Despite being under relentless re, Queripel moved fearlessly across
open ground to steady his men, direct their re, and reorganise
positions. At one point, he carried a badly wounded sergeant to safety
under machine-gun re, suffering a facial wound himself. He refused
evacuation and returned to lead his company.
Private William Green later recalled:
“We were pinned to the ground, and it looked hopeless. Then Captain
Queripel came running through the re as if it were nothing. He spoke
to each of us, told us to hold steady, and somehow we did. I’ll never
forget how calm he was, even with blood running down his face.”
That day, Queripel personally led a counter-attack. Armed with
grenades, he stormed a German machine-gun nest, killing the crew,
and recaptured a British anti-tank gun that had been abandoned.
Corporal Tom Hunter later described that moment:
“He didn’t ask anyone to do what he wouldn’t do himself. We saw him
go straight at the gun, pulling the pin from a grenade as if he were on
parade. That gave the rest of us the courage to get up and follow.”
On 20 September, the situation worsened. Ammunition was by now
running out, and re-supply looked unlikely. The paratroopers were
surrounded, and casualties were mounting. Queripel had now been
wounded three times — in the face, shoulder, and leg — but still refused
evacuation. Undeterred, he moved up and down the line, rallying his
men.
Sergeant Peter Robinson later said:
“He looked a terrible sight, covered in blood and dirt, but his voice
never wavered. He kept telling us, ‘Hold your ground lads, we’ll
see it through.’ I believed him, even though I knew the odds.”
During a subsequent assault, Queripel silenced another machine-gun
post single-handedly with grenades, giving his men a brief respite.
Later, cut off with a handful of survivors in a ditch, the enemy closed