Plant joined the
British Army in September 1939, and twelve months later received a commission in the
Royal Artillery. After serving in
Syria, he took part in the
Allied invasion of Sicily with
91st Field Regiment RA, and was awarded the
Legion of Merit for his assistance of the U.S.
133rd Infantry in
Scapoli, southern Italy. for his actions at
Tufo on 21 January 1944, during the
Battle of Monte Cassino. Holding the high ground in the rocky region by the
Garigliano river, as British troops tried to break through the German southern flank to clear the way for the Allied landings at Anzio (
Operation Shingle), Plant's company was outnumbered and their positions twice overrun by German forces, with Plant eventually wounded and captured. When the German medic treating his wounds was killed by a British shell, Plant took the opportunity to escape and made his way through his own regiment's bombardment to rejoin his company, where he praised them for their "terrifying" barrage. ==Later life==