30 November 2009

879921 Gnr Walter James Yeomans, Royal Artillery

879921 Gunner Walter James Yeomans of 222 Battery, 68th HAA Regiment, Royal Artillery died in England on the 1st December 1940. He was born and bred in Derby and was 21 years old when he died. He is buried in Derby's Nottingham Road Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

7372284 Pte Kenneth James Foulds, RAMC

7372284 Private Kenneth James Foulds of the 14th Lt Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, died on the 30th November 1943. He was the on of James and Margaret Jane Foulds of Newtown Linford in Leicestershire. He is buried in the Sangro River War Cemetery in Italy.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

29 November 2009

876392 Gnr Edward Dean, Royal Artillery

876392 Gunner Edward Dean of 10 Battery, 7th Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, died on the 29th November 1940 whilst serving on the island of Malta. He was 20 years old and the Son of Sydney Thomas Dean and Ellen Dean of Farington in Lancashire. Edward was born in Preston and living in Preston when he enlisted. He is buried in Malta's Pembroke Military Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

28 November 2009

7911042 Tpr Wilfred Orton, 8th Bn, Royal Tank Regt

7911042 Trooper Wilfred Orton of the 8th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, died on the 8th November 1941. He was born in west London and was living in Surrey when he enlisted. At the time of his death he was 21 years old and, as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission informs us, the son of Frank Edward and Winifred May Orton, of Cowden, Kent. He is buried in Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma in Libya.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

27 November 2009

1714916 Gnr Christopher Gingell, Royal Artillery

1714916 Gunner Christopher Gingell of 13 Battery, 6th HAA Regiment, Royal Artillery, died on the 27th November 1942. He was 31 years old, the son of Sidney George and Hannah Rose Gingell of Badminton in Gloucestershire.

Christopher was born in Bristol and was living in Bristol when he enlisted. He is commemorated on the Yokohama Cremation Memorial in Japan which "takes the form of a beautifully designed shrine which houses an urn containing the ashes of 335 soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Commonwealth, the United States of America and the Kingdom of the Netherlands who died as prisoners of war in Japan. Their names (save for 51 who were not identified) are inscribed on the walls of the shrine." [Commonwealth War Graves Commission].

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

26 November 2009

954871 L/Bdr William Mossman, Royal Artillery

954871 Lance-Bombardier William Mossman of the Royal Artillery was 24 years old when he died on the 26th November 1943. He was the son of George and Louisa Mary Mossman of Bayswater, London. He is buried in Kohima War Cemetery in India.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

4856259 Cpl Jesse Caldwell, 2nd Bn, Leicestershire Regt

I was travelling yesterday and had no access to the internet, hence I was unable to update this blog for the 25th.

4856259 Corporal Jesse Caldwell of the 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regt, died on the 25th November 1941. He was the son of Jesse Reuben and Lucie Caldwell and he was from Leicester, although born in Bolton. He is buried in Tobruk War Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

24 November 2009

5337200 L/Cpl Robert Henry Lodge, 4th Bn, Wiltshire Regt

5337200 Lance-Corporal Robert Henry Lodge of the 4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regt, died on the 24th November 1944. He was 25 years old and had been born in Berkshire. He had originally joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment but obviously transferred to the Wiltshire Regiment later on.

Robert Lodge has no known grave and is commemorated on panel five of the Groesbeek Memorial in the Netherlands. This from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

"Allied forces entered the Netherlands on 12 September 1944. Airborne operations later that month established a bridgehead at Nijmegen and in the following months, coastal areas and ports were cleared and secured, but it was not until the German initiated offensive in the Ardennes had been repulsed that the drive into Germany could begin. Most of those buried in GROESBEEK CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY were Canadians, many of whom died in the Battle of the Rhineland, when the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division took part in the drive southwards from Nijmegen to clear the territory between the Maas and the Rhine in February and March 1945. Others buried here died earlier or later in the southern part of the Netherlands and in the Rhineland. The cemetery contains 2,610 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, and nine war graves of other nationalities. Within the cemetery stands the GROESBEEK MEMORIAL, which commemorates by name more than 1,000 members of the Commonwealth land forces who died during the campaign in north-west Europe between the time of crossing the Seine at the end of August 1944 and the end of the war in Europe, and whose graves are not known."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

