On the basis of many years of research it has become clear that on the Home Front around 500 to 600 people were killed in and from the Borough of Chelsea as a result of enemy action during the Second World War. [The latest research provides a figure of 573 as of 3rd May 2025.]
Chelsea also lost hundreds of service people on active service in every theatre of war throughout the world. Scores were also held as prisoners of war and the experience of those in Japanese camps and forced to do hard labour in the Far East was horrendous.
It may not be widely known that more civilians in Chelsea were killed compared to those serving in the armed forces by a factor of roughly two to one. In November 1941, Chelsea Borough Council regretted that nine employees had been killed; eight while working in civil defence and only one while on active service in the armed forces.
The stress, fear and terror of being killed by bomb and V1 and V2 vengeance weapons was combined with the equally agonising distress and bereavement of telegrams giving written notice to Chelsea families of their loved ones being killed or missing while serving in the Army, RAF, Royal Navy and Merchant Navy.
In this posting, which remains a work in progress, a heart-felt attempt is being made to identify and give memory to service people from Chelsea and directly related to those living in this unique and much battered little Borough.
Chelsea had a larger proportion of losses in the services compared to other London Boroughs. This may be explained by the fact that Chelsea Barracks was one of the largest British army bases in London situated adjacent to the eastern border of the Royal Hospital.
The Duke of York’s Headquarters was also a key centre for the Territorial Army. The Chelsea riverside meant there was a popular and active Royal Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
Chelsea’s Secondary Schools had active Air Training Corps groups.
Chelsea’s service casualties were as young as 15 in the case of a Merchant Navy cabin boy, and as old as 70 in the case of a serving Lieutenant Colonel in the army.
The ranks extended from private, cadet and seaman to Air Marshall, Admiral and Brigadier.
They include a 31 year old famous war photographer and newsreel cameraman celebrated for his courage with his grieving young widow and three year old child in Chelsea receiving the War Office telegrams informing them of his death in the Western Desert in 1943.
Socially every class was represented. A working class cleaner bombed out of her home in Seaton Street in the World’s End would lose her only son when he was killed at the age of eighteen.
A mother living in Sutton Dwellings would lose both her sons when they were only 15 and 22 while on active service at sea and in the air.
The aristocracy and political establishment would lose their sons in battle too with formal death records starting with the phrase: ‘The Honourable..’.
The social contrasts were at the end of each class spectrum. In Chelsea, a Head Boy at Eton and a GPO messenger boy leaving school at 14 with no qualifications would each experience death while on active service.
Every kind of military role imaginable is listed in the roll call of sacrifice- from butcher and cook to SAS Special Forces.
Additionally, brave Chelsea heroes would win all the possible decorations for valour and leadership, including the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Mlitary Cross, and Military Medal.
Those who fell, where they fell and how is very much the timeline and story of the Second World War.
I am enormously grateful to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and public record and newspaper archive databases which in the digital and online information age have enormously facilitated this research.
This compilation and the biographies being developed cannot be defined as comprehensive. As far as I have been able to establish not even Chelsea Borough Council was able to achieve this at the time. Not all the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records will identify a soldier, airman or seaman’s home as having been in Chelsea.
The parish churches of Chelsea would not necessarily be aware of agnostics, atheists and families from other religions and beliefs losing loved ones. Though the priests at that time, rather like the ‘bobbies on the beat’ with local police stations (Chelsea had two in Lucan Place and Walton Street) knew their streets and local communities.
I have used my discretion to include among Chelsea’s fallen some service people whose addresses may have been on the borders of, for example, Kensington, Fulham and Westminster. This has been done when they and their families had lived, worked and been educated in Chelsea and their past lives were ‘Chelsean.’
This includes Flight Lieutenant Richard Hope Hillary. His family life at 26 Rutland Court, (his life was cruelly cut short at the age of 23) was very much a Knightsbridge Chelsea story. And I have included probably the most famous British airman of the Second World War- Guy Gibson- who led the famous Dambusters raid and was immortalised with the film of the same name. His father lived and passed away in Chelsea and was a well-known local figure.
The local newspapers were as fallible and serendipitous in their coverage and recording of information as London’s public institutions. War-time also meant reporters were thin on the ground, but at that time Chelsea had successful popular local weekly newspapers, The West London Press: Chelsea News and the Westminster and Pimlico News.
Those journalists not called up remained fully indigenous and present in their readership districts and were part of a culture which welcomed publication of fact and the concept of public interest in who, what, where, when, why and how. The reporting of life in Chelsea was not smothered by modern day privacy laws.
If somebody had been killed, most people would happily volunteer what had happened. There was a proud and willing ritual of identifying all mourners at a funeral; even the children and those providing wreaths and the messages on them. And if families wanted to be left alone, local journalists would respect those feelings.
The newspapers and editors fully complied with a largely voluntary system of war-time censorship directed by the Ministry of Information which would avoid identifying specific locations of bombing incidents and the significant details of home and overseas military operations. Publications of photographs of war damage had to be approved by the MOI.
This aspect of the project therefore begins online so that families of those fallen and not included, and interested researchers may be able to contact me to correct the inadvertant and unintended omissions and mistakes.
The current figure for service casualties while on active service between 1939 and 1947 is 321 as of 3rd May 2025. The losses were greatest in 1944 with 76 fatal casualties.
[This posting is currently under long-term construction. Each casualty entry, many originating with links from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission online record, is being turned into a more detailed biographical profile. Many thanks for your patience as this information is developed, updated, corrected and added to.]
-o-
1939
Petty Officer Telegraphist Ronald Albert Groom had the service number C/JX 133959 when he was in the Royal Navy.
He was serving on the H.M. Submarine Oxley when he became the first serviceman from Chelsea to die during the Second World War.
He died on 10th September 1939, just seven days after Britain’s declaration of war.
He was 25 years old.
Ronald Groom, along with 52 other members of his crew, was the victim of ‘friendly fire.’
His submarine, commanded by Lt Cdr Harold Godfrey Bowerman, was attacked and sunk by H.M.S. Triton commanded by Lt Cdr H P de C Steel on the evening of 10th September 1939 while on patrol off the southwest coast of Norway.
Oxley had strayed into Triton’s area. Both submarines were on the surface and Oxley was unable to respond effectively to several challenges by signal light. Triton sunk Oxley by firing a torpedo into it. A Board of Inquiry said neither submarine was to blame for what had been an accident.
Lieutenant Commander Bowerman, as well as the lookout Able Seaman Herbert Guckes, had been blown into the sea and were the only two members of Oxley rescued.
Ronald Groom’s name and memory are commemorated on panel 33, 2. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent.
He along with his fellow H.M. Oxley crew members are also commemorated on the Dundee International Submarine Memorial.
View author information
CC BY-SA 3.0
He was the son of Thomas and Ella May Groom, of Southend, Essex.
Ronald had been brought up and went to school in Chelsea. His family lived at 58 Block K Sutton Dwellings in Cale Street while his father Thomas worked as a milk carrier for Aylesbury Dairy at 47 King’s Road.
On the anniversary of his death in 1942, his family placed the following ‘In Memoriam’ notice in the West London Press and Chelsea News and Westminster and Pimlico News weekly papers:
‘GROOM. – Treasured memories of our beloved Ronald, P.O., R.N. Killed on active service September 11, 1939.
If all the world was ours to give,
We’d give it, yes, and more-
To see the one we love so well
And hear his voice once more.
From his loving Mother, Sisters, Brothers, R.N.’
-o-
Able Seaman Robert Merson had the service number C/J 114157. during his service in the Royal Navy on the destroyer H.M.S. Vanquisher.
He died on the 11th September 1939 at the age of 29 years as a result of multiple injuries received when H.M.S. Vanquisher collided with the destroyer H.M.S. Walker in the North Atlantic Ocean about 200 nautical miles (370 km) southwest of Cape Clear Island, Ireland on or about 10th or 11th September 1939.
Both ships suffered heavy damage, and H.M.S. Vanquisher had to be towed back to port. She later played a heroic role in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in the summer of 1940.
H.M.S. Walker was able to proceed under her own power taking casualties from Vanquisher aboard for medical assistance to the UK.
Robert Merson is buried and commemorated at Streatham Park Cemetery in Square 24. Grave 32474.
He was the son of William and Emma Merson, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Lilian Grace Merson (née Clarke) also of Chelsea.
Robert and Lilian Merson lived in flat number 33, block P of the Sutton Dwellings estate in Cale Street. Like a lot bereaved widows and families, the first she would hear of her loved one’s death was by telegram delivered by a Post Office messenger boy. Lilian would read: ‘Deeply regret to report death of your husbnd, Able Seaman R. Merson C/J 114157. on war service. Letter follows.’ He was the first person to be buried in a special plot at Streatham Park Cemetery for sailors, soldiers and airmen.
A portrait of him in his naval uniform was published in the West London Press on the 6th October 1939. It is presumed this was provided to the paper by his family. This can be seen via a subscription to the British Newspaper Archive on the link encoded in this sentence.
Robert was born in Westbourne Street near Sloane Square where his family had lived for 40 years largely due to the long military service of his father who had been based as a soldier in nearby Chelsea Barracks. Robert himself was in the fifteenth year of his service in the Royal Navy having joined at the age of 14 as a naval cadet with training at the Royal Navy’s cadet school H.M.S. Ganges in Shotley, Suffolk which was directly opposite Harwich at the mouth of the Stour estuary.
Robert went to St. Barnabus’ School in Pimlico. He married Lilian in 1936 and they had a baby daughter, Susan, who was only eight months old at the time of her father’s death.
His funeral took place in the Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street with the service conducted by the Rector Reverend C. Cheshire. A floral tribute was sent by Robert’s shipmates on H.M.S. Vanquisher.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘EVER THOUGHTFUL, FAITHFUL, KIND AND TRUE SELFISHNESS HE NEVER KNEW. SADLY MISSED.’
-o-
Major Charles Goldie Radcliffe had the service Number P/11013 while in the Royal Artillery.
He died on the 27th September 1939 at the age of 42.
Charles was born on 5th December 1896, in Ishapore, Bengal, India.
His father William Charles Alfred Radcliffe (1863-1929) was a Colonel in the Royal Artillery.
His mother Ethel Gertrude Goldie (born in India in 1872) was a society portrait painter who was the daughter of Lt.-Col. March Henry George Goldie.
After her husband Colonel Radcliffe’s death in 1929 she remained in Chelsea where she died at Nell Gwyn House in 1952 at the age of 80.
Their son Charles had a distinguished service during the First World War and was awarded a Military Cross and Bar for valour.
He is buried and commemorated at Edinburgh (Liberton) Cemetery, with a ground monument in Section N and Grave 89.
He had married Montreal born Ruth Joan Henderson on 30th April 1930 at the Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, in London.
Mrs Radcliffe passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on the 12th December 1950 at the age of 44.
-o-
Stoker 1St Class James Vine with the service number P/KX 87119 served in the Royal Navy.
He was on H.M.S. Royal Oak when it was torpedoed in Skapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands.
He died on the 14 October 1939 during the attack and sinking.
He was 22 years old having been born in Portsmouth on 19th June 1917. He was a Stoker 1st Class which was a sailor working in the engine room of the ship; usually shovelling coal into the furnaces of the ship’s boilers and propulson machinery.
At the time of the 1921 Census he was a four year old boy living at 66 Staunton Street, Landport, Portsmouth. His father William was a general labourer working for ‘Mr Corke Contractor, Southsea.’ He had an older brother- Tom who was 9 years old at the time. His mother Agnes had been born in Liverpool.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 35, Column 2. of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
James Vine’s name and memory is also commemorated in a panel memorial for the fallen of World War Two in the Holy Trinity Church of Sloane Street, near Sloane Square, Chelsea.
He was the son of William John and Agnes Caroline Vine, of Fratton, Portsmouth.
-o-
Flying Officer Albert Antony Vickers had the service number 90084 in the Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force) 600 Squadron, fighter command.
He died on the 16th November 1939. He was 26 years old having been born in Belgravia on 6th March 1913.
He was the son of Vincent Cartwright Vickers and Nannette Mary Vickers, of Chelsea, London.
Albert was a newly qualified young pilot who was killed on his first solo night training flight when the engine of his Blenheim aircraft failed and he crashed when taking off at RAF Hornchurch.
He is buried and commemorated at Daviot Parish Churchyard, Highland, Daviot near Inverness in Scotland.
He has a headstone bearing his name and RAF heraldic emblem in the graveyard and is buried adjacent to his father Vincent who had died ten days before him.
Vincent had been the Deputy Lieutenant of the City of London and was formerly a director of the Bank of England and Vickers Ltd.
Albert died only two months after his engagement to Miss Irene Mary Mann-Thomson who was the daughter of the late Colonel W.D. Mann-Thomson, Royal Horse Guards of Scalford Hall, Melton Mobray and Mrs V Fitzgerald, Rudgwick, Sussex.
Flying Officer Vickers’ wedding was expected to have taken place only a matter of weeks after his death.
He left probate to his widowed mother of £31,160 which the Bank of England inflation calculator gives a value in 2024 of £1,475,451.60.
His sister Wilma Mairi Vickers Campbell, Dowager Countess of Cawdor (1906-1982) is also buried in the same churchyard.
-o-
1940
Captain Philip John Ashton had the service number 36247 during his time in the 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles.
He died between 6th January and 7th January 1940. He was 32 years old. Army records disclose he was ‘accidentally killed’ while with the British Expeditionary Force in France though the exact circumstances are not clear.
The West London Press and Chelsea News reported on the 5th of April 1940:
‘Among the 56 officers whose names were in the third list of casualties, published by the Army Council on Saturday, was that of Captain Philip John Ashton of the Royal Ulster Rifles, who was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Ashton, 50 Hans-crescent, Chelsea [opposite the side entrance to Harrods]. Captain Ashton whose name appeared simply under the heading “Died,” was in his 33rd year, and he leaves a widow. He obtained his commission in 1926 and was given his company in 1938. From 1931 to 1934 he was employed with the King’s African Rifles.’
Philip is buried and commemorated at the Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery, France in Plot 11, Row A.
He was the son of Percy and Eveleen M. Ashton, of Chelsea, London; husband of Joan Ashton.
He married Joan M née Barrett in Paddington in 1934. The public records indicate they did not have any children.
In the June 1921 Census his family is recorded as living at number 3 Hans Crescent Mansion. His father Percy is described as an ‘Officer musicianist, Marine (Retired). His younger sister Beatrice, born in 1908, was also recorded as living in a household attended to by three domestic servants.
-o-
Flying Officer Basil Verney Fanshawe had the service number 39311 during his time in Squadron 115 of the Royal Air Force.
He died on the 19th March 1940.
He was 28 years old. He died when the Vickers Wellington IA bomber he was on board as the second pilot was in a ferry operation to the Vickers facility at Weybridge. The bomber hit turbulence and crashed en route at Wyton, killing three of the crew.
His squadron’s operations record book reveals:
‘19.03.40. Lovely morning. Clear. Westerly wind.
Casualties.
11.00 F/O Wood and F/O Spatham took off [from Marham] for VICKERS, WEYBRIDGE. F/O SPATHAM had an engine cut near Huntingdon and he crashed in making a forced landing. F/O FANSHAWE, 2nd pilot, A.C. Rose, Air gunner and A.C. Lynch, maitenance crew were killed. F/O SPATHAM and Sgt SINCLAIR, and A.C. Carter seriously injured. Number of aircraft: ON 2987.’
The West London Press and Chelsea News reported on 12th April 1940:
‘AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT- Death of Flying Officer Fanshawe.
News has been published of the death of Flying Officer Basil Verney Fanshawe, only son of the late Rev. G.C. Fanshawe, Hon. Canon of Winchester, and of Mrs. Fanshawe, 9 Washington House, Basil-street, Knightsbridge.
Flying Officer Fanshawe was killed as the result of an aircraft accident on active service on March 19. He was 28 years of age. He entered as an acting pilot officer in December 1936, and was trained at Montrose. From August 1937, he served with a squadron in the Bomber Command, and was promoted to flying officer on May 12, 1939. During his education he considered taking holy ordrs, and although he took a temporary commission in the R.A.F., he did not intend to make flying his life interest, as he had a gift for a notable career otherwise.
The Funeral
The funeral service took place at Marham, Norfolk, on Saturday, March 23. The body was interred at Magdalen Hill Cemetery, Winchester, on the following Tuesday.
The service at the graveside was taken by Cannon F. Moor. The coffin was covered with the Union Jack. Corpl. Chalmers and Bugler Davis were in attendance. The bugler sounded the “Last Post” and “Reveille.”
The mourners included Mrs. Gerald Fanshawe (mother), Miss Mary Fanshawe (sister) Mr. R.A. Fanshawe, Mrs Philip Wodehouse, Lady Evelyn Boyle, Sir Harry Verney (for many years private secretary to H.M. Queen Mary, Miss Elizbeth Luttrell, Col. Marriott-Smith, Mr. Basil Bradstock, Admiral R.M. Harbord-Hamond (representing Admiral and Mrs Fountaine), Major and Mrs. Probert, Flight-Lieut. A.W.Callaghan, R.A.F., Flying-Officer C. Simpson, Mrs Blore, the Rev Charlton Lefroy and Mrs Lefroy, Miss Budd, Miss Shaw, Mrs Bugg, Mrs F. Clarke, and Mr. A Hewlett.
Among the beautiful flowers were emblems from Mr Fanshawe’s brother officers, the O.C., and all ranks of his station, and fitters and riggers of his squadron.’
He is buried and commemorated in Row E. 3. Grave 42. (St.Morris Plot) of the Winchester (Magdalen Hill) Cemetery.
The grave with a white stone monument is a family plot which also includes his parents the Reverend Canon Gerald Charles Fanshawe M.A. (1870-1924) and Morforwyn Fanshawe, of Chelsea, London (1880-1957).
-o-
Lieutenant Victor Carmichael Marryat served in the Royal Marines.
He died on the 24th April 1940. He was 23 years old and born on the 6th of March 1917
at Fareham, Fareham Borough in Hampshire.
He is buried and commemorated at E. 8. 16. of the Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery, Gosport, Gosport Borough, Hampshire in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Commander Victor Marryat formerly of the Royal Navy and of Charlotte Riddle Marryat, of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his headstone is ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF VICTOR CARMICHAEL.’
-o-
Fusilier Albert Edward Savage had the service number 6465926 durng his time in the 14th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
He died on the 10th May 1940 the very day Germany invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France and Winston Churchill became Britain’s prime minister.
He was 48 years old. The British Army records disclose he drowned while on active service with the British Expeditionary Service in France.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 2, Row AA, Grave 2 of the Vignacourt British Cemetery in France.
Albert Savage can be described as one of the larger than life characters of Chelsea’s World’s End in the first half of the twentieth century.
He was the son of London cab driver Frank William and Frances Ann Savage and the husband of Elizabeth Selina Savage, of 22 Slaidburn Street Chelsea, London.
At the time of the 1901 census he was 9 years old having been born in Chelsea on 8th March 1892. He was living with his parents at 142 Lots Road, with his 13 year old sister Eva, 11 year old brother Walter, younger 1 year old brother Leonard and younger 7 year old sister Jessie.
In April 1911 he was a 19 year old barman living at 10 Stanhope Terrace in St Pancras and serving in the York and Albany in Regents Park.
He fathered 14 children with Elizabeth Selina née Blake whom he married in Chelsea in 1916 after he had been discharged from his dramatic war-time service in the Royal Navy as a Stoker First Class.
He’d served on the pre-dreadnought battleships H.M.S. Africa, Hibernia and Yarmouth from 31st July 1911 in operations throughout the world.
The battleships Albert Savage served on as a stoker in the engine rooms between 1911 and 1916
Albert’s social milieu was poor, working-class and tough. He was five feet five inches tall with intensive tattoes across both his forearms which would be on full display when he adopted the ‘fighting’ or boxing position, which tended to happen when he had too much to drink and got into arguments.
His naval career character rating started well with ‘very good’ but reverted to ‘indifferent’ as he began to be punished with short periods in the cells ending in the first three months of 1916 with 90 days of imprisonment.
After leaving the Royal Navy and marrying Elizabeth in 1916, they moved into one room at number 22 Slaidburn Street. Albert worked as a painter, but work was on and off.
At the time of the 1921 census, he was unemployed living in that one room with their 4 year old son, also Albert Edward, and 10 month old daughter Elizabeth Margaret. Twelve more children followed: Frank W on 22nd August 1922; Christopher J on 2nd May 1924; Eva H in 1925; Thomas H on 28th November 1927; Sheila H in 1928; Henry J on 25th November 1929; Leonard on 15th January 1931; Catherine S in 1932; Frances in 1933; Derrick R in 1935 and last but not least George W on 6th January 1937.
They rented more rooms at number 22 Slaidburn Street. By the time of the 1939 National Register 12 members of the Savage family were registered living in the three storey six room terraced house with one ‘outside privy.’ The 1920s and 30s were hard-times for Albert.
He became rather well known with the constables at Chelsea Police Station and the local bench of magistrates. His most spectacular altercation was when there had been too much drinking in the World’s End pubs on the Saturday night at the end of the General Strike in May 1926.
The local newspapers described it as ‘World’s End Uproar.‘
Albert and his brother-in-law, also called Albert, refused to go home when told to at 10.30 p.m:
‘Savage came from the crowd at the World’s-end, took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and taking up a fighting attitude, said “Come on, boys, follow me! I’ll show you the way to set about the ****ing police.’ Witness went up to speak to him, when Savage snatched his whistle away, knocked off his helmet, and struck him behind the left ear. He was arested and became violent, and, feeling faint and exhausted, witness struck him in the face with his fist. Other help arrived, and Savage was conveyed to the station. While there he was violent.
Savage: I absolutely “discredit” what he says. I was going home when I was struck at by the constable.
P.C. 483B said he was assisting to disperse the crowd, and saw Savage fling off his coat, throw it to the ground, and adopt a fighting attitude. He shouted “Come on lads! We’ll fight the *****.” The last witness went up to him, and Savage snatched at his whistle, broke the chain, threw it among the crowd, and then knocked off the constable’s helmet and hit him on the head with his fist. While assisting the other constable, witness was seized by Blake [Brother-in-law] who struck him on the head and wrenched him away from Savage. Blake was then arrested, with the assistance of another officer. Blake was very violent all the way, and repeatedly threw himself to the ground and attempted to kick. He shouted to the crowd to help him, and when the station was reached he continued to be violent. Both Blake and Savage were drunk.
Blake: I was in the crowd and was pushed from behind. I was drunk. I don’t remember seeing this constable with Savage. I was pushed in, as I said, and I could not get out.
P.C. 678B said he saw Blake strike P.C. 483B on the back of the head. Witness generally corroborated the evidence of the other officer.
Savage: I was going home and saw a crowd, and I was struck.
Blake: I saw a crowd as I was going home with a young woman, and all of a sudden three or four of us were pushed into the crowd, and then three or four policemen held me. I never struck anybody.
Mr Boyd [Magistrate] said it was not possible any mistake could have been made in the present case, and Savage was heard to encourage others to resist the police.
The assistant-goaler proved previous convictions against both men.
Mr. Boyd sentenced Savage to two months and Blake to one month’s hard labour. ‘
Albert Savage was back in court the following year after losing his rag in the Post Office on the corner of Chelsea Manor Street and the King’s Road. As the local weekly newspaper reported, he was fed up about how little he was being paid for short-term Christmas work:
‘Dissatisfied Chelsea Painter– Albert Edward Savage (38), painter, 22 Slaidburn-street, Chelsea, was charged with having been drunk and disorderly at Upper Manor-street,- Savage, who admitted he was drunk, was said to have been ejected from the Post Office, where he was temporarily employed. He now stated that he was being paid less than he would have got at the Labour Exchange. He wanted a little money for Christmas- Mr. Boyd: You were found employment, and then you get drunk. Now you will go to prison for 21 days.’
I would argue that Albert Savage’s difficulties, when manifesting themselves in the local police court, were a reflection of his poverty and struggle to make a decent income to support his wife and many children. He was a man of Chelsea who had volunteered to serve his country in both world wars and paid the ultimate price.
His family would also have received his service medals from both conflicts.
The personal inscription on his headstone is: ‘GONE BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.’
Albert’s widow Elizabeth died in 1965 at the age of 70 and her passing was reported in the Chelsea News:
’50 years in Chelsea- after 50 years in Chelsea, Mrs. Elizabeth Selina Savage, of No. 23 Stadium Street, died at St. Stephen’s Hospital on Friday, aged 70.
Before moving to Stadium Street, Mrs Savage lived in Lots Road and Slaidburn St., Chelsea. She leaves 12 children, 25 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
The funeral was being held yesterday (Thursday) at Fulham Cemetery, Sheen.’
In 1964, Mrs Savage was quoted in an article about Chelsea tenants in distress over an increase in rents:
‘War Widow– At no. 23 [Stadium Street] lives Mrs. Elizabeth Savage who brought up 14 children in Slaidburn St. and moved to Stadium Street when her husband was killed in the war. Now she lives with three sons and two daughters and said “we have got to manage the new rent.”
-o-
Captain John Reginald Durham-Matthews had the Service Number 27656 during his time in the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards.
He died on the 15th May 1940 at the age of 36.
He is commemorated on Panel 8, Column 2 of the Brookwood 1939-1945 Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Durham and Eileen Matthews. He was also the husband of Philippa Avril Durham-Matthews, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Pilot Officer Leslie Montagu Hamilton was issued with the Service Number 76906 of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
He flew in 16 Squadron.
He died on the 17th of May 1940.
He was 35 years old.
Leslie Hamilton is commemorated on Panel 8 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of John Montagu Hamilton and Effie Hamilton, and the husband of Joan Elizabeth Hamilton, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flying Officer David Stuart Harold Bury with the service number 72077 was in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He flew with 111 Squadron.
His date of death was the 19th May 1940. He was 25 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Row AA. Grave 1 of the Chili Trench Cemetery, Gavrelle in France
He was the son of Captain Edmond William Bury, 11th Battalion, The King’s Royal Rifle Corps (killed in action in France, 5th December, 1915), and of Ida Bury, of Belgravia, Westminster, London.
