IN THANKSGIVING TO ALMIGHTY GOD FOR THE RETVRN OF PEACE AND IN GRATEFVL REMEMBRANCE OF THE SERVICE GIVEN BY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF WITHERNSEA 1939 - 1945 HEREVNDER ARE THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES
MEMORIAL.
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PHOTO
NAME. (Surname, Other)
REGIMENT.
SERVICE NUMBER.
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Afflict Alexander Pooley Fraser
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
7587249
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Albert Bryon Greensides
RAF
700477
Sergeant (Pilot)
Born 1916
Died 27th September 1939
Buried in St Nicholas Church
Son of William and Adele
Crashed at Broxham near Dorking, Surrey when he lost control while performing unauthorised aerobatics at low level. He left £230, 3 shilling and 1 pence in his will to his wife
Image source D England
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Alexander Smellie
Royal Armoured Corps, Nottinghamshire Yeomanry
7378865
Trooper
7378865
Regiment
Royal Armoured Corps, Nottinghamshire Yeomanry
Born 1916
Died 08 April 1943
Age 27 years old
Buried or commemorated at
MEDJEZ-EL-BAB MEMORIAL and still missing in action , Tunisia
Son of William Ernest and Kathleen Mabel Smellie, of Hull.
A Sqn Sherwood Rangers, killed with him at the same time was Trooper Bailey in a Crusader Tank at the battle of Wadi Akarit on the 6th to 8th April.
The area containing graves has just been discovered in the area of the Wadi Akarit where Trooper Smellie was killed... we believe it was a collection area of KIA from Sherwood Rangers, 3RTR, Staffs Yeomanry and Indian infantry..
Trooper Smellie grave may be among them... cwgc have been informed...
Images: Hull Daily Mail, remembered on the family grave in St Nicholas Churchyard, (image D England)
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Alexander T Cookes
Merchant Navy
N/A
Second officer
Merchant Navy
Born 21/10/1910 in Withernsea
Died 6th January 1944
Son of Captain Gordon and Mrs Elizabeth Cookes.
Serving on merchant ship M V Underwood.
Underwood was one of the ships on the stocks (building berth) at the outbreak of World War II.
She was an order for a twin screw motor vessel from the company of Franch Fewick of Australia.
At 1,990 tons this large modern motor vessel was for the coastal trade in Australia and New Zealand.
She had a length overall of 255 feet, and a beam of 45 feet, and a draught of 21 feet and 6 inches.
The “Underwood” was one of the merchant ships on the stocks at Leith when war broke out. Building to the direction of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, Ltd., she was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport on completion.
With her enormous, hatch opening of 96 feet. (With her sister ship, the “Port Tauranga,” built three years earlier, the largest hatches on Lloyd’s Register), made her ideally suited for the transport of tanks, aircraft, guns, and other vital supplies to Russia.
During a voyage from the Thames to the Clyde, (1944) the convoy in which she was sailing was subjected to a particularly daring attack by E-Boats. In misty weather the enemy craft lay close in shore near the Lizard, and as the convoy passed, attacked it from the land and least protected side. The “Underwood” was one of the vessels lost when hit by torpedoes from the fast motor torpedo boats of the enemy.
Images: Port Tuaranga, was the sister ship of M.V.Underwood. (Source unknown), Merchant navy card (ancestry), Remembered on the family grave Hull Rd Cemetery Withernsea (image D England), Report of death in the Hull Daily Mail
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Alfred Peacock
Royal Navy, HMS Inglefield
D/KX97254
Leading Stoker
HMS Inglefield
Born 5/4/1916
Died 25th February 1944
Plymouth Naval Memorial
Son of Frank and Esther Peacock
On 15 February 1944, she escorted an ammunition ship from Naples to Anzio. She then took up a defensive position to protect the anchorage in Anzio. She was in this capacity for ten days before sustaining a direct hit by a Henschel Hs 293 glider bomb launched by II./KG 100 during a dusk attack and was sunk with the loss of 35 lives. 157 survivors were rescued and returned to the United Kingdom. Among the survivors was Jack Rumbold, the last officer to abandon ship and who was mentioned in dispatches for his actions during the sinking.
Images: HMS Inglefield
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Ann Moore
N/A
N/A
Civilian. Resided and died at 108 Queen Street, Withernsea, Yorks on 24th July 1942, aged 74 years. Reporting Authority: Withernsea Urban District.
Two bombs were dropped on Withernsea at 6.26pm on Friday, July 24, 1942, by a German Dornier IIK Bomber aircraft. Twelve civilians and two soldiers were killed as bombs and machine gun fire hit the promenade and Queen Street areas.
Images: Withernsea after the bombing raid of July 1942
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Arthur William Fussey
2nd Battalion Lincs Regiment
4351127
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Brian Lewis Barnes
Royal Navy
P/JX 199347
Born 18/2/1917
Died 14/9/1942
HMS Coventry
Son of Lewis and Lilian BarnesBrian joined the Royal Navy on the 12th June 1940 and his service record shows his description as 5 foot 10.5 inches tall, 35.5 inch chest, brown hair, blur eyes with a fair completion.
HMS COVENTRY, a light cruiser converted to an anti-aircraft ship in 1939, ablaze after being attacked my JU 87 divebombers in the Mediterranean. COVENTRY was sailing to the aid of the destroyer HMS ZULU that had taken part in a largely unsuccessful combined land and sea attack on the port of Tobruk.
Image taken by Able seaman Horst, Courtesy IWM - Part of Brian’s Royal Navy service record ( Darren Englands collection)
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Carl Edger Olsen
Royal Naval Patrol Service
LT/JX 228160
Leading Seaman
HMS Shera
Born 22/3/1908
Died 9th March 1942
Lowerstoft Naval Memorial
Son of Carl and Mary Olsen, husband of Amelia
HMT Shera was a Norwegian trawler, probably used for whaling. It was requisitioned by the British Navy and brought into commission as a minesweeper on the Arctic Convoys on 12 January 1942. These convoys, which operated from August 1941 to May 1945, were made up of merchant ships and escorts from the Royal Navy, US Navy and Royal Canadian Navy . A total of seventy eight convoys transported vital supplies to the USSR during a time when the Nazis controlled much of the territory around that vast country. The Shera was en-route to Murmansk to be loaned to the Soviet government when it sank.
Prior to the departure of the convoy, stability testing had been carried out to determine whether the whalers would be at risk of capsizing in the icy waters of the Arctic. Without understanding the engineering, it seems that the additional fuel loads required to make the long voyage to Murmansk meant that the boats – and in particular the Shera – were susceptible to capsize in heavy seas. As the extra fuel was burned, the load balance was shifted, increasingly instability.
The official inquiry focused almost exclusively on the possible causes of the Shera’s capsize, and barely mentions the crew. It was difficult to find out exactly how many men were aboard. The RNPS Memorial at Lowestoft lists 17 names, while another RNPS source says 20 men lost their lives. An article published in the RNPS newsletter for Spring 2013 recounts a survivor’s experiences of the Shera; he estimated the boat had a crew of around 30. Whatever the actual number of men aboard; it is clear that only three survived the sinking. In total, five men were pulled from the water into a small boat lowered by another trawler, the HMT Svega, but two died soon afterwards. The survivors were:
– Lieutenant Nils Olaves Hansen (Norwegian)
– Ship’s Steward Douglas Robert Phillips (British)
– Ordinary Seaman Charles Alfred Harris (British)
Causes of the disaster—-The official inquiry included testimony from all three men; each of whom was asked about the stability of the boat. All three expressed concern about the boat’s sea-worthiness under the circumstances. Lieutenant Hansen had worked on trawlers like the Shera for 10 years and testified that he had talked to the Captain about the boat being top-heavy. Seaman Harris was also an experienced fisherman and in his testimony he said “there had been much talk in the mess about her (Shera) being top-heavy.” The final survivor, Douglas Phillips said:“There had been a big roll to port the morning of the 8th. The crew complained of her heavy roll. One stoker complained that ‘she wasn’t a sea-going ship’. She had a list to port at Milford Haven and carried it ever since. … All the crew said she was top-heavy. I was on-board at Greenock when the gun platform was fitted. The crew continually complained of her being top-heavy.”