23 November 2009

1679193 Gnr Ronald Charles Lindridge, Royal Artillery

1679193 Gunner Ronald Charles Lindridge of the 4th Maritime Regiment, Royal Artillery, died at sea on the 23rd November 1942. He was 29 years old, the son of Charles J and Dorothy Lindridge of Maidstone, Kent, and the husband of Nelly Lindridge of Maidstone. He is coomemorated on the Naval Memorial at Plymouth.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

22 November 2009

1570518 Gnr Herbert Smith, Royal Artillery

1570518 Gunner Herbert Smith of the Royal Artillery died on the 22nd November 1940. He was the son of Anna R Day of Longham in Norfolk and he is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Gressenhall.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

21 November 2009

4967329 Sgt Stanley Thomas Jephcote, 1/5th Sherwood Foresters

4967329 Sergeant Stanley Thomas Jephcote of the 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters died on the 21st November 1943. He was the son of Thomas Stanley and Edith Jephcote (nee Paul), and the husband of Mary Ellen Jephcote.

Stanley Jephcote died as a prisoner of the Japanese and is buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Malaysia. The following information comes from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

"The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre. The Japanese aimed at completing the railway in 14 months and work began in October 1942. The line, 424 kilometres long, was completed by December 1943. The graves of those who died during the construction and maintenance of the Burma-Siam railway (except for the Americans, whose remains were repatriated) were transferred from camp burial grounds and isolated sites along the railway into three cemeteries at Chungkai and Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar. KANCHANABURI WAR CEMETERY is only a short distance from the site of the former 'Kanburi', the prisoner of war base camp through which most of the prisoners passed on their way to other camps. It was created by the Army Graves Service who transferred to it all graves along the southern section of railway, from Bangkok to Nieke. Some 300 men who died (most from a Cholera epidemic in May/June 1943) at Nieke camp were cremated and their ashes now lie in two graves in the cemetery. The names of these men are inscribed on panels in the shelter pavilion. There are now 5,084 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. There are also 1,896 Dutch war graves. Within the entrance building to the cemetery will be found the KANCHANABURI MEMORIAL, recording the names of 11 men of the army of undivided India buried in Muslim cemeteries in Thailand, where their graves could not be maintained. The cemetery was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

20 November 2009

7887122 Cpl Allan Sharman, Royal Tank Regt, Royal Armoured Corps

7887122 Corporal Allan Sharman of the Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, died on the 20th November 1942. He was born in Sunderland and living in Durham when he enlisted. Apart from that though, I know nothing further about this man.

Allan Sharman is buried in Knightsbridge War Cemetery in Acroma, Libya. The following information comes from the Commonwealth war Graves Commission:

"The defence against Rommel's drive across Cyrenaica towards Suez consisted of a number of irregularly spaced strong points or 'boxes' linked by deep minefields. Those nearest the Axis forces were held by infantry, while those further back served as reserve static positions and as bases from which the armour could operate. The chief 'box', known as Knightsbridge, was round a junction of tracks about 20 kilometres west of Tobruk and 16 kilometres south of Acroma, commanding all the tracks by which supplies came up to the front. The Eighth Army's advance fuelling stations and airfields were at Acroma, El Adem, El Duda, Sidi Rezegh and Gambut, while by February 1941, Gazala aerodrome, taken from the Italians early in the campaign, housed two Commonwealth squadrons. Knightsbridge was thus a key position, and the pivot on which the armour manoeuvred during the heavy fighting which commenced in late May 1942. Fierce actions were fought at all these places, and a battlefield cemetery was created at each for the burial of the dead. The graves of many of those who gave their lives during the campaign in Libya were later gathered into Knightsbridge War Cemetery from the battlefield burial grounds and from scattered desert sites. The men who fought and died with them, but have no known grave, are commemorated on The Alamein Memorial which stands in El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt. There are now 3,651 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in Knightsbridge War Cemetery. 993 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials commemorate a number of casualties known or believed to be buried among them."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