David had been Head Boy of Eton College.
-o-
Private John Littlejohn was issued with the service number 6711116 during his time in the 7th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment.
He died on 20th May 1940 at the age of 34.
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 64 of the Dunkirk Memorial in France.
He was the son of James and Jane Littlejohn, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sergeant Francis Alfred George Lowe had the service number 581516 during his time in the Royal Air Force.
He was assigned to 115 Squadron at the time of his death on 21st May 1940.
He was 19 years old.
Francis is buried and commemorated in Division 64, Plot 6, Row O, Grave 7 of the Sainte Marie Cemetery, Le Havre in France.
He was the son of Francis James Lowe and Nellie Lowe, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his headstone is: ‘INTO THE MOSAIC OF VICTORY WAS LAID THIS PRECIOUS PIECE.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Richard Hatt Noble Graham was issued with the service number 25066 during his time in the Royal Air Force.
He flew in 13 Squadron.
He died on the 21st May 1940 and was 32 years old.
Richard is Buried and commemorated in Grave 1 of Saint Martin-au-Laert Churchyard in France.
He was the son of Donald Noble Graham, and of Lucy Graham (nee Croft) and the husband of Mildred Graham, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Driver James Frederick George was issued with the service number T/77615 during his time in the Royal Army Service Corps
He died on the 23rd May 1940 at the age of 29.
He is buried and commemorated in Grave 8 of the Givenchy-en-Gohelle Communal Cemetery in France.
His British Army secondary unit was the 141 Field Ambulance Regiment of the Royal Army Medical Corps.
He was the son of Alfred and Elizabeth George and the husband of Joyce George, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his headstone is: ‘LOVED IN LIFE, REMEMBERED IN DEATH. HE IS ALWAYS IN OUR THOUGHTS.’
-o-
Rifleman Walter Albert Palmer had the service Number 6914181 during his time in the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade.
Such was the chaos of the evacuation from Dunkirk, the British Army can only say that he died sometime between the 22nd of May 1940 and 4th of June 1940.
He was only 17 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in the March Churchyard in France.
He was the son of Arthur Henry and Florence Annie Palmer, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his headstone is ‘THERE’S SOME CORNER OF A FOREIGN FIELD THAT IS FOR EVER ENGLAND.’
-o-
Second Lieutenant William Arthur King had the service number 107109 during his time in the 8th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.
He died on the 26th May 1940.
He was 22 years old and is buried and commemorated at X. 12. 3. in the Brussels Town Cemetery in Belgium.
He was the son of Henry Pencheon King and Emily Charlotte King, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC maintained headstone is: ‘DEAREST LOVE, DARLING. YOU ARE ALWAYS IN OUR THOUGHTS, BOO AND DEE.’
-o-
Sapper Ewen McKechnie was issued with the service number 1918091 in the Royal Engineers.
He was posted to the 682 General Construction Company.
He died on the 27th May 1940 and he was 30 years old.
He buried and commemorated in Plot 8, Row C, Grave 29 of the Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery in France.
He was the son of Angus and Mary McKechnie, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “GUS AM BRIS AN LA”
-o-
Second Lieutenant Nicholas John Clerke was issued with the service number 71935 during his time in the Royal Artillery.
He was posted with the 85 Anti-Aircraft Regiment.
The confusion and chaos of the Dunkirk military and evacuation operation means the British Army is only able to say that he died sometime between the 27th May and 2nd of June 1940.
He was 28 years old.
Nicholas is commemorated on Column 7 of the Dunkirk Memorial in France.
He was the son of Charles John and Agusta Laura Clerke, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Trooper Jack Charman had the service number 6711736 in the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards of the Royal Armoured Corps.
He was 25 years old when he died on 28th May 1940.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 3 Row G Grave 203 of the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord in France.
He was the son of Percy Arthur and Lilian Louise Charman, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on is CWGC headstone is ‘NOT ONLY TODAY BUT EVERY DAY IN SILENCE WE REMEMBER.’
-o-
Corporal William Charles Donald had the service number 7587178 during his time in the 4 Army Field Workshop of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
He was 37 years old.
Because of the confusion and chaos of the Dunkirk fighting and evacuation the British Army can only say he died sometimes between the 28th May 1940 and 4th June 1940.
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 144 of the Dunkirk Memorial.
He was the son of William and Florence Donald and the husband of T. Donald, of Chelsea London.
-o-
Captain Michael Norton-Griffiths with the service number 87246 was in 135 Excavating Company of the Royal Engineers.
He died on 29th May 1940 at the age of 31.
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 20 of the Dunkirk Memorial in France.
He was ‘Mentioned in Despatches.’
Michael was the son of Sir John Norton-Griffiths, 1st Bt., K.C.B., D.S.O., and Lady Norton-Griffiths, of Chelsea, London, and the husband of Elizabeth Norton-Griffiths.
-o-
Serjeant Percy Rayner was issued with the service number 4386349 while in the 4th Battalion of the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment).
He was 29 years old when he died on 31st May 1940.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot W Row A Grave 1 of the Skelton Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Robert and Phoebe E. Rayner and husband of Elsie May Rayner, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘BELIEVING IN THE JUSTICE OF OUR CAUSE HE GAVE ALL.’
-o-
Ordinary Signalman John Victor Aylng had the service Number C/LD/X 3671 during his time in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
He was on H.M. Trawler Stella Dorado at the time of his death on 1st June 1940.
He was 21 years old.
HMT Stella Dorado was a 416 ton naval trawler skippered by Walter Harcourt Burgess, RNR.
She was sunk by the German motor torpedo boat S-34 off Dunkirk, France on 1st of June 1940 with the loss of all hands.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 40, 3. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of John Thomas and Maria Ayling, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Private Patrick William Condon had the service number 6144555 during his time in the British Army.
He was serving in the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment at the time of his death on 1st June 1940.
He was 31 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 3, Row A, Grave 57 of the De Panne Communal Cemetery, in Belgium.
He was the son of William and Jean Emily Condon, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR SON PATRICK WHO WAS LOVED BY MUM, DAD, FAMILY.’
-o-
Signal Boy Morris Timothy Desmond had the service number C/JX 159906 in the Royal Navy.
He was in the crew of the British aircraft carrier H.M.S. Glorious at the time of his death on the 8th of June 1940.
He was only 17 years old. He had been born in Chelsea 11th January 1923.
H.M.S. Glorious was sunk in the Norwegian Sea after being attacked by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in one of the worst defeats of the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
The two escorting destroyers, Acasta and Ardent were also sunk. It is understood that 900 from the crew of the Glorious abandoned ship but neither the German battleships offered help, nor the Royal Navy were able to get to the scene in time to rescue the vast majority of them.
The total number of survivors was 40, including one each from Acasta and Ardent.The total killed or missing was 1,207 from Glorious, 160 from Acasta and 152 from Ardent, a total of 1,519.
This was rightly regarded as a disaster. It also emerged that the heavy cruiser H.M.S. Devonshire had passed within 30–50 miles of the battle, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral John Cunningham.
He was carrying out orders to evacuate the Norwegian royal family to the UK and maintain radio silence.
A memorial plaque was unveiled in the Belvedere Gardens, Plymouth Hoe, dedicated to all crew members who lost their lives onboard Glorious, Ardent and Acasta on 8th June 2019.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 37, 1 of the Chatham Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Timothy and Mary Desmond of Chelsea, London. The family home was 25 Meek Street in the World’s End. Morris’s father Timothy was a 53 year old hydraulic gas worker. His mother Mary was 50.
He had an older brother Norman, 20, who at the time of the September 1939 Register was a paint department shop assistant.
-o-
Stoker 1St Class John Cyril Lystor with the service number C/KX 77286 was in the Royal Navy sailing on H.M.S. Willamette Valley at the time of his death on 29th June 1940.
He was 31 years old.
John had been on a special service vessel. HMS Willamette Valley was originally the motor merchant ship West Lynn.
In September 1939 she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and converted to a ‘Q-ship’ at Chatham- effectively disguised to surprise U-boats and German navy vessels.
This meant the ship was fitted with Asdic and a concealed armament of nine 4in guns, one 12 pounder gun, four machine guns, four 21 inch torpedo tubes and 100 depth charges.
She even had a cover name ‘Edgehill’ in service as Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).
However, she was attacked by U-51 about 250 miles west-southwest of Cape Clear and sunk by three torpedoes. Of the crew of 94, 25 men survived and were taken to Penzanze in Cornwell.
John Lystor’s name and memory are commemorated on panel 38, 2 of the Chatham Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Henry John and Beatrice Lystor and the husband of Helen Jane Lystor of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sub-Lieutenant (S) Brownlow Villiers Layard was in the Royal Navy and servng on H.M.S. Gloucester at the time of his death on 8th July 1940.
He was 22 years old. He was born in Chelsea in 1918.
Royal Navy official photographer – This photograph FL 3923 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 8308-29)
Brownlow was killed in action when the cruiser was in war operations in the Mediterranean.
On the 8th July H.M.S. Gloucester was the target of an attack by the Italian Air Force. The ship was hit on the compass platform causing seven officers to be killed and three wounded. The ship’s Captain and Sub-Lieutenant Layard were among those killed. Besides the officers, eleven ratings were killed and six were wounded.
He was buried at sea.
Brownlow entered the Royal Navy as a paymaster cadet on 1st September 1935 and after training in the Erebus served in the cruiser Exeter and the battleships Royal Sovereign, Nelson, Rodney and Resolution, both on accountant duties and on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet.
In 1938 he was promoted to paymaster sub-lieutenant and appointed to the cruiser Gloucester.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 36, Column 2. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Captain Brownlow Villiers Layard, D.S.O., R.N., and Daisy Joyce Layard.
-o-
Sub-Lieutenant (Air) Frank (Francis) Dawson Paul was serving in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He was originally posted to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm base H.M.S. Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent, but then transferred to the RAF’s Spitfire 64 Squadron at the time of his death on the 30th July 1940.
He was 24 years old and born in Chelsea in 1916.
Sub-Lieutenant Dawson-Paul was the first naval ace of the Second World War. He had seven and a half confirmed victories and one probable in a 25 day period during the Batte of Britain. This placed him eighth on the list of Royal Navy aces.
A Communications Squadron had been formed in March 1940, 781 Naval Air Squadron which was based at H.M.S. Daedalus. It was equipped with a variety of aircraft including de Havilland Hornet Moth, Fairey Fulmar, Fairey Swordfish and Supermarine Walrus.
Frank is buried and commemorated in the Military Plot, Grave 1, of the Hardinghen Churchyard in France.
His secondary Unit, 64 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, was a Spitfire fighter squadron based at RAF Hornchurch.
He was shot down over the English Channel, taken prisoner by the crew of a German E-boat, but died of his wounds five days later.
He was the son of Joseph Dawson Paul and Flavie Leonie Paul, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘ALL THAT HE HAD HE GAVE. ALL IT MEANT TO LOSE HIM, ONLY MY SAD HEART KNOWS. MUMS.’
To recognise his achievements in May 2010, the Falkland Islands included him on a postage stamp issued to commemorate the seventieth Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
-o-
Sergeant Archibald Gordon Willis was issued with the service number 568341 in the Royal Air Force.
He flew with 48 Squadron.
He met is death on the 31st July 1940.
He was 20 years old and his buried and commemorated in Row C, Grave 3 of the Carew (St Mary) New Churchyard in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Archibald Frank and Nellie Ward Willis, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘BORN AT BARHAM NEAR CANTERBURY, KENT.’
-o-
Second Lieutenant John Orchard had the service number 85637 in the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment
He was 21 years old when he died on the 26th August 1940.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 1 of the Khartoum Memorial in Sudan.
He was the son of Captain Vincent Robert and Nan Orchard, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Carl Raymond Davis had the service number 90131when in the Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force)
He flew in 601 Squadron.
He was 29 years old at the time of his death on 6th September 1940.
He is buried and commemorated in the Torrington (St. Mary) Churchyard in Lincolnshire, the United Kingdom.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
He was the son of Carl Raymond and Clara May Davis and husband of Katharine Anne Davis, of Chelsea, London.
In civilian life he had earned a B.A. (Cantab.) at Cambridge University and a B.A. from McGill University, Montreal. He had been a mining engineer.
-o-
Pilot Officer James Lynch with the service number 43642 flew with 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
He was 23 years old at the time of his death on 10th September 1940.
He is buried and commemorated in the Joint grave 4. D. 13. of the Keren War Cemetery in Eritrea
He was the son of Sergeant James Lynch of The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment who was killed in action in France, on 30th November, 1917 and of Dorothy May Lynch (née Quinn), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR AS DID HIS FATHER AT CAMBRAI. 30TH NOV.1917.’
-o-
Sergeant Frederick Charles Goss had the service number 903781 while in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He was 25 years old when he died on the 20th September 1940.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot O Grave 190316 of the Brompton Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Frederick Charles and Ada E. Goss, of Chelsea.
-o-
Commander Wilfrid Ireland was in the Royal Naval Reserve serving on H.M. Yacht Sappho.
He was 41 years old wen he died on the 29th September 1940.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 43, Column 2 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Henry Ireland and of Alice Ireland (nee Chadwick) and the husband of Kathleen Alma Ireland (née Anstee), of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flying Officer Ralph Hope was issued service number 90257 during his time in the Royal Air Force.
He flew in 605 Squadron.
He was 27 years old when he died on the 14th of October 1940.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 2 of the Woking ((St. John’s) Crematorium in the United Kingdom
He was the son of Donald and Berth Hope and husband of Diana Beatrice Hope, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Pilot Officer Robert James Dickinson had the service Number 79372 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He was assigned to the number 10 Squadron.
He died on the 15th October 1940 at the age of 31.
He is buried and commemorated at Leeming (St. John The Baptist) Churchyard in the United Kingdom
He was the son of William Watson Dickinson, and of Phillis Dickinson, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Able Seaman Oliver Scott Dickinson had the service Number P/J 198290 while in the Royal Navy.
He was posted to H.M.S. President III (S.S. Sulaco) when he died on the 19th October 1940.
H.M.S. President III was a shore pay and administration office for men serving in Defensively Armed Mechant Ships.
But Able Seaman Dickinson died when he went down in the British Steam merchant ship S.S. Sulaco which was torpedoed by U-124 about 360 miles west of Rockall in the early hours of 20th October 1940. The Sulaco had been in convoy OB-229.
He was 29 years old. The master, 63 crew members and two gunners of the Sulaco were all lost. There was one sole survivor- the chief cook, James Thompson Harvey, who was picked up by HMCS Saguenay (D 79) and landed at Greenock, Glasgow.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 38, Column 2 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom
He was the son of William Watson Dickinson and Phillis Annie Dickinson and the husband of Elizabeth Dickinson, of Chelsea, London. He was awarded a B.A. while at university.
-o-
Seaman Steward George Albert Weedon had the Service Number: LT/JX 196265 in the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
He was serving on H.M. Trawler Hickory. He died on the 22nd October 1940 and was 21 years old.
Hickory was commanded by Lt. Ralph Eric Harding, RNZNVR) hit a mine and sunk in the English Channel south of Portland on the 22nd of October 1940.
The commanding officer survived the sinking but was wounded.
20 other crew members were killed, including George Weedon.
The survivors were picked up later by the Pine.
George’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 4, Column 2 of the Lowestoft Naval Memorial, in Suffolk, United Kingdom.
He was the son of George Alfred and Phyllis Annie Weedon, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Christopher Hamilton was serving in the Merchant Navy on S.S. Beaverford (London).
Beaverford sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 28th October 1940, as part of Convoy HX 84.
She was carrying refined aluminum and copper, maize, meats and cheese and a large cargo of ammunition in her holds along with a deck cargo of crated aircraft and timber.
Christopher died when the cargo ship was sunk by shelling and a torpedo from the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer on the 5th November 1940.
He was 49 years old.
Christopher’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 15 of the Tower Hill Memorial in the Borough of Tower Hamlets adjacent to the City of London. along with the 76 other members of Beaverford’s crew who were killed when she was sunk.
He served under the name of Barrett and was the husband of Annie Hamilton, of Chelsea.
There has been research and writing online arguing that the crew of the Beaverford bravely fought with the German battleship to save the rest of the convoy.
-o-
1941
-o-
Lieut-Commander Cyril Cornelius Bone was in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and serving on H.M.S. Victory at the time of his death on 8th February 1941
He was 36 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 1 of the Golders Green Crematorium.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Bone and the husband of Sheelah Bone, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain Leicester Charles Assheton Curzon-Howe was in the Royal Navy and was serving on H.M.S. Mauritius at the time of his death on the 21st February 1941.
He was 46 years old and is buried and commemorated in the north west corner of Thornton Watlass (St. Mary) Churchyard.
He was a member of the Royal Victorian Order.
Captain Curzon-Howe was the son of Admiral the Hon. Sir Assheton Gore Curzon-Howe, G.C.V.O., K.C.B., C.M.G., and of the Hon. Lady Curzon-Howe (nee Cowell), and the husband of Marguerite Graham Curzon-Howe (née Mackenzie), of Chelsea, London.
During the 1914-18 War he was mentioned in despatches.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN COMMAND OF H.M.S.”MAURITIUS”. IN EVERLOVING MEMORY.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Desmond Ernest Crosbie Trench had the service number 37456 while in the Royal Air Force.
He was 30 years old at the time of his death on 26th February 1941.
He was buuried and commemorated at Savrnake Forest (St. Katherine) Churchyard and his grave is west of the church.
He was the son of Ernest Crosbie Trench and Netta C. Trench and husband of Dorothy Kate Trench, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Sidney Frederick Farquhar Johnson had the service number 91005 while the Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force).
He flew with 256 Squadron.
When he died on the 26th of February 1941, he was 25 years old
He is buried and commemorated in plot 44 of the Cliveden War Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Captain Sidney Frederick Johnson of The Border Regiment who was killed in action in France on10th January, 1917).
His mother, Helen Marguerite Johnson, was living in Chelsea, London at the time of his death.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘BORN IN LONDON NOV. 13TH 1915.’
-o-
Private James Farrell was given the British Army number 7012647 during his service in the Reconnaissance Corps
When he died on 13th March 1941, he was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated at Square 185. Row 37. Grave 50950. (Screen Wall) of the Kensal Green (All Souls’) Cemetery in London, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Alfred and Mary Ann Farrell living in Chelsea at the time of his death.
-o-
Lieut-Commander John Mark Symonds Cox served in the Royal Navy on the minesweeper H.M.S. Britomart during the Second World War.
He was born 15th December 1908 and was 32 years old when he died on 15th March 1941.
Lieut-Commander Cox was killed when the Britomart came under air attack on 15th March while mine-sweeping off Rye, East Sussex. She was hit by a bomb which struck near the wardroom, killing everyone inside and causing considerable damage.
His prevous commands included between 25th December 1938 and 6th September 1939 on HMS Scorpion (i) (T 67) as Lieutenant. Scorpion was a river gunboat which served on the China Station at Shanghai from 1938 until December 1940.
Between 8th April 1940 and 30th May 1940 he was on HMS Halcyon (J 42) with the rank of Lieut-Commnder. Halcyon was a minesweeper.
He took command of HMS Britomart (J 22) on 28th May 1940 during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk.
He was first commissoned as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy on 1st May 1929.
John Cox is buried and commemorated in plot G. 9. 23 of the Haslaw Royal Naval Cemetery, Gosport, Gosport Borough, Hampshire, England, in the United Kingdom.
He was the holder of the Distinguished Service Cross and Bar which he received on 1st January and 7th June in 1940.
He was the son of Francis William Henry and Ethel Sophie Cox, of Chelsea, London.
The West London Press reported on 4th April 1941:
‘The death on active service was recently announced of Lieutenant-Commander John Mark Symonds Cox, R.N., a son of Mrs. Cox of 63 Swan-court, Chelsea, and of the late Brigadier-Generl F. W.H. Cox, C.B.,. C.I.E. (Indian Army).
Lieutenant-Commander Cox was decorated for two wars in one year. Early last year he received the D.S.C. for services in connection with the Sino-Japanese conflict, and in June was given a bar to his D.S.C. in the Dunkirk awards.’
-o-
Aircraftman 1st Class Richard William Shimes was issued with the service number 534975 during his time in the Royal Air Force.
He died on 20th March 1941. He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot O. Grave 190784 of the Brompton Cemetery.
He was the son of William and Edith Elizabeth Shimes, of Chelsea.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘FOR EVER IN OUR THOUGHTS.’
-o-
Serjeant Charles Robert Jobbins had the service number 6457593 during the Second World War.
He was in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).
He died on the 21st March 1941 at the age of 28.
He was buried and commemorated in Grave 1916 of the Shaw Cemetery in Newbury.
He was the son of Philip E. Jobbins, and of Mary Jobbins, of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR SON.’
-o-
Pilot Officer The Hon. Robert David Wilson had the service number 79546 during the Second World War.
He joined 49 Squadron of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He died on the 22nd of March 1941 at the age of 25.
He is buried and commemorated in Sec. Z.K. Grave 6 of Exeter’s Highter Cemetery.
He was the son of Charles Henry Wellesley Wilson, 2nd Baron Nunburnholme, C.B., D.S.O., and of Marjorie Lady Nunburnholme (nee Wynn-Carrington), of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘FROM THE CONTAGION OF THE WORLD’S SLOW STAIN HE HAS ESCAPED.’
-o-
Able Seaman Arthur Hodgson Drouin had the service number D/J 37445 during his time in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He sailed on H.M.S. Rajputana before his death on the 13th April 1941.
He was 41 years old.
He is commemorated on Panel 47, Column 1. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Britain.
He was the husband of Maria Drouin, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Private Cecil Ronald Stainton was issued with the service number C/92072 in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps.
He was killed in the parachute bombing of Cheyne Place, Chelsea on the night of 16th/17th April 1941
He is buried and commemorated in plot Square 142. Row 10. Grave 51022. of the Kensal Green (All Souls) Cemetery in north London.
Cecil was a Canadian serviceman and the son of Walter Sydney and Ellen Constance Stainton.
He was the husband of Ann Stainton who with her mother, Kathleen Marshman of Chelsea, were killed in the same incident. All three of them were friends of the artist and author Olivia Parker who wrote favourable portraits of them in her book Chelsea Concerto written under her nom de plum Frances Faviell.
Olivia survived the bombing.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘ALSO HIS WIFE ANNE, AND HER MOTHER KATHLEEN MARSHMAN WERE KILLED BY ENEMY ACTION AT THE SAME TIME. PRO PATRIA.’
-o-
Able Seaman John Waters was issued with the number C/LD/X 5620 for his World War Two service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
He was on H.M.S. Volunteer at the time of his death on 17th April 1941.
He is commemorated at panel 50, 2. on the Chatham Naval Memorial on the Kent coast of the United Kingdom.
He was the son of John Richard and Sarah Matilda Mary Waters, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Private John Ronald Sidney Turpin had the service number S/54364 during his time in the Royal Army Service Corps.
He was posted to 1 Field Butchery.
He was 26 years old at the time of his death between the 25th April 1941 and 26th April 1941.
He was 26 years old
His name and memory are commemorated at Face 9. of the Athens Memorial in Greece.
He was the son of Herbert and Ethel Turpin and husband of H. E. Turpin, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Signalman Thomas William Moran was issued with the service number 2585215 during his time in the Royal Corps of Signals
He was posted to 7th Armd. Div. Sigs.
He died while on active service between the 26th April 1941 and 27th April 1941.
He was 20 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated at Face 4 of the Athens Memorial in Greece.
He was the son of Thomas F. J. Moran and Bridget Moran, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant James Charlton Whittall held the service number 39356 in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He flew with 203 Squadron at the time of his death on 27th April 1941.
He was 25 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 240 of the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
He was the son of Charlton and Mary D. P. Whittall, of Chelsea, London.
In civlian life he had been a Master Mariner in the Merchant Navy.
-o-
Captain Myles Aldington Blomfield served in the Royal Naval Patrol Service during the Second World War.
He was on R.N. H.M. Yacht Viva Il at the time of his death on 8th May 1941.
He was 56 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 4, Column 3 of the Lowestoft Naval Memorial in the north Suffolk seaside town of Lowestoft, in the United Kingdom.
Captain Blomfield was the son of Major-General Charles James Blomfield, C.B., D.S.O., and Henriette Elizabeth Blomfield, and the husband of Harriett Blomfield, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Deck Boy Anthony Charles Sutcliffe Mayhew served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
He was on M.V. British Security (London) at the time of his death on 20th May 1941.
He was only 15 years old.
British Security was a motor tanker vessel built by Harland and Wolff on Glasgow in 1937.
A.C.S. Mayhew commemorated with his M.V. British Security fellow crew members at the Merchant Navy monument on Tower Hill. He was the youngest merchant seaman, and indeed serviceman, from Chelsea to die on active service during WW2.
She was struck by a torpedo fired by U-Boat 556 at 2.50 p.m. on 20th May 1941 while in convoy HX-126 south of Cape Farewell, Greenland in the North Atlantic.
U-556 was captained by Herbert Wohlfarth.
Two other ships, the Darlington Court and Cockaponset, were also attacked and sunk by the same German submarine.
British Security, whose Master was Arnold James Akers, had 48 crew members and four gunners on board. They all died.
The torpedo explosion caused a fire and burned for three days until she sank at cordinates 57°14N 39°23W.
Anthony was the youngest person on board. His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 20 of the Tower Hill Memorial.
He was the son of Henry Percy and Agnes Elizabeth Mayhew, of Chelsea, London. His brother Denis John also died on active service during the Second World War when in the RAF.
-o-
Captain Thomas Claud Hampton served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on H.M.S. Carlisle at the time of his death on the 22nd May 1941.
He was 38 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 44, Column 2. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
He was Mentioned in Despatches.
Captain Hampton was the son of William Roberts Hampton and Florence Maud Mary Hampton and the husband of Angela Justice Hampton, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Leading Airman Eric Gordon Essex Collyer with the service number FAA/FX. 77501 served with the Royal Navy during World War Two at H.M.S. Jackdaw in Scotland.
Eric was an ‘Acting Leading Air Mechanic’ and fulfilled the function of air gunner when flying with 817 Squadron.
