Neil Whitfield joined the 8th Hussars from the Irish Guards Armoured Battalion in March 1947 and very soon proved that he was not only a very valuable acquisition, but that he had taken the Regiment to his heart.
The many and varied interests which Neil enjoyed made him a most interesting and extremely knowledgeable man, and he put his whole heart into everything he did, whether he was commanding his men or flying a glider.
This unfortunately became his undoing, since an accident in which he was involved after World War II left its legacy to him in the shape of a recurring internal trouble.
The cold weather in Korea aggravated this trouble and no one other than Neil would have persuaded the doctors to allow him to return after one particularly bad bout; but he did return, and served, though suffering many minor attacks, until finally in June 1951 he was again removed to hospital.
On this occasion, he was invalided home, and on his initiative decided to undergo an operation, the result of which he knew would either kill or cure.
Neil had only one thought in his mind, and that was to be fit by the time the Regiment returned to England. He underwent the operation in Dublin, and a few days afterwards a relapse occurred from which he did not recover.
The Regiment has lost an Officer who was loved by all and one who would, had he lived, have gone far up the ladder in his profession.