19 November 2009

7674422 Pte Albert Edgar Luesby, Royal Army Pay Corps

7674422 Private Albert Edgar Luesby of the Royal Army Pay Corps died on the 19th November 1940. He was 24 years old, the son of Thomas and Harriet Luesby of Lincoln, and the husband of Edith Luesby of Lincoln. He died in the UK and is buried at Lincoln (Newport) cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

18 November 2009

71081 Lt Col Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes VC, MC; Royal Armoured Corps

71081 Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Charles Taker Keyes VC, MC of the Royal Armoured Corps was killed in action on the 18th November 1941. He was a highly decorated senior officer who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on the night of 17th/18th November 1941.

There is plenty of information about Lt Col Keyes on the web, including this page on Wikipedia. At the time of his death he was serving with the The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), Royal Armoured Corps. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that he was "awarded Croix de Guerre. Son of Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow Keyes, G.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.M:G., D.S.O., A.D.C., 1st Baron Keyes, and of Lady Keyes (nee Bowlby), of Buckingham." The citation for his VC which appeared in the London Gazette of 19th June 1942 reads as follows:

"Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes commanded a detachment of a force which landed some 250 miles behind the enemy lines, in North Africa, to attack Headquarters Base installations and communications. Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes deliberately selected the command of the party detailed to attack the residence and Headquarters of the General Officer commanding the German Forces in North Africa. This attack meant almost certain death for those who took part in it. The disposition of his detachment left him only one officer and a N.C.O. with whom to break into General Rommel's residence. On the night 17/18 November, 1941, he boldly led his party to the front door and demanded entrance. It was unfortunately necessary to shoot the sentry; the noise aroused the house, so that speed became of the first importance. Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes instinctively took the lead and emptied his revolver with great success into the first room. He then entered the second room but was mortally wounded almost immediately. By his fearless disregard of the dangers which he ran and of which he was fully aware, and by his magnificent leadership and outstanding gallantry Lieutenant Colonel Keyes set an example of supreme self-sacrifice and devotion to duty."

Lt Col Keyes is buried In Benghazi War Cemetery in Libya.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

17 November 2009

2181482 L/Cpl William James McConville, Royal Engineers

2181482 L/Cpl William James McConville of the Royal Engineers was an early Second World War casualty. He died in France on the 17th November 1939.

William was born in Liverpool and was living there when he enlisted, presumably before war against Germany was declared. He is buried in St Marie Cemetery, Le Havre.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

16 November 2009

4751781 Pte Walter Vernon Stoyles, 7th Bn, York & Lancaster Regt

Bradford born 4751781 Private Walter Vernon Stoyles of the 7th Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment, died on the 16th November 1942. He was 26 years old, the son of George H and Florry Stoyles, and the husband of Florence May Stoyles of Girlington, Bradford in Yorkshire. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Rangoon War Memorial in Taukkyan War Cemetery. The memorial bears the names of nearly 27,000 men of the Commonwealth land forces who died during the campaigns in Burma (now Myanmar) and who have no known grave.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

15 November 2009

6913196 Rfm Joseph Frederick Minta, 2nd Bn, Rifle Brigade

6913196 Rifleman Joseph Frederick Minta of the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade, died on 15th November 1942. He was 28 years old and the son of Elizabeth Jackson of Walworth, London. He is buried in Tobruk War Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

14 November 2009

11256979 Pte Reginald James Dunnett, 1/4th Bn, Hampshire Regt

11256979 Private Reginald James Dunnett of the 1/4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment died on the 14th November 1944. He was 20 years old, the son of Sydney and Alice Maud Mary Dunnett of Wickham Market, Suffolk. He is buried in Meldola War Cemetery in Italy.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