The date of of his death was the 22nd May 1941 and the location Arbroath, Angus. The cause listed in Royal Naval records was ‘Missing- Death on War Service presumed.’
His Albacore I plane (serial number N4256) stalled and spun into the sea off Arbroath during an air-to-air firing exercise. His body was not recovered.
He was born on 3rd July 1920 in Winchester, Hampshire.
H.M.S. Jackdaw was a Royal Naval Air Station of the Fleet Air Arm located 4.9 miles east of Anstruther in Fife. From the 1st October 1940 H.M.S. Jackdaw was used as a TBR (Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance) base, using aircraft such as Fairey Albacores and Fairey Swordfish.
During the First World War up until 1918, it was Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) Station Crail.
The Luftwaffe used this name when labelling their aerial intelligence target photograph for attack during World War Two.
Eric Collyer’s name and memory are commemorated on Bay 2, Panel 1. of the Lee-on-Solent Memorial in the United Kingdom.
His name is also commemorated on one of the World War Two memorial tablets in the Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Street, Chelsea.
Eric had married Jennet A Turner in Worthing Sussex in 1940.
-o-
Flight Sergeant Thomas Harry White Seaward was issued with the service number 564282 while in the Royal Air Force during the Second World Wr.
He flew in 27 Squadron at the time of his death on 28th June 1941.
He was 28 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 3. K. 8. of the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar previously known as Burma.
He was the son of Thomas White Seaward, and of Matilda Seaward, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘THE ETERNAL GOD IS THY REFUGE, AND UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant William Bethune Baxter held the service number 39213 during his time in the
Royal Air Force (RAFO).
He was flying in 12 Squadron at the time of his death on the 2nd July 1941.
He was 27 years old.
He is commemorated on Panel 29. of the Runnymede Memoril in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Ferdinand and Amelia Aytone Baxter, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sergeant David Edward Barry Augustus held the service number 1177546 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He was 18 years old when he died on the 7th July 1941.
He is buried and commemorated in section Ward 11. Sec. P. Grave 13. of the Carlisle (Dalston Road) Cemetery in Britain.
He was the son of Walter and Myra Augustus, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is “HE IS BLEST CEASING TO BE.”
-o-
Sergeant Kenneth Noddle was given the service Number: 910919 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 78 Squadron.
The date of his death was 9th July 1941. He was 20 years old having born in Kingston upon Hull on 3rd August 1920. He was a salesman in civilian life.
He was buried and commemorated in Grave 264 of the Kirkeby (St. Clemens) Churchyard in Denmark. His name is also commemorated in the Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Street, Chelsea.
Kenneth Noddle was a wireless operator and air gunner of a 78 Squadron Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber aircraft which had an air crew of five.
The plane took off from RAF Middleton St. George in County Durham for an operation over Hamm in Germany.
On its return flight the aircraft crashed into the North Sea and all members of the crew were killed. Sergeant Noddle’s body was found washed ashore on the Danish coast on the 15th August 1941 and he was laid to rest in Kirkeby on the following day by the church’s Vicar.
He was the son of chauffeur James Henry and Annie Elizabeth Noddle, of 173 Pavilion Road, Belgravia in Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘A LIGHT IS FROM OUR HOUSEHOLD GONE, A VOICE WE LOVED IS STILLED.’
-o-
Sergeant Frank George Barrett had the service number 1281815 when with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew in 104 Squadron of RAF Bomber Command. He was in a crew of six in the Vickers Wellington bomber W5362 which took off at 2034 on 7th September 1941 from Driffield airfield.
Frank was the wireless operator.
It was lost without trace and all six men were reported as missing believed killed.
His official date of death was the 8th September 1941. He was born on the 19th November 1920 and so was in his 21st year. Frank was an electrician in civilian life.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 39 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Frank and Lillian Maude Barrett of 39 Langton Street, World’s End, Chelsea, London.
-o-
Stoker 1St Class John Henry Farrington had the service number C/KX 104529 during his time in the Royal Navy.
He sailed on H.M.S. Candytuft at the time of his death on the 10th September 1941.
He was 21 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 47, 2. Chatham Naval Memorial, in Kent, the United Kingdom
He was the son of William James and Emily Farrington; husband of Audrey Eileen Joan Farrington, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Ordinary Signalman Patrick Joseph Collins was issued with the service number C/JX 218172 during his Second World War service in the Royal Navy.
He was posted on H.M.S. Springbank at the time of his death.
The date of his death was the 27th September 1941. He was 24 years old.
Patrick Collins’ name and memory are commemorated on panel 45, 3., of the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Denis and Mary Collins, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Brigadier Hugh Edward Russell was a veteran of the Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War.
He was posted to 12th Royal Lancers at the time of his death on 5th October 1941.
He was 45 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot K. 162. of the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery in Egypt.
He was posted to the secondary Unit- Commands and Staff General Staff.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Order.
Hugh was the son of Samuel Russell, formerly of the I.C.S., and Maud Russell.
He was the husband of Dorothy Vernon Russell, of Chelsea, London.
His personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is the quotation of the line from Laurence Binyon’s poem for the fallen: ‘AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Derek Ian Graham was issued with the service number 72023 during his Second World War Service with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew in 247 Squadron.
His date of death was the 2th4 October 1941. He was 24 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in the Graham Private Ground of Logie Old Churchyard, Stirling in Scotlnd.
He was the son of Captain Nigel Graham and Lilian Mary Graham, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Second Lieutenant Denys Hallen Hancock was issued with the service number 156003 in the 6th Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army duing the Second World War.
He died on 20th November 1941. He was 21 years old.
His is buried and commemorated in plot 1. B. 16. of the Knightsbridge War Cemtery, Acroma in Libya
He was the son of Clarence Henry Ralph and Hilda Muriel Hancock, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘FEARING NAUGHT THEY RODE INTO THE DAWN TO THEIR UNENDING, UNDYING HONOUR.’
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Roderick Peter George Denman has the service number 15482 in the Royal Corps of Signals during the Second World War.
He died between 20th November 1941 and 21st November 1941.
He was 46 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave 5. E. 1-5. of the Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt.
He was Mentioned in Despatches during his war service.
He was the son of Sir Arthur Denman, M.A., F.S.A., Kt., and of Catherine Agnes Denman (née Conant) and the husband of Charlotte Mathilde Denman (née D’Erlanger), of Chelsea, London.
He ws the recipient of an M.A. (Cantab.).
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is “EVERY SPRING.”
-o-
Sergeant Glyn David Humphreys Griffith with the service number 923993 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 221 Squadron. The date of his death was 28th November 1941.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave C39. 1-6. of the Reykjavik (Fossvogur) Cemetery in Iceland.
He was the son of Ray Humphreys Griffith and Mary E. R. Griffith, of Chelsea, London husband of Betty Griffith.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headston is ‘OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE TRUTH.;
-o-
Ordinary Seaman George Edward Bootherstone had the service number D/JX 267916 when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was in the crew of H.M.S. Prince of Wales when it was sunk by Japanese air attack on 10th December 1941.
He was 30 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 49, Column 1. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
He was the son of Albert Edward Bootherstone and of Mary Jane Bootherstone (née Harrison); husband of Maud Winifred Bootherstone (née Clark), of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain John Angus Somershield was in the Royal Marines during the Second World Wr.
He was on H.M.S. Galatea when it was torpedoed in the Mediterrnean on 15th December 1941.
He was 22 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 59, Column 1. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom
He was the son of Trygve and Marie K. L. Somershield, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flying Officer Charles Alexander Peter Christie had the service number 43095 during his time in the Royal Air Force.
He flew in 140 Squadron during the Second Wold War.
He died on 16th December 1941. He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot V.2. Grave 6. of the Hoddesdon Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
The RAF was his secondary unit. He had formerly been a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Regiment.
He was the son of Mrs. M. H. E. Christie, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Midshipman Maurice Austin Standish Ensell served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on H.M.S. Neptune at the time of his death on 19th December 1941.
He was 18 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 44, Column 3. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom
He was the son of the Revd. Charles Standish Ensell, B.A., and Nellie Aubone Ensell, of Chelsea, London. He had been awarded the King’s Dirk at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.
-o-
Lieutenant John Dudley North served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on H.M.S. Neptune at the time of his death on 19th December 1941.
He was 24 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 44. Column 3. of the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
He was the 13th Baron, son of the Hon. Dudley William John North, M.C., and Dorothy North and the husband of Lady Margaret Evelyn North, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain John Graham Williams had the service number 70849 during his Second World War service in the Royal Artillery.
He was posted to 95 Anti-Tank Regiment.
He died on 20th December 1941 and was 27 years old.
He was buried and commemorated in plot 8. G. 23. of the Benghazi War Cemetery in Libya.
He was the son of David Warwick Williams and Margaret Susan Williams, and the husband of Una Margaret Williams, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
1942
-o-
Gunner Ernest Alfed Knights was issued with the service number 1633079 during the Second World War.
He served with the Royal Artillery and was posted to 195 Battery 65 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.
His date of death was the 19th January 1942. He was 30 years old
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 36. of the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
He was the son of James and Hannah Knights, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Winifred Alice Knights, of Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex.
-o-
Assistant Superintendent Lawrence Henry Pearce was serving in the Federated Malay States Police at the time of his death on 20th January 1942.
He was 36 years old. He was killed in action during the Japanese invasion at Parit Sulong, Johore. This was part of the Battle of Muar- the last major battle of the Malayan Campaign during the Second World War. It took place between the 14th and 22nd January 1942 around Gemensah Bridge and on the Muar River.
On the 22nd of January Parit Sulong was the scene of a Japanese war crime committed by members of the Imperial Japanese Army. Soldiers of the Imperial Guards Division summarily executed approximately 150 wounded Australian and Indian prisoners of war who had surrendered.
Even though he was a police officer Lawrence had been an engineer in the British Royal Tank Corps between 1926 and 1928 and this would have explained why he took part in the fighting.
Lawrence Pearce’s name and memory are commemorated on Column 403 of the Singapore Memorial in Singapore.
He was the son of Robert and Ada Jane Pearce; husband of Patricia Irma Pearce, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Squadron Leader Richard Frederick Cyprian Markham was issued with the service number 76479 when he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 36 Squadron.
The date of his death was the 26th of January 1942
He was 41 years old.
His name and memory is commemorated on Column 411 of the Singapore Memorial in Singapore.
He was Mentioned in Despatches.
He was the son of the Rev. R. H. Markham and Mary L. Markham, and the husband of Bridget Nora Markham, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant (A) Robert William Hanmer Everett served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He was with H.M.S. “Heron” at the time of his death on the 26th January 1942.
He was 40 years old.
H.M.S. Heron II was the Royal Naval Air Station Charlton Horethorne in the hamlet of Sigwells in Somerset, England. It opened in 1942 as a flying training base.
He is buried and commemorated in North of Church of the Llanddona (St. Dona) Churchyard in Wales.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Order.
He was the son of Lt.-Col. William Frank Everett and Charlotte Everett, of Chelsea, London.
Robert was a successful jockey in civilian life. He rode the winner of the Grand National Steeplechase, in 1929, and the Irish Grand National Steeplechase in 1934.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THE ETERNAL GOD IS THY REFUGE AND UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS.’
-o-
Able Seaman Frederick William Reeve had the service number C/JX 260860 when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on the M.V. San Arcadio at the time of his death on 31st January 1942.
He was 27 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 55, 3. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent.
He was the son of John William and Emily Laura Reeve and husband of Hilda Hope Reeve, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Commander Cecil Wakeford May was serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on H.M.S. Electra at the time of his death on 27th of February 1942.
He was 42 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 51, 1. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Hermon Bowle Ormonde May and Ethel Maude May and the husband of Eileen Mary May, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Major William Treveyan Kevill-Davies with the service number 52589 was an officer in the 7th Queen’s Own Hussars of the British Army’s Royal Armoured Corps
He died on active service on the 6th of March 1942.
He was 30 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Face 1. of the RANGOON MEMORIAL, in Myanmar, peviously known as Burma.
During his military career he was awarded the Military Cross and Mentioned in Despatches.
He was the son of Herbert and Dorothy Kevill-Davies, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Norman Greenwood Guy had the service number AI/469 when in command of the Cdg. 4th Bn. of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles.
His date of death was the 6th of March 1942.
He was 44 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Face 110. of the Rangoon Memorial in Myanmar, formerly known as Burm.
He was the son of Charles Alfred and Elizabeth Mary Guy and the husband of Edna W. Guy, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Second Lieutenant Raymond Hazell Martin with the service number 177217 was posted with XIII Corps Sigs. of the Royal Corps of Signals during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 9th of March 1942.
He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 2. A. 34. of the Tobruk War Cemetery in Libya.
He was the son of George Hazell Martin and Lily Martin, of Gorton, Manchester.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘DEEPLY LOVED. HE LIVES IN OUR HEARTS.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Sir Stephen John Bull had the service number 87153 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
His date of death was the 11th of March 1942. He was 37 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 3. F. 9. of the Jakarta War Cemetery in Indonesia.
He was Mentioned in Despatches.
He was the 2nd Baronet. Son of the Rt. Hon. Sir William Bull P.C., J.P., F.S.A. and Lady Bull of Chelsea, London. He was also awarded an M.A. (Oxon.) from the Universty of Oxford.
-o-
Second Lieutenant George Robert Edward Napier was issued with the service number 176927 during his time as a commissioned officer for the 7th (1st Bn. Queen Victoria’s Rifles) Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
The date of his death was the 23rd of March 1942.
He was 21 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 3 of the Golders Green Crematorium in London.
He was the son of the Hon. Sir Albert Edward Alexander Napier, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., Q.C. and of the Hon. Lady Napier (nee White), of Chelsea, London.
Robert had been a Kings Scholar of Eton College.
-o-
Sergeant John Valentine Hill had the service number 1163247 while in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 57 Squadron.
He died on the 26th of March 1942. He was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave 22. F. 10-13. of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Walter John and Elizabeth Sarah Hill, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Admiral Sir Sidney Robert Bailey had a long and distinguished service in the Royal Navy
He died on the 27th of March 1942. He was 59 years old.
He served in battle cruiser H.M.S. Hood from 1934 to 1936.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 1. of the Golders Green Crematorium in London.
His awards include Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Companion of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and Distinguished Service Order.
He was the son of Sir James Bailey and of Lady Bailey (née Bromnell), of Chelsea, London.
He was Mentioned in Despatches whilst serving in Seymour’s Expedition for the relief of Pekin, 1900 and furthr Mentioned in Despatches in the 1914-18 war.
-o-
Lieutenant Christopher Hugh Clare Gough served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War on the destroyer H.M.S. Campbeltown.
He died in the dramatic Saint Nazarre raid on the 28th March 1942 in which H.M.S. Campbeltown was deliberately rammed into the dock gates while laden full with exposives. This was called ‘Operation Chariot.’
H.M.S. Campbeltown was originally the American destroyer U.S.S. Buchanan- one of fifty obsolescent U.S. Navy destroyers given to the Royal Navy in 1940 in exchange for naval bases while the United States was still officially neutral during the war.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-3722-22 / Kramer /
CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Christopher Gough was 26 years old.
The charges in Campbeltown exploded at noon, an hour and a half later than the British had expected.
The ship had been searched by the Germans, but they were unable to detect the cleverly hidden explosives. The huge blast killed around 250 German soldiers and French civilians.
The front half of the destroyer and a large part of the drydock were destroyed.
RAF – Imperial War Museum (Reference Number: C3398) Public Domain
The rush of water into the drydock exacerbated the devastation by washing the remains of the ship into it.
The Saint-Nazaire drydock was unusable for the rest of the war. It would not be repaired until 1947.
Pathé news report from 1947 commemorating the raid and those who died in it
Christopher Gough’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 62, Column 1. of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
During his naval service he was twice Mentioned in Despatches.
He was the son of Edward Pountney Gough and Ellen Stuart Gough, and the husband of Mary Frances Gough (née Ramsden-Knowles), of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Peter Birkett Hague served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the anti-submarine destroyer H.M.S. Kingston during the Second World War.
He died on the 4th of April 1942. He was 25 years old.
He was killed during a bombing raid while H.M.S. Kingston was in dock at Malta having repairs done to the damage from a previous naval battle in the Mediterranean.
A bomb fell directly at the entrance of the Corradino tunnel, where part of her crew had taken shelter.
Peter Hague was killed along with thirteen other crew members including Commander Philip Somerville DSO.
Somerville, Hague, and Yeoman of Signals John Murphy were directing the men into the safety of the tunnel. Around 35 Maltese dock workers were also wounded.
Peter Hague is buried and commemorated in Joint grave 1. 1C. 4. of the Imtarfa Military Cemetery on the island of Malta
He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was the son of Cecil Telford Hague and Edith Hague, and husband of Rosemary Frances Hague, of Chelsea, London.
He received an M.A. (Cantab.) from the University of Cambridge and was a qualified Barrister-at-Law.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant James Lockhart with the service number 74708 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 258 Squadron.
His date of death was the 5th of April 1942.
He was 26 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot B.A. Plot 6B. Row O. Grave 8. of the Colombo (Kanatte) General Cemetery in Sri Lanka
He was the son of James and Elizabeth M Lockhart, and husband of Morwenna Burt Lockhart, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN EVERLOVING MEMORY OF MY DARLING HUSBAND JAMES. KILLED IN ACTION.’
-o-
Lieutenant James Thomas was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on H.M. Submarine Porpoise at the time of his death on the 15th April 1942.
The submarine was engaged in war operations in the Mediterranean when he died.
He was 23 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 1. D. 16. of the Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery in Egypt.
The submarine Porpoise served in most theatres of naval warfare during WW2. She was sunk with all hands by Japanese aircraft on the 19th January 1945, and was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost to enemy action.
James Thomas was the son of Edgar William Thomas, C.B.E., and Phyllis Annette Thomas, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “HERE IS NO CAUSE TO MOURN …SAVE THE UNDONE YEARS.”
-o-
Pilot Officer Dermot Vigors Thesiger with the service number 903497 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 59 Squadron of Coastal Command.
His date of death was the 28th of April 1942.
He was the pilot officer of a Hudson V aircraft (serial number AM639) and flew into the sea or the target during a practice bombing sortie against a wrecked ship (City of Birmingham) off the Humber Estuary.
He was 28 years old. He was born in Kensington on the 24th of March 1914.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 72. of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Captain the Hon. Wilfred Thesiger, D.S.O., and of Kathleen Thesiger, of Chelsea, London.
Dermot’s father had been a longstanding diplomat and British Minister to Ethiopia between 1909 and 1919 and he and his wife became friends with Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassi. Wilfred had passed away on 31st January 1920.
On 8th February 1938 Dermot is pictured with his mother, who had remarried a retired estate agent Reginald Astley, when Haile Selassi visited his mother’s family at their country home Milebrook House, Knighton in Radnorshire, Wales. The image can be seen via a subscription to the National Newspaper Library and the link is encoded in this sentence.
Dermot was the younger brother of Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger (1910–2003), also known as Mubarak bin Landan (Arabic: مُبَارَك بِن لَنْدَن, the blessed one of London), who became a widely respected and celebrated explorer, and writer.
The younger Wilfred’s travel books include Arabian Sands (1959), covering his foot and camel crossing of the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula, and The Marsh Arabs (1964), which narrated his time living with the Marsh Arabs of Iraq.
Dermot Thesiger had also qualified as a Barrister of the Middle Temple.
-o-
Sergeant Matthew Hall Thompson with the service number 1320384 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He died on the 29th May 1942. He was 20 years old having been born 13th March 1922.
In civilian life he was a newspaper messenger.
Matthew was an air gunner flying in a Wellington IC plane of Ferry Command (serial number HX390) based at RAF Harwell, Oxon. His aircraft had been assigned to 1443 (FT) Flight.
His plane ditched into the sea just off Lisbon during a delivery flight from Portreath to Gibraltar. Four of the crew survived.
Matthew is buried and commemorated in Plot 1. Grave 776,. of Oporto (St. James) British Churchyard in Portugal.
He was the son of William Rowland and Ann Edith Thompson of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone was: ‘MAY THE SUNSHINE HE MISSED ON LIFE’S HIGHWAY BE FOUND IN GOD’S HAVEN OF REST.’
-o-
Captain Edward William Eric Mann had the service number 90791when he was an Army officer with the 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) of the Royal Armoured Corps.
His date of death was the 30th of May 1942. He was 34 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 16. F. 20. of the Knightsbridge War Cemetery Acroma, in Libya.
He was the son of Eric and Josephine Mann; husband of Helen Mann, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘TO THE PROUD MEMORY OF EDWARD WHO DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION 5.5.1942.’
-o-
Sergeant Albert Allan Conisbee, known as ‘Bert’ was issued with the service number 929137 during the Second World War when with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew with 103 Squadron and his date of death was the 31st of May 1942.
He was 30 years old.
Bert Conisbee was killed after his plane crashed during a transt flight from Kirmington to Elsham Wolds. He and his crew had previously returnd from bombing operations over Cologne.
After taking off at ten minutes to six in the morning, the port engine reduction gear failed, leading to the detachment of the propeller. The aircraft stalled and spun into the ground half a mile north-west of the Kirmington airfield.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot B. Uncons. Grave 93. of the Brigg Cemetery, North Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom
He was the son of George Joseph and Mabel Edith Conisbee, of Brockley, south east London, and the husband of Denise Conisbee of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘QUIETLY HE ACCOMPLISHED HIS TASK AND GLORY CAME ON THE WINGS OF CONFLICT.’
-o-
Captain Roger O’Connor Mitchell had the service number 127317 when a commissioned officer in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
His date of death was the 5th of June 1942.
He was 29 years old.
Roger was born and educated in Toronto, Canada and worked in the insurance business. His firm, Imperial Life Assurance Company of Canada, transferred him to England where he worked in its London accounting office. He enlisted in the British Army in January 1940.
He fought in the defence of Tobruk while his wife Mary did war work from their home in Chelsea.
He was killed in action at a place called by the English ‘Knightsbridge’ on the main road from Benghazi to Tobruk, in Libya.
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 55 of the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Mitchell, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the husband of Mary E. Mitchell (née Robertson), of Chelsea, London.
Roger married Mary Robertson in 1937 who would pass away in 1997 at the age of 86.
-o-
Private Frank James Wyatt with the service number 4621733 served in the West Yorkshire Regiment, (Prince of Wales’s Own), 2nd Bn in the Western Desert of North Africa.
He was killed in action on the 5th of June 1942.
Frank was born in Chelsea on 4th December 1914 and so was 27 years old when he died.
The late September 1939 Register listed his occupation as ‘cabinet maker’s fitter.’
He is buried and commemorated in plot 12. G. 10. of the Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, in Libya.
Frank’s battalion was involved in the defence of the Gazala Line, preceding the fall of Tobruk and consequently the massed retreat to El Alamein. The Eighth Army was in considerable disarray and suffered many casualties.
Frank was listed as missing and his parents and family endured many months of anxiety not knowing whether he had been taken prisoner of war or had been killed.
In September 1942 they received the following letter from the officer commanding his battalion HQ company who explained:
“Private Wyatt was last seen going into action as a signaller with his Company Commander and remainder of the Company H.Q. section. It appears that they were surrounded and cut off by the enemy from their unit and probably taken prisoner; of this we cannot be certain but as they never returned, were reported ‘Missing’.
I take this opportunity of expressing my sympathy to you in what we can only hope will be a temporary absence from you and the remainder of your family. I must add that whilst Private Wyatt served with this battalion he proved himself to be a very intelligent and obedient soldier and was popular among his many colleagues.’
Because Frank’s parents were continually moving as a result of their homes being damaged in the London Blitz, they did not receive the War Office notification that he died until his father later consulted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The document below from the National Archives shows that Frank died along with fifteen of his comrades in the 2nd Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment when attacked by General Rommel’s Afrika Korps. They were all killed on the same day 5th June 1942.
It is likely they were identified and buried by the German forces and this information along with the location of their temporary graves was passed onto the International Red Cross to enable their later recovery and interment in the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Acroma, Libya.
Before enlisting, Frank was living with his parents, Richard and Margaret, and brother Edward in Flat 1, Albert House in the World’s End area of Chelsea which was situated between 55 Burnaby Street and 60 Tetcott Road.
Frank’s two other brothers and two sisters had been evacuated along with their schools at the time of the September 1939 National Register. His sister Mary presented an account of her family’s experience of the Second World War in Chelsea to the Servite School where she had been a pupil at that time.
She described how after many happy months living in billets in the village of North Mymms near Hatfield and being taught in the local village school, they returned to Chelsea during the Phoney War and remained there when the Blitz began in September 1940.
She said: ‘Some nights the air raid lasted all night so we only had time to get cleaned up and get to work. I had started my first job at this time at Harrods and it was always a rush to get home from work in the evening before the air raid warning sounded.’
The family were bombed out of Albert House and then moved to Stadium Street where they were bombed out again. They survived these incidents as they were sheltering in the deep tunnel of the Piccadilly Line at South Kensington underground station.
Mary recalled: ‘…so each night armed with our bedclothes we went to sleep in the tube station at South Kensington, the only really safe place, because of its depth below ground. We queued up there and staked our claim to a patch on the platform on which to try and sleep, which wasn’t easy until the early hours of the morning, when the trains stopped running. Happily we survived and were pleased to greet each day as we emerged from the shelter and trekked home.’
The June 1921 Census shows that the family lived at 58 Tetcott Road and Frank’s father Richard was working as a shop assistant for the Ironmongers cutlers business James Gregg & Co. Ltd at 247-9 Fulham Road, close to the junction with Old Church Street.
The family has a monument in the Brompton Cemetery in Kensington and Chelsea and Frank’s name is inscribed on it along with his parents and siblings who were able to survive the Second World War despite all the close calls they encountered in repeated bombing incidents.
[Many thanks to Philip Wyatt and his family for generously providing information about his uncle and their family’s World War Two experiences and enabling this commemoration.]
-o-
Sergeant William Edward Dalziel had the service number 1310496 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 9th of June 1942. He was born in Billericay, Basildon District, Essex in 1923.
He was 19 years old.
