Red linen signal flag, 1944 (fabric)

Red linen signal flag carried by Lieutenant Kenneth P Baxter, 2nd Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge’s Own), on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Lieutenant Baxter was in command of No 5 Beach Assault Group tasked with identifying exits from SWORD Beach and signalling to the incoming landing craft that the invasion could proceed. By the time he reached the top of the beach only he and his signaller, Private Skelton, had escaped either death or serious wounds. At that point he recalled: ‘To return to our duties the next task was the opening of an exit. Not having the assault engineers and not even a spade between Private Skelton and myself, the possibilities seemed limited. However looking at the beach and shoreline it came to my mind that this would have been an irresistible temptation to the German garrison [to explore], and there must have been a safe access way through the mines. Suddenly, there it was [German footprints in the sand]. We had our exit and I raised the green flag in identification to incoming craft, that there was an open exit in this position. I had signal flags, one red, one green, strapped onto the back of my assault jerkin and it was only at this time that I discovered the damage that had been done to them by a shell fragment. Both flags had holes in them’. Ken Baxter fought with the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) throughout the campaign in North West Europe, and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in action. By the end of the War he had reached the rank of major.