On this day …Fusilier Dennis Donnini VC by Niall Campbell

While on the same day the allies were assaulting Monya in Burma, the German army launched an offensive to relieve the Budapest encirclement, the Russians liberated the Budapest ghetto and reached Lodz in Poland, Fusilier Donnini was winning his VC 76 years ago today.

 Dennis Donnini (1925-1945) was born on 17th November 1925 in Easington, County Durham, the son of Alfredo Donnini and Catherine (nee Brown). His father, an Italian national, was interned for much of the war as an "enemy alien".

Dennis enlisted in Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1944, and was posted to 4/5th Battalion, and had only been in the Army for nine months prior to Operation Blackcock in the North West Europe Theatre. Op Blackcock ran between 13-26 Jan 1945 and was intended to clear German troops from the Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard in the Netherlands and Heinsberg in Germany.

 On 18th January 1945, 4/5 Bn RSF supported by tanks was the leading Battalion in the assault of the German positions between the rivers Roer and Maas. This consisted of a broad belt of minefields and wire on the other side of a stream. As the result of a thaw, the armour was unable to cross the stream and the infantry had to continue the assault without the support of the tanks. Fusilier Donnini's platoon was ordered to attack a small village. As they left their trenches the platoon came under concentrated machine gun and rifle fire from the houses and Fusilier Donnini was hit by a ricocheting bullet on the head. After a few minutes he recovered consciousness, charged down thirty yards of open road and threw a grenade into the nearest window.

 The enemy fled through the gardens of four houses, closely pursued by Fusilier Donnini and the survivors of his platoon. Under heavy fire at seventy yards range Fusilier Donnini and two companions crossed an open space and reached the cover of a wooden barn, thirty yards from the enemy trenches. Fusilier Donnini, still bleeding profusely from his wound, went into the open under intense close range fire and carried one of his companions, who had been wounded, into the barn. Taking a Bren gun he again went into the open, firing as he went.

 He was wounded a second time but recovered and went on firing until a third bullet hit a grenade which he was carrying and killed him. The superb gallantry and self-sacrifice of Fusilier Donnini drew the enemy fire away from his companions on to himself. As the result of this, the platoon were able to capture the position, accounting for thirty enemy and two machine guns. Dennis was buried in Sittard War Cemetery, Sittard, Netherlands. At just 19, he was the youngest recipient of the VC in the Second World War.

 It was reputed that Dennis’ father remained detained until being released at the behest of King George VI, whom he met after he was granted leave to receive his son’s posthumous Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace.

Donnini’s medals are held by his family in Co Durham.

The successor regiment to the RSF in today’s British Army is the 2nd Battalion the Royal Scots Regiment (Royal Highland Fusiliers); Fusilier Donnini’s actions were in the finest tradition of our regiment, summed up in the regimental motto: Nemo Me Impune Lacessit.