The three survivors also testified that the day before the sinking, crew had chipped off large amounts of ice and that at the time of the sinking, the seas were not exceptionally heavy.
The official inquiry noted that: “There is evidence that considerable doubt existed in the minds of officers and ratings of both HMT Shera and Svega of the stability of these vessels as fitted for passage from the United Kingdom to North Russia, and that there was free discussion onboard HMT Shera on the result of the stability test carried out at Greenock during 1942 …”
And … “hearsay evidence … indicates that there is reason to believe that the stability test on HMS Shera was unsatisfactory.”
The report concluded“After a full and careful enquiry, with all the witnesses available, into the circumstances attending the loss of HM Trawler Shera … the opinion of the Board is that the loss is attributable to the instability of the vessel, aggravated by a heavy formation of ice … which resulted in the vessel becoming unstable and capsizing.”Sixteen days after the sinking of HMT Shera, an almost identical boat, HMT Sulla disappeared in the Barents Sea whilst part of the same convoy. No trace of the ship was ever found, so it is impossible to know for sure if it sank for the same reasons as the Shera, but an official inquiry concluded that it was likely the Sulla capsized due to excessive ice and high seas with the loss of all onboard.
Both inquiries concluded that no-one could be held accountable for either sinking, and in a final note said:‘In view of the urgency of the service requirements, the sailing of these ships had to be accepted as justifiable in wartime.
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Charles Burkett
Royal Corps of Signals
2356663
Born 5/3/1906
Died 5/3/1943
Buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand
Husband of Gwendenolen Burkett
Charles was taken prisoner by the Japanese army on the 15th February 1942 and imprisoned in POW camp M-618. He died as a POW and was buried in a mass grave with 13 other soldiers at Kinsayoke. He was exhumed from this mass grave with the other soldiers in March 1946 and re buried in a CwGC cemetery.
Images: CWGC (image D England), Japanese Prisoner of War Record ( Ancestry), Hull Daily Mail
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Charles Ernest Osbourne
Fishing fleet , vessel Alonso
N/A
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Charles Stanley Challis
Able seaman
P/JX 201511
HMS Fidelity
Born 1917
Died 1st January 1943
Remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial
Son of Charles and Jane Challis.
In December 1942 Fidelity, with T Company, 40 Commando aboard, joined Convoy ON 154. The convoy was attacked by U-boats from 27 December while north of the Azores. On 29 December Fidelity, suffering from engine problems, fell out of the convoy. She launched her aircraft as an anti-submarine patrol while repairs took place. During this time her aircraft reported lifeboats to the southwest and her landing craft was sent to pick them up. These were 44 men from Empire Shackleton, the convoy commodore's ship. During the night Fidelity was making 5 knots towards the Azores, but came under attack twice. She was fired on by U-225, and later by U-615. Both U-boats were driven off when Fidelity fired back. On 30 December she was found by U-435, under the command of Siegfried Strelow at position 43°23?N 27°07?W and was torpedoed twice. Strelow observed the sinking, and estimated about 300 survivors in the water, but when he made his report later he was asked "whether their destruction in the prevailing weather can be counted on". This was some months after BdU's infamous Laconia Order, instructing U-boat commanders not to assist survivors in any way, and regarded at the Nuremberg trials as a tacit encouragement to ensure there were none. At the time of her sinking Fidelity had on board some 369 souls (274 crew, 51 Marines and 44 survivors from Empire Shackleton): All were lost. The only survivors were the eight crew of the motor torpedo boat, detached on anti-submarine patrol, who were later picked up by HMCS Woodstock (K238), and two crewmen of a seaplane that had crashed on takeoff on 28 December and been picked up by HMCS St. Laurent (H83).To this day 40 Commando has never reused T as a company designation in memory of the loss.
Images: HMS Fidelity (image Wikipedia), Remembered on Portsmouth Naval Memorial
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Dennis Healey
Royal Navy, HM Motor Torpedo Boat 220
D/JX135656
Petty Officer
Born2/1/1915
Died 13th May 1942
Plymouth Naval Memorial
Son of James and Phoebe Healey
The action of 13 May 1942 was a naval engagement during World War II between the British Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine. It was an attempt by Royal NavyMotor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) to stop the German auxiliary cruiser Stier from reaching Gironde, France. Stier made it through the English Channel and reached Gironde, but MTBs sunk the German fleet torpedo boatsIltis and Seeadler. MTB 220 was sunk by the German ships.
The German ships began picking up British MTBs on radar around two hours after midnight on 13th May. Crew on some of the German ships reported hearing motor noises, but the MTBs could not be seen. The German ships were shelled by British coastal batteries in the Strait of Dover, but the batteries scored no hits.
At around 3:30 am, the MTBs began their attack. German gunners hit and sunk MTB 220, and damaged several other MTBs.[3] Around 4:00 am, one of the MTBs fired a torpedo at Stier that missed and hit Iltis instead, breaking Iltis in two. Less than fifteen minutes later, Seeadler was also hit by a torpedo, rolled over, split, and sank. As Stier and its remaining escorts neared German shore batteries at Boulogne, the MTBs withdrew. Around 118 German sailors lost their lives in the battle.
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Edward Balls
Ordinary Seaman
C/JX 152671
Born 9/11/1921 Market Harborough
Died 1/6/1940 and buried Gillingham (Woodlands) Cemetery, Kent
Parents Edward and Constance Balls.On 29 May 1940, the destroyer HMS Ivanhoe was sent to join the Dunkirk evacuation effort and she ferried 930 troops to Dover that day. She also took aboard the crew of the badly damaged destroyer Grafton and then scuttled Grafton. Ivanhoe was withdrawn from the evacuation on 30 May as too valuable to risk, but this decision was reversed the following day and Ivanhoe evacuated 1,290 men to Dover. On the morning of 1st June, already having loaded troops, the ship was attacked off Dunkirk harbour by German aircraft. Two bombs missed to port and starboard, but the third detonated above the upper deck and flooded the two forward boiler rooms. The bomb killed 26, including five soldiers, and wounded many others. Most of the troops and wounded were taken off by the minesweeper Speedwell and the destroyer Havant. No. 3 boiler room was still operable and the ship reached Dover under her own power.
Images: HMS Ivanhoe 1938, unknown source - Edward Balls CWGC grave in Kent
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Edward Drewery
1st Battalion, The Buffs ( East Kent Reg)
6293918
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Eric Read Simpson
5 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
1749029
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Eric Sidney Elliott
2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment
4342558
Private
Born 1906
Died 28th June 1944
Buried in Hermanville War Cemetery, France
Son of Ann Elliott and stepson James Stockill
2nd battalion war diary states
Bn attacked CHATEAU DE LA LANDE with right B Coy, left A Coy, follow up Coy, C Coy. D Coy as firm base in area of 1 S. Lan. R. posn. The start line which was the tank running parallel to the fwd edge of LE LANDEL wood was under heavy shell fire as leading companies moved up to cross it. Major S.R. Sheath and B Coy H.Q. were hit moving up to the start line. However both B & A Coys moved steadily across the open cornfield to the fwd edge of the wood surrounding C. DE LA LANDE still under hvy shell fire and MG fire which made the attendance of casualty extremely difficult owing to the S.Bs being unable to find casualty in the standing corn. Both A & B Coys reached their objectives and were consolidating their posns when a counter attack by tanks and supported by Inf was put in on A Coys objective. An urgent call from A Coy was received by Capt Swinburne for Anti tank guns just before his R/T set was put out of action. A Coy was partially over-run and O.C. A Coy was taken PW together with C.S.M. Wakelin and a runner. Before their captors could get them away an S.O.S. task was called down and in the resulting confusion all made their escape. In the meantime Tac Bn H.Q. had moved up to the CHATEAU and had set up in an enemy mortar pit. This posn must have been on a D.F. task of the enemy's as it was under consistent shellfire for many hours. However, comn with Bde was est by these in line party running a line from rear H.Q. up to Tac H.Q. and maintaining it constantly. After A Coy had borne the first brunt of the counter attack, B Coy were the next to receive the follow up of a Tk. Some cas were inflicted and Lt Fetterly personally accounted for a German Tk command who was unwise enough to call upon his Pl to surrender. C & D Coys were up on the posn by this time and although still under enemy shellfire the posn was stabilised, consolidated and held. A Tk guns were brought up from the Bn, the Sp tp who were held up by an 88 mm suffered some cas but followed the battle up as quickly as they could. In the whole battle cas amounted to 5 Officers wounded, 1 missing later found to have been killed, 13 ORs killed, 79 wounded and 13 missing, many of whom were accounted for later. The posn was held throughout the short night but only occasional enemy fire came down as the key to the road to CAEN was now in British hands. Later, this strong point was reputed to be the bloodiest square mile in the whole of NORMANDY.
