Major General Casimir Michael Grigg
Smmary
- Gender - Male
- Birth - 25 February 1917
- Death - 30 January 2015(aged 97 years)
- Education - Eton College
- Nationality - British
- Wife - Married in 1950 to Audrey Vera Moore
- Children - Two daughters Sarita & Andrea
- Grand Children - Rachel & Matthew
- Great Grand Children - Meghan & Toby
Military
Major-General Casimir Michael Grigg CBE MC (25 February 1917 – 30 January 2015) was a British Army officer who won the Military Cross in Sicily in 1943 and later was appointed the first major general of the Zambian Army by Kenneth Kaunda, having risen to the rank of brigadier in the British Army.
Obituary
Casimir Michael Grigg was born in London on February 25 1917 and spent his childhood at Bembridge, Isle of Wight, before going to Eton. After attending Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Seaforth Highlanders. In 1938, he served with 1 SH in Hong Kong and Shanghai. After accompanying the battalion to Malaya and then to India, in 1942 he took part in the invasion of Madagascar. He saw action in the final phase of the North Africa campaign in early 1943 and moved to Syria the following year."
Achievement
In July 1943 Grigg was in command of a company of 6th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (6 SH) and took part in the invasion of Sicily. There was a battery of guns on the high ground behind the village of Cassibile, near Syracuse, which dominated the beach. A parachute drop to capture these guns was considered vital but the operation was a disaster. The pilots dropped their load too soon and turned for home. Grigg saw men struggling in the water but his assault craft was running three minutes late and he was ordered not to delay under any circumstances. The little cove was not defended but beyond the beach the terrain was heavily mined. Grigg’s best friend lost both legs but he could not stop to help him. For a long time afterwards he had nightmares in which he heard the cries of the men who had been left to die. On the night of July 12/13, he led his company in a battalion advance on Augusta. On the outskirts of the town they came under heavy machine gun fire. Despite being under fire himself, Grigg went forward and directed the fire of his force on to the enemy positions. It was a dark night but he succeeded in identifying the location of the machine gun posts and, one by one, they were knocked out. In recognition of his outstanding courage and leadership, Grigg was awarded an MC.