Wales - The Square
SAPPER J E ASHTON ROYAL ENGINEERS
SERGEANT E BAILEY ROYAL ARTILLERY L/BOMBARDIER R HARMSTON ROYAL ARTILLERY GUNNER O HUGHES ROYAL ARTILLERY DRIVER C PERRY RASC PRIVATE I E ELLIS RAMC STF SERGEANT K WHETTON RAMC SERGEANT G A BATEMAN 10TH ROYAL HUSSARS L/SERGEANT J BERESFORD 17/21 LANCERS CORPORAL P LEBOND ROYAL SIGNALS SERGEANT G C FLETCHER ROYAL ENGINEERS CORPORAL C WHITEHOUSE PIONEER CORPS PTE W E MALLENDER LEICESTERSHIRE REGT FLIGHT LIEUTENANT N L BAUGH MC RAF FLYING OFFICER W H EAGER DFC RCAF SEREANT C S PARKER RAF FT SERGEANT E FROGGATT RAF AEM2 L COOKE RN WARRANT OFFICER R HUGHES ROYAL NAVY AB T VAN den BOSCH MERCHANT NAVY CORPL JOHN CAHILL LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS GUNNER J G PLATTS RN |
Additional Information
John Edwin Ashton (1864141)
Royal Engineers - 1 Field Park Coy 29 May 1940, aged 37 Died in Belgium Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension Ernest Bailey (1072387) Royal Artillery - 289 Bty., 88 Lt. A.A. Regiment 3 August 1943, aged 39 Died in Lancashire Wales Church Cemetery Roy Harmston (843129) Royal Artillery - 69 Field Regiment 3 July 1944, aged 28 Died in Portsmouth Wales Church Cemetery Oswald Hughes (4684369) Royal Artillery 9 September 1939, aged 33 Motor accident near Reading. An early casualty of the blackout. Wales Church Cemetery Colin Perry (T/153365) Royal Army Service Corps 28 November 1942, aged 41 Died during the North African Campaign Tobruk War Cemetery I Estyn Ellis (7264900) Royal Army Medical Corps 21 May 1940, aged 23 Died when hospital ship sunk in Dieppe Harbour Dunkirk Memorial Kenneth Whetton (7518455) Royal Army Medical Corps 20 May 1941, aged 31 Killed in action in the battle for Crete Suda Bay War Cemetery George Alfred Bateman (406551) Royal Armoured Corps - 23rd Hussars 18 July 1944, aged 30 Killed in action in Normandy Campaign when his tank was hit. Banneville-Le-Campagne War Cemetery Jim Beresford (328939) Royal Armoured Corps - 17th/21st Lancers 22 April 1945, aged 28 Killed in action during the Italian Campaign Faenza War Cemetery Percy Lebond (2343503) Royal Corps Of Signals - Guards Armound Division Signals 18 August 1944, aged 31 Died during the Normandy Campaign Bayeux War Cemetery George Clifford Fletcher (2133057) Royal Engineers - 13 Field Sqdn. 26 June 1942, aged 28 Died in Kent Todwick (SS Peter And Paul) Churchyard |
Claude Whitehouse (13002422)
Pioneer Corps - Aux. Mil. 17 June 1940, aged 40 Died when troop ship SS Lancastria was sunk in the Channel Chatelaillon-Plage Communal Cemetery W Edgar Mallinder (4532757) Leicestershire Regiment - 1st Bn. 14 December 1941, aged 32 Killed in action in the battle for Singapore Singapore Memorial Norman Lee Baugh (43524) Royal Air Force - 31 Sqdn. 31 January 1943, aged 28 Died when aircraft he was a passenger on crashed Singapore Memorial Military Cross William Hedley Eager (J/17626) Royal Canadian Air Force - 1661 HCU 16 December 1943, aged 23 Lancaster aircraft crashed on a training flight Oxford (Botley) Cemetery Distinguished Flying Cross Charles Dennis Parker (3041583) Royal Air Force - 26 O.T.U. 14 January 1945, aged 19 Wellington aircraft crashed on a training flight Wales (St John The Baptist) Churchyard Edward Froggatt (935654) Royal Air Force - 295 Sqdn. 9 February 1943, aged 22 Whitley aircraft lost on a leaflet drop mission to France Runnymede Memorial Lewis Cooke (FAA/FX. 75815) Royal Navy - H.M.S. Glorious 8 June 1940, aged 20 Lost when vessel sunk in the Norwegian Sea Lee-On-Solent Memorial Arnold Rowland Hughes Royal Navy - H.M.S. Dunedin 26 November 1941, aged 29 Died when vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Portsmouth Naval Memorial James Van Den Bosch Merchant Navy - SS Hawkinge (London) 27 July 1941, aged 19 Lost when vessel sunk in the Atlantic Tower Hill Memorial John Cahill (3445881) Lancashire Fusiliers - 11th Bn. 23 October 1944, aged 33 Died during the Italian Campaign Faenza War Cemetery Joseph G Platts (1496221) Royal Artillery - 105 H.A.A. Regt 8 September 1946, aged 28 Died in the UK Burnley Cemetery |
John Edwin Ashton - 1864141
John Edwin Ashton was born in the fourth quarter of 1902 in Worksop. He was the first child of coal miner Henry Ashton and his wife of one year Nellie. The family lived at 108 South View Wales Road, Kiveton Park. He was married in Chesterfield in the last quarter of 1938.
He enlisted in the Army and was a Sapper with 1 Field Park Company, Royal Engineers, service number 1864141. The unit went to France with the British Expeditionary Force in 1940. He died on 29 May 1940 when the French and British forces collapsed towards Dunkirk. He was 37 years old and now lies in Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
He enlisted in the Army and was a Sapper with 1 Field Park Company, Royal Engineers, service number 1864141. The unit went to France with the British Expeditionary Force in 1940. He died on 29 May 1940 when the French and British forces collapsed towards Dunkirk. He was 37 years old and now lies in Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Ernest Bailey - 1072387
Ernest Bailey was born in 1904 to William Henry and Mary Bailey. He was married the first quarter of 1931 in Chesterfield and had three children.
He joined the Army and was a Serjeant in the Royal Artillery, 289 Battery, 88 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. He died on 3 August 1943 in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He was 39 years old and is buried in Wales Church Cemetery.
He joined the Army and was a Serjeant in the Royal Artillery, 289 Battery, 88 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. He died on 3 August 1943 in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He was 39 years old and is buried in Wales Church Cemetery.
Roy Harmston - 843129
Roy Harmston was the son of William John Harmston and Lilian (nee Banks), his birth being registered in the Rother Valley area in the first quarter of 1916. He was married in Surrey in the last quarter of 1940 and a son was born a year later.
Roy enlisted in the Army, service number 843129, and joined the Royal Artillery. He was a Lance Bombardier in 69 Field Regiment. He died, aged 28 on 3 July 1944 in Portsmouth and was buried in Wales Church Cemetery.
Roy enlisted in the Army, service number 843129, and joined the Royal Artillery. He was a Lance Bombardier in 69 Field Regiment. He died, aged 28 on 3 July 1944 in Portsmouth and was buried in Wales Church Cemetery.
Oswald Hughes - 4684369
Tilling Stevens B9A which was in service in the area at the time.
Oswald Hughes was born in the first quarter of 1907 to Oswald Hughes and his wife Florence (nee MacDonald). His birth was registered in Hemsworth, Barnsley, although a couple of years later family were living at 12 Handsworth Road, Woodhouse Mill near Sheffield where his father was a
underground pump man at the local colliery.
Oswald enlisted in the Army and became a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, service number 4684369. At the start of September 1939 he was stationed at Arborfield Garrison, Berkshire. War was declared on Sunday 3 September 1939 and the following Saturday Oswald and another soldier, Gunner John Kavanagh were making their way back to base after a night out. Also on the road
that night was a single-deck relief bus from Reading to Wokingham, via Arborfield. The black
out regulation were now in place and the bus lights were dimmed in accordance with the regulations. The bus was full of soldiers, and as they were singing, he would not have heard outside
noises very much. He could not see very well and had to drive by the white line. It was a dark night and there were trees along the road. A car came towards him with its sidelights unscreened, and after drawing in to the left to let it pass, he went back on to the white line. The driver of the bus, Douglas Victor Hadley, of 85, Addison Road, Reading, had been driving for 26 years and had been employed by the Thames Valley Company since 1925. Just on 10.30pm the bus hit the soldiers in the middle of the road. Oswald Hughes who received a fractured base of the skull was taken to hospital, where he was placed in an iron lung after artificial respiration had been applied without avail. Oswald died shortly after on 9 September 1940 aged 33 years old. At the inquest the driver said "I saw some forms in front of the bus, right on top of me, and although I applied the brakes immediately, the bus struck the men as it was pulling up. They must have been nearly in the centre of the road. I did not hear them before I saw them". Replying to the coroner, Hadley said the speed of the bus was doing eight to ten miles an hour. Joseph House, of Duck’s Nest Farm, Arborfield, said that on Saturday, while standing at his bedroom window, he heard some men singing in the road and saw a car swing out to avoid them. A bus travelling in the same direction then stopped suddenly, and on going outside he saw two soldiers under it. He put the speed of the bus at 10-12 mph. The coroner recorded a verdict of "Accidental death". Oswald Hughes was buried in Wales Church Cemetery.
Note
Oswald Hughes was the bother of Arnold Rowland Hughes (see below).
underground pump man at the local colliery.
Oswald enlisted in the Army and became a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, service number 4684369. At the start of September 1939 he was stationed at Arborfield Garrison, Berkshire. War was declared on Sunday 3 September 1939 and the following Saturday Oswald and another soldier, Gunner John Kavanagh were making their way back to base after a night out. Also on the road
that night was a single-deck relief bus from Reading to Wokingham, via Arborfield. The black
out regulation were now in place and the bus lights were dimmed in accordance with the regulations. The bus was full of soldiers, and as they were singing, he would not have heard outside
noises very much. He could not see very well and had to drive by the white line. It was a dark night and there were trees along the road. A car came towards him with its sidelights unscreened, and after drawing in to the left to let it pass, he went back on to the white line. The driver of the bus, Douglas Victor Hadley, of 85, Addison Road, Reading, had been driving for 26 years and had been employed by the Thames Valley Company since 1925. Just on 10.30pm the bus hit the soldiers in the middle of the road. Oswald Hughes who received a fractured base of the skull was taken to hospital, where he was placed in an iron lung after artificial respiration had been applied without avail. Oswald died shortly after on 9 September 1940 aged 33 years old. At the inquest the driver said "I saw some forms in front of the bus, right on top of me, and although I applied the brakes immediately, the bus struck the men as it was pulling up. They must have been nearly in the centre of the road. I did not hear them before I saw them". Replying to the coroner, Hadley said the speed of the bus was doing eight to ten miles an hour. Joseph House, of Duck’s Nest Farm, Arborfield, said that on Saturday, while standing at his bedroom window, he heard some men singing in the road and saw a car swing out to avoid them. A bus travelling in the same direction then stopped suddenly, and on going outside he saw two soldiers under it. He put the speed of the bus at 10-12 mph. The coroner recorded a verdict of "Accidental death". Oswald Hughes was buried in Wales Church Cemetery.
Note
Oswald Hughes was the bother of Arnold Rowland Hughes (see below).
Colin Perry - T/153365
Map showing the western desert battle area
Colin Perry was the son of John and Mary perry, his birth was registered in Sheffield in the second quarter of 1901.
Colin was a Driver in the Royal Army Service Corps, service number T/153365. In 1942 the British Army advanced across the North African desert after the Battle of El Alamein. Colin died on 28 November 1942, fifteen days after Tobruk was captured by the Eighth Army. He was 42 years old and now lies in Tobruk War Cemetery.
Colin was a Driver in the Royal Army Service Corps, service number T/153365. In 1942 the British Army advanced across the North African desert after the Battle of El Alamein. Colin died on 28 November 1942, fifteen days after Tobruk was captured by the Eighth Army. He was 42 years old and now lies in Tobruk War Cemetery.
I Estyn Ellis - 7264900
Estyn Ellis was the son of Edward and Florence Ann Ellis. The family at one time lived at Chantry Place, Kiveton Park and later at 6 Manor Road.
He enlisted in the Army in January 1939 and was a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps, service number 7264900. He served as a nursing attendant on the Hospital Ship Maid of Kent. The vessel was tasked with assisting the British Expeditionary Force who were in France and Belgium and under attack from the German Blitzkreig. The ship was sent to Dieppe and arrived at 09:30 Saturday, 18 May 1940, and just before midnight there was an air raid on the port. During the next few days there were numerous air raid warnings and some bombing of the port facilities. On Tuesday along side the ship there was a hospital train loaded with casualties when the port of Dieppe was again subject to an air raid. Four enemy planes came over, bombed the train, which was fortunately missed by a few yards. The Maid of Kent was hit by a number of bombs and caught fire and eventually sank in the harbour along side the dock. Estyn Edwards was one of 28 crew and medical staff who lost their lives on 21 May 1940, he was 23 years old and is listed on the Dunkirk Memorial. Note TS Maid of Kent II (HM Hospital Ship No 21) was a steel twin screw turbine ship, built by Denny’s of Dumbarton (Yard No 1174) for the Southern Railway in 1925 as a passenger and mail vessel. Launched August 5th, 1925 |
Kenneth Whetton - 7518455
Kenneth Whetton was born in Wales, Yorkshire on 24 January 1910, second child of Assistant Coal Mine Deputy Albert Whetton and his wife of 5 years Millicent (nee Truman). The couple lived at 136 Wales Road, Kiveton Park.
Kenneth enlisted in the Army, service number 7518455, he was a Staff Serjeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was in Crete with the Commonwealth forces when the Germans, who had captured mainland Greece during April 1941, carried out landings on 20 May 1941. The first landings were carried out by paratroops at 8:00 near Maleme airfield and the town of Chania. Kenneth Whetton died on that first day and he was buried in Suda Bay War Cemetery. He was 31 years old and left a wife, who he had married on 24 September 1940 in Harold Wood, near Romford Essex. His wife was pregnant when Kenneth died and a daughter was born a couple of months later.
Kenneth enlisted in the Army, service number 7518455, he was a Staff Serjeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was in Crete with the Commonwealth forces when the Germans, who had captured mainland Greece during April 1941, carried out landings on 20 May 1941. The first landings were carried out by paratroops at 8:00 near Maleme airfield and the town of Chania. Kenneth Whetton died on that first day and he was buried in Suda Bay War Cemetery. He was 31 years old and left a wife, who he had married on 24 September 1940 in Harold Wood, near Romford Essex. His wife was pregnant when Kenneth died and a daughter was born a couple of months later.
George Alfred Bateman - 406551
George Alfred Bateman was the son Arthur and Millicent Bateman, of 10 Railway Terrace, Wales.
George Alfred Bateman was the third child of coal miner Arthur Bateman and Millicent (nee Newbould), of 10 Railway Terrace, Wales. He was born in the last quarter of 1912. The family later lived at 1 Station Road. George joined the Army and became a Serjeant in the 23rd Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps, service number 406551. The main body of the 23rd Hussars embarked for Normandy on 14-15 June in Gosport, and disembarked on 15-16 June at M beach Coursuelles-sur-Mer. They were involved in Operation Epsom and then they took part in Operation Goodwood which was launched on 18 July 1944, to attack areas around Bourguébus Ridge to the east of the city of Caen. The British VIII Corps led the attack with three armoured divisions, supported by I Corps on the eastern flank and the Canadian II Corps on the western flank. Operation Goodwood was preceded by a massive air raid of over 1,000 heavy bombers of Bomber Command flying at just 3,000 feet they dropped 4,800 tons of high explosive bombs around Colombelles and the steelworks, on the positions of the 21st Panzer Division, and on the town of Cagny reducing half of it to rubble. This was followed up by an artillery barrage which lifted at 09:00 the barrage lifted, 35 minutes later the lead squadrons reached the Caen-Vimont railway line. In reserve, the 29th Armoured Brigade's third regiment, the 23rd Hussars, had managed to clear the first railway line only to become embroiled in an hour and a half long engagement with a battery of self propelled guns of the 200th Assault Gun Battalion that had been misidentified as Tiger tanks. George Bateman was in B Squadron which took a mauling from German Panther tanks and the guns. It was reported that ‘Serjeant Bateman hit a Panther and was immediately killed by a shell which penetrated his turret’. George Alfred Bateman was 30 years old and is buried in Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery, a village in Normandy, which is 10 kilometres east of Caen. |
Jim Beresford - 328939
Jim Beresford’s birth was registered in Rotherham in the last quarter of 1916. He was the son of Henry Beresford and Harriet (nee Large) of 139 Netherthorpe, Aston. After
leaving school he was employed by Mr E Armstrong (Property Repairers) & Son, also by Mr R Steadman (farmer), Aston. He was married in the Rother Valley Registration District in the second quarter of 1939, and a son was born the following year. He lived at 11 Main St, North Anston.
He enlisted in the Army in 1940, and became a Lance Serjeant in the 17th/21st Lancers, part of the Royal Armoured Corps. By winter of 1944/45 Jim had served abroad with 17th/21st Lancers, part of 6th Armoured Division’s 26th Armoured Brigade for two years through the North African and Tunisian Campaigns. He was by then in Italy and that winter saw the 17th/21st dismounted from their tanks and taking their turn as infantry on the Gothic Line in The Apennine Mountains, not only manning trenches but machine guns and mortars. For the Regiment the Battle of the Argenta Gap in the Po Valley proved to be the final action of the war. On 21 st April 1945 the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Regiment had reached the southern bank of the canal, and the 17th/21st Lancers, by brilliant use of an earthen causeway, had struck beyond
it to capture the village of Poggio Renatico, six miles in the rear of the German frontline. It was on this day that Jim Beresford was killed, aged 28 years old and he now lies in Faenza War Cemetery.
leaving school he was employed by Mr E Armstrong (Property Repairers) & Son, also by Mr R Steadman (farmer), Aston. He was married in the Rother Valley Registration District in the second quarter of 1939, and a son was born the following year. He lived at 11 Main St, North Anston.
He enlisted in the Army in 1940, and became a Lance Serjeant in the 17th/21st Lancers, part of the Royal Armoured Corps. By winter of 1944/45 Jim had served abroad with 17th/21st Lancers, part of 6th Armoured Division’s 26th Armoured Brigade for two years through the North African and Tunisian Campaigns. He was by then in Italy and that winter saw the 17th/21st dismounted from their tanks and taking their turn as infantry on the Gothic Line in The Apennine Mountains, not only manning trenches but machine guns and mortars. For the Regiment the Battle of the Argenta Gap in the Po Valley proved to be the final action of the war. On 21 st April 1945 the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Regiment had reached the southern bank of the canal, and the 17th/21st Lancers, by brilliant use of an earthen causeway, had struck beyond
it to capture the village of Poggio Renatico, six miles in the rear of the German frontline. It was on this day that Jim Beresford was killed, aged 28 years old and he now lies in Faenza War Cemetery.
Percy Lebond - 2343503
Percy Lebond was the son of coal miner Alfred Lebond and his wife of 14 years Clarice (nee Deakin) of 39 Victoria Terrace Kiveton Park, his birth was registered in Worksop in the first quarter of 1914. He was married in second quarter of 1939 in the Rother Valley registration area and lived at 16 Wales Road, Kiveton Park.
Percy enlisted in the Army, service number 2343503, and became a Lance Corporal in Royal Corps of Signals. He served with the Guards Armoured Division Signals and went to Normandy where he was killed on 31 August 1944. He was 31 years old and now rests in Bayeux War Cemetery.
Percy enlisted in the Army, service number 2343503, and became a Lance Corporal in Royal Corps of Signals. He served with the Guards Armoured Division Signals and went to Normandy where he was killed on 31 August 1944. He was 31 years old and now rests in Bayeux War Cemetery.
George Clifford Fletcher - 2133057
George Clifford Fletcher was born in the Worksop district in Q1 1914. He was the son of Joseph R Fletcher and Alice Kirk who had married in Sheffield area in 1912. George was himself married in the third quarter of 1934 in Worksop.
George enlisted in the Army and became a Lance Serjeant in the 13 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, service number 2133057. He died on 26 June 1942, his death was registered in Tonbridge, Kent. He was 28 years old and left a wife and two children, a third child was born after his death. George now rests in Todwick (SS Peter and Paul) Churchyard.
George enlisted in the Army and became a Lance Serjeant in the 13 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, service number 2133057. He died on 26 June 1942, his death was registered in Tonbridge, Kent. He was 28 years old and left a wife and two children, a third child was born after his death. George now rests in Todwick (SS Peter and Paul) Churchyard.
Claude Whitehouse - 13002422
Claude Whitehouse was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire in the second quarter of 1900. he was baptised on 24 July 1900 in Longdon. He was the second child of coachman Charles Edwin Whitehouse and Lydia (nee Bates). Claude was married in Doncaster in the second quarter of 1924, and a son was born the following year.
He enlisted in the Army, service number 13002422 and became a Corporal in the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. After the fall of Dunkirk the troopship Lancastria left Liverpool on 14 June and arrived in the mouth of the Loire River on 16 June. By the mid-afternoon of 17 June, she had embarked an unknown number (estimates range from 4,000 up to 9,000) of civilians and troops. The Lancastria was involved in Operation Ariel, the evacuation of Allied forces from ports in western France, from 15–25 June 1940. HMT Lancastria was bombed at 15:48 on 17 June by Junkers 88 aircraft, causing three direct hits to the ship which listed first to starboard then to port and she rolled over and sank within twenty minutes. It is believed there were over 4,000 casualties making this the worst maritime disaster in history for Britain. Claude Whitehouse was 40 years old and was buried in Chatelaillon-Plage Communal Cemetery. Chatelaillon is a small seaside resort about 8 miles south of La Rochelle, about 100 miles south of the location of the sinking. |
Edgar Mallinder - 4532757
Edgar Mallindar was born in Sheffield on 26 August 1910 to colliery labourer (above ground) Francis Mallinder and his wife of one year Lily Agnes (nee Pashley, then
Taaffe). His parents lived at 8 Corsley Hill, Woodhouse, Sheffield with Lily’s four children from her first marriage. Edgar’s father Francis had left the army a couple of years previously, although he was still a reservist and was called up again before the First World War. Francis was in the Royal Field Artillery and served until his discharge in
December 1917, less than a year before his death when Edgar was only eight. Edgar’s mother remarried for a third time after six years, in 1924 to Joseph Sims.
Edgar joined the Army on 29 December 1927 and became a unpaid Lance Corporal on 15 August 1939 and later became a Corporal, service number 4532757, serving with the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment. The 1st Battalion began the war in India and in January 1941 it went to Malaya and was involved in the fighting withdrawal down the Malay Peninsula to Singapore. The battalion suffered heavy casualties during the retreat. Edgar was reported killed in action during this time on 14 December 1941, aged 31 and is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.
Taaffe). His parents lived at 8 Corsley Hill, Woodhouse, Sheffield with Lily’s four children from her first marriage. Edgar’s father Francis had left the army a couple of years previously, although he was still a reservist and was called up again before the First World War. Francis was in the Royal Field Artillery and served until his discharge in
December 1917, less than a year before his death when Edgar was only eight. Edgar’s mother remarried for a third time after six years, in 1924 to Joseph Sims.
Edgar joined the Army on 29 December 1927 and became a unpaid Lance Corporal on 15 August 1939 and later became a Corporal, service number 4532757, serving with the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment. The 1st Battalion began the war in India and in January 1941 it went to Malaya and was involved in the fighting withdrawal down the Malay Peninsula to Singapore. The battalion suffered heavy casualties during the retreat. Edgar was reported killed in action during this time on 14 December 1941, aged 31 and is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.
Norman Lee Baugh - 43524
William Hedley Eager - J/17626
Notes
The rest of the crew of the crashed Lancaster LM307 were: P/O Kenneth Clifford Hampson (pilot) 170426 – aged 20 - killed Sgt Laurence Bert Lawrence (flight engineer) 1582751 – aged 19 - killed Sgt William Stanley Austin 1457342 – aged 29 - killed F/S Robert William Baldwin (air bomber) RCAF R/163624 – aged 28 - killed Sgt R H Woolcock (wireless operator/air gunner) 1316601 – aged 21 - killed Sgt P Dillon (air gunner) 2209717 – aged 19 - died of injuries Sgt F W East - injured |
The other crew injured in the crashed Avro Manchester L7294 were all RAF: Sgt T D Viggers Sgt H T Petts Sgt T H James Sgt F R Stone Sgt G E Hunnington Sgt A Jones (Stone and Petts are shown the photograph of Eager’s crew in Lancaster W4236) |
Charles Dennis Parker - 3041583
Charles Dennis Parker was the middle of three children and only son of Percy Parker and Edith (nee Bradley). His birth was registered in Worksop in the last quarter of 1925. The family lived at 28 Wesley Road, Kiveton Park. He was a member of Wales Parish Church choir, where he was also a server. He worked at Kiveton Park Steel Wireworks.
He was a member of the local A.T.C. before enlisting in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was a Sergeant with service number 3041583. He was training to be an Air Gunner as part of a bomber crew and was with 26 Operational Training Unit. On 14 January 1945 he was part of the crew of Vickers Wellington Mk X with serial number MF116. It took off at 18.05 for an evening cross-country training exercise from RAF Wing in Buckinghamshire. The route from Wing was Northampton, Cromer, out across the North Sea and back along the same route. The aircraft was under orders to maintain radio silence to simulate those they would follow on a raid over Germany, the only exception being in an emergency. At 23.38, the pilot made a ‘May Day’ distress call which was picked up at RAF Nuneaton, and despite lighting up the airfield nothing further was heard from them. The reason was that just 2 minutes later the aircraft crashed at Holt Farm, Sketchley, on the south side of Hinckley, Leicestershire. The aircraft’s port wing-tip hit the ground and sent it cart wheeling in the direction of Holt Burn, a stream that divides Holt Farm and Sketchley Hill Farm. It broke up on impact and disintegrated into thousands of pieces killing the crew instantly. The sound of the crash was heard nearby but due to the lack of an explosion nothing could be seen and it was not until the next morning that the crash site was located. The body of the pilot and Sgt Parker were recovered from the burn.
Charles Dennis Parker was laid to rest, aged 19, in Wales (St John the Baptist) Churchyard on Saturday 20 January 1945 after a service conducted by the Rev A M Selle.
Note
Other crew members were:
F/O Nicholas Chobaniuk RCAF- J/23790
Sgt Leslie George Good – 1808623
Sgt John Sidney Gunn – 1804820
Sgt John William McMurdo RCAF - R/67119
Sgt John Thompson - 1059098
He was a member of the local A.T.C. before enlisting in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was a Sergeant with service number 3041583. He was training to be an Air Gunner as part of a bomber crew and was with 26 Operational Training Unit. On 14 January 1945 he was part of the crew of Vickers Wellington Mk X with serial number MF116. It took off at 18.05 for an evening cross-country training exercise from RAF Wing in Buckinghamshire. The route from Wing was Northampton, Cromer, out across the North Sea and back along the same route. The aircraft was under orders to maintain radio silence to simulate those they would follow on a raid over Germany, the only exception being in an emergency. At 23.38, the pilot made a ‘May Day’ distress call which was picked up at RAF Nuneaton, and despite lighting up the airfield nothing further was heard from them. The reason was that just 2 minutes later the aircraft crashed at Holt Farm, Sketchley, on the south side of Hinckley, Leicestershire. The aircraft’s port wing-tip hit the ground and sent it cart wheeling in the direction of Holt Burn, a stream that divides Holt Farm and Sketchley Hill Farm. It broke up on impact and disintegrated into thousands of pieces killing the crew instantly. The sound of the crash was heard nearby but due to the lack of an explosion nothing could be seen and it was not until the next morning that the crash site was located. The body of the pilot and Sgt Parker were recovered from the burn.
Charles Dennis Parker was laid to rest, aged 19, in Wales (St John the Baptist) Churchyard on Saturday 20 January 1945 after a service conducted by the Rev A M Selle.
Note
Other crew members were:
F/O Nicholas Chobaniuk RCAF- J/23790
Sgt Leslie George Good – 1808623
Sgt John Sidney Gunn – 1804820
Sgt John William McMurdo RCAF - R/67119
Sgt John Thompson - 1059098
Edward Froggatt - 935654
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Edward Froggatt was born 1 December 1920, his birth being registered in Sheffield. He was the first of four children born to Edward Froggatt and Zilphah Mary (nee Nicholls) who had married the year before. Edward was married in the second quarter of 1941 in Dartford, Kent. A child was born two years later, a couple of months after Edward was posted missing.
Edward enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 935654. He became a Flight Sergeant with 295 Squadron who were based at Netheravon in Wiltshire. 295 were formed in 1942 as an Airborne Forces Squadron, part of 38 Wing. It role would later be to tow gliders on the assault of mainland Europe. On the night of Tuesday 9 February 1943 Edward was air gunner, part of the crew of Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V serial number BD494. Their mission that night was to carry out what was called a ‘Nickel’ leaflet drop raid on 'A.8' (Chateauroux, France). The aircraft took off at 18:58 on the raid, but failed to return. No trace of the aircraft was found nor were the circumstances of its loss determined but the navigators body was washed ashore at Quend-Plage les Pins and was buried at Abbeville. It is assumed the aircraft crashed into the sea whilest returning from the sortie. Edward Froggatt was 22 years old when he died and he is listed on the Runnymede memorial with is other two crew members.
Note
Other crew members were:
Sgt William Ronald Erasmus – 1313155, aged 21, Pilot
Sgt (Nav) Sidney Albert George Wraight – 1288521, aged 22, Observer
Sgt Jack Heaton Beebe - RNZAF 411058, aged 21, Wireless Operator
Edward enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 935654. He became a Flight Sergeant with 295 Squadron who were based at Netheravon in Wiltshire. 295 were formed in 1942 as an Airborne Forces Squadron, part of 38 Wing. It role would later be to tow gliders on the assault of mainland Europe. On the night of Tuesday 9 February 1943 Edward was air gunner, part of the crew of Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V serial number BD494. Their mission that night was to carry out what was called a ‘Nickel’ leaflet drop raid on 'A.8' (Chateauroux, France). The aircraft took off at 18:58 on the raid, but failed to return. No trace of the aircraft was found nor were the circumstances of its loss determined but the navigators body was washed ashore at Quend-Plage les Pins and was buried at Abbeville. It is assumed the aircraft crashed into the sea whilest returning from the sortie. Edward Froggatt was 22 years old when he died and he is listed on the Runnymede memorial with is other two crew members.
Note
Other crew members were:
Sgt William Ronald Erasmus – 1313155, aged 21, Pilot
Sgt (Nav) Sidney Albert George Wraight – 1288521, aged 22, Observer
Sgt Jack Heaton Beebe - RNZAF 411058, aged 21, Wireless Operator
Lewis Cooke - FAA/FX. 75815
Lewis Cooke was born in Worksop in the second quarter of 1920, he was the second child of John L Cooke and Elizabeth (nee Tristram).
He joined the Royal Navy, service number FAA/FX 75815, where he was an Air Mechanic 2nd Class serving on HMS Glorious. Glorious was a Courageous-class cruiser completed in late 1916. After serving in the First World War it was paid off, but was rebuilt as an aircraft carrier during the 1920’s. In WWII she supported operations in Norwayin May and June 1940. As part of the withdrawl 20 RAF fighters had flown on for transport to the UK, in addition to her fighters and 5 torpedo bombers of the Fleet Air Arm, HMS Glorious then departed for the UK. On 8 June 1940 she sailed independently with the destroyer escorts, HMS Acasta and HMS Ardent for Scapa Flow. Glorious reduced speed to 17 knots and, in an attempt to confuse enemy submarines, commenced zigzag. By 16:00 Glorious was in the fourth degree of readiness, i.e. at cruising stations, steaming at 17 knots on 12 of her 18 boilers. No aircraft were ranged on deck, nor were any in the air. Ardent and Acasta were disposed two cables (440 meters) on either bow. None of the ships were fitted with radar and the carrier had no lookout in her crow's nest. The sea was calm, with wind force 2-3 (approximately 6.5 knots) from the northwest, sea temperature 34°F (I°C), visibility unlimited. Two strange ships were sighted on the western horizon shortly after 16:00. Ardent was ordered to close and identify them, and a pipe was made for five Swordfish to be ranged on the flight deck. Action Stations sounded about 16:20. The two ships were the German battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst who had sighted smoke on the eastern horizon at 15:46, and altered course to close the enemy. By 16:36 Gneisenau was making 30.5 knots and Scharnhorst was making 29 knots. Scharnhorst initially in the leading position, opened fire on Glorious at 16:32, range 28,600 yards (over 16 miles) and Gneisenau opened fire at 16:46. In accordance with instructions from Glorious, Ardent closed the enemy ships flashing a challenge on her searchlight and was fired on. Ardent withdrew, firing torpedoes, one of which was seen to pass close ahead of the Scharnhorst. Both destroyers made smoke to screen the Glorious. This smoke was effective enough to force the Germans to cease fire from about 16:58 to 17:20. Glorious received her first hit at 16:38 from Scharnhorst's third salvo. The 11 inch shell penetrated the flightdeck and burst in the upper hangar starting a large fire. Splinters pierced a boiler casing and smoke entered air intakes. This caused a temporary drop in steam pressure from two boilers, but pressure was built up again as the smoke cleared. Further hits were obtained after 17:20 as the carrier once again became visible through the smoke of the screening destroyers. At 16:56, just before the Germans ceased fire due to screening smoke, a hit on the homing beacon wrecked the bridge, killing the captain and almost all of the bridge personnel. The Executive Officer assumed command of the ship. About 17:20 a hit in the centre engine room shook the whole ship, which thereafter began to lose speed, developed a starboard list, and commence a slow circle to port. The Germans ceased fire at about 17:40, and Glorious sank at about 18:10. Lewis Cooke was 20 years old and is commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial. |
Arnold Rowland Hughes
Arnold Rowland Hughes was born in the final quarter of 1912, fourth child of Oswald Hughes and his wife Florence (nee Wagstaff). His birth was registered in Sheffield as the couple were living at 12 Handsworth Road,
Woodhouse Mill near Sheffield where his father was a underground pump man at a colliery. The family later lived at 22 Chestnut Avenue, Kiveton
Park. Oswald gained a Bachelor of Science qualification and enlisted in the Navy as a Schoolmaster (warrant rank) on 24 April 1938 in Portsmouth.
In 1941 Rowland was serving on HMS Dunedin a Danae-class light cruiser. The ship was a veteran having been built during the First World War. Dunedin left England on 8th April 1941 never to return, she spent the last eight months of her life on the South Atlantic Station. On 22nd November HMS Devonshire came upon U-126 and Atlantis. She sank Atlantis but stayed far enough away from U-126 to avoid being attacked and reported that there were survivors in the water. On 24th November Python came to help U-126, who was towing the boats from Atlantis towards South America. On the afternoon of the same
day, U-124 was on its way to rendezvous with Python. Near St Paul’s Rocks, 900 miles west of Freetown, just south of the Equator, the Dunedin was sighted to the north east sailing a north west course.U-124 therefore hauled out to the west to lie in wait for Dunedin. But Dunedin’s lookout spotted U-124’s periscope around 12.50pm and the Captain changed course to set off in pursuit. But because of U-124’s change of course west, Dunedin was now unwittingly pulling away from U-124. When U-124 surfaced again they saw Dunedin disappearing into the distance, at least 4,000 yards away. U-124 nevertheless fired three torpedoes. Incredibly, from this distance, two were on target even though Dunedin was steaming 17 knots, and was under constant wheel. The two torpedoes hit within seconds of each other, at around 13:26, the first striking amidships, wrecking the main wireless office, the second further aft, probably near the officers’ quarters. The first hit sent the ship lurching to starboard, the second caused even greater damage dismounting the after 6in gun, and blowing off the starboard screw. Immediately men began to abandon ship, jumping over the side to the Carley floats and any available debris. Dunedin turned on her beam ends and sank in about seventeen minutes. According to U-124’s war diary, it
moved in before Dunedin sank and fired a fourth torpedo, but missed.
Shortly after the sinking at 03.00S, 26.00W, U-124 surfaced and circled the survivors. The U-boat was on the surface for no more than ten minutes before diving but while the survivors waited to see what was intended, and as a spontaneous act of defiance, they sang “There will always be an England”. In the water, up to two hundred and fifty men from a ship’s complement of nearly five hundred struggled to haul themselves on to Carley floats and anything that would float. Seven Carley floats got away. For the next seventy-eight hours, their numbers dwindled in the equatorial heat. Some men died of their injuries sustained when the torpedoes hit, some died of exhaustion, some went insane, others drowned, and some were bitten and killed by vicious fish. Sharks were an ever-present menace.
When, in the late afternoon of 27th November, the Nishmaha, a US merchant ship en route from Takoradi to Philadelphia, happened upon the six remaining Carley rafts, only seventy-two men were still alive. Five would subsequently die before the Nishmaha reached Trinidad, leaving just sixty-seven out of the original complement of around five hundred. This was too late for Arnold Rowland Hughes who is recorded as dying the day before on 26 November 1941. He was 29 years old and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Note
Arnold Rowland Hughes was the brother of Oswald Hughes (see above).
U-124 was sunk, with the loss of all 53 hands, on 2 April 1943 west of Oporto, in position 41.02N, 15.39W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Stonecrop and the British sloop HMS Black Swan.
Woodhouse Mill near Sheffield where his father was a underground pump man at a colliery. The family later lived at 22 Chestnut Avenue, Kiveton
Park. Oswald gained a Bachelor of Science qualification and enlisted in the Navy as a Schoolmaster (warrant rank) on 24 April 1938 in Portsmouth.
In 1941 Rowland was serving on HMS Dunedin a Danae-class light cruiser. The ship was a veteran having been built during the First World War. Dunedin left England on 8th April 1941 never to return, she spent the last eight months of her life on the South Atlantic Station. On 22nd November HMS Devonshire came upon U-126 and Atlantis. She sank Atlantis but stayed far enough away from U-126 to avoid being attacked and reported that there were survivors in the water. On 24th November Python came to help U-126, who was towing the boats from Atlantis towards South America. On the afternoon of the same
day, U-124 was on its way to rendezvous with Python. Near St Paul’s Rocks, 900 miles west of Freetown, just south of the Equator, the Dunedin was sighted to the north east sailing a north west course.U-124 therefore hauled out to the west to lie in wait for Dunedin. But Dunedin’s lookout spotted U-124’s periscope around 12.50pm and the Captain changed course to set off in pursuit. But because of U-124’s change of course west, Dunedin was now unwittingly pulling away from U-124. When U-124 surfaced again they saw Dunedin disappearing into the distance, at least 4,000 yards away. U-124 nevertheless fired three torpedoes. Incredibly, from this distance, two were on target even though Dunedin was steaming 17 knots, and was under constant wheel. The two torpedoes hit within seconds of each other, at around 13:26, the first striking amidships, wrecking the main wireless office, the second further aft, probably near the officers’ quarters. The first hit sent the ship lurching to starboard, the second caused even greater damage dismounting the after 6in gun, and blowing off the starboard screw. Immediately men began to abandon ship, jumping over the side to the Carley floats and any available debris. Dunedin turned on her beam ends and sank in about seventeen minutes. According to U-124’s war diary, it
moved in before Dunedin sank and fired a fourth torpedo, but missed.
Shortly after the sinking at 03.00S, 26.00W, U-124 surfaced and circled the survivors. The U-boat was on the surface for no more than ten minutes before diving but while the survivors waited to see what was intended, and as a spontaneous act of defiance, they sang “There will always be an England”. In the water, up to two hundred and fifty men from a ship’s complement of nearly five hundred struggled to haul themselves on to Carley floats and anything that would float. Seven Carley floats got away. For the next seventy-eight hours, their numbers dwindled in the equatorial heat. Some men died of their injuries sustained when the torpedoes hit, some died of exhaustion, some went insane, others drowned, and some were bitten and killed by vicious fish. Sharks were an ever-present menace.
When, in the late afternoon of 27th November, the Nishmaha, a US merchant ship en route from Takoradi to Philadelphia, happened upon the six remaining Carley rafts, only seventy-two men were still alive. Five would subsequently die before the Nishmaha reached Trinidad, leaving just sixty-seven out of the original complement of around five hundred. This was too late for Arnold Rowland Hughes who is recorded as dying the day before on 26 November 1941. He was 29 years old and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Note
Arnold Rowland Hughes was the brother of Oswald Hughes (see above).
U-124 was sunk, with the loss of all 53 hands, on 2 April 1943 west of Oporto, in position 41.02N, 15.39W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Stonecrop and the British sloop HMS Black Swan.
Ted (James) Van Den Bosch
Ted Van Den Bosch was born in Halifax in the second quarter of 1922. His parents were William Walter Van Den Bosch and Phyllis nee Gillibrand. His father died in Halifax in 1927 and then his mother died in Worksop in 1936, and Ted and his brother Jan came to live in the Wales area.
He was a sailor in the Merchant Navy on board the Steam Ship Hawkinge. The ship was a cargo steamer of 2,475 tons built by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co Ltd, and completed in August 1924. It was originally named Pentraeth and sailed for Lambert Barnett & Co, London. In 1932 it was renamed Hawkinge after it was acquired by Halford Constants Ltd, London.
The Hawkinge joined convoy OG-69 which departed Milford Haven on 19 July 1941 bound for Lisbon with a cargo of 2,806 tons of coal. The convoy comprised 28 merchants and involved 17 escorts. The convoy was located by B-Dienst, the German intelligence service, on 24 July and then confirmed by a FW-200 Condor patrol aircraft. Initially eight U-boats are directed towards it while another 6 boats are vectored against the SL.80 located the same day. The SL.80 escapes and the operation is withdrawn on the 26th. Actual U-boat contact is only on the 26th at 17:45hrs, when U-68 finds the convoy after FW-200 guidance. Between 19:30 and 20:40 three more U-boats reach the convoy and one of them attacked the convoy in the early morning of 27th. In the same time a fourth U-baot also reached the convoy, but was forced aside by the escorts and then two hours later fifth and sixth boat, U-203 arrive. Immediately U-203 attacked the convoy and reports the sinking of two ships. In reality only the Hawkinge was hit and sunk at 02:54 on 27 July 1941 about 800 miles southwest of Fastnet. The master and five crew members were picked up by HMS Sunflower and landed at Londonderry. Seven crew members and three gunners were picked up by HMS Vanoc and landed at Liverpool. James Van Den Bosch was lost, one of 13 crew members and two gunners of a crew of 31 were missing. He was 19 years old and in remembered on the Tower Hill memorial which commemorates men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died in both World Wars and who have no known grave. It stands on the south side of the garden of Trinity Square, London, close to The Tower of London and commemorates almost 24,000 casualties.
At the time of his death his address is listed as 36 Chester Street, Cardiff. His death is recorded under the name of James Van Den Bosch, which is reflected in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission listing. It is possible that he was known as James in the Merchant Navy.
Note
U-203 was sunk 25 April, 1943 south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 55.05N, 42.25W, by depth charges from Swordfish aircraft off the British escort carrier HMS Biter (Sqdn 811/L) and by the British destroyer HMS Pathfinder. 10 dead and 38 survivors.
He was a sailor in the Merchant Navy on board the Steam Ship Hawkinge. The ship was a cargo steamer of 2,475 tons built by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co Ltd, and completed in August 1924. It was originally named Pentraeth and sailed for Lambert Barnett & Co, London. In 1932 it was renamed Hawkinge after it was acquired by Halford Constants Ltd, London.
The Hawkinge joined convoy OG-69 which departed Milford Haven on 19 July 1941 bound for Lisbon with a cargo of 2,806 tons of coal. The convoy comprised 28 merchants and involved 17 escorts. The convoy was located by B-Dienst, the German intelligence service, on 24 July and then confirmed by a FW-200 Condor patrol aircraft. Initially eight U-boats are directed towards it while another 6 boats are vectored against the SL.80 located the same day. The SL.80 escapes and the operation is withdrawn on the 26th. Actual U-boat contact is only on the 26th at 17:45hrs, when U-68 finds the convoy after FW-200 guidance. Between 19:30 and 20:40 three more U-boats reach the convoy and one of them attacked the convoy in the early morning of 27th. In the same time a fourth U-baot also reached the convoy, but was forced aside by the escorts and then two hours later fifth and sixth boat, U-203 arrive. Immediately U-203 attacked the convoy and reports the sinking of two ships. In reality only the Hawkinge was hit and sunk at 02:54 on 27 July 1941 about 800 miles southwest of Fastnet. The master and five crew members were picked up by HMS Sunflower and landed at Londonderry. Seven crew members and three gunners were picked up by HMS Vanoc and landed at Liverpool. James Van Den Bosch was lost, one of 13 crew members and two gunners of a crew of 31 were missing. He was 19 years old and in remembered on the Tower Hill memorial which commemorates men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died in both World Wars and who have no known grave. It stands on the south side of the garden of Trinity Square, London, close to The Tower of London and commemorates almost 24,000 casualties.
At the time of his death his address is listed as 36 Chester Street, Cardiff. His death is recorded under the name of James Van Den Bosch, which is reflected in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission listing. It is possible that he was known as James in the Merchant Navy.
Note
U-203 was sunk 25 April, 1943 south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 55.05N, 42.25W, by depth charges from Swordfish aircraft off the British escort carrier HMS Biter (Sqdn 811/L) and by the British destroyer HMS Pathfinder. 10 dead and 38 survivors.
John Cahill - 3445881
John Cahill was born in Ireland on 14 October 1911 to Stephen Joseph Cahill and Anastasia (nee Ryan).
He was a Corporal in the 11th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, service number 3445881. The battalion served in Malta during the time that the island was besieged by the Axis forces. On 21 May 1944 they disembarked at Naples to join the long hard slog up Italy. In Autumn 1944 the 11th Lancs Fusiliers were fighting the weather as well as the Germans on the Gothic Line. It was cold and wet and man and mule crawled their way up the mountain sides composed of liquid mud. On the way up Arrow route towards Bologna, the 1st Infantry Division was held up by the enemy holding two peaks commanding the axis. The first of these, Monte Ceco, was captured in a very gallant attack by another unit. To the 11th Battalion fell the task of completing the success by taking the second half of the feature. North of Monte Ceco ran a knife-edge ridge that ended in a pinnacle called Point 734, and this was the objective, but there was also a subsidiary spur running east of Ceco which had also to be cleared of the enemy. During patrols, heavy enemy opposition had been encountered, and it was known that it would only succeed if completed with the greatest dash and courage. Just before dusk, after a short but intense artillery concentration, the Fusiliers went over the skyline of Monte Ceco. The distance of the objective was little more than 400 yards but every yard was a death trap and casualties were heavy. The leading company got most of the way but were left with insufficient strength to complete the task, so the reserve company went in behind them and in the gathering darkness rushed the last position. This action took place on 16 October 1944, it was seven days after this that John Cahill died aged 33 years old. He now lies in Faenza War Cemetery, 50km southeast of Bologna.
He was a Corporal in the 11th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, service number 3445881. The battalion served in Malta during the time that the island was besieged by the Axis forces. On 21 May 1944 they disembarked at Naples to join the long hard slog up Italy. In Autumn 1944 the 11th Lancs Fusiliers were fighting the weather as well as the Germans on the Gothic Line. It was cold and wet and man and mule crawled their way up the mountain sides composed of liquid mud. On the way up Arrow route towards Bologna, the 1st Infantry Division was held up by the enemy holding two peaks commanding the axis. The first of these, Monte Ceco, was captured in a very gallant attack by another unit. To the 11th Battalion fell the task of completing the success by taking the second half of the feature. North of Monte Ceco ran a knife-edge ridge that ended in a pinnacle called Point 734, and this was the objective, but there was also a subsidiary spur running east of Ceco which had also to be cleared of the enemy. During patrols, heavy enemy opposition had been encountered, and it was known that it would only succeed if completed with the greatest dash and courage. Just before dusk, after a short but intense artillery concentration, the Fusiliers went over the skyline of Monte Ceco. The distance of the objective was little more than 400 yards but every yard was a death trap and casualties were heavy. The leading company got most of the way but were left with insufficient strength to complete the task, so the reserve company went in behind them and in the gathering darkness rushed the last position. This action took place on 16 October 1944, it was seven days after this that John Cahill died aged 33 years old. He now lies in Faenza War Cemetery, 50km southeast of Bologna.
Joseph G Platts - 1496221
Joseph George Platts was the son of Joseph and Florence Platts, his birth being registered in Worksop in the third quarter of 1918. He was married in mid 1940 in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The couple moved to Burnley and lived at 103 Rosehill Road, where a daughter was born in the early months of 1942.
Joseph joined the Army, service number 1496221, and Gunner in the 105 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment. He died after the war ended on 8 September 1946 at Westmorland Sanatorium Grange-Over-Sands, Lancashire, and was 28 years old. He was buried in Burnley Cemetery.
Joseph joined the Army, service number 1496221, and Gunner in the 105 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment. He died after the war ended on 8 September 1946 at Westmorland Sanatorium Grange-Over-Sands, Lancashire, and was 28 years old. He was buried in Burnley Cemetery.