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L/Sgt. Frederick Arthur “Paddy” Worthington, formerly of the Royal Sussex Regiment, served as Sub-section leader within No.3 Troop of No. 6 Commando on D-Day.
Later he was promoted to Sgt. in No.2 Troop, and was awarded the ‘Military Medal’ in May 1945 for his actions during the Operation Plunder crossing of the River Rhine. The citatation read:
‘At Wesel on the 24th March 1945, Sgt. Worthington was in charge of a small defensive position on the outskirts of the city when he saw an enemy bicycle patrol coming towards him at a range of about 1,000 yards. The patrol suddenly turned off down a side street and disappeared from view. Realising that they were heading for a part of town that had not yet been consolidated, Sgt. Worthington acted immediately and sent a runner to tell his Troop Commander of his action. He then left a skeleton force in the defensive position and taking the remaining eight of his men he set off to ambush the patrol. He struck the side road just in time to meet the patrol head-on and fired on them from houses by the side of the road. Eight of the enemy were killed or wounded, five taken prisoner and the remainder fled. Sgt. Worthington himself was wounded at the start but refused to hand over or even have his wound dressed until the action was over and the patrol brought back.
By his successful action and by his own initiative, gallantry and immediate action Sgt. Worthington liquidated the enemy patrol and prevented them from running into another unit who were just then at the awkward stage prior to consolidation.’
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