Born in Cardiff, Richard Fitzwilliam joined the Welsh Regiment in 1940. After spending time in Egypt he was later transferred to the Green Howards, where he served as a Carrier Pontoon Commander. 

Still only a young man, Richard quickly found himself faced with a large sum of responsibilities, including the role he was to play in the looming Normandy invasions. Initially tasked with returning carriers to their manufacturers, as D-Day approached Richard learned that he instead would be part of the first wave of troops to land, his objective being to the capture the command post. 

Landing on the King Sector of Gold Beach, Richard’s time in Normandy was marked by a chain of long-lasting memories, like the forming of an unlikely friendship with Stanley Hollis, a highly-distinguished soldier and subsequent recipient of the Victoria Cross. Though he would treasure his time with Hollis, some aspects of Richard’s D-Day experience served more as a rude awakening, most notably his part in the assault on the Mont Fleury Battery. Caught in an explosion which caused substantial damage to his leg, he was transferred from France back home to England, undergoing two operations and a six week admission to Cheltenham Hospital.

Eventually deciding to return overseas, Richard was posted to East Africa, where he became a commandment in a Pay Corp Camp in Nairobi. Demobilised in 1946, Richard’s lasting impression of his time in service remains positive. Not only did he consider himself well-prepared for D-Day, a significant factor in saving his life, but he, as well as his family at the time, could certainly affirm that his various command roles were the making of him.