Mne. Bernard Breese

Photo courtesy of his wife Wendy Breese who adds the following: Bernard was born on 28th October, 1933 and lived in Croydon, attending Whitgift Middle School until he was nearly 17. He took articles in a firm of Chartered Accountants in the City, but when the time came for signing up for National Service he was in the middle of accountancy exams, so he deferred until he was 21.He joined the Royal Marines and attended ITCRM Lympstone in April 1955,then to Bickleigh, and earned his green beret.

Just before his 22nd birthday his squad was sent out to Cyprus, to join Baker Troop, 45 Cdo RM to help sort out Grivas and Eoka. They left Cyprus in August 1956 and spent three months in Malta, unknowingly preparing for the assault on Suez. Early in November they sailed for Port Said in Egypt, where after a couple of days they were taken ashore in helicopters, the first ever helicopter assault. Several of his comrades were injured, two losing legs, when they were fired on by a Fleet Air arm pilot who mistook them for Egyptians. They were all pulled out of Port Said, the whole thing being a disaster, and returned to Malta.

Eventually the troop was flown home in March 1957, and Bernard was able to finish his exams in London and qualify as a chartered accountant. He moved on to another firm for a few years, then to another where he became a partner in August 1968, and stayed there until he retired in June 1994. He and his comrades often met up at annual reunions, or Remembrance Days at Fort William and Spean Bridge.Sadly the numbers dwindled as the years caught up with them.

Bernard had continual serious health problems from 1992 onwards. Fortunately he was a tough old thing, and we teased him that he'd had more lives than a cat, and he got over all these problems well. In November 2016 he managed to get down to Stonehouse for the reunion for Suez veterans, with the Captain General as guest of honour, almost his last official engagement before he retired.

Then in December Bernard went in for a routine operation the result of which was that his left leg had to be amputated. Finally in October 2017 he was rushed to hospital with severe chest pains, and four days later he crossed the bar, on October 19th. We gave him a wonderful send off, including a Royal Marines Bugler. Bernard was well named - the name means "Like a bear, brave and strong", and that's how he had been, through it all ."Once a Marine, always a Marine."

Bernard received the NGS Medal with bars for the Near East and Cyprus.