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Lieutenant Anthony David POTTER (267980)
C Squadron, Royal Horse Guards, 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment Date of birth: 18th August 1923 Date of death: 19th July 1944 Died of wounds aged 20 Buried at Hermanville War Cemetery Plot 2 Row B Grave 7
Anthony David Potter was born at Worthing on the 18th of August 1923 the son of Edgar French Potter, a bank manager, and Constance Kathleen (nee Twine) Potter, of “Lamorna”, Gatton Road, Reigate in Surrey. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Seconds House from September 1937 to November 1939. He was a member of the Football XI in 1939 and gained his School Certificate the same year. On leaving school he went to work as a clerk in the Lloyd's insurance market. He enlisted in the army at Acton on the 28th of April 1942. At a medical examination it was recorded that he was 5 feet 7 and 3/4 inches tall and that hehad a fresh complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was sent for officer training at 100 Officer Cadet Training Unit based at Sandhurst and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards on the 20th of March 1943. He was sent for further training with the Household Cavalry Training Regiment before being posted to the 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment. He was admitted to hospital on the 21st of March 1944 for reasons unknown and was discharged on the 11th of April. On the 12th and 13th of July 1944 the 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment landed in at Graye-Sur-Mer in Normandy as an armoured car regiment to act in a reconnaissance role for Guards Armoured Division. Almost immediately they were engaged in Operation "Goodwood" as part of the breakout from the Caen area, where the British had been bogged down since they had landed on D-Day. On the 19th of July they launched an attack against the German defences at Bourguebus Ridge to assist the 11th and 7th Armoured Brigades. The attack was preceded by carpet bombing by Bomber Command which proved to be less accurate than was hoped. The Guards were to attack and penetrate the German defences to the east of Caen, cut the Caen-Vimont Road at Cagny and continue to Vimont where they would link up for the final attack on the ridge. In the event the Guards Division lost 60 tanks mostly to 88mm anti aircraft guns of 21 Panzerdivision and to the few remaining Tigers tanks in the area. On the evening of the 18th of July 1944 Anthony Potter, known as "Percy" to his comrades, was acting as Traffic Control Officer at the Orne Bridge when the Germans shelled the area. He was mortally wounded and died the next day. Four other members of his unit were killed or died of wounds in the incident. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Lloyd's of London.

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