One half of this blue plaque...

... is today’s Guernseyman. His brother will be another day.
Brigadier Herbert Wallace Le Patourel, VC (1916-1979)
Guernsey’s ‘Verray parfait gentil knight’
Born in June 1916, the son of HA Le Patourel, HM Procureur, 1929-34 and the younger brother of Professor John Le Patourel. “Wally” Le Patourel (as his friends knew him) was educated at Elizabeth College and embarked on a career in banking.

Once his schooldays were behind him he volunteered for service in the Royal Guernsey Militia and it soon v3came clear that his altitudes accorded far more with the métier of the soldier than that if a banker. An outstanding subaltern he was chosen to carry the King’s colour at the Coronation of George VI in 1937 when a Colour Party and 25 Militiamen went to London fir the occasion. It was hardly a surprise when war came that he quit banking and enrolled in the army serving with the Hampshire Regiment.

The event which was to make Le Patourel’s name resound in the courts of Ares took place on 3 December 1942. This was the fourth and final day of the battle for control of Tebourba Gap (20 Mike’s to the west of Tunis) which had started at dawn on 30 November. At 1000 hours on that day enemy parachute troops of the Sturmgruppe ‘Koch’ started to attack the whole of the positions held by the much depleted. Second battalion of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. After a hour of furious battle Le Patourel’s Company managed to reach the top but were unable to hold their position because of heavy fire from the enemy.
It was in the course of a desperate attempt to clear the enemy from the high ground  on the battalion’s left that Major Le Patourel displayed the heroism that earned him the Victoria Cross. The citation accompanying the award reads... ‘This officer then personally led four volunteers under very heavy fire to the top in a last attempt to dislodge several enemy machine guns. The party was heavily engaged by machine gun fire and Major Le Patourel rallied his men several times and engaged the enemy, silencing several machine gun posts. Finally when the remainder of his party were all killed or wounded, he went forward alone with a pistol and some grenades to attack enemy machine guns at close quarters and from this action he did not return...  Major Le Patourel’s most gallant conduct and self sacrifice, his brilliant leadership and tenacious devotion to duty in the face of a determined enemy were beyond praise’.

It was believed that Major Le Patourel was killed; and indeed his Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously. It was discovered later that he had been seriously wounded and taken prisoner. Freed as the Allies drove deep into Germany, the hero of Tebourba accompanied the Home Secretary Mr Herbert (later Lord) Morrison on his post-liberation visit to Guernsey on 14 May 1945; the Minister later reported to the Cabinet that ‘as can be imagined, his reception was tumultuous. 

He went on to have a distinguished peace-time military career.
On 27 October 1968 he repeated the duty first discharged 31 years previously when he once again paraded as a Guernsey Militia Colour-bearer: this time at the nostalgic ceremony at the Town Church where the Colours of the now defunct Militia were presented, re-dedicated and laid up.

Although a frequent visitor Wallly Le Patourel never returned to live in Guernsey.