William was a sergeant pilot and he died when his plane crashed after hitting high tension cables in flight after flying below them. The tail fin caught the bottom cable, the aircraft swung and crashed onto railway lines in Sleaford, the North Kesteven District of Lincolnshire.
He is buried and commemorated in Stock (All Saints) Churchyard, Chelmsford Borough, Essex, in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Peter B. Dalziel and Margery K. Dalziel, of Chelsea, London.
He has a CWGC headstone bearing his name and status as a sergeant pilot in the Royal Air Force.
-o-
Lieutenant Mervyn Vernon Boys had the service number 134385 while commissioned in the 11 (Honourable Artillery Coy.) Regiment. of the Royal Horse Artillery.
His date of death was the 15th June 1942.
He was 24 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 1. G. 2. of the Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of Vernon Elias and Winifred Emma Boys, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain Edward Geldard Stanley served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 23rd of June 1942.
He was 53 years old
He is buried and commemorated in Block 11. Grave 1114. of Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium of the United Kingdom.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
He also the son of Major Edward Stanley and Mary Louisa Stanley, and th husband of Isabel Marie Stanley, of Chelsea.
-o-
Corporal Arthur Charles Box had the service number 5252388 while in the 31st Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment of the British Army.
His date of death was the 30th of June 1942.
He was 30 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in the N.E. corner of Wick (St. Mary) Churchyard in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Charles and Angela Box, and husband of Joan Mary Box, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘HE WILL WIPE EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES, DEATH SHALL BE NO MORE.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Anthony Gerald De Baillou Monk had the service number 63103 when in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 145 Squadron.
His date of deth was the 5th July 1942.
He was 21 years old.
He is commemorated on Column 247 of the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
He was the son of Lt.-Col. Max De B. G. Monk of theIndian Army, and of Eileen Monk (née Porter) and the nephew of H. H. De B. Monk, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Noel Edward Lindesay Baxter served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He was posted on H.M.S. “Nile” at the time of his death on 16th July 1942.
He was 29 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 3. C. 26. of the Alexandria (Hadra) Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of Ferdinand and Amelia Aytone Lindesay Baxter, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘AND LOVE IS ETERNAL.’
-o-
Corporal Alfred Peter Gausden had the service number 2342213 in 18th Div. Sigs. of the Royal Corps of Signals.
He died on the 22nd of July 1942.
He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 9. E. 10. of the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
He was the son of Alfred Herrmann Gausden and Agnes Jane Gausden and husband of Ida May Gausden, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “FATHER, THE HOUR IS COME; GLORIFY THY SON, THAT THY SON ALSO MAY GLORIFY THEE”
-o-
Private Frank Edward John Kirby had the service number 4392394 when he was in the 7th Battaliion of the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment).
His date of death was the 28th July 1942.
He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot XIX. D. 13. of the El Alamein War Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of Frank and Elizabeth Kirby, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone was: ‘IF LOVE COULD HAVE SAVED THEE THOU WOULD’ST NOT HAVE DIED.’
-o-
Pilot Officer James Nicolas Brady had the service number 111253 the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew for 268 Squadron.
He died on the 29th July 1942.
He was 26 years old.
James is buried and commemorated in Plot 1. Row A. Grave 1. of the Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was the son of James Nicholas Brady and Florence Julia Brady; husband of Edith Alice Brady, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘THE REST IS SILENCE.’
-o-
Sergeant William John Atchison had the service number 1028991 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
His date of death was the 29th of July 1942.
He was 31 years old.
William is buried and commemorated in plot 2. H. 21. of the Kiel War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of William James Atchison and Charlotte Alice Atchison and the husband of Helen Brown Atchison (née Lyall), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HIS NAME LIVETH FOR EVER MORE.’
-o-
Third Electrician Ronald Herbert Alfred Caley served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War and was on M.V. Waimarama (Southampton) at the date of his death on the 13th of August 1942.
He was 26 years old.
Ronald’s memory is commemorated on Panel 116 of the Tower Hill Memorial in the Borough of Tower Hamlets bordering the City of London, United Kingdom.
-o-
First Radio Officer Bryan Inglis Cannell served in the Merchant Navy during te Second Wold War and was on S.S. Arabistan (London) at the time of his death on the 14th of August 1942.
He was 22 years old.
Bryan’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 9 of the Tower Hill Memorial in the Borough of Tower Hamlets adjacent to the City of London, United Kingdom.
He received the King’s Cormnendation for Brave Conduct.
Bryan was the son of Walter Reah Cannell and Jane Susannah Cannell, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Pilot Officer Richard Filson-Young had the service number 120745 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew in 208 Squadron.
His date of death was 17th of August 1942.
He was 21 years old.
Richard is buried and commemorated in plot XXV. D. 18. of the El Amamein War Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of Alexander Bell Filson-Young, and of Vera May Filson-Young, of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘GREATER LOVE HAS NO MAN THAN THIS.’
-o-
Sergeant Anthony William Vivian was issued with the service number 908614 while in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 227 Squadron.
He died on the 6th of September 1942.
He was 21 years old.
Anthony’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 4, Column 2 of the Malta Memorial in Malta.
He was the son of Captain and Mrs. Hugh Vivian, of Bishopston, Glamorgan and the husband of P. A. Vivian, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sapper Henry Charles Johnson had the service number 2014147 while in the 143 Field Park Squadron of the Royal Engineers.
His date of death was the 12th of September 1942.
He was 25 years old.
Henry’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 6. Column 2. of the Brookwood 1939-1945 Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Thomas George Johnson, and of Charlotte Johnson, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Serjeant John Barnard Bennett was issued with the service number 810661 while in 152 Battery, 51 H.A.A. Regiment in the Royal Artillery.
He died while on active service on the12th of September 1942.
He was 29 years old.
His name and memory are buried and commemorated on Panel 2. Column 2. of the Brookwood 1939-1945 Memorial of the United Kingdom.
John was the son of William and Sarah Bennett and husband of Mary E. Bennett, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Major Gustavus Henry March-Phillipps had the service number 39184 during his time in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 12th of September 1942.
He was 34 years old.
He was known as ‘Gus’ and is buried and commemorated in Grave 2 of the Saint Laurent-Sur-Mer Churchyard in France.
His secondary unit was the Small Scale Raiding Force of which he was the commanding officer.
Major March-Phillipps received the following awards and decorations: Distinguished Service Order, Member of the Order of the British Empire, and Mentioned in Despatches.
He was the son of Lisle and Isabel Forbes March-Phillipps and husband of Marjorie Frances Esclairmonde March-Phillipps, of Chelsea, London.
He was also the author of numerous published works.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘A GALLANT, BELOVED HUSBAND. “HE THAT LOVETH, FLYETH, RUNNETH AND REJOICETH; HE IS FREE”‘
CC BY-SA 4.0
-o-
Quartermaster Kenneth Stanley James Martin served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
He sailed on S.S.Kioto (Liverpool) at the time of his death on the 15th of September 1942.
Kenneth was 30 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 62 of the Tower Hill Memorial in the Borough of Tower Hamlets bordering the City of London, United Kingdom.
He was the son of Dudley and Blanche Martin and the husband of Kathleen Martin, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Squadron Leader Theodore James West had the service number 08186 during his time in the Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force).
His date of death was the 19th of September 1942.
Theodore was 49 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Fritwell (St. Olave) Churchyard, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom.
He was the recipient of the Military Cross.
Theodore was the son of James George and Anne West, of Chelsea, London and husband of Margaret Gladys West.
His son, James Walter Desaquliers West, also died on service.
-o-
Leading Telegraphist Leslie Hingston Griffiths was issued with the service number C/J 112803 while with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on H.M.S. “Veteran” at the time of his death on the 26th of September 1942.
He was 39 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 59, 2. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Thomas Henry and Marion Blanche Griffiths and the husband of Kathleen Lilian Griffiths, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Telegraphist William Henry Beard with the service number C/JX 232227 was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He sailed on the minesweeper H.M.S. Leda, was severely injured in a torpedo attack, and died while on a hospital ship on the 27th of September 1942.
Postcard images of H.M.S. Leda from the early 1940s
He was 25 years old.
H.M.S. Leda was torpedoed while on Arctive Convoy patrol on 20th Septmber. There are detailed and dramatic online accounts of the battle by naval historians. The Halcyon minesweeper was in convoy QP-14 and was sunk by U-435 commanded by Siegfried Strelow. Of the 134 officers and men on board, 47 died with 87 survivors.
The U-Boat actually took a photograph of H.M.S Leda sinking.
Position of sinking
Leda sank after being hit on the starboard side between the boiler rooms by one torpedo South West of Spitsbergen. She had been repatriating 18 Merchant Navy seamen from the Navarino and River Afton that had been sunk in the attacks on th ill-fated convoy PQ-17 in July 1942.
The West London Press and Chelsea News reported his death on 2nd October 1942:
‘Former Chelsea Sea Cadet in Convoy Battle
Death of Telegraphist W.H.Beard
Many of his friends in Chelsea have learned with regret of the death on active service of Telegraphist William Henry Beard, only son of Mrs. and the late Mr. Fred Beard, 14 C Peabody Estate, Chelsea Manor-street.
William Beard was a member of the crew of H.M.S Leader (sic), which was sunk while escorting the recent convoy to Russia. Badly burned, he was transferred to a hospital ship but died before reaching land.
Mr. Beard was 23 (sic). He was born in Chelsea and was educated at Battersea Grammar School. In civil life he was employed in the travel bureau at Harrods, Brompton road. He volunteered for the Royal Navy about two years ago. Before that he was a popular warrant officer in the Chelsea Sea Cadet Corps.
Commodore’s Tribute
In a letter to his mother confirming her son’s death the Commodore writes, “Please allow me to express on behalf of the officers and men of the Royal Navy our sincere sympathy with you in your sad bereavement. He helped to maintain the high traditions of the navy.”
The funeral, which took place in Scotland, on Wednesday, was attended by Mrs Beard (mother) and Mrs. L. Course (eldest sister).’
The Medical Officer of H.M.S. Somali was a witness to the fate of Leda’s badly injured sailors including William Beard and recorded the following acount provided on the Halcyon Class Minesweepers and Survey Ships website:
‘On September 20 H.M.S. Leda was torpedoed and sunk. Her survivors were picked up by H.M.S. Seagull, and included 6 casualties who had been immersed in the sea for thirty minutes. Fortunately the air temperature at the time was as high as 31°F, and sea temperature 40°F.
As the Seagull had no medical officer on board, Somali was ordered to close her and render medical assistance. A whaler was lowered and I was transferred to Seagull.
On board her I found that one casualty from the Leda was already dead. I could see no sign of injury on him and concluded that he must have died of exposure. Two other men without obvious injuries were receiving artificial respiration, but they too died shortly afterwards. One other casualty had a fractured femur and burns, and there was a second case of extensive burns which proved fatal.
I remained on board H.M.S. Seagull, and the following day we picked up a number of survivors from a torpedoed merchant ship.
There were no further incidents, and we arrived at Scapa Flow on September 26 and transferred the casualties to the Hospital Ship Amarapoora.’
William Beard lies buried and commemorated in Plot P. Row 4. Grave 15. of the Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery on the Island of Hoy, which is part of the Orkney Islands.
He was the son of Jane Beard, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR SON. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.’
-o-
Lance Serjeant Leonard Cecil Mills had the service number 828440 during his time in the 5th Regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery.
He died on the 25th of October 1942.
He was 28 years old.
Leonard lies buried and commemorated in plot IX. B. 1. of the El Alamein War Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of George and Ethel Mills and the husband of Joyce Amelia Mills, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstne is: ‘INTO THE MOSAIC OF VICTORY WAS LAID THIS PRECIOUS PIECE.’
-o-
Lance Bombardier Stanley Richard Ward was issued with the service number 1785148 in 197 Battery. 61 Lt. A.A. Regt. of the Royal Artillery.
He died on the 27th of October 1942.
He was 31 years old.
Stanley is buried and commemorated in plot II. E. 38. of the Bari War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of John and Dorothy Gertrude Ward and the husband of Louise Amy Ward, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF RICHARD. IN SILENCE WE REMEMBER. WIFE LOUISE, BABY CHRISTINE, MOTHER AND SISTER LOIS.’
-o-
Major J R S Walkley had the service number LA/124 when in the 3rd Battalion of the 15th Punjab Regiment during the Second World War.
He died on the 28th of October 1942.
He was 29 years old.
John Robert Samuel Walkley lies buried and commemorated in plot H. 154. of the Maala Cemetery in Yemen.
He was the son of Major Thomas Walkley, formerly of the R.A.M.C. and Margaret Walkley, and the husband of Kathleen Edith Walkley, of Chelsea, London, England.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘SOME CORNER OF A FOREIGN FIELD THAT IS FOR EVER ENGLAND.’
-o-
Lieutenant John Howe had the service number 220399 during his Second World War Service in the Manchester Regiment.
He died on the 30th of October 1942.
He was 24 years old.
John is buried and commemorated in plot V. C. 18. of the El Alamein War Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of Leonard Markby Howe and Annie Lenna Howe, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”THERE WAS A MAN SENT FROM GOD, WHOSE NAME WAS JOHN” ST.JOHN I.6.’
-o-
Electrical Artificer 4Th Class Bob Lowen had the service number C/MX 55245 when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on H.M.S. Hecla at the time of his death on the 12th of November 1942.
He was 20 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 63, 3. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Harry Robert William and Lillie Lowen, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Corporal Ronald Frank Wilkins had the service number 6144540 during his time in the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment.
He died on the 28th of November 1942.
He was 23 years old.
Ronald lies buried and commemorated in plot 1. E. 5. of the Medjez-El-Bab- War Cemetery in Tunisia.
He was the son of Frank and Mary J. Wilkins, of Lower Woodford, Wiltshire.
Ronald had been a Scout Master.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘INTO THY HANDS, O LORD, I COMMEND MY SPIRIT.’
-o-
Private Frederick George Wheeler had the service number 6145349 during his time in the 1st Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment.
He died on the 3rd of December 1942.
He was 25 years old.
Frederick’s name and memory are commemorated on Face 21 of the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial in Tunisia.
He was the son of William and Rose Wheeler, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Elsie Sarah Wheeler, of Chelsea.
-o-
Private Frederick Payne had the service number 14207592 in the Second Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment.
He died on the 3rd of December 1942.
He was 27 years old
Frederick is buried and commemorated in plt IV. G. 20. of the Massicault War Cemetry in Tunisia.
He was the son of William Samuel and Sarah Ann Payne, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Mary Florence Payne, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstne is: ‘TO MY BELOVED HUSBAND, GONE FROM US BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, WHO FELL FOR HIS COUNTRY.’
-o-
Petty Officer Cook Charles Carlin McCourt had the service number C/MX 45507 when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on H.M.S. Blean at the time of his death on the 11th of December 1942.
He was 37 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 64, 2. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of John and Theresa McCourt and the husband of Margaret Mary McCourt, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Peregrine Wilkie Young was issued with the service number 121931 during his time in the 1/7th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.
His date of death was the 13th of December 1942.
He was 29 years old.
Peregrine is buried and commemorated in plot 6. B. 33. of the Benghazi War Cemetery in Libya.
He was the son of H. E. W. Young, Levant Consular Service, and of Margaret Young (nee Anson), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headston is: ‘”THE ETERNAL GOD IS THY REFUGE AND UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS.”‘
-o-
Second Lieutenant Francis Alfred Arthur Cochrane had the service number 257828 when in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War.
He died on the 21st of December 1942.
He was 30 years old.
Francis is buried and commemorated in plot 1. B. 7. of the Tel El Kebir War Memorial in Egypt.
He was the son of Sir Arthur William Steuart Cochrane, K.C.V.O., and of Lady Cochrane (née Ilbert) and the husband of Diana Cochrane, of Chelsea, London A.R.I.B.A.
-o-
1943
-o-
Gunner William Alfred Bell was issued with the service number 1604247 during his time in the Royal Artillery of the British Army..
He was posted to 80 H.A.A. Regt. in which he was serving at the time of his death on 7th January 1943.
He was 31 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Face 6 of the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial in Tunisia.
He was the son of Charles W. Bell, and of Julia Violet Bell, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Richard Hope Hillary had the service number 74677 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He died on the 8th January 1943 and was 23 years old.
Richard Hillary was Anglo-Australian and became famous as the author of The Last Enemy which provided a thoughtful and dramatic account of his experiences as an RAF fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain.
He was born in Sydney, Australia on 20th April 1919 and went to Shrewsbury Public School in England in 1931 and then to Trinity College, Oxford University in 1937 where he served in the University Air Squadron. He was immediately called up when war broke out and was gazetted as a pilot officer in the R.A.F.V.R.
The 1939 Register census taken in late September places him resident at his parents’ country home of Long Meadow, Burkes Road, Beconsfield in Buckinghamshire and also staying with his Oxford University friends , the brothers Peter and John Stockton, at their home, The Grange, Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
After a period of operational training he was posted to N. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron in July 1940 flying Spitfire fighter aircraft, and the next month the squadron was moved to Hornchurch and plunged into the Battle of Britain.
In one week of combat Hillary personally claimed five Bf 109s shot down, claimed two more probably destroyed and one damaged.
Richard was shot down on 3rd September 1940, trapped in the blazing cockpit of his Spitfire, but managed to struggle free and bale out. As he floated in the water of the North Sea, kept buoyant by his ‘Mae West’ life preserver, he said he prepared himself for death.
But he was picked up from the sea by the Margate Lifeboat and taken to hospital suffering from shock and severe burns. It is a pleasant irony that he was the descendant of Sir William Hillary, founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
This was followed by a long series of surgical operations, convalescence and more operations lasting more than a year which he described in his book. He was under the care of the surgeon Archibald McIndoe, at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, in Sussex.
Hillary’s book helped cement McIndoe’s reputation as the plastic surgeon who could perform miracles and help brave young men catastrophically burned, sometimes beyond recognition, rebuild their lives and be rehabilitated back into society.
The surgical treatment sought to repair the damage to his hands and face, and he went on to become one of the best known members of McIndoe’s famous ‘Guinea Pig Club.’
In 1941, he persuaded the RAF to allow him to travel to America to rally support for Britain’s war effort where he had an affair with the actress Merle Oberon and wrote most of his book which was published in 1942 with the American title Falling Through Space.
While in the USA he broadcast some of his writing about being a Battle of Britain spitfire pilot on US network radio though he was introduced to listeners anonymously.
Back in Britain, BBC Radio archived recordings of his broadcast readings. These have been the centrepiece of multiple features and documentaries since his death. His book has been the basis of several BBC Radio dramatisations and readings.
In the summer of 1942 he resumed duties at the R.A.F. Staff College and was then posted to Fighter Command headquarters on special duties. He was lent to work on the script of an air-sea rescue film for six weeks.
He then passed his medical board as being fit for flying duties and was posted in late November 1942 to No 54 Operational Training Unit at RAF Charterhall for a conversion course to pilot night fighter aircraft.
He was killed on 8th January 1943 along with Navigator/Radio Operator Sgt. Wilfred Fison when the Bristol Blenheim night fighter he was flying crashed during a night training flight in difficult weather conditions.
The aircraft came down on farmland in Berwickshire, Scotland.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 2. of Golders Green Crematorium in London, the United Kingdom. True to the wishes expressed in his will, his ashes were scattered over the English Channel by the flight of a British Spitfire plane shortly after his cremation.
He was the only son of Australian governmnt civil servant specialisting in petroleum Michael Hillary, D.S.O., O.B.E. and of Edwyna Mary Hillary (née Hope), of Marylebone, London. The family lived at 23 Rutland Gate, Knightsbridge when in London. From the ages of 7 to 18, he had only seen his parents once a year during the long summer holidays from boarding school.
In 2001 a memorial to Richard Hillary was unveiled at the site of the former RAF Charterhall near Greenlaw. He is further memorialised at Trinity College, University of Oxford, where there is an annual literature prize, a portrait outside the college library and an annual lecture in his name which was started in 1992.
Richard Hillary Memorial
Public Domain
He has been the subject of a British Channel Four television documentary written and directed by Philip Martin ‘Richard Hillary – A Fighter Pilot’s Story’ (2000) and biography in the form of Michael Burn’s book Mary and Richard: A True Story of Love and War (1989) which explored his relationship with Mary Booker from November 1941 until his death in January 1943.
-o-
Sergeant Charles Herbert was issued with the service number 1397124 when with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
He flew with 12 Squadron.
His date of death was the 11th of January 1943.
He was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 8. F. 15. of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany
He was the son of Frederick and Ethel Herbert, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED SON. “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN.”
‘-o-
Flight Lieutenant Peter Price had the service number 81057 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 160 Squadron
His date of death was the 15th of January 1943.
He was 29 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave 13. B. 16-20. of the Tripoli War Cemetery in Libya.
He was the son of Roland and Jessie Cardiff Price and the husband of Imelda Catherine Price, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘ON WHOSE SOUL, SWEET JESUS, HAVE MERCY. BELOVED HUSBAND OF IMELDA R.I.P.’
-o-
Gunner Ernest Frederick Godbeer had the service number 1763969 when he was in 412 Battery., 124 H.A.A. Regiment of the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 26th of January 1943.
He was 37 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Dis. 1. Uncons. Grave 191878. of the Brompton Cemetery in Kensington and Chelsea, London.
He was the son of William Thomas Godbeer and Mary Ellen Godbeer of Chelsea and the husband of Doris Mary Godbeer also of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THE CALL WAS QUICK THE SHOCK SEVERE TO PART WITH ONE WE LOVED SO DEAR.’
-o-
Lieutenant Richard Sydney Hankey served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on H.M.S. Cormorant at the time of his death on the 7th of February 1943.
He was 27 years old.
Richard’s name and memory are commemorated on Bay 4, Panel 3. of the Lee-on-Solent Memorial in Southampton, the United Kingdom.
He was ‘Mentioned in Despatches.’
Richard was the son of Lt-Col. Sydney Thornhill Hankey and Helena Constance Hankey, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Marine Louis Donald Harris had the service number CH/X100063 during his time in the Royal Marines in the Second World War.
He was posted to H.M.S. Dragon at the time of his death on the 21st of February 1943.
He was 25 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot R. Grave 191934 of the Brompton Cemetery in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Louis was the son of Alfred and Ellen Elizabeth Harris, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘AND SO HE PASSED OVER, A VALIANT YOUNG HEART, & ALL THE TRUMPETS SOUNDED FOR HIM ON THE OTHER SIDE.’
-o-
Corporal John Herbert Bowden was issued with the service number 7640549 during his time in
the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in the Second World War.
His date of death was the 25th of February 1943.
John was 28 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot VI. E. 11. of the Bone War Cemetery, Annaba, in Algeria.
John was the son of Herbert Fry Bowden and Florence Lily Bowden, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF “A GREAT PAL”‘
-o-
Captain Giles Neville Bromley Martin had the service number 91446 in the 3rd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment, A.A.C. during the Second World War.
He died on the 26th of February 1943.
Giles was 26 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 2. H. 1. of the Medjex-El-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia.
He was the son of Granville Edward and Olivia Maude Bromley Martin, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flying Officer Alfred Gifford Moss with the service number 115395 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He died on the 2nd of March 1943.
Alfred was 26 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in the S.E. corner of the Clyffe Pypard (St. Peter) Churchyard in Wiltshire, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Captain Herbert James Moss and Hilda Moss, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Pamela Ann Moss (née Berryman).
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘A SACRIFICE SUPREME GOD CHOOSES WHEN TO TAKE SOME EARLY, OTHERS LATE.’
-o-
First Radio Officer Philip George Winsor was serving in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on the S.S. Empire Lakeland (South Shields) at the time of his death on 11th March 1943.
He was 50 years old. The Empire Lakeland was torpedoed on 11 March 1943 and sunk by U-190 while a member of Convoy SC 121.
The sinking was about 280 miles West of the Isle of Lewis.
The ship had been on a voyage from New York to Glasgow, carried a general cargo and went down with all 64 members of her crew.
Philip’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 43 of the Tower Hill Memorial in the Borough of Tower Hamlets adjacent to the City of London in the United Kingdom.
He was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire.)
He was the husband of Margaret T. R. Winsor living in Chelsea, London at the time of his death.
-o-
Aircraftman 1St Class Arthur Thomas Nottingham with the service number 1031351 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He was posted to 99 Squadron at the time of his death on the 15th of March 1943.
He was 31 years old.
Arthur is buried and commemorated in plot 9. B. 1. of the Maynamati War Cemetery in Bangladeish.
He was the son of Wilfred and Annie Florence Nottingham, and thehusband of Lilian Francis Nottingham, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘BELOVED HUSBAND OF LILIAN FRANCIS. LOVE AND REMEMBRANCE LIVE FOR EVER.’
-o-
Assistant Steward William Henry Rance served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on S.S. Clarissa Radcliffe (London) at the time of his death on the 18th March 1943.
The steamship merchant vessel was on convoy from New York to Barrow.
At 3.40 p.m. on 18th March 1943 the Clarissa Radcliffe, whose Master was Stuart Gordon Finnes, had become a straggler from convoy SC-122.
She was hit by one torpedo from U-Boat 663 and sank immediately about 700 miles southwest of Cape Farewell in the Atlantic. William died with all 53 of her crew.
He was 22 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 31 of the Tower Hill Memorial in the Borough of Tower Hamlets adjacent to the City of London in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of William Norris Rance and Grace Rance, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Subaltern (Lieutenant) Ernesta Gilroy Sadler had been issued the number 234615 during her army service with the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in the Second World War.
She died on the 21st March 1943 at her flat in Ovington Mews in the Knightsbridge area of Chelsea.
She was 34 years old having been born in Narberth Pembrokeshire on 28th August 1909.
She was buried and commemorated in the east church section of the Ambelston (St. Mary) Churchyard in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The A.T.S. was her secondary unit after the Women’s Transport Service (F.A.N.Y.)
She was the daughter of surgeon and physician Ernest Walters Price and Monica Snow Price, of Parcyllyn in Aberporth, Ceredigion, Wales.
Ernesta was posted as an officer to No. 1 London District Group of the Territorial Army in February 1943 after being commissioned on 29th April 1942. Her service in the ATS during the Second World War had lasted two and a quarter years since joining in early 1940.
