Clipping - K53580 Cpl D.G. Skinner is decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) at Buckingham Palace by King George VI, London 29 June 1945. He served in the Seaforths from 1 May 1942 to 19 April 1945. Circumstances on the Gothic LIne for Lance Corporal Skinner's award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) from the Regimental History, pages 345 and 346: "C" Company, as things turned out, had one of the most difficult yet successful battles. It had received during the 19th, 22 new reinforcements and two new reinforcement officers, Lts. S. Dickinson and J. H. F. Mara. These men had to be armed, equipped, fed and shuffled into platoons very rapidly and within hours of their arrival they were committed to battle. Originally "C" Company was to follow "D" and "B" Companies, but when the former were held up temporarily near San Fortunato, Lt-Col. Thomson told Major Glendinning to take his men around to the right uphill from the main highway where it was to seize a road junction south of Le Grazie. No. 13 Platoon, commanded by Lt. Mara, was in the lead, and the forward sections had gone about 600 yards when Pte. J. H. Bohan was killed by mortar fire. The forward sections continued on through the terraced side of the ridge, clearing houses and dug-outs, when Lance Corporal D.G. Skinner's section came under heavy machinegun fire from a dug-in position on the face of a 70-foot cliff on the edge of a draw to the left. Skinner placed his Bren gun crew to give the section covering fire and continued to advance for the company objective was some 300-400 yards away. Within 150 yards of the objective Skinner signalled his Bren gun crew forward but they were unable to come owing to a very heavy machine-gun and mortar fire which had been brought to bear from enemy positions on the right. Skinner then ordered the rest of his section to follow him and the group dashed to the far side of the draw to a house occupied by the enemy. Without the aid of his light machine-gun, but using rifles and grenades, all eight of the enemy occupants were killed. The position was an important one, and it enabled Skinner and his men to give right flank protection to the company. Major Glendinning came forward and, appreciating the enemy's strong hold on the high ground to the right, he placed Lt. Dickinson's platoon in position beside Lt. Mara's to engage the enemy with fire. On the spot he planned a classical battle-drill manoeuvre. He personally took No. 14 Platoon back along a semi-sunken road towards San Fortunato and in a wide, sweeping movement during which mortar and machine-gun fire swept the area, he placed them in position behind the main enemy stronghold. Then Glendinning returned to the other two platoons alone, en route finding a wounded signaller and carrying him 400 yards to safety. Meanwhile, No. 13 Platoon had been having a rough time of it. The platoon had been ordered to hold its position at all costs, and Skinner's section was counterattacked behind a concentration of machine-gun and mortar fire. One German soldier came to within a few yards of the house with a bazooka and opened fire. Skinner crept out of the back of the house alone, crawled into a favourable position and with a burst from his "Tommy" gun put an end to that danger. From about 0830 to 1130 hours L/Cpl. Skinner and his men held this half ruined house against three counterattacks, and by doing so made it possible for "C" Company to carry out its attack. Skinner, for "his outstanding bravery and leadership under the most difficult conditions", was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. From the Album (Scrapbook) of Major W.D. Blackburn consisting of captioned photos and clippings from newspapers and magazines. The items are from Canada, England and Italy. He served in the Regiment from 13 August, 1940 to 12 February 1944. He commanded "C" Company in Italy.