John Prott RIP

Kyt · Mar 13, 2008

John Prott - Telegraph

Gunner John Prott, who died on February 22 aged 88, was awarded two Military Medals for unusual courage and unfailing presence of mind during the fighting in north-west Europe.

He won the first as a gunner with the Ayrshire Yeomanry, which had been converted to a Royal Artillery field regiment.

On July 19 1944 Prott was driving a tank serving as an artillery observation post for 3rd Royal Tank Regiment at the village of Bras, on a ridge south of Caen, when his commander was shot in the face by a sniper and the tank caught fire.

Although still under small arms attack, Prott tried to douse the flames before helping down the officer and two other wounded. He then climbed back up to rescue another crew member, only to be hurled to the ground when the turret exploded.

On recovering he found some SS soldiers with automatics standing over him, and was taken with his wounded crewmen to a building, which the Germans soon abandoned as 3 RTR approached.

After dressing his comrades' wounds Prott prevented them from dashing outside in front of the German snipers and went to an upper floor, from where he identified them for the Rifle Brigade, which was coming up in support. Finally Prott led his wounded out of the building, which was now ablaze, summoned medical orderlies to load them on to a tank and returned to his unit on foot.

He won his Bar on May 2 1945, shortly before the war ended, when his observation-post tank confronted German units tenaciously holding a wooded area around Lasbeck Dorf, near Lubeck, on the Baltic. He and his co-driver were wounded by bombs which exploded above his head and knocked out the tank's gun.

But although suffering from shock Prott drove skilfully through the enemy gunners trying to finish off his tank. On being ordered to halt two miles down the road, he was found to have shell splinters all down one side of his face and body.

The citation declared that he had saved both the tank and its crew from being destroyed; it also noted that this was the third time that a tank driven by Prott had been hit by anti-tank weapons, yet he had never lost his nerve and was always cheerful under fire.

The son of a grain storeman, John Prott was born on November 13 1919 and went to Lady Jane Hamilton School, Ayr. He began an apprenticeship as a glazier, but never completed it because of a disagreement with his employers.

On the outbreak of war he mobilised with the mounted Ayrshire Yeomanry, which found him a cheering presence. Such was his physical strength that it was said of him in the sergeants' mess: "That's no' a man, he's a horse."

When billeted in a country house before the invasion he and a comrade found a comfortable sleeping place beside a large fireplace. But its warmth attracted so many others that the two tossed a bulging sandbag on to the fire, saying "There, boys, that'll give you heat", and then watched the room being rapidly vacated as two dozen thunder flashes went off.

Back in civvy street after the war Prott settled down with his wife Nancy, with whom he had a son and three daughters. He worked as a lorry driver delivering timber to collieries before becoming shaftsman at Rankinston and then going to Barony colliery, which he left to look after his wife in her last years.

Outside work he gave much of his free time to the regiment, which valued him for his fund of stories and his recitation of Tam O'Shanter in his guid Ayrshire at Burns suppers.

Prott was a sergeant in the guard of honour when the Queen visited Ayr in 1956, and finally rose to regimental quartermaster sergeant. At home he enjoyed marching round his house to a recording of pipes and drums accompanied by his children (and later his grandchildren), one on his shoulders and the others following behind.
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Antipodean Andy · Mar 13, 2008

Strong in body and mind by the sounds of it. RIP.

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John Prott RIP

Kyt Άρης

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