In Brief Aug 2018

NEWS
The extraordinary achievement of Northern
Cicuiteer, Eric Goldrein
On his 97th birthday, Eric Goldrein, who retired from practice at
the Bar on the Northern Circuit at the age of 80 in the year 2000,
was awarded the Legion d’Honour by the French Government for
his outstanding bravery in August 1944.
The awarding of the medal was held on a glorious summer’s day in
the civic hall in Hale Village, Merseyside where Eric had formerly
been Lord Mayor. The medal was awarded by the French Consul,
with speeches not only from him, but from the Lord Lt, the High
Sheriff, the representative in the North West of the British Legion
and last, but not least, a speech of admiration by Eric’s only pupil,
none other than the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, Sir
Brian Leveson.
Eric’s incredible act of courage took place in Normandy in August
1944 and exactly what happened was recorded, as follows, in the
military journal The Gunner:
“The extraordinary story of a British artillery officer who, after
being captured in Normandy eventually persuaded a German
colonel to surrender himself and the remnants of his battalion into
his hands, is reported by the ‘Military Observer’ of the 43rd
(Wessex) Division.
The artillery officer, Lieut. E. Goldrein was out reconnoitring gun
positions for his anti-tank battery at the time of his capture. As he
stopped his jeep in a lane to check his position by the map, he was
fired on by a hidden machine-gun post. Both he and his driver
dived for cover, but were forced to surrender to the Germans, who
the next moment came down the road. They were taken back to
the German battalion headquarters, interrogated by the battalion
commander and told that they would be conducted seven or eight
miles back later in the evening. The effort to evacuate them was
unsuccessful; their escort detected a British patrol on the way and
hurriedly returned them again to the battalion headquarters, where
they spent the night.
It was agreed that Lieut. Goldrein’s driver, Gunner G F Swann,
should, in company with a German sergeant major, locate the
nearest British forces and bring in a party to conduct the Germans
to our line. This was done, and an infantry officer came forward
with his men in three Bren gun carriers to collect the Germans.
The battalion commander had surrendered himself, his adjutant,
and thirty-five other ranks to an officer they had taken prisoner the
evening before!”
It was the proximity of British patrols which gave Lieut. Goldrein
his opportunity. In French, which he speaks fluently, he pointed
out to the German colonel that his position was hopeless and that
British forces were already in rear of his headquarters. Without
knowledge of the real situation, Lieut. Goldrein tried to convey the
idea that the Germans were as good as surrounded. He succeeded
so well that, by the middle of the next morning, the German
battalion began to talk to his captive about the condition of his
surrender to the British. The colonel was finally persuaded that
further resistance by the remnants of his battalion were useless,
though they were directly engaged by British forces at the time.
6 In Brief