whom he could share stories that he knew would be understood.
Russell (Horne) has asked me to introduce you to Jack’s years during WWII as he had not been very forthcoming about this, with the family. I would add at this point that despite his age Jack had incredible memory recall.
With all that in mind permit me to introduce you to Gunner, Jack Horne, Army No. 1432-8584, 68th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA (TA), 59th Infantry Division.
At the outbreak of war in 1939 Jack was aged only 16 and a half, being too young to sign up he joined the Home Guard in his home village of Stanbridge in Bedfordshire at the age of 17 and joked that albeit he was not allowed to drive a car, he was allowed to have a 303 riffle and 50 rounds of ammunition!
As soon as he reached 18 in 1942, he signed up and trained at Deepcut Barracks as a Gunner in the 68th Regiment RA and after training on the Bofors 40mm Gun, he undertook sea defences at our ports on the south and east coasts from German air attack.
In 1944, D Day, he went with his Division to Normandy landing at Juno Beach and fighting in the first three unsuccessful artillery Battles for Cean, Noyers, and then the River Orne finishing there on 16th August but, to his shock on the 18th August 1944, Field Marshall Montgomery ordered that due to severe shortages in the Infantry that the whole of 59th, being the youngest Division in the 2nd Army at the time, would be disbanded and all the men to then be re-distributed where needed most needed.
Jack found himself unceremoniously rebadged in a French field into the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry 1st Battalion part of the 53rd Infantry (Welsh) Division, then driven off to join them.
This was at the point when the Ox & Bucks where attempting to support the Market Garden Operation that you might recognise as Arnhem. Jack remembered well all the parachutes coming down completely covering the sky from so many aircraft but as they struggled to get to the Airborne aid, the German defences in front of them proved simply too strong for them to break through and as we know, the attack failed.
Jack recounted witnessing reprisals going on through the French villages that he passed through on route, whereby local men were shaving the heads of young women and worse in the public squares who had been fraternising with the enemy, this clearly went against Jack’s own morality and wanted to do something to stop it but he was sternly advised by his senior NCO; not to interfere.
The 1st Ox and Bucks subsequently took part in operations around the Lower Maas that took place during October and November, including forcing the enemy from its position holding a bridgehead over the River Maas, west of Roermond. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched their last-gasp major offensive of the war in the Ardennes forest that became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks, along with the rest of 53rd (Welsh) Division, was rushed to Belgium shortly afterwards to assist in the defence where the battalion endured terrible weather conditions, some of the worst Belgium had seen in years.
The Allies launched a counter-attack in early January and the German offensive was defeated later that month, by which time the 53rd (Welsh) Division had been relieved and returned to the Netherlands soon afterwards in preparation for the invasion of Germany.
By this time, Jack had been fighting in the front line through France, Holland and Belgium, all this time being rocked by German tank and artillery shells all the way, he was so shell-shocked he was taken out of the front line and rebadged yet again after April 1945 into the 12th (Holding & Training Unit) Pioneer Corps (basically guard duty of a bridgehead) and remained in Belgium for the duration until demobilisation in late 1946. He really was not pleased with this appointment at all but upon reflection I personally am pleased that the Ox & Bucks Medics were able to identify his true medical condition at that time which doubtless was a lifesaver for Jack, for the alternative was advancing into Germany and Berlin itself.
Upon demobilisation in 1946 and having got home to Stanbridge, Jack was surprised to discover one day, to find some additional pay from the Army.
Unbeknown to him, he had been promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal but never informed of this and this new money was his back pay for his overdue rank entitlement (that could only happen in the Army)!
After consuming his account of the war, I said to Jack, so you witnessed the war from 1940 to 1946, you were in the Home Guard, the Royal Artillery, The Ox & Bucks Light Infantry and the Pioneer Corps. If you had had the ability to only serve in one which, would it have been? Without hesitation; he replied the Gunners.
Having met Jack back in January I was determined to get him out and about as he had nor really left home since lock down began some 3 years ago and I wanted him to relive life.
On 10th February the RAF Club in central London ran an afternoon event for all Normandy Vets organised by the Taxi Charity, the Black Cab driver’s charity, and Jack went on that and had a really enjoyable day having a black cab doing all the driving there and back-free of charge together with a retired Major as escort. Upon his return I asked Jack what he thought, he said it was very nice but a bit posh!
The Ox & Bucks Association also have proven themselves to be a great & supportive team in the past few months as well, many of whom are here today, in particular with a special turn out for his 99th birthday in March bringing a Colonel and a uniformed bugler to play for Jack plus 4 others.
After this event I introduced Jack to a Cambridge historian, Jay Hawkins, who has been contacting all WWII Veteran still alive to capture their story in order to create a book of each individual’s war account, he brought with him a deactivated Lee Enfield riffle which Jack agreed to sign along the stock along with a further 70 vets whom had already done the same that Jay had previously met and this riffle will be donated to a museum at some point in the future of Lee’s choice, so I will keep the family posted on that aspect.
Our most recent adventure was that I had written to the Honourable Artillery Company asking if there was anything they could do for Gnr. Horne under the RA motto of “Once a gunner, always a gunner”. Their response was that we were invited to attend Artillery House on Coronation Day, from there we would be taken by the Army to The Tower of London to witness the first Royal Salute being fired to HM The King, which I am pleased to report we were able to achieve and I know Jack thoroughly enjoyed. The HAC treated Jack as a King for his day!
So, it is with great sadness I leant that only 3 days later he has passed but it was my great pleasure to have met Jack and enjoy his company.
One of my colleagues suggested that maybe the thought of the offer of the HAC and the Royal Salute at the Tower may even have actually kept him alive, who knows, but at least he left us on a high, that’s what I believe anyway.
RIP Gunner Jack – Chosen Man of the Ox & Bucks, your duty is done Sir – RIP. '