Sergeant Eric George Frost
Unit : 12th Parachute Battalion
Service No. : 6853662
Awards : Military Medal
On the night 5th/6th June, 1944, Sergeant Frost was in charge of the protection of the Battalion assembly area. He arrived early, and collecting men placed himself astride a main approach. A small party were only armed with anti-tank grenades, as heavy weapons had not arrived. A German patrol advanced down the road shortly after the party had got into position. Sergeant Frost himself knocked out two armoured cars with anti-tank grenades, killing all the crews. The remainder of the patrol made off. Sergeant Frost's action enabled his battalion to assemble without interference.
The following article appeared in the Evening Courier on the 1st October 2010, to mark the 65th anniversary of Eric and Dorothy Frost:
'An heroic soldier and his bride have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Eric and Dorothy Frost, of South Parade, Elland. met in Halifax in 1944. Eric, 87, was wounded in Ranville, the first village in France to be liberated in the D-Day landings. "We just got on with it and didn't think. I was only 21 at the time so we didn't see it in the same way I probably would now," he said. Eric, who was attached to the Parachute Regiment, was handed a medal for bravery by George VI at Buckingham Palace in 1944. He met his bride-to-be while dancing at the Empress Ballroom, Halifax. They courted for three months before tying the knot at Halifax Register Office. "It was just a small wartime wedding," said Eric. "Dorothy's mother said she wanted to come, but couldn't stay long because it was washday." Eric, originally from London, was moved to Ovenden to convalesce after a stay in hospital in Wales. After a brief posting in Dorchester, the pair moved back to Halifax, where Eric worked for ICI Pharmaceuticals, Huddersfield, while Dorothy worked in textiles. In the late 1950s she took over Briggate Fisheries, Elland, and Eric would join her behind the counter to serve the teatime rush after his working day finished. They often clocked up 19-hour days. The couple say their longevity is due to a "happy life." "We never go out without each other," said Dorothy, 86. The pair were due to celebrate their blue-sapphire anniversary yesterday with a holiday to Spain. But illness has meant they will join family, including their four children, four grandchildren and two great granddaughters, with a celebration at home instead.'