Images: May 2024 visit to Eric’s grave, Casualty record Ancestry
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Ernest Goddard
N/A
N/A
Ernest Goddard
Civilian Bus Conductor
Born 1892
Died: 24th July 1942
Two bombs were dropped on Withernsea at 6.26 pm on Friday, July 24, 1942, by a German Dornier IIK Bomber aircraft. Twelve civilians and two soldiers were killed as bombs and machine gun fire hit the promenade and Queen Street areas. Ernest Goddard lived at 36 South Cliff Road with his wife, Lilly.
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Frank Leo Bultitude
East Yorkshire Regiment
N/A
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Fred Gorden Smith
1663 Heavy Conversion Unit RAFVR
1593160
Sergeant (Flight Engineer)
Born 1925
Died 16th November 1944
Buried Withernsea St Nicholas Churchyard
Son of Fred and Edith Smith
Six of the seven aircrew members of Halifax II JP128 bomber aircraft perished when 1663 HCU's Halifax crashed and burned near the village of Rufforth in North Yorkshire. A landing at RAF Station Rufforth was being attempted when the aircraft struck a farmhouse, also killing the farm owner and his wife.
Image: Fred’s grave (taken by D England)
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Frederick G Wilkinson
RAFVR
119524
Flying Officer (wireless operator and air gunner)
Born 1921
Died 14th February 1944
Buried in Withernsea Cemetery
Son of William and Florence Wilkinson, husband of Nancy
On 14th February 1944, Cyril and another instructor were training two crews f
Taking off from RAF Longtown on the Solway Firth, their Halifax got into difficulties and crashed. There were no survivors. The surviving evidence makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the crash site. The official log simply states that it crashed in the Solway Firth 'off Kirkbride'. However, eyewitness testimony points to it having crash landed in the Moricambe Bay area or the adjacent marshland by the estuary of the River Waver.
Very little of the Halifax was recovered at the time and much of it still lies under the mud and sand. The aircraft, known by its serial number as BB278, was one of a batch of 200 Halifax IIs delivered to the RAF between January 1942 and April 1943. It had been used by No 58 Squadron to hunt German U-boats before being used for training purposes. Halifax Ils were not the most straightforward of aircraft to fly and several were lost in accidents.
The fate of the aircraft remained largely a mystery until 2010 when it came to light that a local resident might have witnessed the crash. The eyewitness, a young boy at the time, stated that he had seen an aircraft crash land in the Border Marsh area by the estuary leading into Moricambe Bay. If this is testimony is true, this may well have been Cyril Ballard's Halifax.
The young boy, together with his grandmother and her neighbour, had set out on what was "a bright clear day" to gather kindling. Suddenly:we were aware of an aircraft hitting the ground a short distance away. It landed on the other side of an estuary, approximately 200 yards from where we were, and came to rest parallel to the edge of the marsh with the fuselage about 6-8 feet from the drop of approximately 5 feet to the water level. I assume the aircraft glided down to the marsh because I was not aware of any engine sounds. Having landed with its undercarriage up, the body was tilted over with the port wing sloping down into the water. There seemed to be a hole in the starboard wing near to the outer engine, I could see liquid pouring down the wing towards the fuselage. Just then, the door on the port side opened and a number of people jumped out and began running towards the tailplane. As the leading figure reached the end of the aircraft there was an almighty 'whoosh' and everything was enveloped in flames. For a brief second, I could hear shouts of pain, then everything went quiet. At that point, my grandmother covered my ears and turned me away and we returned home to the Border Cottages. At the time of the crash, I was 6 years old but some parts of what I saw are still clear in my mind today.
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Frederick Willis DCM MID
4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
N/A
Lieutenant Colonel
Born11/10/1894
24th August 1944
Remembered on the Brookwood Memorial
Son of Joseph and Teresa, husband of Mary
Frederick Willis enlisted in the first week of September 1914 joining the 1st Hull Pals battalion known as The Commercials.
After training in England the Pals went to Egypt in December 1915 and were employed in guarding the Suez Canal against the Turks. They were not involved in any fighting.
In early March 1916 the Pals went to France and served on the Somme.
From July to December the battalion only refers to two patrols, one in 18/19
September, where the battalion suffered wounded but no one killed and one on 20/30 October where two men were killed. It may have been this patrol where Sgt Willis won his Distinguished Conduct Medal. I am unable to find any record of Sgt Willis receiving a bar to his medal. It is possible that he may have been recommended for such an award but it does not seem to have been awarded.
Frederick Willis is first mentioned in the 10th battalion War Diary on 8 April 1917 when it was recorded that 2/Lt Willis joined the battalion and was posted to 'C' Company. He presumably served at Oppy Wood on 3 May 1917 and on 10 July 1917. 2Lt Willis was recorded as wounded. According to the published history of the 10th battalion Lt Willis was wounded during grenade training. Hull Pals by David Bilton confirms that Frederick Willis was a 2Lt in the 10th battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment.
I have been unable to trace Frederick Willis in the Army List up to 1926 when he is shown as a Lieutenant in the 4' battalion East Yorkshire Regiment with effect from
23rd January 1926. The Snapper (Regimental Journal) of March 1926 records that Lt Frederick Willis DCM joined 'D' Company of the 4th battalion and that he had served with the 10th (Special Reserve) and the 1s battalion in the Great War. The War Diary for the 1st battalion was searched but no mention of Frederick Willis was found.
Frederick Willis was promoted to Captain on 14th July 1926 and the September issue of The Snapper journal has a caricature of him. The August 1927 issue shows Captain Willis as Officer Commanding 'A' Company and has a photograph of the 4* battalion Officers. The May 1931 issue records Frederick Willis's promotion to Major.
The Regimental History of The East Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of York's Own) In the War 1939/45 by P R Nightingale shows that Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Willis
DCM was 2"d in command of the 4th battalion in January 1940 in France. Presumably after Dunkirk he was considered too old for frontline infantry duties and moved to a non-combatant role.
In August 1942 Frederick Willis was awarded the Territorial Decoration (TD). The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army - a long service award to officers of the Territorial Army.
Frederick Willis would have (in addition to his DCM and TD) a bronze 1914/15 star, a silver British War Medal 1914-20, a bronze Victory Medal 1914-19, a 1939-45 Star, a Defence Medal 1939-45 and a War Medal 1939-45.
Lt Col Willis was on board Felix Rousseau ship when he was taken ill and operated on, he died at at 1920 GMT 26th August 1944 at latitude 52 77 N and 17 18 W. He died of myocardial failure and anaemia following spuation or strangulated Tenteal Hernia. He would have then been given a buried at sea.
Images: HullDaily Mail, image of memorial by Rob Agar, Death record of Willis whilst on board the ship Felix Rousseau (Find my past)
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George Richard Laveriack
Royal Navy HMS Mahratta
P/JX383140
Able Seaman
Born 11/3/1924
Died 25th February 1944
Remembered on the Portsmouth memorial
Son of William and Maud Laverick
At 20.55 hours on 25 Feb 1944, HMS Mahratta (G 23) (LtCdr E.A.F. Drought, DSC, RN) was hit by a Gnat torpedo from U-990 about 280 miles from the North Cape, while escorting the stern sector of convoy JW-57. The destroyer exploded and sank within minutes. HMS Impulsive (D 11)and HMS Wanderer (D 74) were quickly on the scene to pick up survivors, but only 16 survivors could be recovered from the freezing waters. The commander, ten officers and 209 ratings lost their lives.
