Thrybergh Parish Hall - Part 2
Edward Valentine Pickburn - 2151435
Edward Valentine Pickburn was born in Rotherham
on 14 February 1917, he was the first child of Edward Valentine Pickburn and
Lily (nee Thompson) who had married the previous year. Edward attended South Grove
Central School
and afterwards was employed by Steel, Peach and Tozer. His marriage was registered
in Rother Valley in the first quarter of 1942 to Violet
(nee Elsey) and a daughter was born the following year. His wife lived at 30 Doncaster Rd,
Thrybergh.
Edward enlisted in the Army in 1941, service number 2151435, and became a Lance Corporal in 9 (Airborne) Field Company, Royal Engineers. He served in North Africa, Sicily, where on 9 July 1943 the Company, as part of 1st Airlanding Brigade, assisted in the capture of the Ponte Grande bridge at Syracuse, and then fought in Italy. The company was then brought back to Britain and were part of the forces lined up to participate in Montgomery’s audacious attack to secure the bridges over the rivers in Holland, Operation Market Garden. The market part of the operation was the largest airborne operation in history, delivering over 34,600 men by glider and parachute. The combined force had 1,438 transports aircraft and 321 converted RAF bombers. The Allied glider force numbered 2,160 CG-4A Waco gliders, 916 Airspeed Horsas and 64 General Aircraft Hamilcars.
The first day of the assault was Sunday morning, September17, 1944, and on that day Edward Pickburn boarded a Horsa glider with 20 other members of No 1 Platoon. Just after 10:00 sixteen glider and tug combinations took off from RAF Keevil, Gloucestershire for Arnhem. Horsa Glider RJ113 (Chalk 389) was in this group of aircraft and as well as 21 men from No 1 Platoon 9th (Airborne) Field Company Royal Engineers, there were two pilots on board. It was towed by a Short Stirling, serial number LK148 of 299 Squadron, 38 Group. The tugs and gliders took a course north-west towards Gloucester to pick up Squadrons from Fairford and then headed out over the Severn and Bristol Channels to form up. Here Stirling LK148 with Horsa Glider R113 took a turn south-west down the Bristol Channel with other aircraft and gliders, and made a turn east over Weston-Super-Mare and headed for Arnhem. While over the village of Farrington Gurney an explosion occurred in RJ113 splitting the glider in two. With no tail section the glider lost lift, broke its tow line and crashed into the Double Hills meadow near Paulton, 10 miles south of Bristol, killing all occupants. The event was witnessed by the Stirling’s rear gunner who recalls watching the glider falling like a rock to earth after the explosion had occurred. One villager was in the field picking blackberries at the time of the crash and was injured by flying metal fragments. The Stirling marked the spot by circling until they could see locals running to the crash site. This included Farmer Teak: “When I arrived at the place of the crash I could see that there was nothing I could do. The soldiers had all been killed. It was gruesome.” The Stirling returned to Keevil and the crew grabbed a jeep to return to the crash site. The police, Home Guard and ambulances soon arrived on the scene. The bodies of the men were recovered and buried in the Milton Road cemetery at Weston Super Mare.
Edward Pickburn was 27 years old.
Edward enlisted in the Army in 1941, service number 2151435, and became a Lance Corporal in 9 (Airborne) Field Company, Royal Engineers. He served in North Africa, Sicily, where on 9 July 1943 the Company, as part of 1st Airlanding Brigade, assisted in the capture of the Ponte Grande bridge at Syracuse, and then fought in Italy. The company was then brought back to Britain and were part of the forces lined up to participate in Montgomery’s audacious attack to secure the bridges over the rivers in Holland, Operation Market Garden. The market part of the operation was the largest airborne operation in history, delivering over 34,600 men by glider and parachute. The combined force had 1,438 transports aircraft and 321 converted RAF bombers. The Allied glider force numbered 2,160 CG-4A Waco gliders, 916 Airspeed Horsas and 64 General Aircraft Hamilcars.