13 November 2009

888564 Gnr Harold Edward Snape, Royal Artillery


888564 Gunner Harold Edward Snape of 44 Battery, 13th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery died on the 13th November 1941. He was 20 years old and was the son of Harold Edward and Edith Snape of Stoke-on-Trent. He is buried in Stoke-on-Trent's Hartshill cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

12 November 2009

5574970 Pte Alfred George Frederick Cops, 6th Bn, South Wales Borderers

5574970 Private Alfred George Frederick Cops of the 6th Battalion, South Wales Borderers died on the 12th November 1944. He was 28 years old, the son of Frederick and Clara Cops and the husband of Mary Patricia Cops of Newton Abbot, Devon.

Alfred was born in Essex and was living in North West London when he enlisted. He is buried in Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar (Burma). The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has this to say about Taukkyan:

"TAUKKYAN WAR CEMETERY is the largest of the three war cemeteries in Burma (now Myanmar). It was begun in 1951 for the reception of graves from four battlefield cemeteries at Akyab, Mandalay, Meiktila and Sahmaw which were difficult to access and could not be maintained. The last was an original 'Chindit' cemetery containing many of those who died in the battle for Myitkyina. The graves have been grouped together at Taukkyan to preserve the individuality of these battlefield cemeteries Burials were also transferred from civil and cantonment cemeteries, and from a number of isolated jungle and roadside sites. Because of prolonged post-war unrest, considerable delay occurred before the Army Graves Service were able to complete their work, and in the meantime many such graves had disappeared. However, when the task was resumed, several hundred more graves were retrieved from scattered positions throughout the country and brought together here. The cemetery now contains 6,374 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 867 of them unidentified. In the 1950s, the graves of 52 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War were brought into the cemetery from the following cemeteries where permanent maintenance was not possible: Henzada (1); Meiktila Cantonment (8); Thayetmyo New (5); Thamakan (4); Mandalay Military (12) and Maymyo Cantonment (22). Taukkyan War Cemetery also contains: The RANGOON MEMORIAL, which bears the names of almost 27,000 men of the Commonwealth land forces who died during the campaigns in Burma and who have no known grave. The TAUKKYAN CREMATION MEMORIAL commemorating more than 1,000 Second World War casualties whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith. The TAUKKYAN MEMORIAL which commemorates 45 servicemen of both wars who died and were buried elsewhere in Burma but whose graves could not be maintained."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

11 November 2009

13802477 Pte Antonio Guittierrez, Pioneer Corps

Spaniard 13802477 Private Antonio Guittierrez of the Pioneer Corps, died on the 11th November 1943. He is buried in Bodmin Cemetery in Cornwall.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

10 November 2009

1468212 Gnr Robert Hounslea, Royal Artillery

1468212 Gunner Robert Hounslea of the 32nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery died on the 10th November 1942. He was 23 years old and the son of John and Sophia Hounslea, of Liverpool. He is buried in Bari War Cemetery in Italy.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

9 November 2009

3244348 Rfm John McFall, 1st Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

3244348 Rifleman John McFall of the 1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), died on the 9th November 1940 in India. He was 25 years old.

John was born in Antrim but living in Glasgow when he enlisted. He is buried in the Madras War Cemetery in Chennai. This from the the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

"MADRAS WAR CEMETERY was created to receive Second World War graves from many civil and cantonment cemeteries in the south and east of India where their permanent maintenance could not be assured. The cemetery contains 856 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. The MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL is situated at the rear of the cemetery. It bears the names of more than 1,000 servicemen who died during the First World War who lie in many civil and cantonment cemeteries in various parts of India where it is not possible to maintain their graves in perpetuity."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

8 November 2009

1786370 Pte Ralph Schneiderman, 1/6th Bn, East Surrey Regt

1786370 Private Ralph Schneiderman of the 1/6th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, died in Italy on the 8th November 1944. He was born in east London and was living there when he enlisted. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that he was the son of Jacob and Rebecca Schneiderman of Stepney, London.