Images: HMS Mahratta, Remembered on Plymouth Naval memorial
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George Robinson OBE
Merchant Navy
N/A
2nd Engineering Officer
S S Harpagon
Born 1892
Died 19th April 1942
Tower Hill memorial
Son of George and Sarah, husband of Sarah Eleanor
At 05.24 hours on 20 April 1942 the unescorted Harpagon (Master Robert William Edward Laycock) was torpedoed and sunk by U-109 about 150 miles north-northwest of Bermuda. The master, 34 crew members and six gunners were lost. Eight crew members were picked up by the Argentinian merchant Rio Diamante and landed at Buenos Aires.
Images: Image of George Hull Daily Mail, S S Harpagon
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George Solomon
209 Field Company, Royal Engineers
1899969
Driver
Born 7/12/1905
Died between 3rd & 4th September 1942
Buried in El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt
Son of Edwin and Harriet Solomon, husband of Annie
209 Field Company war diary states, unit was at Deir el Hina.
3/9 = Fierce fighting all night - heavily shelled and mortared
4/9 = 3 ORs killed by shelling, 13 ORs missing, 29 ORs wounded and evacuated.
Images: Hull Daily Mail
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George William White
Royal Navy
C/ JX213275
Able Seaman
HMS Boadicea
Born 22/6/1912
Died 13th June 1944
Chatham Naval Memorial
Son of James and Ada White
In January 1944, Boadicea rejoined the 8th Escort Group and escorted Convoys JW 57, RA 58 and RA 59 to Russia from February through April. In preparation for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, she was transferred to Portsmouth where she escorted convoys arriving in England as well as the convoys across the Channel. Boadicea was sunk on 13 June off Portland Bill by German aircraft while escorting a convoy of merchant ships to France. Sources differ as to the weapons used and the aircraft that carried them; some say Fritz X missiles fired by Dornier Do 217s belonging to KG 100 or torpedoes dropped by Junkers Ju 88s. The weapons caused a magazine explosion and Boadicea sank quickly, with only 12 of her crew of 182 surviving.
Images: HMS Boadicea
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Harold Brazier
490 Squadron RAFVR
578066
Aircraft-man 2nd Class, RAF
Born 1924
Died 18th November 1943
Son of Albert and Marion BrazerA Catalina IB FP112 “Marlborough” - took off at 1445 and while low flying over the Freetown Harbour estuary near Pepel and crashed and burned out after striking in the water with its port wing at 1525 hours. The sole survivor of the seven on board was 2nd pilot Fg Off F A Brittain RNZAF who was seriously injured. The bodies of the captain two wireless operator-air gunners and a ground crew member were recovered and buried at Freetown. A fifth crew member and a second ground crew member are commemorated on the Malta Memorial. It was thought that the captain had been deceived as to his true height above the water by the glassy calm surface in hazy conditions.
Captain NZ413839 Fg Off Ronald Matherson GRANT mid RNZAF
Wireless Op NZ403570 Fg Off William John DODDS RNZAF
577223 Bradbury Francis Flt Sgt Flt Eng
1312812 Gibbs Bertram Arthur Sgt WOpAG
1640335 Rosenthal Sidney AC1 Instrument Repairer
578066 Brazier Harold AC1 Instrument Repairer -
Harold Challis
13th/18th Royal Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps
14261994
Trooper
Born 18/10/12, Hull
Died 6th August 1944
Buried Manvieu War Cemetery, Cheux, France
Son of Charles and Gertrude Challis husband of Rose
"The 13th/i8th Hussars, supporting the 129th Infantry Brigade (43rd Division), made repeated and determined assaults upon the western foothills.
Throughout a day of scorching heat the battle raged, but the infantry became pinned at every fresh attempt.
Towards evening, when hope of success had apparently vanished, two troops of the 13th/18th Hussars, led by Captain Denny, found their way across an anti-tank ditch in the face of which the advance had faltered.
Regardless of the German infantry in thick scrub and a desperately steep escarpment, they drove right on to the table-like summit of the now famous mountain, where, completely alone, and surrounded by the enemy, the troops shot it out until joined by the remainder of the Squadron, and finally the Regiment. At last light thick mist settled down and the Regiment spent the night sharing the summit with the Hun. At intervals the German soldiers wandered right past our tanks.
By morning, however, the 4th Somerset Light Infantry and the Wiltshire Regiment had arrived on the top, and, during the next day, the remaining Germans were driven out, leaving the mountain in our hands?
The capture of MONT PINCON was the turning point of the break-out.
Harold was first buried in Roucamps before being exhumed and placed in a CWGC grave in 1946.
Images: CWGC grave as it is today, the wooden cross would have been when he was first buried and a image of Harold. grave stoned England, cross and image of Harold (Unknown source)
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Harry Jefferson
Royal Army Service Corps
T/76203
Private
T/76203, Royal Army Service Corps
Born 1908
Died 25th May 1940
Remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial
Son of Harry and Florence, Husband of BeatriceBelieved to be working in the cookhouse in Dunkirk when it received a direct hit from an artillery shell.
Harry was a former seafarer before he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) within the territorial army and he was well known in Withernsea his home town. Major Woodham RASC in a letter of condolence to Mrs Jefferson said "Corporal Jefferson always carried out his duties as a soldier and man cheerfully" (Dunkirk memorial and picture of Harry from Hull Daily Mail)
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Heather Mowbray Smail
Women’s Royal Naval Service
R/43136
Leading Wren
Enlisted 26th October 1942
Born 6/4/1923
Died 12th February 1944
Remembered Chatham Naval memorial
Daughter of Walter and Ida Smail
On 5 February 1944 Khedive Ismail left Mombasa bound for Colombo carrying 1,348 passengers including 996 members of the East African Artillery's 301st Field Regiment, 271 Royal Navy personnel, 19 WRNS, 53 nursing sisters and their matron, nine members of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and a war correspondent, Kenneth Gandar-Dower. She was part of Convoy KR 8 and it was her fifth convoy on that route. The convoy was escorted by the heavy cruiser HMS Hawkinsand destroyers HMS Paladin and HMS Petard. Khedive Ismail was carrying the Convoy Commodore.
Early in the afternoon of Saturday 12 February, after a week at sea, KR 8 was in the One and a Half Degree Channel south-west of the Maldives. After lunch many of the passengers were below watching an ENSA concert, while others sunbathed on deck. At 1430 hrs the Japanese submarine I-27 had taken position off Khedive Ismail's port side to attack. A lookout sighted I-27's periscope and raised the alarm; Khedive Ismail's DEMS gunners opened fire on the submarine. At the same time I-27's commander, Cdr Toshiaki Fukumura, fired a spread of four torpedoes, two of which hit Khedive Ismail.
The troop ship's stern was engulfed in flame and smoke and she sank in three minutes. As the convoy's merchant ships scattered for safety, Paladin lowered boats to rescue survivors and Petard released depth charges. The troop ship had sunk too quickly to launch any lifeboats, but her Carley floats floated free and some survivors were able to board them.
After three patterned releases I-27 was forced to the surface. The two destroyers engaged her with their 4-inch (100 mm) QF Mk 5main guns and Paladin moved to ram her, but as a Type B1 submarine, she was considerably larger than the destroyer so Petard signalled Paladin to abort the manoeuvre. Paladin therefore took avoiding action but too late, and I-27's hydroplane tore a 15-foot (4.6 m) gash in Paladin's hull.
I-27 submerged again and took refuge beneath the survivors. The destruction of a submarine that might sink more ships took precedence over the lives of survivors, so with Paladin out of action Petard resumed the attack with first depth charges, then 4-inch shellfire and finally 21-inch (530 mm) Mk IX torpedoes. The depth charge fuses had to be set to detonate at the most shallow depth, and they killed or wounded many people who had survived the initial sinking. The seventh torpedo finally destroyed I-27, sinking her with all hands. The battle had lasted two and a half hours.
Of 1,511 people aboard Khedive Ismail, only 208 men and 6 women survived the sinking and subsequent battle. 1,220 men and 77 women were killed. The sinking was the third largest loss of life from Allied shipping in World War II and the largest loss of servicewomen in the history of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Heather is also on the war memorial on the Isle of Bute, Scotland where she was living before she joined the Wrens in 1942 at the age of 18. She moved to the Isle of Bute to keep in contact with her father , who was in the merchant navy, regularly travelling from the Clyde to the USA. She joined the arena in Scotland before setting off to Kenya via Mombasa where she was killed in Action. There was no publicity on the sinking of SS Khedive Ismail for 50 years as the government of the time considered there could be potential damage to moral.
Images: Copy of Heathers service record (D England collection), A painting of the Khedive Ismail shows the moment she catastrophically exploded (Public domain)
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Hedley Cross
Ordinary Seaman, Royal Navy
D/JX707881
HMS Hussar
Born 1/7/1926
Died 27th August 1944
Remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial
Son of Edward and Olive Cross
On Hedleys service records it shows him enlisting on the 29th December 1943 and was first stationed at HMS Raleigh a shore based camp. He is described as 5 foot 9 3/4 inches tall, brown hair, blur eyes and a fresh complexion.He had a scar on his left knee. His parents received the 1939/45 star, France & Germany medal and War medal.
HMS Hussar Final moments
HMS Hussar was a Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper of World War II.
As the Allied armies advanced following the invasion of Normandy, Hussar, Britomart, Jason and Salamander were assigned to the 1st Minesweeping Flotilla (1MF) clearing Axis minefields north of Normandy to open additional ports to supply the advance. On the afternoon of 27 August 1944, they were sweeping off Cap d'Antifer in preparation for the battleship Warspite and monitors Erebus and Roberts to engage Le Havre coastal artillery delaying the advance of Canadian troops.
The headquarters officer assigning the minesweeping project to 1MF neglected to inform the Flag Officer British Assault Area (Rear?Admiral Rivett?Carnac), who was responsible for defending the invasion beaches from E-boats operating out of Le Havre. 1MF was observed on a southwesterly leg of the minesweeping operation and assumed to be German ships proceeding to attack Allied shipping off the invasion beaches. The Admiral's staff requested No. 263 Squadron RAF and No. 266 Squadron RAF to attack the presumed enemy ships. The squadrons responded with 16 Typhoons armed with 20 mm cannon and High Explosive "60 lb" RP-3 unguided rockets. RAF pilots identified 1MF as apparently friendly shipping, but upon questioning their orders were told the Royal Navy had no ships in the area.
In a well-executed attack out of the sun at 13:30, the Typhoons sank Hussar and Britomart; and Salamander was damaged far beyond economical repair and written off as a constructive total loss. Eighty-six British sailors were killed and 124 more were injured. 1MF identified the Typhoons as friendly, and poor visibility into the sun prevented early recognition of the impending "friendly fire". Jason established radio contact to terminate the attack.
Images: HMS Hussar during WW2 ( unknown source), Part of Hedleys service record ( D Englands collection)
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Herbert Boyce
S S Westmount Park
174806
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Herbert William Pottage
Royal Navy
D/JX356481
Able Seaman
HMS Inglefield
Born 21/2/1923
Died 25th February 1944
Plymouth Naval Memorial
Son of Herbert and Bertha Pottage
On 15 February 1944, she escorted an ammunition ship from Naples to Anzio. She then took up a defensive position to protect the anchorage in Anzio. She was in this capacity for ten days before sustaining a direct hit by a Henschel Hs 293 glider bomb launched by II./KG 100 during a dusk attack and was sunk with the loss of 35 lives.157 survivors were rescued and returned to the United Kingdom. Among the survivors was Jack Rumbold, the last officer to abandon ship and who was mentioned in dispatches for his actions during the sinking.
Image: HMS Inglefield with HMS Hood in the rear of the image
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Jack Hay
N/A
N/A
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James W Laverick
Royal Navy
LT/X 20905 A
Seaman
Born 21/08/1918
Died 7th March 1942
HM Trawler Northern Prince
Lowerstoft Memorial
Son of William and Maud
On 8 March 1942, HMS Northern Princess (4.06) (Lt D.B. Phillipson, RNR) was torpedoed and sunk by U-587 off the Grand Banks, Newfoundland. The vessel was reported missing after she was seen for the last time at 20.43 hours on 7 March in 45°22N/55°59W. The commander, three officers and 34 ratings were lost.
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James Wenn
Royal Navy
D/JX453539
Ordinary Seaman
HMS Mahratta
Born 27/12/1925
Died 25th February 1944
Plymouth Naval Memorial
Son of Ernest and Eliza Wenn
On 25 February 1944, a Catalina aircraft of 210 Squadron attacked and sank U-601 which was trailing the convoy. Mahratta was struck by two T5 Gnat torpedoes[3]fired by U-990 off the coast of Norway. She sank at 71°17?N 13°30?E. Only 16 of the 236 crew survived.
Died on the same ship as George Laverick
Images: HMS Mahratta (Wikipedia), Hull Daily Mail
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John A Bird
The Parachute Regiment, 6th Platoon, D Company, 156th Battalion, AAC
4693441
Private John A Bird
4693441
The Parachute Regiment, 6th Platoon, D Company, 156th Battalion, AAC
Died 18th September 1944, aged 33
Buried in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery
Son of John and Ethel Bird and husband of Lily of Roos.
On the 1939 census it show him as a House Rullaman Coal living at 7 Southcliff Road, WIthernsea With his wife Lily and young son Peter (1).
War diary from 156th Battalion
Mon 18 Sep 44.
1100 Hrs - The Bn took off from Saltby Aerodrome.
1345 Hrs - Anti Aircraft fire encountered over the Dutch Coast. Chalk No 619 aircraft was shot down in flames.
1400 Hrs - The Bn jumped onto DZ. Opposition was encountered.
1430 Hrs - The Bn had reached the RV st pt 611838 less about 2 officers and 100 men who were casualties and stragglers.
1700 Hrs - The Bn moved off in the direction of ARNHEM along the North edge of the railway in the order C Coy, Bn HQ, S Coy, B Coy, A Coy.
2000 Hrs - The Bn met and joined up with the glider borne lift at the rly crossing 665805. The glider borne lift was complete with the exception of one glider containing two jeeps, which landed in the sea. A report was received from an officer of the KOSB that the enemy were holding a strong outpost line along the road from 702805 to 699791.
2100 Hrs - C Coy encountered heavy opposition at 696794. The leading platoon was ambushed and broken up and a left flanking movement encountered further opposition which brought the company to a standstill. It was apparent that the enemy were holding the line in strength, and the Commanding Officer decided to form a firm base in the wood 678802 until first light with the intention of entering ARNHEM from the North West next morning. Communication with Para Bde HQ had broken down by this time.
Private John Bird was first buried in the garden of Wolfhezerweg 77, Wolfheze until 1945 when he was exhumed and re buried in the CWGC cemetery. The family who owned the house sent a letter to Private Birds family which explains how they met him and what he did for them, also that they tendered his grave until he was removed..
156 Parachute Sqn went in with 479 men, 98 died, 68 were evacuated and 313 were taken prisoner.
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John Dunn
Royal Armoured Division
7895709
Lance Corporal
1st East Riding Yeomanry
Royal Armoured Division
Killed in action 9th June 1944, aged 24
Son of John and Hannah of Withernsea.
Buried in La Delivrande War Cemetery, Normandy
John Dunn was a motorcycle despatch rider for his squadron and it was probably strapped to a Duplex Drive Sherman (DD) tank on D Day when he landed on the beach’s.
A diary of a East Yorkshire Yeomanry gives the following account
June 9th Frid D4 Stand to 330am , jerry plane over , no one bothers , tanks go in action Cambes Wood to shoot ---R in it sounds like all hell let loose. Our tanks are getting knocked out , mortar fire closer , Johnny Dunn has been reported killed. That news has knocked the wind out of me , I cant believe it , the battle goes on till 12.30 at night , this is black Friday for me, I feel in the dumps.
June 14th Wed D9 I am cooking for our party today. Charlie Dobson came to help me with the DRs and to take Johnny Dunns place , planes over tonight, the sky is full of tracers.
