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'''Lieutenant-Colonel<ref>London Gazette (Supplement) no 41638, p 1227, 17 February 1959</ref> Peter Joshua Arnold Lucas MC''' (8 July 1914 – 30 June 1994) was a British awarded the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his actions during [[World War II]].

==Early life==
A [[Leicestershire]] farmer's son, Peter Joshua Arnold Lucas was born on 9 July 1914 at Eastwell Hall, near [[Melton Mowbray]]<ref>Entry No 273 Register book of Births no 23 for District of Melton Mowbray, County of Leicester</ref> and educated at [[Warwick School]]. He served in the [[Coldstream Guards]] from 1936 to 1938, before leaving to join the [[Warwickshire Police]].<ref name="The Daily Telegraph p 17, 16">The Daily Telegraph, p 17, 16 July 1994, Lead Obituary</ref> Released for [[military service]], in 1939 he was selected for training at the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] and then was [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] into the [[Royal Warwickshire Regiment]] as a [[second lieutenant]] on 4 June 1940.<ref>London Gazette (Supplement) no 34888, p 4081, 5 July 1940</ref> His [[service number]] was 138730.

==Military career==
In 1942 he was seconded to the 8th Battalion, the [[Durham Light Infantry]] (DLI).<ref name="The Daily Telegraph p 17, 16"/> By March 1943 [[Erwin Rommel]] was trapped in [[Tunisia]] between the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British Eighth Army]] in the east and the 1st Army in the west. After routing the Americans at the [[Kasserine Pass]] he dug his army in at the old French frontier position at [[Mareth]] and, a sick man, departed for [[Europe]], leaving Von Arnim in charge. Montgomery, commander of the Eighth Army, began his attack through its northern end, via the formidable Wadi Zigzaou.

Lucas was serving in D Company, 8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, part of 151 Brigade, which established a bridgehead on the far side of the [[Wadi]]. In order to widen the bridgehead the [[Royal Engineers]] had built a [[causeway]] across the Wadi under intense fire, only to see it wrecked by a cloudburst. Meanwhile 75 German tanks, infantry of 15 Panzer Division, a regiment from [[90th Light Infantry Division (Germany)|90th Light Division]] and [[Ramcke Parachute Brigade|Ramcke]] parachutists were forming up at Zarat, to attack the brigade. The 8th DLI confronted the German assault with no supporting weapons – the few [[Valentine tank]]s and [[anti-tank gun]]s were unable to cross the wadi - and no air support, since the aircraft had been grounded by torrential rain. The German attack began with accurate shelling of the Durhams' position, which caused many casualties. When the gunfire was at its heaviest Lucas, commanding the [[Bren Gun Carrier]] Platoon, answered an urgent call from A and B Companies for wireless sets and batteries. Undeterred by the murderous defensive fire sweeping the wadi Lucas went forward in his carrier through a gap in the minefield. He safely crossed the wadi and anti-tank ditch, all the time under heavy fire, and finally reached the forward companies with his valuable cargo. He then returned to Battalion H.Q. the way he had come. Later, under equally difficult conditions, he again undertook the hazardous journey this time with [[Field ration|rations]] and [[ammunition]]. There is no doubt that his actions enabled the forward troops to hold onto their positions and Captain Lucas was awarded the Military Cross.<ref>London Gazette (Supplement) no 36057, p 2760, 15 June 1943</ref><ref name="dlihist">Major P.J.Lewis, M.C./Major I.R.English. M.C. (1952) 8th Battalion the Durham Light Infantry 1939–1945 pp 183, 210-226. {{ISBN|978-1-84574-145-7}}</ref> Lucas remained with the 8th DLI during the rest of the North African campaign.

In July 1943 the 8th DLI was part of the invasion force for [[Operation Husky]], the allied campaign to capture [[Sicily]] from the Italian and German armies. Alerted to the invasion, the Germans airlifted paratroopers to [[Catania]], north of the 8th Army's landing sites around [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]]. One of the major links into mainland Sicily was the [[Primosole Bridge]] over the River [[Simeto]] between Syracuse and Catania. British Paratroopers were sent to capture the bridge ([[Operation Fustian]]), but, although the British [[1st Parachute Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Parachute Brigade]] managed to take the bridge, they were forced to retreat due to an overwhelming enemy presence. The Durham Light Infantry and the [[44th Royal Tank Regiment]] raced north to reinforce the paratroops. After wading the Simeto north of the bridge two companies of the 8th DLI succeeded in establishing a [[bridgehead]] on the opposite bank, taking the Primosole Bridge over which the remaining two companies of the Battalion were able to pass to reinforce the leading companies. Despite heavy casualties in hand to hand fighting the 8th DLI held the bridgehead until they were reinforced during the night by the 9th and 6th DLI.<ref name="dlihist" /> In the course of the battle Lucas' position in the east of the bridgehead was struck by a German shell; he was seriously wounded in the back and hand and evacuated to [[Malta]].<ref name="The Daily Telegraph p 17, 16"/>

Lucas fought to regain his fitness and rejoined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment after the war.<ref name="The Daily Telegraph p 17, 16"/> In 1947/48 he served in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] in anti-terrorist operations and was mentioned in despatches for gallant and distinguished services during the period 27 September 1947 – 26 March 1948.<ref>London Gazette (Supplement) no 38505, p 120, 7 January 1949</ref> Afterwards he was seconded to the [[King's African Rifles]] (KAR) and fought against the [[Mau Mau Uprising|Mau-Mau]] in [[Kenya]] and against communist terrorists in [[Federation of Malaya|Malaya]]. His final appointments were as commandant of the [[Army School of Physical Training]] at [[Aldershot]] and then as administrative commandant of the [[Defence CBRN Centre|Defence NBC School]] at [[Winterbourne Gunner]], Wiltshire.<ref name="The Daily Telegraph p 17, 16"/>

==Personal life==
As a young man he played [[Rugby football|rugby]]; he was also a good horseman and shot and took a keen interest in the theatre. In retirement he worked at the [[School of Infantry]], [[Warminster]] and was also a councillor on Amesbury Rural District Council.<ref name="The Daily Telegraph p 17, 16"/>

He married, in 1942, Amy Packer, who died in 1985; He is survived by a daughter and two grandchildren.

== Sources ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Peter J A}}
[[Category:Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:People educated at Warwick School]]
[[Category:Allied invasion of Sicily]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Coldstream Guards soldiers]]

Peter J. A. Lucas - Revision history

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