Schneiderman is an uncommon name, in England at least, and yet there are three Schneiderman deaths recorded on CWGC. Nineteen year old Lazarus Schneiderman died at Ypres in 1917 and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial. He was the son of Mark and Millie Schneiderman, of 1 Hobson Place, Pelham Street, London. Kitty Schneiderman, a civilian, died in October 1940, presumably during the Blitz. She is recorded as a "Russian National; of 151 Heathfield Road, Hitchen, Hertfordshire. Wife of Louis Schneiderman. Died at Eaglet Place." She is buried in Stepney Metropolitan Borough Cemetery.

Eaglet Place no longer appears to exist and so I don't know in which part of London (presumably) Kitty Schneiderman died. Similarly, there is no Pelham Street in Stepney, although the street does exist in other parts of London. Nevertheless, I suggest that the three Schneiderman CWGC casualties are related and that Ralph Schneiderman, who was 24 years old when he died, was also of Russian extraction (even though the name sounds German).

Ralph Schneiderman is buried with 144 other men at Meldola War Cemetery in Italy. The cemetery, "was originally a battlefield cemetery of the 46th Division, into which a few burials were concentrated; they all date from the last week of October and the month of November 1944. Meldola itself was taken on 30 October, and in the ensuing month the 46th and 4th Divisions advanced to the Lamone River." (CWGC).

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

7 November 2009

6016373 Sgt Percy Harold Fidgett, 2/5th Bn, Essex Regt

6016373 Sergeant Percy Harold Fidgett of the 2/5th Battalion, the Essex Regiment, died on the 7th November 1941. He is buried in the Suez War memorial Cemetery in Egypt. This from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

"Suez was an important hospital centre during the First World War with two Indian general hospitals, two stationary hospitals and casualty clearing stations based there at various times. Initially, burials took place in a special plot in the Protestant cemetery but the War Memorial Cemetery was established nearby in 1918 and these graves were transferred there, together with some from other burial grounds. Later, the adjoining Arabian Indian Cemetery was also absorbed into it. The Second World War burials were from the large garrison based in and around Suez. There are now 513 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War and 377 from the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. A few, known to have been buried here or elsewhere but whose graves could not be located, are commemorated by special memorial. The cemetery also contains war graves of other nationalities and non war graves. The graves of those in the original Arabian Indian Cemetery are not marked by headstones, their names are recorded on Screen Wall panels in front of the burials."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

6 November 2009

6008980 Pte Percival Frederick Charles Mapes, 1st Bn, Essex Regiment

6008980 Private Percival Frederick Charles Mapes of the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment, died on the 6th November 1940. He was the son of Frederick Charles and Elizabeth Sarah Mapes of Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, and was 26 years old when he died. He is buried in the Keren War Cemetery in Eritrea. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has this to say about the cemetery:

"Keren was the last Italian stronghold in Eritrea and the scene of the most decisive battle of the war in East Africa in February and March 1941. Guarding the entrance from the western plains to the Eritrean plateau, the only road passing through a deep gorge with precipitous and well fortified mountains on either side, Keren formed a perfect defensive position. On these heights the Italians concentrated some 23,000 riflemen, together with a large number of well sited guns and mortars. A preliminary assault by United Kingdom and Indian troops was repulsed after a week of bitter fighting, although they gained and held a valuable position on Cameron's Ridge, on the left of the road. The final battle began a month later. After ten days of gruelling combat the Commonwealth troops succeeded in forcing their way through the seemingly impregnable defences on the ridge and finally through the 200 metre long road block which the Italians had blasted at the narrowest point in the pass. Keren was taken on 27 March. The defeated Italian force retreated in some disarray to Asmara, which fell to Commonwealth forces on 1 April, and the Italian surrender was taken at the port of Massawa on 8 April. KEREN WAR CEMETERY contains 440 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 35 of them unidentified. The KEREN CREMATION MEMORIAL stands within the cemetery and commemorates 285 Sikh and Hindu soldiers from India and Pakistan killed on the Keren battlefield during the Second World War, whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith. Three East African soldiers are also commemorated on the memorial."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