When John was killed he was buried In a shallow grave at the side of the road and his grave marked (see map) and was exhumed in July 1945 and moved to a CWGC grave.
Images: Despatch riders of the EYY in 1939 so John could be amongst these soldiers. (Source unknown), I visited John’s grave in May 2024 a month before the 80th Anniversary of D Day.
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John Henry Mackay
Merchant Navy
N/A
John Henry Mackay
Mate
Born 1884
Died 17th December 1940
S S Malrix (Hull)
Tower Hill Memorial
Son of Thomas and Mary Jane Mackay
The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Thames Estuary north of Whitstable, Kent with the loss of eight crew.
Images: Merchant navy medals issued card (National Archives), Merchant Navy death recorded form (Ancestry)
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John Thomas Downs
Royal Air Force
N/A
Flight Lieutenant
Died 14th January 1947
Buried Padua, Italy
Husband of JOAN CONSTANCE DOWNS and only son of the late
ROBERT and ELLEN DOWNS
John Thomas Downs 180111, attached to the MRES, was killed in a road accident on 15 January, (not 14 January as per CWGC) in Milan, being dead on arrival at Milan Civil hospital, his remains were transferred to Number 22 British General hospital at Mestre
The Royal Air Force Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES) was set up in 1944 to trace the 42,000 personnel who were listed as 'missing, believed killed. The demand was so great that the department was expanded in 1945. Flight Lieutenant Noel Archer of the MRES noting details of aircrew graves at a civilian burial ground in France.
These men had no special training, and did not have the benefits that modern technology offers; only a strong desire to bring home those who had not returned. Despite the obstacles caused by the lack of tools, the MRES was able to account for over two thirds of the missing personnel by a thorough combing Flt Lt Ralph Laronde and FIt Lt Noel Archer and colleagues from the MRES bearing an exhumed coffin to a reburial ceremony at an official war grave somewhere in France. of the globe. Those found were identified and reinterred in Commonwealth War Graves Commission plots.
A plaque was stolen from inside St Nicholas a number of years ago commemorating John and was replaced in 2023.
Images: Plaque in St Nicholas Church (D England), Find a Grave
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Jon Rolland Hood
Royal Horse Artillery
1086246
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Kenneth Banks
Corporal
4344778
Born 3/10/1919, Withernsea
Died 25/10/1942
5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
Buried El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt
Son of Thomas and Mary25th Oct 1942, The 5th Battalion Diary states that the Battalion has to prepare for night attack. Mobile patrols still active. Battalion receives little or no artillery fire. 26th Oct 1942, 5th Battalion Diary states battalion attacks point 101 (the cape) unsuccessful.
Below is the full report of the failed attack;
The Battalion was ordered to attack and capture THE CAPE with two companies, leaving the tire company to occupy the battalion position as a firm base. the 6 Green Howard’s on the right flank were attacking THE MOOR.
The CAPE the occupied by Folgore Division and the estimated strength of the enemy was approximately one company.
After a artillery bombardment the companies set off and the artillery moved forward. wire was then sighted by the leading troops, and the carriers sped forward in line to clear it. One carrier almost immediately received a direct hit from an anti- Tank weapon and bursting into flames Then, floor of the remaining five carriers went up on mine, which should be laid in front of the wire, one of the wire was cleared by one of the carriers before it ran over a mine, but the majority were left standing and had to be cleared by the infantry infantry then advanced took 50 to 100 yards from the main field where they came up against heavy, small arms fire this fire, to the large number of casualties on the leading troops and further advance without more support seemed impossible. It was a bright moonlight night and any movement on the part of any forward troops attracted heavy automatic fire.
Meanwhile, the enemy shelling continued, but this did not affect the forward company so much as battalion headquarters and the vehicles which were waiting for the gaps to be opened brigade was informed of the situation and laid on an artillery concentration with 64 guns firing 50 rounds each 10 minutes and was hoped the advance would be able to continue with this support unfortunately at this are leading troops. We’re only about 50 yards short of the main field, and they had to artillery concentration fell short of the enemy positions, and on the approaching line of the minefield both leading companies were in fact in the middle of the concentration of artillery, and the only possible action was for them to withdraw slightly by this time, the battalion had suffered heavy casualties, having gone through the enemy, defensive artillery fire, and being pinned down by the small arms fire line a certain amount of disorientation resulted from the withdrawal out of the area of our own artillery.
Battalion HQ were informed of the situation, and the battalion was to withdraw to an area which they could harass the enemy from a defensive locality there, the total casualty suffered by the battalion were killed two officers, eight ordinary ranks, wounded five officers, 40 ordinary ranks and missing 50 or ordinary ranks. Of the missing a subsequent visit to the area shows that about 30 were killed but the enemy had buried them with no more than a British rifle and steel helmet and left no indication of whom they had buried.
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Kenneth Perry
Royal Engineers
N/A
Lieutenant
Born 5/4/1908
Died 5th January 1944
Buried in St Nicholas churchyard
Son of John and Margaret, husband of Marion
In the early part of the war Kenneth was part of the Observer Corps before joining the Royal Engineers. Some of his old team carried the coffin at his funeral.
Was with a number of other soldiers clearing a minefield at Great Yarmouth when a private who was trained on the detectors did not wait for it to be deactivated and cleared, when in exploded. The inquiry stated that the detector man was at fault in passing said mine. The CRE stated“ I am of the opinion that no one was at fault and that the accident which caused the deaths was the result of error and judgement on the part of one or more of the persons killed, all of whom we on duty”
In probate he left £308, 0 shillings and 8 pence to his wife Marion of 66 The Promenade, WIthernsea
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Kenneth Shepherd
Royal Navy
C/J113478
Able seaman
HMS Penzance
Born 22/11/1908
Died 24th August 1940
Chatham Naval Memorial
Son of Arthur and Sarah Shepherd
Kenneth’s early service record shows him joining 27th March 1925 and describes him as 5 foot 4.4 inch’s with a 32 inch chest, brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.
On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Penzance was initially employed on patrol duties, checking for contraband and watching German merchant ships in neutral ports in the region. From March 1940 she escorted convoys running between Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. In July 1940 Penzance was ordered home and on 15 August 1940 left Sydney, Nova Scotia as the only armed escort of Convoy SC 1. By 24 August Penzance was 700 miles south–west of Iceland when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-37. She was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side, split in two, with some of her depth charges exploding, and sank quickly. Losses were heavy, with 89 of her crew killed, and one more later dying of wounds.
Images: HMS Penzance (Wikipedia), Kenneth on the right with his brother Leslie who was also killed in action during WW2
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Lancelot J Purcell
Pioneer Corps
N/A
Captain
Born 1899
Died 26th August 1945
Buried St Nicholas Churchyard
Son of James and Florence, husband of Harriett
Died in York military hospital, York.
First joined the army in WW1 and attached to the Royal Army Service Corps gaining a Victory and British War Medal. During WW2 he gained the rank of Lieutenant and then captain with the Pioneer Corps.
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Leslie Shepherd
7th Field Company, Royal Engineers
1869363
Driver
Born 1910
Died 27th May 1940
Buried Dozingham Military Cemetery, Belgium
Son of Arthur and Sarah, husband of Nancy
Nothing known about Leslie’s death besides the fact that he was on the retreat to Dunkirk
Images:Leslie on the left with his brother Kenneth who was also killed in action during WW2, Hull Daily Mail
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Norman Wise
Merchant Navy
N/A
Apprentice
S S Dalbair
Born10/1/921
Died 28th August 1944
Tower Hill Memorial
Son of Thomas and Ester Wise
At 00.23 hours on 29 Aug 1940, U-100 fired torpedoes at convoy OA-204 148 miles northwest of Bloody Foreland, damaged the Hartismere and sank the Dalblair.
The Dalblair (Master John H. Bruton) was hit amidships on starboard side and sank in ten minutes. Four crew members were lost. 17 crew members were picked up by HMS Clematis (K 36), later transferred to HMS Englishman and landed at Londonderry. The master, 18 crew members and one gunner were picked up by the Alida Gorthon, which was also sunk by U-100 three hours later. All survivors from Dalblair were lost.
Images: Hull Daily Mail
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Peter Draper
766 Squadron, RNAS
N/A
Sub Lieutenant
Born 1924
Died 22nd October 1943
Buried in Withernsea Cemetery
Son of Ada Draper
The crew was on a night training flight from RNAS Inskip between Preston and Blackpool and had taken off from the No.4 runway at approximately 22:30. Shortly after getting airborne and making a turn away from the airfield the aircraft crashed on Carr House Green Common with the engine still producing power. Sub Lieutenant Thirlaway and Sub Lieutenant Draper were both killed in the crash while Leading Airman Freeman was severely injured, he died less than four hours later as a result of his injuries.
He was buried with full military honours at WIthernsea Cemetery.
Images: Image of grave (D Englands), Accident log HMS Nightjar (National Archives)
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Raymond Arthur Barnfather
Rank Boy 1st Class
P/JX 158573
Born 9/5/1923
Died 14/10/39, died on HMS Royal Oak
Remembered on Portsmouth Naval MemorialRaymond joined the navy on the 31st May 1938 and was posted to HMS Royal Oak on the 7th June 1939. His service records that he was 5foot 7.5 inches tall, brown hair, blue eyes, sallow complexion and had a scar on his left knee. His parents William and Doris received his military medals which consisted of 1939/45 Star, Atlantic Star and War Medal.
The German submarine U-47, under the command of Prien, approached Scapa Flow through the narrow approaches at Kirk Sound with surprising ease. It was high tide and a little after midnight on 14 October 1939. U-47 first sailed towards Lyness but, finding no ships in the area and encountering no resistance, then turned to the north where HMS Royal Oak, HMS Pegasus and possibly HMS Iron Duke were spotted. A total of 51 ships were in Scapa Flow at the time, 18 of which can be described as fighting ships.
When the first torpedo struck HMS Royal Oak at 12.58am, the dull thud confused the sailors – they thought the muffled explosions were an on-board problem, perhaps an explosion in the paint store. They certainly did not think it was a U-boat attack. A second salvo failed to deliver a hit but the confusion surrounding the first hit gave Commander Prien an additional 20 minutes to return to his firing position, reload, and fire a third salvo. This third discharge landed direct hits amidships.
Such was the ferocity of the explosions, the ship heeled over alarmingly and all the lights went out. It had been fine weather so all of the ship's hatches were open. Undoubtedly Royal Oak would have taken longer to sink and more lives would have been saved if the watertight hatches had been closed; but it is not normal procedure to have all hatches closed when in a supposedly safe harbour with no alerts.
When the ship rolled its gun barrels shifted, pulling the ship faster beneath the surface. Water crashed through the open hatches and men asleep in their bunks were unable to get out in time. It took just minutes for the battleship to sink. Hundreds fought for their lives in the water, trying to swim for shore through thick fuel oil and in freezing temperatures. A total of 834 men lost their lives. Many of the men are buried in the Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery on Hoy, the ones that were never recovered are on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
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Raymond Frankish Escreet
161 Squadron, RAFVR
N/A
DFC
Flight Lieutenant, Wireless Operator
Born 3/6/23 in Withernsea
Died 21st March 1945
Buried Mailusmuhle Isolated Graves, Luxembourg
Son of Frankish and Janet Escreet
Lockheed Hudson Mk IIIa, FK803/N, took off at 18:48 hrs on Operation BENEDICT, EXPRESS, LEADER on 20 March 1945.
The Hudson was returning to England with the secret agents, who were not dropped owing to bad weather, when it was shot down. During flight at 00:45 hrs was attacked and set on fire by a night-fighter over the northern tip of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Blown out with his parachute pack on fire when the aircraft exploded, the pilot was the sole survivor, although badly burned about the hands and face. The remaining three crew and three Belgian agents killed. It was thought later FK803 might have been attacked in error by an Allied night-fighter (USAAF P-61 Black Widow).
F/Lt (127.041) Terence HELFER DFC (pilot) RAFVR - bale out /injured
F/Lt (143.469) Raymond Frankish ESCREET (WOs) RAFVR - killed
F/O (168.807) Henry Scurr JOHNSON (Nav.) RAFVR - killed
F/O (NZ412766) Forrest Harold THOMPSON DFM (AG)
RNZAF - killed
and three Belgian agents/passengers killed.
Benedict, Express and Leader were the code names of the Belgian agents on board.
These headstones are not CWGC ones as they were placed there by the local town. These men were buried where they died and you can see behind the green fence the wreckage of the crashed aircraft.
Images: Find a grave
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Robert Albert Stephenson
44th Division Signals, Royal Corps Signals
1686394
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Robert Edward Daddy
2nd Battalion, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
4690581
Private
Born 1922
Died 8th June 1944
Buried in Rangoon War Cemetery, Myanmar
Robert was captured and taken prisoner of war by the Japanese on the 23rd February 1942 and died of beriberi while in captivity. He was first buried in a mass grave with other POWs near to the camp but in 1947 was exhumed with all the others who died and was re buried in a CWGC grave.
Images: Image of grave (by D Englands) & below his POW record (ancestry)
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Robert R Thornton
Merchant Navy
N/A
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Robert William Bilton
5th Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps
7889763
Trooper Robert William Bilton
7889763
5th Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps.
Killed in action 3rd November 1944, aged 23
Son of Herbert and Marion Bilton of Withernsea.
Buried in Bergen Op Zoom War Cemetery, Netherlands.
2nd November 1944 regimental war diary states the following 1350 hours B Squadron formed up and moved to Oosterhout 0142. No event except shelling and mortaring on B front. Casualty Trooper Bilton wounded.
Bilton died the following day of his wounds and was first buried in a shallow grave near to Rammsdonkveer with one other soldier who died on the same day from a different regiment. They were exhumed in July 1945 and moved to the CWGC cemetery they now lie in.
Images: D England visited Robert’s grave in May 2024, Hull Daily Mail
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Sidney James Young
992 Docks Operating Company, Royal Engineers
1984928
Lance Corporal
Born 1910
Died 11th February 1941
Buried Hull Northern Cemetery
Son of James and Theresa Young
Sidney joined the army on the 31st August 1938 and became a clerk class 3, was posted to 992 Docks Operating Company on the 27th July 1940 and was n the Retreat from Dunkirk before being posted to the UK and this is where he was accidentally killed.
Images: Casualty record Ancestry, grave Find a grave, RE Record Find my past.
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Stanley Surfleet Peaker
9th Battalion, York &. Lancaster Regiment
3133231
Private
Born 1//6/1917
Died 28th July 1944
Buried Taukkyan War Cemetery
Son of Hugh and Edith Peaker
The area that 9th Battalion were tasked with defending (north of the tunnels) through the 1944 monsoon. By July, their base was well established and 9Y&L was sending regular fighting patrols eastwards and north eastwards from their base to observe Japanese movement and report on the topography. This activity was to collect intelligence and assess Japanese strength and activity for planning the capture of Buthidaung and the move south by 53 Brigade/25 Division later in 1944, after the monsoon.July:
26th July 1944- Japanese activity along whole Divisional front. 9Y&L area approached by 4 Japanese who reached feature Pyramid and exchanged shots with a 9Y&L recce patrol. No casualties reported in diary.
27th July1944- A-Company 9Y&L reported Japanese activity in the area of West Finger feature (shown on your map). Diary reports that "one man from A-Company shot by accident when moving between posts" Doesn't state whether wounded or killed or name.
28th July 1944- Long range patrol returned (had been NE towards Ngakyedauk Pass and Kalapanzin River since 25th) but no mention of casualties although they had encountered Japanese in the Awlanbyin Valley.
July: No mention of any casualties, purely admin entries in diary.
I wonder if Stanley was shot by accident on the 27th and then died of his wounds on the 28th July?