She was formerly married to Surgeon-Lieutenant William Sadler, R.N. They divorced in 1939 after five years of marriage.
At the time of the National Register taken in late September 1939 she was staying with her parents at Narberth in Pembrokeshire. She gave her occupation as ‘masseuse.’
The inquest into her death in Hammersmith heard she had been suffering from fibrositis of the shoulder and had been in a lot pain. The court heard she had been an exemplary officer.
The coroner Neville Stafford determined she had died from gas asphyxiation. She had taken her own life when her mind had been disturbed by ill-health. He said it was ‘a very sad case.’
The personal Inscription on her headstone is “IN LOVING MEMORY OF SUB. ERNESTA GILROY SADLER, /F.A.N.N.Y. BELOVED DAUGHTER OF ERNEST & SNOW PRICE BORN AUG 28TH 1909 DIED AUG. 21ST 1943 THY WILL BE DONE.”
-o-
Private Albert William Overy had the service number 2051906 when in the 5th Battalion of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders.
Albert died on the 23rd of March 1943. He was 21 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Face 30 of the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial in Tunisia.
He was the son of Albert and Hilda Overy, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Serjeant Geoffrey William Smith was issued with the service number 2614476 when in the 5th Battalion of the Grenadier Guards durng the Second World War.
His date of death was the 24th of March 1943.
He was 26 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 5. B. 17. of the Medjex-El-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia.
Geoffrey was the son of Robert and Ellen Smith and husband of Eveline Vera Smith, of Chelsea, London.
The personal innscription on his CWGC headstone is: “IN PROUD MEMORY OF GEOFFREY BELOVED HUSBAND OF VERA, DEAR SON OF ELLEN AND ROBERT. IN MEMORY WE MEET EVERY DAY.”
-o-
Lieutenant James Walter Desaquliers West had the service number 151659 when in the 7th (1st Bn. The London Rifle Brigade) Battalion of the Rifle Brigade.
He died on the 31st of March 1943.
He was 23 years old.
His name and memory were commemorated on Face 32 of the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial in Tunisia.
He was the son of Squadron Leader Theodore James West, M.C., R.A.F. (Aux. A.F.), and of Margaret West, of Chelsea, London.
He won a Cambridge Blue for Boxing when at Cambridge University. His father also died on service.
-o-
Major Alan Livingston Kerr with the service number 223150 was in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Second World War.
He was posted to 55 General Hospital at the time of his death on 1st April 1943.
He was 43 years old.
Major Kerr lies buried and commemorated in plot 3. E. 3. in the Fajara War Cemetery in Gambia.
He was the son of James and Elizabeth Kerr and husband of Ellen Kerr. of Chelsea, London.
Major Kerr was medical physician with the qualifications M.B., and F.R.C.S.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is “IN LOVING MEMORY.”
-o-
Lance Serjeant Victor Douglas Martin was issued with the service number 6343610 when in the 162nd (9th Bn. Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regt.) Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War.
He died on the 6th of April 1943.
He was 25 years old
Victor was buried and commemorated in Plot O. Grave 192036 of the Brompton Cemetery in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Victor and Ellen Mary Martin and the husband of Olive Daphne Martin, of Chelsea.
He has the personal innscription on his CWGC headstone: ‘A BEAUTIFUL LIFE CAME TO A SUDDEN END BUT HE DIED AS HE LIVED EVERYONE’S FRIEND.’
-o-
Sergeant Anthony Dearmer had the service number 1251401 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
His date of death was the 7th of April 1943.
He was 22 years old.
Anthony was buried and commemorated in Sec. C.C.C. Grave 1333 of the Greenock Cemetery in Scotland, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of the Reverend Percy Dearmer, D.D., and of Nan Dearmer, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone was in Latin: ‘IN DULCI JUBILO’ which in English was ‘In Sweet Joy.’
-o-
Flying Officer Jerrold Mountford Everill had the service number 119783 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 166 Squadron.
His date of death was the 11th of April 1943.
He was 22 years old.
He was buried and commemorated at Row A. Coll. grave 9-11. in the Couvron-Et-Auencourt Communal Cemetery in France.
He was the son of Guy Raymond and Nancy Everill, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘WHEN YOU GO HOME TELL THEM OF US AND SAY: “FOR YOUR TOMORROW WE GAVE OUR TODAY”‘
-o-
Ordinary Seaman Frank Edward Greenland was issued with the service number P/JX 380967 during his time in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was sailing on H.M.S. Beverley at the time of his death on the 11th of April 1943 when the destroyer was sunk by a torpedo fired from U-Boat 188 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Lüdden.
H.M.S. Beverley was one of the old U.S. destroyers, previously named USS Branch, and built in 1920, which had been transferred under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement to the United Kingdom for service in the Royal Navy.
She had been escorting a convoy during the Battle of the Atlantic when she went down at 52°19′N 40°28′W.
She sank with the loss of 139 members of her crew, including her commanding officer.
Edward was 19 years old and born a twin, and had been a provisions order boy in Chelsea in September 1939 before joining the Royal Navy. His twin brother George was a printers apprentice.
Frank’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 76, Column 2. of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial in Portsmouth, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Samuel and Gertrude Greenland, of 34 Ives Street, South Kensington in Chelsea, London. The house and street has undergone full redevelopment since the Second World War and when the large Greenland family were living there.
-o-
Pilot Officer George Harold Willis had the service number 124109 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 158 Squadron.
His date of death was the 20th of April 1943.
George was 26 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Grave 24 of the Svino Churchyard in Denmark.
He was the son of Robert Ernest Willis and of Margaret Willis (nee Stewart) and husband of Betty Willis, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstne is: “RATHER DEATHE THAN FALSE OF FAYTHE.”
-o-
Lieutenant Anthony Maurice Goldsmith with the service number 222671 was in the 56 Heavy Regiment of the Royal Artillery.
He died on the 24th of April 1943.
He was 31 years old.
Anthony was buried and commemorated in plot 1. D. 9. of the Medjez-El-Bab Cemetery in Tunisia.
He was the son of Henry Frederick and Elsa Goldschmidt, and husband of Katharine Joan Diana Goldsmith, of Chelsea, London.
Anthony held a B.A. (Oxon.) having been an Exhibitioner of Balliol College.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘GOD REST HIS SOUL IN PEACE.’
-o-
29 year old Captain Charles Antony [Lord] Lyell had the service number 57781 during the Second World War with his commission in the 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
He died in an heroic action on the 27th April 1943 which would earn him a posthumously awarded Victoria Cross for valour.
He is buried and commemorated in plot V. H. 5. of the Massicault War Cemetery in Tunisia.
He was the 2nd Baron of Kinnordy, the son of the Hon. C. H. Lyell, M.P., and of the Hon. Mrs. Lyell (née Watney).
He was the husband of Lady Lyell (née Trafford), of Kinnordy, Kirriemuir, Angus.
He had been educated at Eton and was awarded a B.Sc degree from Oxford University having studied at Christ Church College. He had also served as a County Councillor for Angus.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘KILLED IN ACTION AT DJEBEL BOU ARADA “FORTI NON IGNAVO”‘
His Victoria Cross citation in the London Gazette for 12th August 1943 reads:
‘From 22nd April, 1943, Captain the Lord Lyell commanded his company with great courage, ability and cheerfulness. He led it down a slope under heavy mortar fire to repel a German counter-attack on 22nd April, and led it again under heavy fire on 23rd April in order to capture and consolidate a high point, which was held through a very arduous period of shelling, heat and shortage of water. In the evening of 27th April, Lord Lyell’s company, while taking part in an attack, was held up by fire from a position which consisted of an 88-millimetre gun and a heavy machine-gun in separate pits. Lord Lyell led four men to attack this position; he was far in front of the others, and destroyed the machine-gun pit with a hand-grenade. Then, aided by covering fire from the only uninjured man of his party, he attacked the 88-millimetre gun pit before its crew could fire more than one shot. He killed a number of them before being overwhelmed and killed himself. The few survivors withdrew and his company was able to advance and take its objective. Lord Lyell’s outstanding leadership, gallantry and self-sacrifice enabled his company to carry out its task, which had an important bearing on the success of the battalion and of the brigade.’
Lord Lyell was regarded as a ‘Chelsea man’ having been born in Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea on 14th June 1913.
His Victoria Cross was presented by King George VI to his widow and mother.
-o-
Sergeant Ian Peter Douglas Rushton had the service number 1250272 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve,
He was posted to 428 (R.C.A.F.) Squadron at the time of his death on the 29th of April 1943.
He was 23 years old.
Ian’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 163. of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He ws the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Rushton and husband of Barbara Rushton, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Guardsman Samson James Isaiah Proctor was issued with the service number: 2615401 when in the 5th Battalion of the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War.
He died on the 30th of April 1943 at the age of 27.
He was buried and commemorated in plot 9. E. 15. of the Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia.
He was the son of Isaiah and Florence May Proctor and the husband of Laura Pamela Proctor, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sergeant Eric Leslie Orchard had the service number 1391877 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 44 Squadron.
Eric died on the 14th of May 1943.
He was 21 years old.
Eric is buried and commemorated at Coll. grave 24. H. 3-6. in the Reichswald Forest Wr Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Leonard Charles and Alice Orchard, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘TO LIVE IN HEARTS WE LEAVE BEHIND IS NOT TO DIE.’
-o-
Private Christopher Leo Thwaites with the service number 6102054 was in the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 18th of May 1943.
He was 30 years old.
Christopher lies buried and commemorated in plot 4. F. 2. of La Reunion War Cemetery in Algeria.
He was the son of George and Rose Augusta Thwaites, of Chelsea, London and husband of Mary Ann Thwaites.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘CHRIS, YOU ARE ALWAYS AND WILL ALWAYS BE FOR EVER IN OUR THOUGHTS. PHIL.’
-o-
Flying Officer Robert William John Letters had the service number 128953 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew in 90 Squadron.
The date of his death was the 30th of May 1943.
He was 20 years old.
Robert is buried and commemorated in Plot 1. Row B. Grave 4. of the Cambrai (Route De Solesmes) Communal Cemetery in France.
He was the son of Robert and Daisy Madeline Letters, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘DEATH DOTH HIDE BUT NOT DIVIDE, THOU ART BUT ON CHRIST’S OTHER SIDE.’
-o-
Pilot Officer Gordon Edward Antony Grey had the service number 150204 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 29th of June 1943.
He was 19 years old.
Gordon is buried and commemorated in Sec. S. Grave 136. of the Oswestry General Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Grey, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription n his CWGC headstne is: ‘IN MEMORY OF MY BELOVED SON. “TO LIVE IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WE LOVE IS NOT TO DIE.”‘
-o-
Trooper Richard James Peters was issued with the service number 6472909 in the 46th Regiment of the Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C.
He died on the 29th of June 1943.
He was 29 years old.
Richard is buried and commemorated in plot 4. H. 16. of the Dely Ibrahim War Cemetery in Algeria.
He was the son of Richard Stephen and Ethel Peters, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Alice Peters, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘WE HAVE LOVED HIM IN LIFE, LET US NOT FORGET HIM IN DEATH.’
-o-
Trooper Leslie George Godfrey had the service number 6295349 in the 141st (7th Bn. The Buffs [Royal East Kent Regt.] Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 5th of July 1943.
He was 26 years old.
George was buried and commemorated in Plot O. Grave 192170. of the Brompton Cemetery in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, the United Kngdom.
He was the son of Charles Henry and Esther Elizabeth Godfrey, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘FOR EVER IN OUR THOUGHTS.’
-o-
Captain Frederick William Bayliss was a War Correspondent for Paramount News when he was killed on the 8th of July 1943.
He was 31 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 11. H. 26. of the Tripoli War Cemetery in Libya.
F.W. Bayliss was regarded as one of the Second World War’s most courageous war photographers and cameramen. He was a news cameraman for the Paramount newsreel company covering the withdawal from Dunkirk, the campaigns in Abyssinia, Greece, Crete and Libya.
He was the key Paramount cameraman covering the Eighth Army’s victory in the battle of El Alamein.
He was killed in an air crash in the Western Desert at Sousse in Tunisia. Kinematograph Weekly said he was ‘the most fearless kinematographer in the Middle East and had been on over 20 operationl flights with the R.A.F. and American machines. ‘
His death was reported in British newspapers as that of a ‘Famous War Photographer.’
In an early bombing raid he was forced to bale out and took pictures as he parachuted to earth. He broke both ankles, but save his camera.
He was the son of Frederick William and Gertrude Bayliss and the husband of Elizabeth Janet Smith Bayliss, of Chelsea, London.
He married Elizabeth, a shorthand typist, in Brentford in 1939 and they had one child Valerie Andrée Bayliss born in 1940.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY BELOVED HUSBAND, DARLING DADDY OF ANDRÉE.’
-o-
Wing Commander Reginald Frederick Stuart Leslie had the service number 02210 in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 11th of July 1943
He was 52 years old.
Reginald was buried and commemorated in plot 13. D. 20. of the Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery in Tunisia.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Force Cross.
He was the son of Frederick and Emily Leslie, and the husband of Nancy Elizabeth Leslie, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sergeant Geoffrey Tristram Pine-Coffin had the service number 568487 during his time in the Royal Air Force.
He flew with 102 Squadron.
His date of death was the 14th of July 1943.
He was 24 years old.
Geoffrey in buried and commemorated in Row A. Grave 5. of the Maubeuge-Centre Cemetery in France.
He was the son of William and Emily Pine-Coffin and husband of Bridget Pine-Coffin, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”WHOSOEVER WILL LOSE HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE SHALL FIND IT.” BRIDGET TO PINE.’
-o-
Captain Willam Eric Lloyd was issued with the service number 132198 during his time in the Royal Berkshire Regiment during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 14th of July 1943.
He was 29 years old.
William is buried and commemorated in plot VI. D. 15. of the Syracuse War Cemetery, Sicily, Italy.
He was posted to a secondary unit- No. 3 Commando.
He was the son of Norman and Marjorie Lloyd and the husband of Rachel Lloyd, of Chelsea, London.
William studied at Cambridge University and was awarded the degree B.A. (Cantab.).
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THREE COMMANDO, BRIDGE LENTINI “WE FEW, WE HAPPY FEW, WE BAND OF BROTHERS.”‘
-o-
Lieutenant D’Arcy Montgomery had the service number 233283 in the 10th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 23rd of July 1943.
He was 29 years old.
D’Arcy is buried and commemorated in plot II. E. 47. of the Catania War Cemetery, Sicily in Italy.
He was the son of Victor Edward Montgomery, and of Marjorie Montgomery, of Chelsea, London and the husband of Gerda Montgomery, of Chelsea.
His personal inscription on his CWGC headstlone is: ‘YOU AND OTHERS GAVE YOUR LIVES: WE SHALL ALWAYS REMEMBER TENDERLY.’
-o-
Flight Sergeant Robert Arthur Moore had the service number 1383811 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 103 Squadron.
His date of death was the 25th of July 1943
He was 21 years old.
Robert’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 138 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Arthur Jack and Louisa Moore, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Alan MacDonald Sennett had the service number 176413 when in the 2nd Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment).
He died on the 29th of July 1944.
He was 23 years old.
Alan is buried and commemorated in the Tirana Park Memorial Cemetry in Albania.
He was the son of Noel Stanton Sennett, and of Nan Sennett (née Macdonald), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is in Latin: ‘NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT’ which when translated into English is: ‘Nobody laid me with impunity.’
-o-
Sapper Joseph Pyle had the service number 2069236 when in 220 Field Company of the Royal Engineers.
His date of death was the 8th of August 1943.
He was 22 years old.
Joseph is buried and commemorated in plot 7. B. 2. of the Tripoli War Cemetery in Libya.
He was the son of Henry Joseph and Caroline Pyle, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THESE YEARS HAVE PASSED MY HEART STILL SORE AS TIME ROLLS ON I MISS YOU MORE.’
-o-
Major William Arthur Richard Sumner had the service number 49918 in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 11th of August 1943.
William was buried and commemorated in the South part, Grave 56 of the Buckland Newton Church Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
He was the husband of Joan V. Sumner, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Private John Alfred Claxton was issued with the service number 10554999 in 18 Div. Workshops of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
His date of death was the 13th of August 1943.
He was 28 years old.
John is buried and commemorated in plot 2. K. 2. of the Chungkai War Cemetery in Thailand.
He was the son of John Edward and Emma Caroline Claxton, of Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, Northamptonshire.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE ONLY THOUGHT OF THOSE HE LOVED WHEN HE SAID HIS LAST FAREWELL.’
-o-
Serjeant Harold Vincent Terr had the service number 2585429 in 4th Armd. Bde. Sigs. of the Royal Corps of Signals
He died on the 28th of August 1943.
He was 23 years old.
Harold was buried and commemorated in plot II. D. 21. of the Catania War Cemetery in Sicily, Italy.
He was ‘Mentioned in Despatches.’
He was the son of Sydney Harold and Evelyn Ruby Terry, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘TIRED BY THE DIN OF BATTLE JESUS CALLED HIM TO ETERNAL REST.’
-o-
Gunner Donald Nicholson had the service number 1138615 in 2 Field Regt. of the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
He died on the 6th of September 1944.
He was 21 years old.
Donald was buried and commemorated in plot I. F. 2. of the Florence War Cemetery in Italy.
He was th son of James Nicholson, and of Helen Nicholson, of Brompton, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF DONALD. OF CHELSEA LONDON. “THY WILL BE DONE.”‘
-o-
Sergeant John James Thomas had the service number 1384314 in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew is 427 (R.C.A.F.) Squadron.
He died on the 7th of September 1943.
He was 20 years old.
John is buried and commemorated in plot VII. B. 12. of the Saint Desir War Cemetry in France.
He was the son of Ernest Thomas, and of Lilian Thomas, of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DARLING SON “JIM.”‘
-o-
Captain James Mosley Mayne had the service number 74552 in 64 Field Regt. of the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
He died on the 9th of September 1943.
James is buried and commemorated in III. B. 18 of the Salerno War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of General Sir Ashton Gerard Oswald Mosley Mayne, G.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., A.D.C., and of Lady Mayne (née Tweddell), of Chelsea, London
-o-
Guardsman Arthur Lambert had the service number 2612889 when in the 6th Battalion of the Grenadier Guards
His date of death was the 23rd of September 1943.
He was 30 years old.
Arthur is buried and commemorated in plot III. B. 17. of the Salerno War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Jack and Emily Lambert, and husband of Florence Ellen Lambert, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE LIVES FOR EVER IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.’
-o-
Sergeant Laurie George Bender with the service number 1809240 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 419 (R.C.A.F.) Squadron.
Laurie died on the 23rd of September 1943.
He is buried and commemorated in Coll. grave 22. A. 2-6. of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.
His personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘AND SOON THE NIGHT OF WEEPING SHALL BE A MORN OF SONG.’
-o-
Lieutenant Lionel Studd Buxton had the service number 186899 in the 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards.
He died on the 30th of September 1943.
He was 23 years old.
Lionel is buried and commemorated in plot II. D. 27. of the Catania War Cemetery in Sicily, Italy.
He was the son of Alfred Barclay Buxton and of Edith Mary Crossley Buxton (née Studd), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘WITH CHRIST WHICH IS FAR BETTER.’
-o-
Serjeant Donald Cooper Winfield had the service number 3321724 while in the 156th (11th Bn. The Highland Light Infantry [City of Glasgow Regt.]) Regt. of the Royal Armoured Corps.
His date of death was the 20th of October 1943.
He was 27 years old.
Donald is buried and commemorated in plot 10. G. 13. of the Kirkee War Cemetery in India.
He was the son of Harold Stevens Winfield and Susan Winfield, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘OUR BELOVED SON. HE SACRIFICED HIS LIFE IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM. “TILL THE DAY BREAKS.”‘
-o-
Aircraftman 2nd Class Geoffrey Cecil Glover Hill had the service number 938629 when he was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 21st of October 1943.
Geoffrey’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 2 of the Golders Green Crematorium in London, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of John Glover Hill and Annie Hill and the husband of Doris Gertrude Hill, of Chelsea.
-o-
Sergeant James John Joseph Fisher was issued with the service number 1382898 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew with 612 Squadron and his date of death was the 25th October 1943.
He was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated with CWGC headstone in Section L. Grave 141. of the East Sheen Cemetery in Surrey.
James was a wireless operator and air gunner flying in a Wellington XIV Coastal Command bomber (Serial number HF204) which was lost during a navigational exercise and presumed to have ditched in St Brides Bay, Pembrokeshire.
Public Domain
He was the son of Edward Joseph and Alice Mary Fisher of Hugh Street Pimlico, London.
-o-
Captain Peter De Lannoy Paxton Watson had the service number 91910 when in the 2nd Bn. of the Royal Sussex Regiment during the Second World War.
He died on the 30th of October 1943.
He was 29 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 7. V. 3. of the Basra War Cemetery in Iraq.
He was the son of Paxton Hood Watson and Hilda Mary Watson, and the husband of Patricia Watson, of Chelsea, London.
Peter had a B.A. (Oxon) from the University of Oxford.
-o-
Private John Payne had the service number S/7663616 when in the Royal Army Service Corps of the British Army during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 2nd of November 1943.
He was 26 years old.
He was buried and commemorated in plot 4. C. 5. of the Beuriut War Cemetery in the Lebanese Republic.
He was the son of James and Annie Ellen Payne, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY. WE HOPE TO MEET IN HEAVEN WHERE NO FAREWELL TEARS ARE SHED.’
-o-
Major George Leslie Crocker had the service number 52604 in the 6th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Major Crocker died on the 3rd of November 1943.
He was 32 years old.
His buried and commemorated in plot VIII. E. 30. of the Sangro River War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the recipient of the Military Cross.
George was the son of Brigadier General George Delamain Crocker, C.B., and of Norah Crocker, of Chelsea, London.
In the personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN SACRED MEMORY.’
-o-
Commander Roger Ashton Eckford Luard was in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He was posted to the H.M.S. President shore establishmnt at the time of his death on 5th November 1943.
He was 32 years old.
Commander Luard lies buried and commemorated in plot 5. A. 10. of the Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery in Egypt.
He was the son of Charles Eckford Luard and Alice Margaret Luard and the husband of Edith Luard, of Chelsea, London.
Roger Luard gained a B.A. (Oxon.) from Oxford University. He was a Harmsworth Scholar, and a qualified Barrister-at-Law with the Middle Temple.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘ROGER, BELOVED SON,BROTHER AND HUSBAND.’
-o-
Lieut-Commander Archibald MacDonald Willoughby served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was posted to the H.M.S. Lynx shore establishment in Dover at the time of his death on the 8th of November 1943.
He was 56 years old.
Archibald was buried and commemorated in Row C. Joint grave 18. of the Dover (St James’s) Cemetery, in the United Kingdom.
He was the husband of Elizabeth Willoughby, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Percy Richard Hubbard was in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He was posted to H.M.S. Rajaliya at the time of his death on 11th November 1943.
He was 59 years old. He died when the Belgium cargo steamship, SS Carlier, he was a passenger on, was attacked by German bombers and sunk in the Mediterannean north of Oran.
Percy was on route to his base in Ceylon. The S.S. Carlier was in convoy KMS-31 and carrying ammunition and explosives.
H.M.S. Rajaliya was a jungle Royal Naval Air Station in Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon) and part of the British East Indies Fleet.
Percy’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 80, Column 1. of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
He was the recipient of the Military Cross for bravery during the First World War and a popular and well-known Norfolk farmer who reached the rank of Major in his Royal Field Artillery army service.
He was one of the first volunteers for Air Raid Precautions in 1938 and rejoined the Artillery for anti-aircraft operations on the south coast during 1940 and 1941 despite being well into his fifties.
He was commissioned into the Royal Navy for a special operation in the Far East in 1943 but was lost at sea before he could be fully involved.
Percy was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hubbard, and the husband of Doris Catharine Hubbard, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
1944
-o-
Warrant Officer Class Ii Ernest Israel Glass had the service number R/2285 when in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 2nd of January 1944.
He was 27 years old.
Ernest is buried and commemorated in Sec. C. Row H. Grave 16. of the Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery in North Yorkshire, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Hamilton and Bertrande Glass and the husband of Corinne Mary Glass, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Commander Stewart Magee Walker served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was posted to H.M.S. President, a shore establishment.
His date of death was the 11th of January 1944.
He was 51 years old.
Commander Walker lies buried and commemorated in Row F. Grave 11 of the Harrietsham (St. John The Baptist) Churchyard of the United Kingdom.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.
The Commander was also the son of Dr. Thomas Walker, M.D., F.R.C.S., and Mary Walker, and the husband of Ruby Walker, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Private Jack William Lipscoumb had the service number 11061379 when in 2/7th Bn. of The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey).
He died while on active service on the 19th of January 1944.
He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot VI, C, 21. of the Minturno War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Charles and Annie Louisa Lipscoumb, of Chelsea, London.
The personal nscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘MAY ANGELS GUARD YOU WHERE YOU SLEEP WATCHING O’ER YOUR BED.’
-o-
Major John Everard Tyldesley Jones had the service number 121343 during his Second World War servce with the 1st Bn. of the Scots Guards.
His date of death was the 27th of January 1944.
He was 25 years old.
Major Jones lies. buried and commemorated in plot IV, H, 12. of the Anzio War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of William Everard Tyldesley Jones and Joan Elizabeth Jones, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”IN SHORT MEASURES LIFE MAY PERFECT BE.”‘
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Philip James Cator was issued with the number 464 for his Second World War service with the Royal Engineers.
He died on the third of February 1944.
Philip was 42 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 4. H. 10. of the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar, previously known as Burma.
He was attached to a Secondary Unit- the 7th Indian Division.
Lieutenant Colonl Cator was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Order/.
He was the son of Gerald and Lilian Cator, and the husband of Nita Cator, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”HE HAS OUTSOARED THE SHADOW OF OUR NIGHT”‘
-o-
Gunner Robert Charles French was issued with the service number 6022989 for his service with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
He was posted to 80 Anti-Tank Regiment.
His date of death was the 9th of February 1944.
He was 28 years old.