5 November 2009

1724163 Gnr Robert Henry Dundas, Royal Artillery

1724163 Gunner Robert Henry Dundas of the Royal Artillery died on the 5th November 1944. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that he was serving with the 105th Battery, 40th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.

Robert Dundas was born in Motherwell and Wishaw District and he died in the Netherlands. He is buried in Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

4 November 2009

2822422 Pte Nathaniel Rhind, 5th Bn, Reconnaissance Corps, Royal Armoured Corps

2822422 Private Nathaniel Rhind of the 5th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps, Royal Armoured Corps, died on the 4th November 1941 aged 33. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes that he was the son of Nathaniel and Annie Simpson Rhind and the husband of Isabella More Rhind of Elgin.

The UK Army Roll of Honour 1939-45 records that Nathaniel was born in Moray and living there when he enlisted. He originally joined the Seaforth Highlanders and was, according to the RoH, serving with the "Tower Hamlets Rifles (Recce)" at the time of his death.

Nathaniel presumably died at home as he is buried in Elgin New Cemetery on Moray.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

3 November 2009

6017768 Pte Leslie Douglas Neirynck, 5th Bn, Sherwood Foresters

6017768 Private Leslie Douglas Neirynck of the 5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters died on the 3rd November 1943. He was the son of Eugene and Bertha Neirynck, of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, and his Brother Victor Charles Edward also died on service.

Leslie is buried in Minturno War Cemetery in Italy. His brother Victor died at home on 8th May 1940 and is buried in Southend-on-Sea (North Road) Cemetery.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

2 November 2009

4444371 Pte John Christopher Stout, 11th Bn, Durham Light Infantry

4444371 Pte John Stout of the 11th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry died on the 2nd November 1940. He was born in Durham and enlisted there, and therefore the DLI must have been a natural choice for him.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) notes that he was the on of John Christopher and Mary Stout and the husband of Sarah Ann Stout, of Durham. He is buried in Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery in Poland. This from the CWGC:

"The Second World War burials at Malbork are mostly of men who died while prisoners of war in the nearby camps. Stalag XXB was a camp of some size at Malbork itself, Stalag lA was situated at Stablack, between Malbork and Gdansk, Stalag 2A at Starogard, a few kilometres south of Stablack, and Stalag XXA, at Torun (Thorn), about 120 kilometres south of Malbork. When hostilities had ceased, the graves service of the British Army of the Rhine moved the graves from the local burial grounds to this war cemetery, together with other Commonwealth graves in outlying places in the area where their permanent maintenance could not be assured. The largest number came from Torun, and the next largest from burial grounds in Malbork itself and Gdansk. MALBORK COMMONWEALTH WAR CEMETERY contains 232 Second World War burials. There are also 13 First World War burials which were moved from Gdansk (Danzig) Garrison Cemetery in 1960. The cemetery also contains the MALBORK MEMORIAL, commemorating 39 First World War casualties buried in Heilsberg Prisoners of War Cemetery (changed in 1953 to Lidsbark War Cemetery) where their graves could no longer be maintained."

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

1 November 2009

948401 WO Cl II George Walter Douglas Silvia, RA

948401 Warrant Officer Class II George Walter Douglas Silvia of the 23rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery died on the 1st November 1943. He was a Military Medal holder and was 24 years old when he died. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that he was the son of Harold and Emily Silvia of Clapham, London. He is buried in Minturno War Cemetery in Italy.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Sources:

Ancestry.co.uk (1939-1945 Roll of Honour)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission