A.L.s from Patrick Porteous VC

THE LETTER IS WRITTEN, SIGNED AND DATED ENTIRELY IN PORTEOUS' HAND, AND IS SOLD WITH A BRIEF RESUME OF HIS SERVICE CAREER AND A POOR QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT. Patrick Porteous was gazetted for the Victoria Cross on 2 October 1942. The citation reads: 'On 19 August 1942 at Dieppe, France, Captain Porteous was liaison officer between two detachments whose task was to attack the heavy coast defence guns. During the initial assault Captain Porteous, with the smaller detachment was shot through the hand, but he nevertheless disarmed and killed his assailant, thereby also saving the life of a British sergeant. In the meantime the two officers of the other detachment had been killed and the Troop Sergeant Major seriously wounded, so Captain Porteous, in the face of witherin fire, dashed across open ground to take command and led the men in a successful charge against the enemy, when he was severely wounded for the second time. He continued to the final objective, however, but eventually collapsed after the last gun had been destroyed'. Captain (later Colonel) Patrick Anthony Porteous (1918-2000) was commissioned in the Royal Regiment of Artillery and served at Dieppe with Lord Lovat's Fourth Commando. He ended the war with 1 Airborne Division and subsequently completed a distinguished military career as Commander, Rheindalen Garrison of BAOR.