John Cloudsley -Thompson
After Christmas 1941, while the Regiment was stationed at Beni Yusef, John was promoted to Tank Commander. He had a always been a keen naturalist, and became fascinated by desert animals. He adopted Noball the desert fox.
John spent his 21st birthday in the desert celebrating with a party complete with cake made by the mess staff. Shortly after, John's tank, a Crusader A15 Mark II, was knocked out during the Knightsbridge battle and the crew were all injured or killed. John himself suffered a severe leg injury and was evacuated to Tobruk Hospital.
After recuperating in South Africa, John's next posting was as Gunnery Instructor at RMA Sandhurst. Despite paralysis in his leg, with which he suffered for the rest of his life, John 'wangled' a medical upgrade in order to take part in the Normandy landings