The first day of the assault was Sunday morning, September17, 1944, and on that day Edward Pickburn boarded a Horsa glider with 20 other members of No 1 Platoon. Just after 10:00 sixteen glider and tug combinations took off from RAF Keevil, Gloucestershire for Arnhem. Horsa Glider RJ113 (Chalk 389) was in this group of aircraft and as well as 21 men from No 1 Platoon 9th (Airborne) Field Company Royal Engineers, there were two pilots on board. It was towed by a Short Stirling, serial number LK148 of 299 Squadron, 38 Group. The tugs and gliders took a course north-west towards Gloucester to pick up Squadrons from Fairford and then headed out over the Severn and Bristol Channels to form up. Here Stirling LK148 with Horsa Glider R113 took a turn south-west down the Bristol Channel with other aircraft and gliders, and made a turn east over Weston-Super-Mare and headed for Arnhem. While over the village of Farrington Gurney an explosion occurred in RJ113 splitting the glider in two. With no tail section the glider lost lift, broke its tow line and crashed into the Double Hills meadow near Paulton, 10 miles south of Bristol, killing all occupants. The event was witnessed by the Stirling’s rear gunner who recalls watching the glider falling like a rock to earth after the explosion had occurred. One villager was in the field picking blackberries at the time of the crash and was injured by flying metal fragments. The Stirling marked the spot by circling until they could see locals running to the crash site. This included Farmer Teak: “When I arrived at the place of the crash I could see that there was nothing I could do. The soldiers had all been killed. It was gruesome.” The Stirling returned to Keevil and the crew grabbed a jeep to return to the crash site. The police, Home Guard and ambulances soon arrived on the scene. The bodies of the men were recovered and buried in the Milton Road cemetery at Weston Super Mare.
Edward Pickburn was 27 years old.
Note
A memorial was erected on the crash site and was unveiled on 23rd September 1979, which commemorates the following men:: D Squadron Glider Pilot Regiment Staff Sergeant Leonard J Gardner Sergeant Robert A Fraser No 1 Platoon 9th (Airborne) Field Company Royal Engineers Lance Sergeant Roy H Allen Sapper Joseph Charles Beale Lance Corporal William H Burrows Sapper Cyril W Calvert Sapper Robert Carney Corporal Arthur L Clampitt Sapper Arthur Cuthbertson Sapper Frederick A S Davis Sapper John Evans Sapper John Fernyhough Sapper Edward James Godfrey Sapper Arthur Hall Sapper Douglas E Holtham Sergeant Arthur F Oakey Lance Corporal Edward Valentine Pickburn Sapper Edward Eric Sheppard Sapper Arthur Raymond Street Sapper Cyril Turner Sapper Arthur George Watt Sapper Jack Westfield* Sapper John S Williamson * Jack Westfield was from Doncaster |
Philip Newbould Smith - 1575329
Philip Newbould Smith was born in Rotherham in the second quarter of 1921, first child of Frederick James Smith and Dorothy Mary (nee Bool) who had married almost exactly one year before. The couple had two further children and lived at ‘Lindale’, Doncaster Road, Thrybergh, Rotherham. Philip was educated at Rotherham Grammar School, and then was employed by his fathers business J Smith & Sons, drapers of 8-10 Rawmarsh Hill, Parkgate.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in March 1941, service number 1575329. he received his training as a navigator in Canada and was then posted to Bomber Command’s 207 Squadron. The squadron flew the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber and was based at Spilsby, Lincolnshire. Philip flew on 16 operational sorties with the squadron, his last being on the night of 7/8 July 1944. In an effort to stem the attacks on London by the German V-1 flying bombs a raid was carried on flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms) at St Leu d'Esserent. The effort was mainly by aircraft from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinders also, and consisted of 208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos. Also that night, just over a month after D-Day a force of 123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos carried out an accurate raid on the railway yards at Vaires, and 106 aircraft were on a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland. Flight Sergeant Philip Smith was part of the crew of Lancaster serial number LM218 marked with EM-N, it was airborne from Spilsby at 22:47 on 7 July. The bomber force was intercepted by German night fighter which resulted in 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos being lost on the operation. LM218 was one of five 207 Squadron Lancasters lost on this operation, it crashed at approximately 01:15 about 2km south west of Aumale, near Haudricourt (Seine-Maritime). Philip Newbould Smith was one of five crew members killed in the crash, he was 23 years old and is buried in Haudricourt Communal Cemetery.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in March 1941, service number 1575329. he received his training as a navigator in Canada and was then posted to Bomber Command’s 207 Squadron. The squadron flew the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber and was based at Spilsby, Lincolnshire. Philip flew on 16 operational sorties with the squadron, his last being on the night of 7/8 July 1944. In an effort to stem the attacks on London by the German V-1 flying bombs a raid was carried on flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms) at St Leu d'Esserent. The effort was mainly by aircraft from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinders also, and consisted of 208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos. Also that night, just over a month after D-Day a force of 123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos carried out an accurate raid on the railway yards at Vaires, and 106 aircraft were on a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland. Flight Sergeant Philip Smith was part of the crew of Lancaster serial number LM218 marked with EM-N, it was airborne from Spilsby at 22:47 on 7 July. The bomber force was intercepted by German night fighter which resulted in 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos being lost on the operation. LM218 was one of five 207 Squadron Lancasters lost on this operation, it crashed at approximately 01:15 about 2km south west of Aumale, near Haudricourt (Seine-Maritime). Philip Newbould Smith was one of five crew members killed in the crash, he was 23 years old and is buried in Haudricourt Communal Cemetery.
