Corran Purdon

Corran Purdon
Corran Purdon, Merville Battery, June 2014
Birth name Corran William Brooke Purdon
Born (1921-05-04)4 May 1921
Cobh
Died 27 June 2018(2018-06-27) (aged 97)
Wiltshire
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1939–1976
Rank Major general
Unit Royal Ulster Rifles, No. 12 Commando, Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces and Hong Kong Police Force
Battles/wars St Nazaire Raid (1942)
Awards CBE MC CPM
Spouse(s)

Patricia Purdon (m. 1945-2007: her death: 3 children)

Jean Ottaway (m. 2009-2018: his death)
Children Tim, Angela and Patrick (deceased).

Corran Wiliam Brooke Purdon CBE MC (4 May 1921 – 27 June 2018) was an Irish-born commando in the British Army, who took part in the raid on St Nazaire for which he was awarded the Military Cross. He was also a prisoner in Colditz.[1][2][3][4] He retired at the rank of Major General.

Early life

Corran William Brooke Purdon, born on 4 May 1921 in Cobh, near Cork, Ireland, during the Irish War of Independence. His father worked for the army as a medical officer, his mother was a homemaker. Most of Purdon's family’s occupations were either working as army people or hospital doctors. Purdon had one sister. In the early 1920's the family moved to India and lived there until 1926 when Purdon was 5 years old. In 1926, after his father's working time for the Indian army was up, the family moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to his maternal grandfather’s home. His father later returned to India for a few more years. Purdon was educated firstly in India, then in Ireland.

Career

Police career

After finishing working for the British Army in 1976, Purdon joined the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) in 1978, and worked for it until his retirement in 1981 at the age of 60.

Personal Life

In 1945, after finally being released from Colditz Castle prisoner of war camp, Purdon married Patricia Purdon (1923-2007). The couple had three children: Patrick (1947-2008), Tim (born 1949) and Angela (born 1952).

After retiring from working for the Hong Kong Police Force in 1981 at the age of 60. Purdon and his wife Patricia (first marriage) moved from Hong Kong to Devizes, Wiltshire.

Patricia died from cancer in 2007 aged 84, leaving Purdon a widower. Which he then became really spare following Patricia's death. In 2009, Purdon married again, at age 88, to the widow of his cousin, Jean Ottaway, then 74. Corran was 88 and Jean was 74 when they got married. Purdon and Ottaway stayed married right up until his death.

Purdon was a good friend of another well-respected British World War II hero, Micky Burn (1912-2010). They were friends from when they met in Colditz Castle where they were imprisoned along with several other innocent WWII soldiers and remained friends until Burn's death in 2010.

Death

Purdon died in his sleep of natural causes in the early hours of 27 June 2018 at his home in Devizes, Wiltshire with his family at his side. He was 97. He was survived by his wife Jean (second marriage), two children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Media and events

Purdon appeared in some history related documentaries and once appeared on one episode being apart of the TV series Nova in 1974, 2 years prior to his quitting the British Army. Then much later Purdon appeared on the TV Movie documentary Jeremy Clarkson: Greatest Raid of all Time (2007), Colditz the Legend (2010) and Turned Towards the Sun (2012).

In March 2009, Purdon, then aged 87 along with Micky Burn (1912-2010) and Dr Bill 'Tiger' Watson' (born c. 1920's) went to St Nazaire, France to commemorate the raid whilst filming Burn's story turned into a feature-film documentary adapted from his 2003 autobiography Tuned Towards the Sun (2012) to dedicate his life. Then in March 2012, Purdon, then aged 90 was made guest of honour in St Nazaire being invitied to the 70th anniversary celebratory event of when the St Nazaire Raid took place to commemorate it and reflect on it in remembrance. In June 2014, Purdon, then aged 93, attended the 70th anniversary celebratory event of the D-Day Landings in its remembrance. Purdon was still attending WWII related celebratory anniversary events to shortly before his death.

References

  1. ↑ "Major-General Corran Purdon obituary". Thetimes.co.uk. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "War hero who escaped Colditz dies aged 97". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "Purdon, Corran William Brooke (Oral history)". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Major General Corran Purdon". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
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