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Major Arthur Michael Norman RICE (172334) MC
Northamptonshire Regiment attached to A Company, 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment Date of birth: 2nd December 1915 Date of death: 10th August 1944 Killed in action aged 28 Buried at Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery Plot XVI Row A Grave 13
Arthur Michael Norman Rice was born at Northampton on the 2nd of December 1915 the youngest son of Arthur Henry Rice, Managing Director of Rice and Co, Eagle Foundry in Northampton, and Beatrice Hettie (nee Chew) Rice of Church Brampton in Northamptonshire. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Fields House from September 1929 to April 1934. He gained his School Certificate in 1932. He was a Sergeant in the Officer Training Corps achieving Certificate A in 1933. He was appointed as a House Captain and as a Prefect in 1933. He went on to Christ Church, Oxford in 1935 where he achieved a 2nd Class BA in History in 1938. On leaving university he worked at Dockland Settlement No. 2 at 197 East Ferry Road on the Isle of Dogs in 1938 and as Assistant Warden at Christ Church Settlement in Kennington in 1939. He was Warden of the “Roadmender” Boys Club in Northampton in 1939. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Northamptonshire Regiment from an Officer Training Unit on the 15th of February 1941 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 15th of August 1942. He was attached to the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment on the 20th of October 1942 and served with them during the campaigns in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and in Sicily. He was promoted to Acting Captain on the 9th of April 1943. At 6.30pm on the evening of the 5th of June 1944 the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment was on board assault ships in the Solent in preparation for their part in the D-Day landing the following morning. The battalion was tasked with assaulting "King Red" beach, a subsector of "Gold" beach, and to move through the town of La Rivière and beyond to capture and destroy an enemy battery at Mont Fleury. At 7.25am on the 6th of June 1944 Arthur Rice and his company landed on the beach in the first wave of the assault where they waded through four feet of water and, meeting limited opposition, quickly pushed off the beach and captured a number of enemy prisoners. They moved on to take their final objective of the enemy battery after a sharp engagement which cost them eight casualties after which the enemy commander committed suicide. By the end of the day the battalion had suffered casualties of seven officers and eighty five other ranks killed wounded or missing. For his actions on D-Day Arthur Rice was awarded the Military Cross for “gallant and distinguished services in Normandy" which was announced by the War Office on the 31st of August 1944. The recommendation for the award read as follows: - “On 6th June 1944 Major Rice was commanding the right assault Company of the 5 E. Yorks during the assault on the lighthouse position immediately south of La Rivière. On touching down both assault companies came under heavy MG fire and the left company was held up at the sea wall. The right company succeeded in advancing about 300 yards when it was also held up by MG fire from the lighthouse area and by mines. About 20 casualties had been inflicted on the two forward platoons when Major Rice joined them and ordered the laying of a smoke screen by 2 inch mortars. Under cover of this smoke he found a way through the mines and redirected both platoons to the assault which went in successfully in the face of heavy, though un-aimed, fire and resulted in the capture of 35 prisoners. From the moment of landing until capture of the position Major Rice showed a complete disregard for his own safety and his example under heavy fire was a great inspiration to his whole company. His determination and resource led directly to the early freeing of the beach from aimed small arms fire and helped the left assault company to get to grips with the strong position in La Rivière.” By the 11th of June the battalion was to the south west of Hautes Les Ventes where the battalion relieved the 1st Battalion Dorset Regiment. At 6pm A Company came under attack from enemy units before they were properly dug in. After half an hour the enemy were forced to withdraw. Later that evening Arthur Rice assumed command of the battalion due to the casualties among the officers. On the 9th of August the battalion was in the Bois Du Roi in preparation for an attack on Mont Pincon further to the south. At 7pm they advanced through Le Plessis Grimoult and remained in reserve where they came under occasional shell fire during the night. At 1am on the morning of the 10th of August Arthur Rice was hit and killed by a shell. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records his death as having occurred on the 9th of August but battalion and regimental records record his death as having occurred on the early morning of the 10th of August 1944. His brother, Sergeant William James Pickering Rice OL 10 Squadron Royal Air Force, was killed in action on the 1st of July 1941. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Christ Church, Oxford.

Fields House