Notes
The other crew members were: P/O Kenneth Arthur Boyce 179322 (pilot) aged 23 - KIA Sgt Joseph Fear 2216622 (flight engineer) - KIA F/S Alan Nichol Sgt John R Parkinson Sgt Albert Laurie Sayers 1866235 (air gunner) aged 19 - KIA F/S Alan Cameron Sutherland RCAF R/196444 (air gunner) aged 27 - KIA Flight Sergeant Sutherland RCAF was an American from Joliet, Illinois. Flight Sergeant Alan Nichol and Sgt John Parkinson, managed to evade capture with the help of French helpers. On 10th July 1999 a memorial was unveiled close to where his aircraft crashed. John Parkinson was among 207 Squadron Association members present at the ceremony. Earlier, much of the village was present at a service to commemorate the crew - and all who gave their lives - followed by a wreath laying at the cemetery. |
John Walker - 2657949
John Walker was born in Rotherham in the first quarter of 1918, he was the third child of William Joseph Walker and his wife Clara (nee Graham). The family lived
at 61 East Crescent, Sunnyside.
John enlisted in the Army, service number 2657949, and became a Lance Serjeant in the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The battalion fought with the British Expeditionary Force and then in North Africa before being involved in the Italian Campaign in early 1944. The battalion disembarked on the 5th of February at Naples and were ordered forward immediately to Monte Ornito where they fought a desperate twelve day battle. The battle for Cassino followed this and then the advance up Italy continued steadily during the summer. The Battalion moved along the valley of the River Tiber to Perugia and then to Arezzo. At Perugia they fought a major battle at
Monte Pacciano, where No 4 Company and `S' Company distinguished themselves. There was a short halt at Arezzo, whilst preparations were made to assault the
Gothic Line. The Germans, however, abandoned it before the assault could be made. In late November and early December the unit is south-west of Bologna. John Walker died of wounds on 7 December 1944, aged 26 and now lies in Santerno Valley War Cemetery.
Note
Brother of Arthur Walker (see Bramley - Old Wesleyan /
at 61 East Crescent, Sunnyside.
John enlisted in the Army, service number 2657949, and became a Lance Serjeant in the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The battalion fought with the British Expeditionary Force and then in North Africa before being involved in the Italian Campaign in early 1944. The battalion disembarked on the 5th of February at Naples and were ordered forward immediately to Monte Ornito where they fought a desperate twelve day battle. The battle for Cassino followed this and then the advance up Italy continued steadily during the summer. The Battalion moved along the valley of the River Tiber to Perugia and then to Arezzo. At Perugia they fought a major battle at
Monte Pacciano, where No 4 Company and `S' Company distinguished themselves. There was a short halt at Arezzo, whilst preparations were made to assault the
Gothic Line. The Germans, however, abandoned it before the assault could be made. In late November and early December the unit is south-west of Bologna. John Walker died of wounds on 7 December 1944, aged 26 and now lies in Santerno Valley War Cemetery.
Note
Brother of Arthur Walker (see Bramley - Old Wesleyan /
Dennis Walker - 14027739
Dennis Walker was born in 1927 to John Robert Walker and Edith (nee Chappell) of Ravenfield.
He was a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and died aged 18 in Hereford on 8 August 1945, three months after VE Day. He now rests in Thrybergh (St Leonard) New Churchyard.
He was a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and died aged 18 in Hereford on 8 August 1945, three months after VE Day. He now rests in Thrybergh (St Leonard) New Churchyard.
Edward Arthur White - 1593954
Edward Arthur White was born in Rotherham
in the third quarter of 1925, first child of Reginald John White and his wife
of less than a year Elsie (nee Dyson). He was educated at Thrybergh
Fullerton School
and Rotherham Technical College,
and was later employed by Guest & Crimes. Edward was a member of St Leonard’s Youth Club,
Thrybergh.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in September 1943 and trained to be a Flight Engineer with the rank of Sergeant. After training was completed he joined 9 Squadron of Bomber Command, which flew four-engined heavy bombers. On 21 December 1944 Lancaster serial number PD213 coded WS-F was airborne at 16:33 from Bardney in Lincolnshire. It was one of 207 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No 5 Group sent to attacked the synthetic-oil refinery at Politz, near Stettin On return to base visibility was extremely poor and while trying to land this Lancaster collided with a tree and crashed near the airfield at 02:35 on the 22 December. Sergeant White was killed along with fellow Yorkshireman Flt/Sgt Willis, who was buried at Bradfield (St Nicholas) Churchyard. Edward Arthur White was 19 years old and is buried in Thrybergh (St Leonard) Old churchyard. |