Gunneer French is buried and commemorated in plot V. G. 4. of the Sai Wan War Cemetery in China, (including Hong Kong)
He was the son of Georgina French, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘ETERNAL REST GIVE UNTO HIM, O LORD; AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON HIM. AMEN.’
-o-
Serjeant Leslie Arthur Leddington was given the service number 1086716 during his time with the Royal Artillery.
His date of death was the 12th of February 1944.
He was 23 years old.
Leslie’s name and memory are commemorated on Column 2 of the East Africa Memorial in Kenya.
He had been posted to a secondary unit- the 301 Field Regt of the East African Artillery
He was the son of Arthur William and Hilda L Leddington, of Kew, Surrey.
-o-
Private Phillip Gordon Jack Cooper was given the number 863267 for his Second World War service with the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.
He was posted to the 7th Battalion.
He died on the 17th of February 1944.
Philip was 25 years old.
His name and memory are buried and commemorated on Panel 8 of the Cassino Memorial in Italy.
He was the husband of Florence Hilda Cooper, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Commander John Montagu Granville Waldegrave served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on H.M.S. Penelope at the time of his death on the 18th of February 1944
Commander Waldegrave was 38 years old and lived at 48 Eaton Place.
H.M.S. Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast. When part of Force K, she was struck so many times by bombs she acquired the nickname “HMS Pepperpot.”
Commander Waldegrave went down with his ship when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-410 near Naples.
One torpedo struck the light cruiser in the aft engine room. This was followed sixteen minutes later by another torpedo which detonated in the aft boiler room.
She immediately began sinking with the loss of 417 of the crew, including the captain. There were 206 survivors.
There is a memorial plaque commemorating all those lost in H.M.S. Penelope at St Ann’s Church, HM Dockyard in Portsmouth.
Commander Waldegrave’s name and memory are commemorated on Panel 81, Column 1. of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross when on the Kingfisher-class sloop H.M.S. Puffin which sank the German submarine U-16 in the English Channel near Dover on th 25th of October 1939 by deploying its own depth charges along those of the ASW trawler HMT Cayton Wyke.
He was the son of the Hon. Montagu Waldegrave (afterwards 5th Baron Radstock) and the Hon. Mrs. Waldegrave, of Chelsea, London.
John Montague Granville Waldegrave was the husband of Lady Hersey Waldegrave, of Findon, Sussex. He came from a distinguished line of Royal Naval officer. The first Baron Radstock received his barony for his part in the defeat of the Spanish Fleet off Cape Lagos in 1797.
The barony was extinguished on the death of his father, Lord Radstock in 1953 as he had been the only son and heir.
Commander Waldegrave was not the only Chelsea man on H.M.S. Penelope’s crew. Leading -Cook Charles Kirby of Billing Road had been serving on the famous light cruiser, since joining up in May 1941. He missed the fatal trip leading to her sinking because eye trouble meant he was sent to a submarine base in Malta.
The West London Press and Chelsea News reported on June 16th 1944:
‘It meant separating from the ship he had grown to love, but it had to be. Penelope was sunk off Italy earlier this year by a U-boat, and most of his old mates went down with her.
The story of his great attachment for the ship and the man aboard her and his sorrow when he learned of its sinking, was told to a “W.L.P.” reporter.
Only with great difficulty did he manage to extract anything about “The Ship,” from Charlie, as he is affectionately called.
The history of the long line of ships bearing the name “Penelope” goes back to 1591, when the first ship of its name set sail from Plymouth. There have been nine others since then.
After joining up Charlie described his adventures when he was posted to his ship as a seaman.
U-Boats Paradise
“Our job was to escort convoys from Alexandria to the George Cross Island of Malta, and how richly does that little island deserve the King’s honour. Not many of our ships got through in those cloudy months of 1942, when the route was a U-boats’ paradise.”
It would surprise a good few to know how many sips we were losing then, and the wonder of it is how the Maltese people stuck it out, with heavy bombing and scarcity of food.
When he was sent to the submarine base at Malta as a cook, Charlie found that things had quietened down somewhat, but they still had to go on short rations.
Now he is home on 40 days’ leave and he is very glad to be back, even though the scenery has changed a bit, due to Hitler’s hit and run bombers.
Five Years in Merchant Navy
Charlie was with the Merchant Navy for five years, between 1925-1930, and when leaving for “civvys” he took up gardening as a career.
While he was talking about gardening, Charlie suddenly stopped to tell our reporter of the German prisoners he saw, and his opinion of them is that, although the younger ones blindly follow Hitler’s creed to extreme limits, the older ones know that they are beaten and do not make any bones about it.
Leading-Cook Kirby went on to say that, at St. James’s Park, before he enlisted with the Navy, he made many friends there with his gardening and hopes to renew their acquiantance after the war.
Charlie is married and has three children, all of them girls.’
-o-
Flight Sergeant John Williams had the service number 411512 while in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He died on the 23rd of February 1944.
John was 32 years old.
He is buried and ommemorated in plot 21. C. 2. of the Brookwood Military Cemetery in the United Kingdom
The RAF was is secondary unit as he was formerly of the King’s Company of the Grenadier Guards.
He was the husband of Kathleen Williams of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘WE SHALL REMEMBER ALWAYS, WE WHO ARE LEFT, OUR DAD.’
-o-
Major Donald Victor Charles McBarnet with the service number 17749 was an officer in the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards
His date of death was the 28th of February 1944.
Major McBarnet was 42 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot V. H. 1. of the Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio in Italy.
Donald was the son of Alexander Cockburn McBarnet and Elizabeth Mai McBarnet and the husband of Barbara Edith McBarnet, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Leading Airman Norman Henry Absolon was given the service number FAA/FX. 96102 wen in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He sailed on H.M.S. Illustrious at the time of his death on the 10th of March 1944
Norman was 20 years old
His name and memory are buried and commemorated on Bay 5, Panel 2 of the Lee-on-Solent Memorial in Southampton, Hampshire of the United Kingdom.
-o-
Private Robert Edward Dalton with the service number 6105410 was a soldier in the 2nd Battalion of the The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey).
His date of death was the 16th of March 1944.
Robert was 21 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Face 4 of the Rangoon Memorial in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
He was the son of Robert Edward and Rose Ellen Dalton, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Ordinary Seaman Raymond Leslie Davies with the service Number: C/JX 678992 was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was training on the shore establishment H.M.S. Ganges in Shotley, Suffolk at the time of his death on the 24th of March 1944.
Raymond was 17 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 21. Grave 4427. of Mitcham (London Road) Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Lloyd Samuel and Ellen Mary Davies, of Chelsea. He also lso served as a Cadet in 291 Chelsea Squadron of the Air Training Corps (A.T.C.).
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blackall Graham was an officer in the 10th Battalion of the 16th Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army during the Second World War.
He died on the 12th of April 1944.
He was 70 years old.
Lieutenant Colonel Graham was buried and commemorated in plot 3.L.2. of the Gauhati War Cemetery in India.
He was formerly in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
He was the recipieint of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire’
Robert was the son of Robert Blackall Graham and Mary Jane Nevile Graham and the husband of Margaret Grace Graham, of Chelsea. London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is “A SERVING SOLDIER.”
-o-
Serjeant Thomas William Bright received the service number: 6475028 when he was in the 45th Regiment of the Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C.
He died on the 18th of April 1944.
Thomas was 29 years old
He was buried and commemorated in plot 13. F. 8. of the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Sergeant Bright waas the son of Henry and Valeria Bright and the husband of Florence E. M. Bright, of Battersea Park, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘GONE FROM US BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, NEVER SHALL THY MEMORY FADE.’
-o-
Flying Officer Brian Jagger was issued with the service number 171172 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 460 (R.A.A.F.) Squadron.
He died on the 30th of April 1944.
Brian was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Grave 13763 of the Cambridge City Cemetery of the United Kingdom.
Flying Officer Jagger was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Medal.
He was the son of David and Catherine Jagger, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flight Sergeant Denis John Mayhew was issued with the number 1414791 duing his World War Two service in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He flew with 7 Squadron.
His date of death was recorded as the 5th of May 1944.
Denis was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot O. Grave 192863 of the Brompton Cemetery in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,London.
He was the son of Henry Percy and Agnes Elizabeth Mayhew, of Sutton Dwellings, Chelsea. His brother Anthony Charles also died on active service in the Merchant Navy.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘HIS BROTHER ANTHONY WAS KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE WITH THE MERCHANT NAVY 20TH MAY 1941 AGE 15.’
-o-
Sergeant Brian Bernard Melrose Finnigan had the service number 1803168 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in the Second World War.
His death was recorded as having taken place on the 16th of May 1944.
Sergeant Finnigan was 19 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Plot 1. Row B. Grave 9. of the Middleton Stoney (All Saints) Churchyard in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Brian Bernard and Alison Pia Finnigan, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘GREATER LOVE THAN THIS NO MAN HATH THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.’
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Max De Baillou Monk with the service number 67505 was an officer in the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army during the Second World War.
He died on the 19th of May 1944.
Colonel De Baillou Monk was 27 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot XI. E. 20. of the Cassino War Cemetery in Italy.
His secondary unit was the 5th Battalion of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
He was a recipient of the Military Cross and Territorial Decoration.
Geoffrey was the son of Lt.-Col. M. E. De B. G. Monk and of Eileen M. Monk (nee Porter); and the nephew of Mr. N. H. De B. Monk, of Chelsea, London.
He had been awarded the Kitchener Scholarship at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1935.
-o-
Private John Anthony Hutchinson had the service number 14417609 when in the 5th Battalion of the The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) during the Second World War.
He died on the 19th of May 1944.
John was 19 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot XI. K. 22. of the Cassino War Cemetry in Italy.
He was the son of Henry Edward and Mary Teresa Hutchinson, of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘AD MAJORAM DEI GLORIAM. REQUIESCAT IN PACE’ which is Latin for ‘TO THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD. MAY HE REST IN PEACE.’
-o-
Captain Chrisopher Aylmer Francis Maude was issued with the service number 149154 when in the 3rd Battalion of the Welsh Guards during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 27th of May 1944.
Captain Maude was 24 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot I. B. 19. of the Cassino War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Captain Aylmer Probyn Maude and of Vera Marion Maude (née Davidson), of Chelsea, London.
The personal nscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”AND LIFTING UP THEIR EYES THEY SAW NO ONE SAVE JESUS ONLY” MATT.17.8.’
-o-
Sergeant Anthony Matthew Cleverly Vine had the service number 753209 while in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 38 Squadron.
His death was recorded the 5th of June 1944.
Sergent Vine was 24 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated in Column 281 of the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
He was the son of Harry Matthew and Gertrude Ethel Vine, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Major Reginald Douglas Milton Emmerson with the service number 113554 was an officer in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders during the Second World War.
His date of death was recorded as the 10th of June 1944.
Major Emmerson was 23 years old.
He is buried andcommemorated in plot 14. F. 16. of the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar former known as Burma.
He was attached to the secondary unit the 4th Bn. 9th Gurkha Rifles.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Emmerson and the stepson of Phyllis Emmerson, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU, DEAREST.’
-o-
Ordinary Seaman George Frederick Spatig had been issued with the number: C/JX 564415 for his service in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was posted to H.M.S. Queen of Thanet at the time of his death on the 12th of June 1944.
George’s name and memory are commemorated on panel 76, 3. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent. HATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL
He was the son of Charles and Elizabeth Spatig, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Able Seaman Cecil Cedric Baines had the service number C/JX 203299 when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was posted on H.M.S. Boadicea at the time of his death on the 13th of June 1944
Cecil was 27 years old
His name and memory are Buried commemorated on panel 75, 1. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of William Cedric and Caroline Baines; husband of Olive Baines, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Leading Seaman Reginald Douglas Stevenson had the service number C/JX 308148
when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was on H.M.S. Boadicea at the time of his death on the 13th of June 1944.
Reginald was 23 years old
His name and memory are commemorated on panel 75, 1. of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Albert Charles and Maria Jane Stevenson, of Westminster, London.
-o-
Lance Corporal Henry Charles Finch was issued the number 7020426 for his Second World War service in the 6th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
His date of death is recorded as the 14th of June 1944.
Henry was 38 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot I, A, 1. of the Bolsena War Cemetry in Italy.
He was the husband of Kathleen Ellen Finch, of Chelsea, Londoon.
The personal innscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN EVERLOVING MEMORY OF MY DARLING HUSBAND. KAY, HARRY AND KITTY R.I.P.’
-o-
Major Samuel Malcolm Boyle with the service Number 44815 was an officer in the 7th Battalion of the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 16th of June 1944.
Major Boyle was 34 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot X. A. 1. of the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy, France.
He was the son of Lt.-Col. Samuel Boyle, C.B.E., M.C., D.L., J.P., and Anne Evelyn Boyle, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘”WITH CHRIST; WHICH IS FAR BETTER” >>> PHIL.I.23’
-o-
Captain Gilbert Seymour Wyndham Talbot was given the service number 184841 during his time in the British Army in the Second World War.
He was a commissioned officer with the 1st Battaliion of the Rifle Brigade.
His death while on active service during the Battle of Normany was the 20th of June 1944.
Gilbert was 22 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Plot 9, grave 2. of the Bayeux Eastern Cemetery in Normandy, France.
He was the son of the Rt. Revd. Neville Stuart Talbot, D.D., M.C.,(the co-founder of TocH) and Cecil Mary Talbot, and the nephew of Lavinia C. Talbot, of Chelsea, London.
Gilbert had been a scholar of Trinity College, Oxford.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST AND THE LIVING ONE; AND I WAS DEAD, AND BEHOLD, I AM ALIVE…”
-o-
Sergeant Peter Hogan Kano was issued withe the service number 1601185 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 630 Squadron.
He died on the 22 of June 1944 at the age of 21.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 6. F. 7. of the Heverlee War Cemetery in Belgium.
He was the son of Yasuzo and Violet Marie Kano, of Golders Green, Middlesex.
The personal nscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”A KNIGHT THERE WAS” IN LOVING AND PROUD REMEMBRANCE OF OUR DEAR SON.’
-o-
Private Edward James Woodberry had the service number 6142780 during the Second World War.
He was in the 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment.
He died on the 24th June 1944.
He is buried and commemorated in plot I, E, 11. of the Orvieto War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of William Thomas Woodberry, and of Ellen Elizabeth Woodberry, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘A BEAUTIFUL LIFE CAME TO A SUDDEN END HE DIED AS HE LIVED EVERYONE’S FRIEND.’
-o-
Captain Neil McCallum Webster had the service number 85632 when an officer in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
His date of death was the 25th of June 1944.
Captain Webster was 25 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot I, F, 13. of the Orvietto War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Alexander McCallum Webster and Norah Kathleen Webster, and te husband of Jocelyn McCallum Webster, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Warrant Officer Class Ii Norman Thomas Sloane Reed was issued with the service number: R/137992 when in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World Wr.
He flew with 150 (R.A.F.) Squadron
His date of death was the 26th of June 1944.
Norman was 24 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave I. D. 7-10. of the Budapest War Cemetery in Hungary.
He was the sn of Norman Henry Reed, and of Hazel Edith Sloane Reed, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”BILL” BRAVE, GAY, UNDAUNTED.’
-o-
Fusilier Leslie Davison was issued with the service number 14411324 when in the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Leslie died on the 26th of June 1944.
He was 19 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot VI. A. 6. of the Saint Manvieu War Cemetery in Cheux Normandy in France.
He was the son of Alfred Henry Davison, and of Emma Matilda Davison, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘NEVER SHALL THY MEMORY FADE SWEET THOUGHTS EVER LINGER WHERE THOU ART LAID.’
-o-
Major Andrew Quentin Agnew had the service number 71129 when in the British Army during the Second World War.
The officer was with the 6th Battalin Royal Scots Fusiliers.
He died on the 26th of June 1944 during the Battle of Normandy.
Major Agnew was 26 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot VI. A. 7. of the Saint Manvieu War Cemetery, Cheux in Normandy, France.
He was the son of Colonel Quentin Agnew and Cecily Agnew and husband of Diana Agnew, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain Michael Howard Carrick with the service number 13441 was an officer in the 121 Medium Regiment of the Royal Artillery of the British Army during the Second World War.
He died on the 27th of June 1944.
Captain Carrick was 24 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot VIII. B. 11. of the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy France.
He was a recipient of the Military Cross.
Michael was the son of Howard and Ida Carrick.
-o-
Private William Aldwin was issued with the service number 6151426 during his time with the
Durham Light Infantry of the British Army during the Second World War.
He was posted to the 10th Battalion.
He died on the 28 June 1944
William was 20 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot III. D. 2. of the Saint Manvieu War Cemetery in Cheux, Normandy, France.
He was the son of Arthur Friend Aldwin and Rose Mary Aldwin, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE.’
-o-
Private Terance Archer Smith was issued with the service number 5836946 when in the British Army during the Second World War.
He was posted to the 1st Battlion of the Suffolk Regiment,
He died on the 29th of June 1944 during the Battle of Normandy.
Terence was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot V. B. 8. of the La Delivrande War Cemetery, Douvres in France.
He was the son of Joseph A. and Barbara M. Smith, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”HERE RESTS HIS HEAD UPON THE LAP OF EARTH A YOUTH TO FORTUNE AND TO FAME UNKNOWN” MOTHER.’
-o-
Major Ernest Anthony Tooth with the service number 120832 was an officer in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 2nd of July 1944.
Major Tooth was 54 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 4 of the Edinburgh (Warriston) Crematorium in Scotand, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Anthony and Ada Tooth; husband of Dorothy Julia May Tooth, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Fusilier John Victor Prentice was issued with the service number 6476020
when in the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) during the Second World War.
He died on the 7th of July 1944.
John was 33 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot III. G. 13 of the Saint Manvieu War Cemtery, Cheux in Normandy, France.
He was the son of Charles William and Edith Prentice, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘LOVING THOUGHTS WILL LINGER AROUND THE SPOT WHERE YOU ARE LAID. R.I.P. – MUM.’
-o-
Lieutenant Thomas Oliver Ruggles-Brise with the service number 267565 was an officer in the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War.
He was killed during the Battle of Normandy with his date of death being the 18th of July 1944.
Lieutenant Ruggles-Brise was 21 years old.
Thomas’ name and memory are commemorated on Panel 12, Column 2. of the Bayeux Memorial in Normandy, France.
He was the son of Evelyn Coope Ruggles-Brise and Mildred Dorothy Ruggles-Brise, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Major Edward Derek Kay Menzies with the service number 73130 was an officer in the 7th Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
His date of death was the 18th of July 1944.
Major Menzies was 27 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 14, Column 1. of the Bayeux Memorial in Normandy, France.
He was the son of Sir Frederick Norton Kay Menzies, K.B.E., and of Lady Menzies (née Lloyd), of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Brevet Major John Usher Hogarth with the service number 13244 was in the Grenadier Guards of the British Army during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 19th of July 1944.
He is buried and commemorated in the plot IV, F, 7. of the Assisi War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Robert George and Mabel Winifred Hogarth and the husband of Irene Margarette Hogarth, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN PROUD AND EVERLOVING MEMORY OF A BELOVED HUSBAND AND SON.’
-o-
Major John Henry Courthope Powell had the service number 68370 while in “A” Sqn. 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry of the Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War.
He died on the 19th of July 1944.
He was 32 years old.
John is buried and commemorated in plot X. D. 24. of the Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery in France.
He received a Territorial Decoration during his army service and also held a Master of Arts degree.
He was the son of Richard Henry and Barbara Frances Powell and the husband of Helen Clare Powell, of Edinburgh.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘WE GIVE THEM BACK TO THEE DEAR LORD WHO GAVEST THEM TO US.’
-o-
Captain Felix John Stewart Symes was issued with the service number 172271 and was an officer in the SAS- Special Air Service Regiment, A.A.C.
Captain Symes died on the 23rd of July 1944.
He was 27 years old.
He was buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave 12-22. of the Graffigny-Chemin Communal Cemetery in France.
His secondary unit was the Hampshire Regiment.
Felix was the son of Lt.-Col. Sir George Stewart Symes, G.B.E., K.C.M.G., D.S.O., and of Lady Symes (née Broun), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘PRO REGE ET PRO PATRIA R.I.P.’ The Latin means ‘FOR THE KING AND FOR THE COUNTRY.’
-o-
Private Frederick George Mitchell had the service number 6205088 when in the 2nd Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 26th of July 1944.
Private Mitchell was 30 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot III. A. 5. of the Ranville War Cemetery in France.
He was the grandson of Mary Agnes Mitchell, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE DEAR GRANDSON OF MARY AGNES MITCHELL R.I.P.’
-o-
Corporal Henry William Mahoney was issued with the service number 6144810 when in the 4th Regiment of the Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. of the British Army.
He was killed on the 27th of July 1944 when he was 25 years old.
Corporl Mahoney was buried and commemorated in plot V. E. 6. of the Arezzo War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of John and Margaret Mahoney, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY. MUM AND DAD, JOHNNY AND DORA.’
-o-
Major Ian Nicholas Lely Preston with the service number 124444 was an officer in the 2/7th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the Second World War.
Major Peston died on the 28th of July 1944.
He was 25 years old and is buried and commemorated in plot X. G. 8. of the Florence War Cemetery in Italy.
His secondary unit was the 1st Battalion. Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment.
Ian was the son of Douglas James Preston and Mary Vyvian Preston, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”HE IS A PORTION OF THE LOVELINESS WHICH ONCE HE MADE MORE LOVELY”. R.I.P.’
-o-
Lieutenant Alab MacDonald Sennett had the service number 176413 when in the 2nd Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment).
His date of death was the 29th of July 1944.
Lieutenant Sennett was 23 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in the Tirana Park Memorial Cemetery in Albania.
He was the son of Noel Stanton Sennett, and of Nan Sennett (née Macdonald), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT.’ The Latin translated means ‘NO ONE HAS TROUBLED ME WITH IMPUNITY.’
-o-
Lieutenant James Gerald Marshall-Cornwall with the service number 255169 was an officer in the 4th Battalion of the Grenadier Guards.
His date of death was the 30th July of 1944.
Lieutenant Marshall-Cornwell was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in the Cahagnes Isolated Grave in France.
France
He was the son of General Sir James Handyside Marshall-Cornwall, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., and of Lady Marshall-Cornwall (née Scott Owen), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headsone is: ‘ALL YOU HAD, YOU GAVE… YOURSELVES YOU SCORNED TO SAVE.’
-o-
Private George Henry Ersser with the service number 14691155 was in the 7th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment of the British Army during the Second World War.
Private Ersser was killed on the 30th of July 1944.
He was 18 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot IV. G. 8. of the Hottot-Les-Bagues War Cemetery in France.
He was the son of William George and Emily Ada Ersser, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘NEVER SHALL THY MEMORY FADE SWEET THOUGHTS EVER LINGER WHERE THOU ART LAID.’
-o-
Private Eric Arthur Morley with the service number 6299827 was in the 23rd Independent Parachute Platoon of the Army Air Corps.
He was killed on the 15th of August 1944.
Private Morley was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 4. Row C. Grave 8. of the Mazargue War Cemetery in Marseilles, France.
He was the son of Frederick Arthur and Annie Louise Morley, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CwGC is ‘”I HAVE GONE HOME.”‘
-o-
Major Sir John Edmund Backhouse with the service number 41059 was in the 179 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery of the British Army during the Second War War.
He was killed on the 29th of August 1944.
Major Backhouse was 35 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot II. C. 2. of the Saint Desir War Cemetery in France.
He was the recipient of the Military Cross.
He was the son of the 3rd Bart. Son of Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., C.M.G., and of Lady Backhouse (née Findlay); husband of Lady (Jean Marie Frances) Backhouse, of Withypool, Somerset.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘GREATER LOVE THAN THIS NO MAN HATH.’
-o-
Trooper Douglas VIvian Loxdale with the service number 14248089 was in the North Irish Horse of the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 4th of September 1944.
Trooper Loxdale was born in Greenwich, London in 1923 and died in the 21st year of his young life.
He is buried and commemorated in plot II, B, 44. of the Gradara War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of James Edward and Ivy Loxdale, of Chelsea, London.
The personal nscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘MY VERY DEAR SON AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER YOU.’
-o-
Rifleman Arthur Joseph Dearman with the service Number 6845396 was in the 8th (2nd Bn. The London Rifle Brigade) Battalion of the Rifle Brigade during the Second World War.
He died on the 10th of September 1944.
Rifleman Dearman was 28 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot V. E. 19. of the Leopoldsburg War Cemetery in Belgium.
He was the son of Joseph Arthur and F. Ella Dearman, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR SON ARTHUR. FOREVER IN OUR THOUGHTS.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant William Lawrence Saundes-Knox-Gore had the service number: 128927
when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 13 Squadron.
His date of death is recorded as the 12th of September 1944.
William was 21 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot III. A. 8. of the Staglieno Cemetry in Genoa, Italy.
He was the receipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Flight Lieutenant Saudes-Knox-Gore was the son of Colonel William Arthur Cecil Saunders-Knox-Gore, D.S.O., Croix de Guerre, and of Monica Saunders-Knox-Gore, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Humphrey Oscar Coleridge Kennard was issued with the service number 253922 when a commissioned officer in the 3rd Battalion of the Irish Guards during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 14th of September 1944 and is buried and commemorated in plot II.D.2. of the Geel War Cemetery in Belgium.
Humphrey was the son of John Adam Gaskell Kennard and Lenore Mary Kennard, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘WE SHALL BE MOTHER AND SON AFTER ALL DAYS ARE DONE, ALL DARKNESS ENDED.’
-o-
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson had the service number 39438 in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He was the commanding officer of 627 Squadron.
Images in slideshow below: ‘Gibson (on the ladder) and his crew board their plane for Operation Chastise’, ‘Wing Commander Guy Gibson (Right) and S/Ldr David Maltby (left) at RAF Scampton, on 22 July 1943 after the raid,’ and ‘Air Vice Marshal Ralph Cochrane, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, King George VI and Group Captain John Whitworth discuss the Dambuster Raid during the King’s visit to RAF Scampton on 27 May 1943.’ Images from the collections of the Imperial War Museum.