Images: Grave image D England, Hull Daily Mail
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Thomas Ernest Fea OBE
Merchant Navy, S S Stockport (Grimsby)
N/A
Master
Born 1903
Died 25th February 1943
Remembered on Tower Hill Memorial
Son of Mr and Mrs James Fea
Stockport was lost on 25th February 1943 when part of the outward-bound
Convoy ONS166 (63 ships and large escort). In heavy weather and poor
visibility, the convoy was reduced to around 4 knots but, even at that,
there were quite a few stragglers. A pack of 17 U-Boats attacked and
destroyed fourteen Allied vessels amounting to some 85,000 tons of
shipping. The action was spread over a period of five days and over
1,000 miles of ocean, culminating in a position ESE of Newfoundland
The 1,683 tons 1911-built STOCKPORT, belonging to the London & North
Eastern Railway Company, had dropped behind to rescue survivors of one
of the torpedoed merchantmen (Empire Trader - sunk by U-92) when she
was torpedoed by U-604 (Kapitanleutnant zur See Horst Holtring)
One of the sturdy fleet of WWII convoy escort rescue vessels, each of
whom saved hundreds of Allied seamen's lives, the STOCKPORT had had an
eventful war already, saving many lives from the carnage of attacks such
as that which befell Convoy SC107 in November 1942 when a wolf-pack of
eight U-Boats destroyed ten Allied ships. In that attack alone the
STOCKPORT picked up 149 British seamen and 26 survivors from the Greek
ship 'RINOS'.
In this tragic and final incident, the entire crew of 51 men, 9 DEMS
gunners, 4 naval personnel, and 91 survivors that had themselves been
rescued by STOCKPORT, all perished.
Precisely six months after destroying STOCKORT, U-604's commander took
his own life after scuttling U-604 S.E. of the St. Paul Rocks, following bombing damage by American aircraft.
Images: Merchant navy masters card
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Thomas Rhodesia Davis
RAFVR
1456334
Flight Sgt
RAFVR
Born 1923
Died 23rd November 1942
Buried Withernsea St Nicholas Church
Son of Captain Richard and Violet Davis.
Coded WS-V. Airborne 1708hrs from Bardney for Berlin. On return, the aircraft was destroyed when it crashed at 2345hrs between Belchford and Scamblesby, near Scamblesby Grove and caught fire. It is believed that severe icing may have caused the altimeter to fail, or present a false reading. P/O N.J.Robinson killed, F/O
C.G.Hinton (P2) killed, Sgt R.G.Taylor killed, F/Sgt T.R.Davis killed, F/Sgt B.J.Pitman killed, Sgt W.E.Jones killed, F/Sgt L.E.Mitchell injured, Sgt J.Casey injured.
Images: Grave (D England), Lancaster image (unknown), Hull Daily Mail
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Vynor Pollard
RAFVR
745972
Sergeant Observer
Born 1919
Died 6th January 1941
Remembered on the Alamein Memorial
Son of Edward and Beatrice,
Blenheim L8536: Took off at 08:10 hrs for Bombing mission over Valone. 06/01/1941
At 09:40hrs on 6 January 1941 nine Blenheims from 211 Sqdn appeared over Valona, bombing the foreshore from 4000 feet. CR.42s of 150o Gruppo and G.50bis from 154o Gruppo were scrambled, intercepting as the bombers left the target. 154o Gruppo claimed two of the Blenheims shot down.
Meanwhile the CR.42 pilots had kept up the pursuit, returning to claim four more Blenheims shot down, three of them by Sergente Bartolaccini and one by Sottotenente Pasquale Faltoni.
Sgt J. R. Marshall's Blenheim L1542 had been slightly damaged in the tail by AA when a CR.42 attacked, but the gunner, Sgt Bill Baird, drove this off, reporting that smoke poured from its engine as it broke away. Blenheim L8536, flown by F/O L. S. Delaney, was badly hit, although Sgt T. A. McCord in the turret claimed that he believed he had shot down a 'Macchi' in flames. As the bomber headed away, the port engine stopped, but it headed on, accompanied by the formation leader, F/Lt Doudney, whose Blenheim had also been heavily damaged. Near the frontier Delaney indicated that he was going down to land. As he attempted to bring the aircraft down on its belly, it struck some boulders and cartwheeled. The crew were killed outright. Doudney almost reached Menidi, but he too was obliged to crash-land short of this base. Two more Blenheims also received damage, F/O L. B. Buchanan reaching Menidi, while P/O J. C. Cox put down at Eleusis for temporary repairs.
Losses were thus one Blenheim over the target and two crash-landed, one of them totally destroyed as a result, plus two more damaged against Italian claims for six destroyed and one damaged.
Images: Hull Daily Mail, Blenheim image Wikipedia
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Walter Earl King
Auxiliary fire service
N/A
Civilian Firefighter
Born 1/1/1901
Died 9th May 1941
Buried St Nicholas Churchyard
Son of Walter and Lavinia King
Walter was injured on the 8th May 1941 was injured while fighting fires on Chapel Lane after a
Bombing raid. He was taken to Beverley Hospital but died of injuries the following day.
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William H Jefferson
N/A
N/A
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William Harold Barrick
6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
4453032
Private
Born 1920, Northamptonshire
Died 10th September 1944
6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
Buried Geel War Cemetery, Belgium
Son of John and Violet Barrick.
William first labelled on the Sword beach during the Normandy landing on D Day, there first objective was Esquay Sur Seulles and was taken quickly and a number of POWs were taken all Russians from the 642 Russian Battalion. The 6th Battalion fought through France and into Belgium ending up a Geel. Here the war diary states for the 10th September 1944 the day William was killed in action
The night 9/10 September machine gun fire and sporadic shelling in the area near GET.. One enemy tank spotted in the area of GIN, 077885. Enemy tank and Infantry at 082868. SF gun shelling the bridge along then Canal bank. A Coy report its 119 being heavily, shelled and mortared… Enemy Gun, probably S.P. reported at 095858. 61. Reace Regt reported VINiAL 087870 to he strongly held by enemy. A heavy gun believed S.P, was firing from the track running South West from VINOSE, troop of the Reace Regt was under continues fine. Another heavy guns firing South West from 095858. The troop had been ordered to retire to 080858, Our armoured were patrolling from 097856 to 083872 encountered heavy fire Winkelom and from South.of t0788. The right hand Platoon of A Coy retuned from its present position under heavy mortar fire, B Coy under heavy 88 mm gun fire and S.A. fire. Movement impossible. plan formed for entering Gheel. D company moved up to start line, with Coy on the right. A & B coys to follow. The attack to begin at 1330 hours., 1 carrier and one anti tank gun knocked of ours. Enemy counter-attack on A Coy - Infantry supported by mortars and sporadic fire. Our artillery going in to assist Artillery counter attack. Capt. Corbett wounded and Lieut. Seggie took over Command of A Coy. C&D coys carried out their original plan with support and attacked.
During the 10th September 30 Ordinary ranks were killed, 67 wounded (4 later died) and 42 missing."
Images: Williams grave and unknown female visiting before his CWGC headstone was in place.
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William Henry Bainbridge
Royal Engineers
14289433
246 Bomb Disposal Company
Born 18/9/1912 in Hull
Died 13/9/1942Son on Frederick and Sarah Bainbridge Of WITHERNSEA. From his service casualty record his was in 246 Bomb Disposal Section, was part of 6 Bomb Disposal Company, Royal Engineers. It follows on to say Killed UK (Whilst on Duty), not due to enemy action. Killed by mine explosion whilst clearing a minefield, no location given
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William Thornton
Royal Navy
P/JX 138757
Able seaman
HMS Duchess
Born 15/05/1917, Beverley
Died 12 December 1939
Son of George and Mary Thornton of Withernsea
In September 1939 after the declaration of war 9 ships including HMS Duchess left China heading back to the UK. When they reached Malta three destroyers Duchess, Dainty & Daisy were to escort the battleship Balham the rest of the way back to the UK. On the 12th December 1939 in thick fog all the destroyers and battleship were conducting zig zag manoeuvres to help against German submarines. the destroyer HMS Duchess, Lt. Cdr. R.C.H. White was sunk in collision with the battleship Barham (31.000 tons) in the North Channel (9 miles off Mull of Kintyre), west coast of Scotland only one hour from their destination. Six officers, including Cdr. White and 123 ratings were lost. One officer and 22 ratings were picked up by Barham and the two destroyers
Images: HMS Duchess, web image unknown taker, paper cutting HDM