_underway,_circa_in_1942_(FL_2019).jpg?uselang=en#Licensing){kind=link}
On 16th January 1943, Gibson took BBC war correspondent Richard Dimbleby on a sortie to Berlin and Dimbleby described the raid in a later radio broadcast.
Gibson led the Dambusters ‘bouncing bomb’ Raid of 16th to 17th May 1943 codenamed Operation Chastise which would be immortalised in the 1955 film titled ‘The Dambusters’ where Gibson was portrayed by the actor Richard Todd.
On 19th September 1944, he was flying a Mosquito B.XX KB267 in a raid on Bremen when his plane was seen to crash at Steenbergen in the Netherlands at around 22:30 at night. Witnesses on the ground heard an aircraft flying low, and saw an illuminated cockpit.
He was 26 years old and is buried and commemorated in the Steenbergen-En-Kruisland Roman Catholic Cemetery in the Netherlands.
Steenbergen – Own work Public Domain
The West London Press reported on its front page for 12th January 1945: ‘V.C. REPORTED KILLED. Wing-Commander Guy Gibson V.C. D.S.O, and Bar, D.F.C. and Bar, the Chelsea famous “dam buster” and master bomber pilot, is officially presumed killed in action.’
He is among the most well-known and decorated RAF flyers of the Second World War. His decorations included the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar, and U.S. Legion of Merit (Commander).
He was born on 12th August 1918 and he was the son of Alexander James Gibson, a resident and ARP Warden of Chelsea, and Norah Gibson. He was the husband of Eve Mary Gibson, of Westminster, London.
The following details are taken from the London Gazette of 27/5/43:-
‘Wing Commander Gibson, whose personal courage knew no bounds, was quickly recognised to be an outstanding operational pilot and leader. He served with conspicuously successful results as a night bomber pilot and also as a night fighter pilot, on operational tours. In addition, on his “rest” nights he made single-handed attacks on highly defended objectives such as the German battleship Tirpitz. Wing Commander Gibson was then selected to command a squadron formed for special tasks. Under his inspiring leadership this squadron executed one of the most devastating attacks of the war – the breaching of the Moehne and Eder dams. Wing Commander Gibson personally made the initial attack on the Moehne dam. Descending to within a few feet of the water, he delivered his attack with great accuracy. He then circled very low for thirty minutes, drawing the enemy fire and permitting as free a run as possible to the following aircraft. He repeated these tactics in the attack on the Eder dam. Throughout his operational career, prolonged exceptionally at his own request, he has shown leadership, determination and valour of the highest order.’
Gibson was born in British India where his father Alexander was an officer in the Imperial Indian Forestry Service, becoming the Chief Conservator of Forests for the Simla Hill States in 1922. His parents separated in 1924 when he was six years old and his mother Leonora was granted custody.
At the time of the late September 1939 Register his father Alexander was living at 2 Markham Square, Chelsea and serving in Chelsea Borough’s Air Raid Precautions as a Warden.
Guy Gibson’s mother Nora died in St Mary Abbots Hospital in Marloes Road, Kensington on 24th December 1939 and his father remarried Diana Katherine Hodges in Chelsea in 1940 and they lived at 6 Chesil Court, Cheyne Gardens where Guy was a frequent visitor.
In 1955 Alexander Gibson told the West London Press:
‘I have seen the film and they have made a very find job of it. Richard Tood plays the part of my son excellently. It was a very happy choice becuse Richard Todd bears quit a striking resemblance to Guy.’
Gibson told him little about the raids on the Moehne and Eder Dams in 1943:
‘I saw Guy in April, 1943, just before I left for Washington to take up my job there with the raw materials board- I was then with the Government of India. He told me I had no reason for anxiety because he was grounded. That was all I know about it because security had clamped down very tight indeed. I actually heard of the raid when in Washington, but I didn’t see Guy until my return mid-July and a few weeks later he went off to Quebec with Churchill on a goodwill mission, with lecture tours throughout America.
Guy actually told me very little about the raid itself. His chief concern seemed to be the loss of life among cattle and other animals when the flood waters swept down from the broken dams- he said nothing about the Nazis…
He only saw the water sweeping down and described how a car was trying to flee from the floods, its bright headlights burning gradually yellow to blue to green, and then nothing…’
Guy Gibson’s book Enemy Coast Ahead, serialised in the Sunday Express in December 1944 shortly after his death, and then published in book form in 1946 became a bestseller.
Alexander Gibson passed away at Chesil Court on 1st Novmber 1968 at the age of 94. The Chelsea News said he was born in Russia ‘of Scottish parents, he had lived in Chelsea for more than 40 years. He was a former chairman of the Pheasantry Club, King’s Road’ and:
‘He was a forestry adviser to the Indian Government and was largely responsible for the establishment of the shellac and turpentine industries there. He was also president of the Oil and Colour Chemists’ Associaton and a fellow fo the Linnean Society – the oldest established botanical society in the world. He was an authoity on Russian science and technology and until recently worked five hours a day translating scientific works from Russian to English for publishers.’
A memorial service for him was held in Chelsea Old Church on Friday 8th November 1968.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Henry West was issued with the service number 101043 when he was in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 29 Squadron.
He was killed on the 19th of September 1944.
Henry was 22 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 28. A. 1. of the Bergent-Op-Zoom War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was the son of Michael Philip and Joan West, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HERE LIES. HENRY, OUR SON. GREATLY LOVED AND HONOURED.’
-o-
Trooper Reginald Alfred Holmes with the service number 329689 was in the Life Guards of the British Army during the Second World War.
He died on the 22nd of September 1944.
Reginald was 31 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 12. A. 2. of the Jonkerbos War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was the son of Tom and Alice Maud Holmes and the husband of Alice Maud Holmes, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘IN EVERLOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR HUSBAND GONE FROM US BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.’
-o-
Flight Sergeant Erle Mayne Milks with the service number R/180687 was in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
He flew with 570 (R.A.F.) Squadron.
He died on the 23rd of September 1944 while on active air service operations.
Erie was 20 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Plot 2. Row A. Grave 15A. of the Heteren General Cemetery, in the Netherlands.
He was the son of Erle Kenneth and Helen Catherine Milks, of Chelsea, Province of Quebec, Canada.
-o-
Warrant Officer William Henry Watts with the ervice numbe 1377058 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 25 Squadron.
Date of Death
He was killed on the 26th of September 1944.
William was 32 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 215 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
His parents were Henry and Rosina Watts and he was the husband of Jean Violet Watts, of Parson’s Green, London.
-o-
Guardsman John Kennedy had the service number 2612803 when in the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War.
He died on the 28th of September 1944.
He was 29 years old.
John was buried and commemorated in plot 22. C. 4. of the Jonkerbos War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was the husband of Bertha Eileen Kennedy, of Chelsea, London.
John Kennedy’s personal inscription on his CWGC headstone was: ‘FOR EVER IN OUR THOUGHTS, PAT DARLING. NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN. REST IN PEACE.’
-o-
Captain Edward Arthur Cope Ward with the service number 126414 was an officer in the 7th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment.
He died on the 2nd of October 1944.
Edward was 36 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Grave 2139 of the Crowborough Burial Ground in Sussex,
He was the son of Arthur John and Mabele Jennifer Ward and husband of Patricia Mary Ward, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Flight Lieutenant John Edward Brook was issued with the service number 116765 when he was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 105 Squadron.
His death was recorded as the 6th of October 1944 while on active air operations.
John was 28 years old.
His name and memory are buried and commemorated on Panel 201 of the Runnymede Memorial.
His parents were Albert Edward Brook and of Maria Brook (née Fitton). He was the husband of Peggy May Brook (née Gillett), of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Guardsman Thomas Patrick Begley was issued with the service number 2621161 when in the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards in the British Army during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 11th of October 1944.
Thomas was 23 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot II, C, 4. of the Santerno Vallley War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Thomas Begley, and of Cathrine Begley, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘REST IN PEACE, DARLING TILL WE MEET AGAIN. I MISS THE HAPPINESS YOU GAVE. LOVING YOU, TOOTS.’
-o-
Lieut-Commander Donald Montague Noel Davidson was in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He sailed on H.M.A.S. Moreton.
He died on the 18th of October 1944.
Donald was 35 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Sp. Mem. 23. D. 20. of Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
He was attached to the secondary ‘Z’ Special Unit.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Order.
Lieut-Commander Davidson was the son of Gerald Markby Davidson and Florence Mabel Davidson, and the husband of Nancy Everilda Delacherois Davidson, of Chelsea, London
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Gregory Bernard Brooker had the service number 122416 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 85 Squadron.
He died while on active service in air operations on the 19th of October 1944.
He was 30 years old.
Gregory is buried and commemorated in plot 5. H. 28. of the Durnbach War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Herbert Henry Heavens Brooker and Mary Frances Brooker, and the husband of Betty Olive Brooker, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC memorial is; ‘ETERNAL REST GIVE TO THEM, O LORD; AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM. R.I.P.’
-o-
Flight Sergeant Wilfrid Thomas Witty was issued with the service number 1397910 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 582 Squadron.
He died on active service in air operations on the 29th of October 1944
Wilfrid was 21 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 223 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of John and Mary Witty, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain Arthur Francis Gregory Walker with th service number 120980 was an officer on the General List of the British Army.
His death was recorded on the 3rd of November 1944
Arthur was 60 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 34A. B. 10. of the Brookwood Military Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
Captain Walker had been the recipient of the Military Cross.
He was the son of Giles Frederick and Emma Francis Walker, and the husband of Sheila Gwendoline Walker. of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘PEACE WAS THE PRIZE OF ALL HIS TOIL AND CARE. DRYDEN.’
-o-
Private Frank Joseph Harris with the service number 6711949 when in the 1/4 Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment.
His date of death was the 27th of November 1944.
Frank was 28 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot I. D. 18. of the Faenza War Cemetery in Italy.
He was the son of Walter and Mary Harris, of Chelsea, London, and the husband of Bridget Harris, of Chelsea.
The personal innscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘WHEN NIGHT CREEPS IN AND ALL IS STILL TO BE OUR GUARD WAS HIS WILL.’
-o-
Flying Officer Douglas Frederick Haste had the service number 160744 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew in 12 Squadron.
He was killed on active service and air operations on the 29th of November 1944
Douglas was 21 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 4. C. 14. of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany .
He was the son of Frederick James Haste and Amy May Haste, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘”THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD”‘
-o-
Gunner Albert Sidney Holland with the service number 11268395 was in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
He died on the 29th of November 1944 at the age of 33.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 9. H. 3. of the Kirkee War Cemetery in India.
Albert was the son of Walter Samuel and Clara Susannah Holland, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HERE LIES A PART OF ENGLAND, A LOVING SON. MAY HIS SACRIFICE BE NOT IN VAIN.’
-o-
Seaman William Ernest Dilly had the service number LT/JX 281066 when in the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
He was sailing on H.M. Trawler Phrontis, with the Royal Navy Auxilliary Patrol, at the time of his death on the 10th of December 1944.
He was 42 years old having been born in Hackney on 24th October 1902. Prior to the Second World War he had been in the Royal Navy for 13 years having signed up as a boy bugler at the age of 17 in 1919.
At the time of the 1921 Census he was recorded serving on H.M.S. Battleship Malaya in Portsmouth. He married Florence Winifred Aylmer in Portsmouth three years later.
Their daughter June Dilly was born in Portsmouth in 1926.
H.M. Trawler Phrontis had been requisitioned as an anti-submarine trawler (P. No. 4.141) and was deployed on miscellaneous naval duties until January 1946.
Willam died at 86 Notley Road, Lowestoft from coal gas poisoning with the Coroner’s inquest deciding that ‘the balance of his mind was disturbed.’
William is buried and commemorated in Sec. 25. Grave 529. of the Lowestoft (Normanston Drive) Cemetery in Suffolk, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of William James Dilly and Elizabeth Dilly and the husband of Florence Winifred Dilly, of Chelsea, London.
His family ran the Lord Nelson pub (later renamed ‘The Trafalgar)’ at 200 to 202 King’s Road, next to the Gaumont Cinema, Chelsea where he was employed as a porter before re-joining the Royal Naval Patrol Service for WW2 service.
The personal inscription on his headstone is “IN LOVING MEMORY.”
-o-
Major Michael Francis Parker had the service number 53696 when in the Lincolnshire Regiment of the Britsh Army during the Second World War.
He died while on active service in Nigeria on the 26th of December 1944 as a result of an accident.
He was 32 years old.
Major Parker was buried and commemorated in Plot 4. Row F. Grave 10. of the Yaba Cemetery in Nigeria
He was post to the Secondary Unit 13th Battalion. Nigeria Regiment, R.W.A.F.F.
He was the son of Francis William and Isabel Anne Parker, of Lincoln and the husband of D. Parker, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
1945
-o-
Flight Sergeant Wilfred Arthur Waite was issued wth the service number 1415543 when in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 10 Squadron.
His date of death was the 1st of January 1945.
Wilfred was 23 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot U.47. 3129. of the Pocklngton Burial Ground in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Albert and Olive Sarah Waite, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE SHALL REMEMBER HIM.’
-o-
Captain James MacNeece Dickie was issued with the service number 42719 when a commissioned officer in the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) during the Second World War.
He died on active service on the 16th January of 1945.
Captain Dickie was 50 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot VII. C. 8. of the Bari War Cemetery in Italy.
The secondary unit to which he was attached was the Royal Artillery.
He was a recipient of the Military Cross.
James was the son of Thomas Coulter Dickie and Maud K. E. Dickie and the husband of Muriel Dickie, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘REST IN PEACE.’
-o-
Corporal Newman Gordon Lewis Urich was issued with the service number 10324 when in the
Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
His date of death is recorded as the 25th of January 1945
Corporal Urich was 30 years old.
His is buried and commemorated in Lot 23. Block 21 of the Grande Prairie Cemetery in Canada.
He was the son of Charles W. Urich and Laura J. Urich, of Hythe; husband of Valentine Helen Urich, of Chelsea, London, England.
-o-
Lieutenant Maurice Peter Fogt with the service number 253984 was in the 1st (Airborne) Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifles
He was killed on the 27th of January 1945.
Maurice was 25 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot III. E. 12. of the Venray War Cemetery.
He was the son of Georges Fogt and of Vera Louise Fogt (née Bryan), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘LOVED BY ALL. FOR EVER UNCONQUERED. TOUT PASSE, TOUT S’EFFACE HORS LE SOUVENIR’ The French translated is: ‘EVERYTHING PASSES, EVERYTHING FADED AWAY FROM MEMORY.’
-o-
Sergeant James MacGillivray Burdon had the service number 1807314 when with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
His date of death was recorded as the 5th of February 1945.
James was 21 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Grave 15923 of the Cambridge City Cemetery in the United Kingdom.
His parents were Alfred and Jessie Burdon, of Fulham, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘FOR EVER YOUNG HE LAUGHS AND LIVES IN GOD’S ETERNAL SPRING’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Lawrence Wallace Basan with the service number 42296 was in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He flew with 157 Squadron.
He was killed on the 15th of February 1945.
Lawrence was 32 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot III. L. 18. of the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy, France.
He was the son of Wallace James Basan and Edith Basan and the husband of Valerie Roy Basan, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monumnt is: ‘AH, LOVE! COULD THOU AND I WITH FATE CONSPIRE TO GRASP THIS SORRY SCHEME OF THINGS ENTIRE.’
-o-
Lance Corporal Archibald Thomas Ryder had the service number 6151259 when in the 2nd Battalion of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).
He died on the 18th of February 1945.
He was 29 years old.
Lance Corporal Ryder was buried and commemorated in plt 27. D. 14. of the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
He was the son of Archibald Thomas Ryder and Elizabeth Ryder and the husband of Elizabeth Ryder, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘MY DARLING HUSBAND ALWAYS IN MY THOUGHTS.’
-o-
Flying Officer David Norman Anthony Cooper had the service number 154093 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 625 Squadron.
He died on the 21st of February 1945.
He was 21 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Grave 15921 of the Cambridge City Cemetery.
He was the son of Norman Aldred Cooper and of Olive Beatrice Cooper, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘TO THE WORLD YOU WERE ONE OF MANY TO US YOU WERE ALL THE WORLD.’
-o-
Gunner Amos Beadsley Mos Beadsley was issued with the service number 1732185
when in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
He was posted to H.Q. 35 Lt. A.A Regt. at the time of his death on the 22nd of February 1945.
Gunner Beadsley was 41 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot J. D. 14. of the Labuan War Cemetery in Malaysia.
He was the son of James and Cora Beadsley and the husband of Dorothy Beadsley, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED BY YOUR WIFE DOROTHY AND SON PETER.’
-o-
Flight Lieutenant Peter Brownell Cornwallis had the service number 158704 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 138 Squadron.
He died while on active service in air operations on the 27th of February 1945.
Peter was 24 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 265 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, G.C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.O. and Gertrude Cornwallis (née Bowen), of North Warnborough, Hampshire, and the husband of Babette Johanna Cornwallis, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Wing Commander Wilfrith Peter Green had the service number 39518 when in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He flew with 219 Squadron.
He died on the 1st of March 1945.
Wilfrith was 30 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Block “S”. Plot 1. Row M. Grave 20 of the Saint Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France.
Wing Commander Green was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Flying Cross.
He was the son of Brigadier-General Wilfrith Green, D.S.O., and Lilian Green, and the husband of Barbara Green, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS”
-o-
Major Reginald John Harrison had the service number 149462 when an officer in the 4th Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
He was killed on the 1st of March 1945.
Major Harrison was 28 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 46. D. 1. of the Reichsfwald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.
His parents were John Owen Harrison and Muriel Lillian Harrison, of Wimbledon Park, Surrey. He was the husband of Beryl Rose Harrison.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘LET NONE FORGET HOW VAST THE DEBT WE OWE TO THOSE WHO DIED.’
-o-
Serjeant Sir Rainald Vansittart Bowater had the service number S/10690421 when in the Royal Army Service Corps of the British Army during the Second World War.
He died on the 2nd of March 1945.
Sir Rainald was 57 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 1 of the Golders Green Crematorisum in London.
He was the 2nd Bt. Son of Sir T. Vanisttart Bowater, M.P. and of Lady Bowater (née Spencer) of Chelsea, London, and the husband of Lady Bowater (nee Keeler-Grix), of Hove, Sussex
-o-
Lieutenant Anthony Francis McLeod Paget had the service number 288266 when an officer in the 1st Battalion of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 5th of March 1945.
Lieutenant Page was 20 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot I. C. 12. of the Mook War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Order, Mentioned in Despatches and Croix de Guerre (France).
Anthony was the son of General Sir Bernard Paget, K.C.B., D.S.O., M.C., and Lady Paget (née Paget), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING.’
-o-
Sergeant Daniel Patrick O’Keefe with the service number 1396631 was in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 49 Squadron.
He was killed on the 8th of March 1945.
Daniel was 20 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 27. J. 13. of the Becklingen War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Daniel and Mary O’Keefe; husband of Rose Millicent O’Keefe, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hugh Campbell McTavish had been issued with the service number 8873 when commanding the 2nd Battlion of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) in the Second World War.
His date of death was the 10th of March 1945.
He was 59 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on the Addenda Panel. Column 2 of the Golders Green Cemetery in London, the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Archibald C. McTavish and Katherine McTavish and the husband of Sybil St. John McTavish, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Captain Cecil Claude Ballyn with the service number184322 was an officer in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 18th of March 1945.
Captain Ballyn was 38 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 13. E. 4. of the Jonkerbos War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was attacked to the secondary unit 658 A.O.P. Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
Captain Ballyn was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar
His parents were William and Catherine Goldsack Ballyn and he had been married to Mildred Irene Ballyn, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone bears the words of his grieving widow Mildred: ‘IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF MY BELOVED HUSBAND.’
-o-
Flying Officer Ian Hamilton Stuart Philcox had the service number 185299 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 150 Squadron.
He was killed on the 22nd of March 1945.
Ian was 20 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Coll. grave 11. E. 13-18. of the Hanover War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of William Stuart Philcox and Nora Angela Rose Philcox, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Squadron Leader Elisha Gaddis Plum was issued with the service number 79965 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in the Second World War.
His date of death was the 27th of March 1945.
Elisha was 47 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 265 of the Runnymede Memorial in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Matthias and Mary Gaddis Plum, and the husband of Beatrice Mary Colyear Plum, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Commander Rupert Arnold Brabner was in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 27th of March 1945
Rupert was 33 years old. He was reported missing on a transatlantic flight to Canada and neither the plane nor his body ever recovered.
His name and memory are commemorated on Bay 6, Panel 2 of the Lee-On-Solent Memorial.
He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Service Cross.
Commander Brabner was the M.P. for Hythe and had gained an M.A. (Cantab.) at Cambridge University. At the time of his death he was in the war-time government as an under-secretary for air.
His parents were William Wilberforce Brabner and Lucy Maggie Brabner.
He was the husband of Phyllis Myfanwy Brabner, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Sapper Arthur Ernest McArthur with the service number 1943659 was in 656 Artisan Works Coy. of the Royal Engineers during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 28th of March 1945.
Artur was 37 years old.
He lies buuried and commemorated in plot V. E. 15. of the Florence War Cemetery.
He was the son of William Archibald and Bessie McArthur and the husband of Annie Elizabeth McArthur, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC monument is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF A DARLING HUSBAND AND DADDY. ONE WE LOVED SO DEARLY. ANNIE, JOHN, JOAN.’
-o-
Lieutenant John Andrew Cardew Duncan with the service number 295070 was an officer in The King’s Coy., 1st Bn. of the Grenadier Guards.
He was killed on the 30th of March 1945
Lieutenant Duncan was 20 years old.
He was buried and commemorated in plot 53. C. 17. of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Lt.-Col. R. C. Duncan, C.I.E., M.V.O., O.B.E., and Mrs. Duncan, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘WE THANK GOD FOR EVERY REMEMBRANCE OF HIM.’
-o-
Guardsman Donald Anscombe with the service number 2623355 was in 4th Battalion of the
Grenadier Guards of the British Army during the Second World War.
He was killed on the 30th of March 1945.
Donald was 22 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 43. E. 15. of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Charles William and Eleanor Anscombe, of Wallington, Surrey.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘UNTO THEE, O LORD DO I LIFT UP MY SOUL.’
-o-
Pilot Officer Harold Woolstenhulme was given the service number 186846 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.
He flew with 156 Squadron.
He was killed while on active service air operations on the 31st of March 1945.
Harold was 37 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 5A. B. 14 (Coll.) of the Hamburg Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of William Taylor Woolstenhulme and Annie Cotton Woolstenhulme; husband of Amy Woolstenhulme, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lieutenant Charles John Bruce had the service number 186888 when in the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 6th of April 1945.
Lieutenant Bruce was 23 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in Plot EB. Row 1. Grave A5. of the Groenlo Roman Catholic Cemetery in the Netherlands.
He was the son of Robert Charles and Kate Mary Bruce, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Major Michael Victor Dudley was issued with the service number 93020 during his time in the 3rd Battalion of the Irish Guards.
He died on the 9th of April 1945.
He was 28 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 6. D. 6. of the Sage War Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of Roland and Mabel F. Dudley and the husband of Barbara Dudley, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Lance Corporal John Raven was issued with the service number 5834170 while in the 7th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry.
His date of death was the 24th of April 1945.
He waas 31 years old.
He lies buried and commemorated in plot 8. H. 5. of the Becklingen War Cemetery in Germany.
He was te son of Mr. and Mrs. John Raven and the husband of Mabel Florence Raven, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘REST IN PEACE.’
-o-
Squadron Leader Walter Henry Corbet had the service Number 41152 while in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 7th of May 1945.
He was 24 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 3. Row C. Grave 157 of the Halton (St. Michael) Churchyard.
He was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
He was the son of William Mullhall Corbet and of Josephine Corbet (née MacMullen), and the husband of Shirley Mullhall Corbet, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Wing Commander William David Lorine Filson-Young had the service number 39725 when in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He flew in 47 Squadron.
His date of death was the 15th of May 1945.
He was 25 years old.
His name and memory are commemorated on Column 445 of the Singapore Memorial in Singapore.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar.
He was the son of Alexander Bell Filson-Young, and of Vera May Filson-Young, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Leading Telegraphist William Bond had the service number: P/JX 160268 when in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
He was posted to H.M.S. Lanka at the time of his death on 25th May 1945.
He was 24 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 1. C. 2. of the Colombo (Liveramentu) Cemetery in Sri Lanka.
He was the son of Cedric and Lillian Bond and the husband of Doris Bond, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE GAVE HIS TODAY FOR YOUR TOMORROW. IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE. HIS WIFE DORIS.’
-o-
Guardsman James Francis Donoghue had the service number 2666809 when in the 1st Bn. of the Coldstream Guards.
His date of death was the 18th of June 1945.
He was 19 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 7. Row F. Grave 6. of the Cologne Southern Cemetery in Germany.
He was the son of James T. and Florence Mary J. Donoghue, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE GAVE HIS ALL THERE ARE NO GOODBYES ALWAYS IN OUR THOUGHTS LOVED BY ALL THE FAMILY.’
-o-
Leading Aircraftman Ian Watt Thomson had the service number 3002140 when in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He died on the 22nd June of 1945.
He was 20 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Sec. 19. Row B. Grave 19. of the Grantham Cemetery in Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom.
He was the son of Capt. George Irving Thomson and Phyllis Elliott Thomson, of Chelsea, London.
The personal nnscription on is CWGC headstone is ‘THEY WHO WATCHED THAT WALK SO BRIGHT AND BRIEF HAVE MARKED THIS MARBLE WITH THEIR HOPE AND GRIEF.’
-o-
Officer Cadet Anthony David Morley had the service Number 14495692 when in the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) infantry of the British Army during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 29th June of 1945 when he was 19 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 2. A. 13. of Delhi War Cemetery in India.
He was the adopted son of Samuel Morley, and of Ann Eliza Morley (née Prisley), of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is “OH! TRUST IN THE LORD.”
-o-
Private Richard William Kinner with the service number 6856480 was in the 12th (2nd Bn. The Queen’s Westminsters) Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps during the Second World War.
He died on the 8th of August 1945. He was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot N. Grave 193714. of the Brompton Cemetery in West London.
He was the son of Henry Alexander and Maria Kinner, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “GOD CAME THIS WAY TO GATHER FLOWERS AND ON HIS WAY HE GATHERED OURS.”
-o-
Corporal John Frederick Sylvester Allen had the service number 7018212 while in the Pioneer Corps of the British Army durng the Second World War.
He date of death was the 6th of September 1945 in Northampton Borough, Northamptonshire, England.
He was 33 years old having been born on 31st December 1912 in the City of Westminster.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot R. Grave 193753 of the Brompton Cemetery in West London.
He was the son of John and Sarah Allen, of Chelsea and the husband of Phyllis Rose Allen, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR BELOVED HUSBAND “JACK” MAY HE REST IN PEACE.’
-o-
Lieutenant Alan Ernest William Holmyard had the service number 161494 in the General List of the British Army.
His date of death was the 20th of September 1945.
He was 40 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 3. F. 15. of the Maynamati War Cemetery in Bangladesh, which at the time was British India and later East Pakistan.
He was the son of Ernest William and Ethel Holmyard, and the husband of Zoila Maria Holmyard, of Chelsea, London.
-o-
Major John French had the service number 205874 when he was in the Royal Army Medical Corps of the British Army during the Second World War.
He died on the 3rd of November 1945 when he was 38 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot II, C, 15. the Rome War Cemetery in Italy.
Italy
He was the son of Luther and Ethel French and the husband of Betty Joan French, of Chelsea, London.
He had the professional qualifictions L.R.C.P., D.M.R.E.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘ONLY SON OF LUTHER AND ETHEL FRENCH OLD HOUSE, DUNMOW, ESSEX, AND HUSBAND OF BETTY.’
-o-
Wing Commander Derek Ronald Walker served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He died on the 14th of November 1945 when his De Havilland Mosquito aircraft crashed at Crooked Usage in Finchley, north London.
.jpg?uselang=en#Licensing){kind=link}
He was 30 years old having been born in Clapham on the 7th of July 1915.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot 25. Grave 287 of the Englefield Green Cemetery, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, in the United Kingdom.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
He went to Wix’s Lane School, Battersea, and at Midhurst Grammar School.
In 1933 he joined the Royal Corps of Signals of the Territorial Army and ten transferred to the R.A.F. in 1937 to be trained as a pilot. He received his commission in July 1937 and would be promoted to wing commander and leader of a wing by 1943.
He received the D.F.C. in December 1943 as a result of completing two tours of operational duty, and displaying ‘exceptional keenness’ and ‘a fine fighting spirit.’
He had completed active service campaigns in Greece, Crete, and the Western Desert, had been wounded and was credited with destroying more than four enemy aircraft in combat and on the ground.
He was also responsible for destroying enemy transport and carrying out a raid which sunk an enemy destroyer. His D.F.C. citation stated: ‘Wing Commander Walker has led his squadron and wing on many bombing attacks and fighter sweeps and has displayed great gallantry. […] At all times Wing Commander Walker has set a fine example of courage, determination and devotion to duty.’
He was the son of Horace Edward and Ethel Nora Walker and husband of Diana Barnato Walker, of Chelsea, London.
He had married Diana Maitland Barnato of Chelsea, London, in St. Jude’s Church, Englefield Green, on the 6th of May 1944. Diana was the daughter of millionaire sportsman and racing motorist Wing Commander Woolf Barnato.
It is understood they met after Diana joined the pilot taxi service of the air transport auxiliary. They were docked three months’ pay when they each flew a Spitfire to Brussels for a ‘jolly’.
Before qualifying as a pilot, Diana had been a Red Cross Nurse and ambulance driver and had been evacuated with the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk in 1940.
Their ‘Society Marriage’ was covered by a two page pictorial feature in the 17th May 1944 edition of Tatler Magazine. Diana would become celebrated as a pioneering and successful aviatrix and horse rider and was the first British woman pilot to break the sound barrier.
She passed away in 2008 at the age of 90 and is buried next to her husband who had been killed 53 years earlier.
-o-
Private George Gordon Harris had the service number 14861733 during his time in the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).
He died on the 12th of December 1945. He was born on 26th April 1926 in Chelsea and was, therefore, 19 years old at the time of his death while on active service in Italy in an accident.
He is buried and commemorated in plot XI. F. 12. of the Bari War Cemetery in Italy
He was the son of George H. A. and Florence Harris, of 25 Winchester House in Beaufort Street, Chelsea, London. George’s father was a driver and mechanic.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HE DID UNTO OTHERS AS HE WOULD WISH TO BE DONE UNTO.’
-o-
Colonel Sidney O’Donel had the service number of 24865 during his time in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
He died on Christmas Day, the 25th of December 1945.
He was 53 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 2. B. 19. of the Rangoon War Cemetery in Myanmar, previously known as Burma.
He was postd to the secondary unit, Regiment and Commands and Staff of the General Staff.
He was a recipient of the Military Cross.
He was the son of John and K. O’Donel and the husband of Olwen Diana O’Donel, of Chelsea, London.
He held the professional qualification M.R.C.V.S.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘IN EVER LOVING MEMORY.’
-o-
1946
Corporal James Smith was issued with the service number 7014499 during his time in the 70th Battalion, The London Irish Rifles of the Royal Ulster Rifles.
His date of death was the 2nd of February 1946. He was 43 years old.
He was buried and commemorated in Plot N. Grave 194041 of the Brompton Cemetery in West London.
He was the son of Patrick and Catherine Smith and the husband of Doreen Mary Smith, of Chelsea.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THE LORD SHALL PRESERVE HIM FROM ALL EVIL; HE SHALL PRESERVE THY SOUL.’
-o-
Trooper R W Burchett was issued with the number 14789216 during his Second World War service n 2nd (6th Battalion. The Loyal Regt. (North Lancashire) Regiment of the Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C.
He died on the 28th of May 1946.
He was 20 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 27. A. 8. of the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
He was the son of Robert Edward and Winifred Selina Burchett, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘GOD’S WILL BE DONE ON EARTH. AMEN.’
-o-
Captain George Crozier served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
His date of death was the 1st of June 1946. He was 58 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot Block O. Grave 50. of the Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium.
He was the son of Edward and Emily Constance Dillon; husband of Helen Amina Louisa Dillon, of Chelsea.
-o-
Major General Charles Scott Napier was a senior officer in the Royal Engineers during the Second World Wer.
He died at his home in 26 Godfrey Street, Chelsea on the 16th June 1946 at the age of 47.
He was born on the 3rd February 1899 in Madras, India, and educated at Wellington College.
He saw service during the 1914-18 War as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers and continued his career in the British Army afterwards.
He was the man responsible for organising the movement and transportation of men and materials on D-Day.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 3 of the Golders Green Crematorium in London.
His secondary unit was the General Staff of the British Army. He had the role of the Chief of Movements and Transportation Branch 6-4 Division, in the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force between 1943 and 1945.
His awards for service include Companion of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Legion D’Honneur, Croix de Guerre and Commander of Merit (U.S.A. ).
He was the son of Archibald Scott Napier and of Edith Napier (née Liveing) and the husband of Ada Kathleen Napier (née Douetil), of Chelsea, London.
Charles and Ada married in St George’s Hanover Square, London on 8th August 1927. He left probate to her of £16,525 which the Bank of England’s inflation calculator provides a value in 2025 of £585,405.22.
Their son, Michael Scott Napier, born in India in 1929, went on to become a Catholic priest and Father Provost Superior of the London Oratory.
-o-
Major Robin Campbell Wigham had the service number 71884 during his Second World War army service in the Scots Guards.
He died on 11th July 1946 and was 29 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 3A. C. 12. of the Hamburg Cemetery Germany.
He was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire).
He was the son of Gilbert Campbell Whigham and Doris Rosie Whigham, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘LIFE IS ETERNAL; AND LOVE IS IMMORTAL.’
-o-
Corporal Robert Frank Hughes had the service number T/14318131 in the Royal Army Service Corps.
He died on 31st July 1946 and was 22 years old.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 4. E. 13. of the Munster Heath War Cemetery in Telgte, Kreis Warendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
He was the son of William E. and Alice H. Hughes, of Chelsea, London.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘HIS PRESENCE WE MISS HIS MEMORY WE TREASURE.’
-o-
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Victor Davidson had the service number 47565 during his Second World War service in the Pioneer Corps of the British Army.
He died on 7th August 1946 and was 60 years old. He was born in Appleby, Westmorland in the Lake District of England.
He is buried and commemorated in Grave 76 of the Wolverhampton Borough Cemetery.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order during his military service and mentioned in Despatches three time. The DSO and other First World War medals reflected a long military career spanning both world wars.
In the 1914-18 conflict, in which he served with the Royal Warwicksire Regiment, he commanded a battalion overseas and was severely wounded in the head and arm. One of the legacies of his war service was that he suffered badly in his health.
After the Great War he remained in the British Army in the Mesopotanian Expeditionary Force in Kirkuk, Kurdistan, Iraq where he was attached to Arab and Kurdish levies. During the 1930s he was an area president of the British Legion in Cornwall.
In 1946 he was the commandant of a German prisoner-of-war camp at Teddersley Hall, Penkridge in Staffordshire when he was found shot in the chest- the wound had been self-inflicted.
An inquest heard that he had been distressed to learn of a complaint made against him.
He was the only son of Arthur and Violet Davidson and the husband of Dorothy Anne Davidson, née Bateman of Chelsea, London who had obtained a divorce from him in 1918. They had married in 1911.
The personal inscription on is CWGC headstone is: ‘HE HATH AWAKENED FROM THE DREAM OF LIFE.’
-o-
Sergeant John James Tower had the service number 615143 when in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
He died while on active service in the Middle East on 27th August 1946 and was 34 years old
He is buried and commemorated in plot 6. F. 2. of the Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt.
He was the son of William Tower and of Ivy Emily Tower, of Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London and the husband of Margaret (Peggy) Tower née Willis. They were married in 1942.
The personal inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘THE MOVING FINGER WRITES; AND, HAVING WRIT MOVES ON.’
-o-
Seaman Donald Brian Bishop had the service number LT/JX 722617 in the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
He was swept overboard and drowned in the sea when serving on H.M.S. Cotillion on the 13th October 1946.
He was 19 years old having been born in Barking on 9th May 1927.
Donald was the son of the licensee, Sidney Bishop, of the Admiral Keppel public house in 77 Fulham Road at the junction of Sloane Avenue and Draycott Avenue. Sidney Bishop had been a well-known football personality playing for West Ham, Leicester and Chelsea and winning an England international cap when playing against Scotland at Hampden Park. England won 2-1, the first occasion Scotland had been defeated at their home ground in 27 years.
The Bishop family took over the Admiral Keppel pub in 1943 having previously been the licensee managers of the Porcupine in Leicester Square for five years and the Red Cow in Buckingham for three years.
Donald volunteeed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War at the age of 17. He was 6 feet and three and a half inches tall and he had last seen his parents two months before his death when he returned to his base at Kiel in Germany.
They received a telegram from the commander of H.M.S Cotillion and the Navy explained that their son had died ‘by drowning- as the result of an accident in the execution of duty.’
He is buried and commemorated in plot X. 7. 122. of the Copenhagen (Bispebjerg) Cemetery in Denmark.
He was the son of Sidney MacDonald Bishop and Minnie Rosina Bishop, of Chelsea, London.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘BELOVED ONLY SON OF SIDNEY AND MINNIE BISHOP, CHELSEA, ENGLAND “GOD REST HIS SOUL.”‘
-o-
Warrant Officer Anthony James Fuge was issued with the service number 1388591 during his time in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He was posted to 158 Squadron. He had died in hospital from the effects of war service.
His family received notification of his death on the 16th December 1946 and his local newspaper reported that ‘War Claims Another Victim.’
He was 26 years old having been born in Chelsea on 3rd August 1920.
Anthony, who was known as ‘Tony’, had been educated at the Oratory School in Chelsea. He was employed in civilian life as a clerk in the head office of the London Passenger Transport Board which later became London Transport in its iconic Art Deco building at 55 The Broadway, Westminster. His father Stanley was a bus driver for the L.P.T.B.
Tony volunteered for service in the RAF, trained in Canada and qualified as a navigator.
He was shot down on his first operational mission over Germany in April 1943 when flying in a Halifax bomber. Of the crew of seven, four managed to elude capture as a result of the help of the underground movement.
They returned to England, but Warrant Officer Fuge and the other two were captured and became prisoners of war. He endured, like many other British POWs, great hardships in the POW camps and was seriously ill by the time he was liberated by British troops in April 1945, two years after he was shot down.
Instead of going home to his family and friends in Langton Street, the World’s End area of Chelsea, he was sent straight from the German POW camp to an RAF hospital in England.
After months of hospital care and attention, his condition did temporarily improve, but in the end the tuberculosis he contracted in the prison camp led to his death.
He is buried and commemorated in Grave 329 of London’s Kensal Green (St Mary’s) Roman Catholic Cemetery. A requiem mass had been held for him at the Servite Church in the Fulham Road.
He was the son of Councillor Stanley Charles and Lillian Fuge, of 35 Langton Street in the World’s End area of Chelsea. His younger brother Denis was a draughtsman.
The inscription on his headstone is: ‘Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of Anthony James dearly loved son of Stanley and Lillian Fuge who died 16th. Dec. 1946. Jesus mercy, Mary help. And for Lilian Veronica Fuge a devoted wife and mother who died 1st. July 1962 aged 76 years. St. Anthony intercede for her.’
-o-
1947
-o-
Warrant Officer Class Ii Jerrold Tippins Wilce was issued with the army number 2730326 during his long service with the 30th Battalion of the The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
He died on 10th January 1947. He was 48 years old having been born in May 1898 in a coal mining family in Ruardean, the Forest of Dean District of Gloucestershire.
He is buried and commemorated in Plot N. Grave 194633 of the Brompton Cemetery.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY FROM THOSE WHOM HE DEARLY LOVED, HIS WIFE AND FAMILY.’
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Wilce and the husband of Elsie Hilda Wilce, of 10 Elm Park Gardens in Chelsea.
-o-
Flying Officer Arthur Charles Churchill had the service number 83053 during his time in the Royal Air Force
He died in St Mary’s Hospital Paddington, London on the 27th January 1947. He was 62 years old.
During the Second World War he was granted a commission for the duration of hostilities as a Pilot Officer on probation on 2nd July 1940 and posted to the RAF Regiment at RAF Ronaldsay working in Radar defence.
He was confirmed in the war substantive rank of Flying Officer on 2nd July 1941.
He relinquished his command through ill-health on 30th October 1942 after suffering from a stroke. He died from a further cerebral haemorrhage five years later.
In civilian life he was a schoolmaster working in the Far East in Singapore and Siam.
His name and memory are commemorated on Panel 1 of the Golders Green Crematorium.
He held the award of Commander of the Order of the White Elephant of Siam, which was the third class in the honours given to people rendering long service to the government/civil service and monarchy of what is now Thailand.
He was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire on 21st December 1884, was the son of William and Ann Churchill and was brought up in the Corsham area of Wiltshire. William was a schoolteacher
He was the husband of Janet Lockhart (née Pollok) Churchill, of Chelsea, London.
They had married in Singapore Cathedral in December 1914. Their daughter Margaret was born 5th June 1921 in the Isle of Wight.
During the 1914-18 war he also served as a Lieutenant with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
-o-
Commissioner Albert Edward Carson served in the Control Commission (B.E.) of the British occupied sector in Germany. The purpose of the Commission was to achieve de-Nazification, prevent resistance to the Allied occupation of Germany and develop a successful infrastructure of regional government.
He died on 7th February 1947 and he was 39 years old.
He was buried and commemorated in plot 7A. A. 6. of the Hamburg Cemetery in Hauptfriedhof Ohlsdorf, Ohlsdorf, Hamburg-Nord, Germany.
He was the son of Johm and Alice Carson, and the husband of Elisse (Alice) Carson, of 13 Fernshaw Road, Chelsea, London.
He had graduated with an M.A. from Trinity College, Dublin.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is “. . .TO ESTEEM, TO LOVE, AND THEN TO PART, MAKES UP LIFE’S TALE TO MANY A FEELING HEART!”
-o-
Major Hugh C Moberly-Bell had the service Number 77614 during his time in the British Army and was with the Somerset Light Infantry.
He died from a gunshot wound to the head in Sewree, Bombay while on service in India on the 24 July 1947. The British and Indian Armies were operating in the country to try to maintain order in the run-up to Indian independence on 15th August 1947.
He was born in Salisbury, England in 1918 and was in his 29th year at the time of his death.
He joined the British Army as an officer cadet at the Royal Military College Sandhurst from Cheltenham School in 1937 and was granted his commission in 1938.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 6. F. 16. of the Kirkee War Cemetery in Khadki, Pune District, Maharashtra, India.
He was the son of Lt.-Col. Clive Vincent Moberly-Bell, O.B.E., and Elizabeth Enid Moberly-Bell, of 17 Carlyle Square, Chelsea, London.
He was the grandson of the Managing Director of the Times newspaper, C.E. Moberly-Bell and the nephew of the founding head mistress of Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green, Enid Moberly-Bell.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is: “AS IS HIS MAJESTY SO IS HIS MERCY”
-o-
Able Seaman Leslie George Arthur Sansum had the service number C/JX 699557 during his time in the Royal Navy.
He died in hospital from typhus on the 16th August 1947 while serving at the shore-base HMS Terror (operating from 1945 to 1971) which were Royal Navy barracks next to the Singapore Naval Base in Sembawang, Singapore.
He had been in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and was 21 years old.
A portrait of Leslie Sansum was published by the West London Press in reports on the 15th August and on the 22nd August 1947. These can be seen via the British Newspaper Archive on links encoded in the previous sentence. It is presumed that the photograph was provided to the paper by his family.
He is buried and commemorated in plot 35. E. 6. of the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
He was the son of Percy George and Edith Florence Sansum, of Brompton Road, Chelsea, London. The RAF coordinated with the Red Cross so that this mother Edith could be flown to Singapore in a week-long flight via Malta, Iraq and India when he became dangerously ill.
She was at his bedside when he passed away. His father George received the telegram:
‘Priority, Mr. George Sansum, 266, Brompton Road…Funeral of your son, the late Leslie Sansum, took place with Naval honous at Kikidari Cemetery, Singapore, at 3 p.m. to-day Sunday 17th August. Mrs. Sansum is expected to leave Singapore in SS Seythia for passage to England on 23rd August… Commodore H.M.S. Terror.’
The family lived above a grocers shop in Burnaby Street, the World’s End until they were bombed out. Leslie was well-known locally as a keen amateur footballer playing centre-forward and captaining the successful Chelsea Central Club team.
The personal Inscription on his CWGC headstone is ‘IN EVERLOVING MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED SON LESLIE “TILL WE MEET AGAIN” MUM AND DAD.’
-o-
How Chelsea began the remembrance for its fallen service people from the Second World War in 1945
On Sunday 11th November 1945 the commemoration began at the local Cenotaph in Sloane Squre with a parade of the British Legion.
The West London Press and Chelsea News reported:
‘…a great host of people’ paid ‘tribute to the sons and daughters of the borough who had lost thir lives in the two world wars.
It was a gallant parade of youth and age. Drawn up in a solid formation round the square were the vetrns of the 1914-18 and 1939-45 wars. The grey-haired, wistful-eyed wearers of the Mons Star stood shoulder to shoulder with the grim-faced stalwarts who proudly wore on their breasts the Africa Star. Next to them were the units of the London Irish Rifles with their pipe band. Facing them stood the keen-eyed young men of the Chelsea A.T.C., and in line with them were the girls of the G.T.C. Smart ranks of the Naval Cadet Corps Completed the formation.
WREATHS WERE LAID
Captain Lord de L’Isle and Dudley, V.C., accompanied by Major Christie K.C. inspected the parade. Branch wreaths were then laid by Admiral Sir Percy Noble, G.B.E., K.C.B., and Mr Jack Thomas. Then followed representatives of the London Irish Rifles, te Naval Cadets and the A.T.C. Then came the most impressive moment of the parade, the sounding of the Last Post. As the stirring notes echoed around the silent square many eyes were dimmed with thoughts of those who were absent from the family circle, flooding back came memories of the battles on the beaches of Dunkirk, Salerno and the home front.
The parade over, contingents formed up and marched along King’s Road to St. Luke’s Church. The salute was taken by the Mayor of Chelsea, who stood on the steps of the Town Hall.
ST. LUKE’S CHURCH
A great concourse of people crowded St. Luke’s Church. Every available seat in the nave and galleries was occupied. During the inspiring singing of the hymn “Praise my soul, the King of Heaven,” the standard and colour of the Chelsea British Legion was taken to the altar and received by the Rev. W.H.M. Aitken, of the Chelsea Royal Hospital. The servicr was conducted by the rector, the Rev. W.G. Arrowsmith, assisted by the Rev. C.E.M. Roderick. The Mayor G.H. Thesiger J.P. and members of the council were present.
In a heartening and challenging address, the Rev Dr R.P.V. Scott, of St Columba’s Church of Scotland, reminded the congregation that homage to the glorious dead could only be paid by a resolve to prevent the possibility of another war. “We are just slipping back into the old, indifferent sinful life: It is even in our planning,” he said. “It is the reaction of the nation to the discovery of atomic energy. We can either use it to destroy ourselves or to rebuild a world of happiness and harmony. The only way out is through the way of God. That is the message from the men who died, they are not speaking from their graves, they are speking from Gold.”
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
Remembrance Sunday observed by people of all religious denominations who thronged the churches and chapels of the borough to render homage to those who secured victory at the cost of their lives.
At the Parish Church of St Luke’s the traditional municipal service which follows the election of the borough council was combind with the service of remembrance. The service was attended by Commander Alan Noble, R.N., M.P., the Mayor of Chelsea, Major G. A. Thesiger, J.P., the Mayoress, Mrs Thesiger, Councillor R.G. Wharam, the Deputy Mayor, Aldermen, members of the Council, the Town Clerk Mr. E W J Nicolson and representatives of all the borough’s administrative departments.
The service was conducted by the Rev. W. G. Arrowsmith, M.A., assisted by the Rev. C.E.M. Roderick, and the sermon was given by the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rev. W.L. Anderson, who, during the recent war, visited the Forces in the Middle East.
RECEIVED MAYOR
After the rector, the Rev W.G. Arrowsmith, had received the mayor and council at the west door of the church, the service began with the fervid singing of the National Anthem. Prayers were followed by the reading of Psalm No. 48. Commander Noble read both lessons. During the service the congregation remembered the fallen by two minutes’ of silent prayer. The hymns sung were, “For all the Saints,” “I Vow to Thee, My Country,” and “Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven.”
The Bishop of Portsmouth in his sermon brought home to the minds of the large congregation the full import of Remembrance Day. He said that even though November 11 might cease to be an official day of remembrance it would always occupy a unique and significant place in the memories of the people.
PEACE AND RECONSTRUCTION
After commenting on the shortness of English memories, the Rev. Anderson said, “I am not indifferent to the fact that time does not stand still. This generation has seen two world wars, and we must impress on the minds of our children not the glory of war, but the glory of those who went to war and died, leaving the fulfilment of peace and reconstruction to those who come after them.”
The men who had made the supreme sacrifice had come from the prairies, the lands of snow and the regions of tropical sunshine. Their character was reveald through the epic-making acts of men like those who flew through intense anti-aircraft fire in order to place their bombs on the right target; those who had sailed the convoys to Russia and Malt. The Bishop declared that if the people were to be true to the men who that day were being honoured, it would be by walking the same road of sympathy and sacrifice of Christ. It was the obligtion of the nation to strive to create a better world.
The service ended with the singing of Blake’s “Jerusalem.”
Images from vintage and archived newspapers such as the The West London Press: Chelsea News are included for the purposes of historical analysis, commemoration and criticism and review and represent less than the substantial part of editions and pages quoted from.
-o-
Special thanks to Karen White and Chris Pain whose families lived in Chelsea during World War Two, and Malachy John McCauley, also brought up in Chelsea, who have very kindly encouraged and assisted my research. Special thanks to Marja Giejgo for editorial assistance. Research and archive facilities from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council library services, The Imperial War Museum and National Archives at Kew.
If you would like to protect the history and heritage of Chelsea do consider applying to be a member of The Chelsea Society which ‘was founded in 1927 to protect the interests of all who live and work here, and to preserve and enhance the unique character of Chelsea for the public benefit.‘
I am also a great believer in the importance of local libraries for preserving the memory of community and local history. Royal Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council library services were my refuge and temples of learning when I was brought up in Chelsea. They continue to provide outstanding lending and archive services, have been invaluable in my continuing research and writing about the people of Chelsea. I give tribute to all who work in them, use them and support them.
The research and writing for this project is not funded in any way. If you would like to assist covering the costs involved, do consider making any kind of donation and/or subscribing monthly or yearly using the form below. Many thanks for your consideration.
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
Dear Sir, May I submit my uncle for inclusion in your list of ‘Chelsea’s World War Two Casualties in RAF, Army, Royal Navy and Merchant Navy Services’. He is Private Frank James Wyatt, 4621733. He served in the West Yorkshire Regiment, (Prince of Wales’s Own), 2nd Bn in North Africa and was killed in action 5th June 1942. He is buried in the Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya.
Prior to enlisting he was residing as listed in the 1939 Register, with his parents and brother at Flat 1, Albert House, which appears to be between 55 Burnaby Street and 60 Tetcott Road. The family were bombed out from there and then moved to Stadium Street where they were bombed out again, although they spent the nights in South Kensington station so were unhurt.
I can provide full details of the register and from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission if required.
Kind regards,
Philip Wyatt
Dear Philip, Many thanks for getting in touch. Absolutely, I will add your uncle’s details and commemoration immediately. It is enormously kind of you to take the trouble of providing this background. If there is anything further you wish to provide aobut Frank feel free to get back in touch. We would also be very pleased to include a photograph of him should you and your family be willing. Most sincerely and respectfully, Professor Tim Crook.