A list of the men by Surname P - R

This is a list of men who were either born or had a connection to either Frimley, Camberley or the local surrounding areas. Addresses are given as shown in the military and other records.

Kenneth Sidney, Parker 1919/20 - 1940;

Born at London about 1919/20. I've not confirmed birth records.

Enlisted unknown date.

Royal Sussex Regiment.

Service No: 5501230.

Rank: Private.

Kenneth served with the 5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment.

Killed In Action on the 23rd of May 1940, aged 20.

The battalion was mobilised on the 1st of September 1939,and initially was posted guarding vulnerable points in Sussex. It then moved to Dorset to carry out heavy training for deployment overseas. On the 3rd of April 1940, the battalion left Cattistock, Devon for Southampton and was then shipped to Cherbourg, France on the night of the 8th/9th of April on board the S.S. Amsterdam. The battalion was made up of 29 Officers and 690 other ranks. During the night of the 9th/10th of April the battalion was then moved on to Vivoin, and did some final training. The battalion then moved to Belleuse, and then after 2 days marched to St. Pol, with the H.Q. being set up at Conteville, Somme, with the other companies at Eps, Pas-de-Calais and Hestrus. On the 11th of May they then moved on to Lillers to perform Guard duties. The unit then moved on to Vichtrat Peteghen (Belgium) via Motor transport to take up defensive duties. After arrival they were told to march back 17 miles into France, then after marching all night were ordered to turn round again and head straight back to where they had come from, so marched 35 miles in 24 hours. On the 20th of May they moved on to Wortegem to take up defensive duties covering the river Escaut, with trenches on the forward slopes. The battalion started combat on the 20th of May 1940 when they came under shell and mortar fire. On the 22nd the battalion retreated to Coutrai, and then on the 23rd to hospital for incurables at St. Andre (near Lille), 160 casualties were reported here.

Buried at Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Adegem, Belgium.

Grave Reference: II. AB. 3.

Remembered on the Camberley War Memorial.

Son of John and Maud. B. Parker of Talavera, Woodview, Blackdown, Deepcut Camp, Surrey.

John Hugh Keith, Parvin 1918 - 1940;

Born between October and December 1918. Registered at Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Educated at Blucher House, Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire from 1932 to 1936.

John started bottom of the school but left five years later a dormitory Prefect and Sergeant in the Officer Training Corps.

Educated as a Flight Cadet at R.A.F. College Cranwell, Lincolnshire,

Commissioned as a Pilot Officer, Service No: 33441, on the 29th of July 1939. Published in the London Gazette on the 3rd of October 1939. Issue 34700, Page 665.

Posted to No.10 Squadron R.A.F. based at R.A.F. Leeming, North Yorkshire, unknown date.

No.10 Squadron was equipped with Whitleys by the outbreak of the Second World War, No.10 Squadron made a leaflet raid on Berlin on 1st/2nd of October 1939 (and in so doing became the first R.A.F. aircraft to visit that city in wartime) in very severe weather conditions. Slight enemy opposition was encountered and one of the four aircraft operating failed to returned. The squadron's first bombing raid of the war was on 19/20th of March 1940, when eight Whitleys, each carrying mixed bomb loads of 1,500 lb, attacked the German minelaying seaplane base at Hornum on the island of Sylt. All returned safely.

Killed In Action on the 27th of August 1940, aged 21.

Italy's declaration of war on 10th/11th of June 1940 brought a swift reply. The following night the squadron flew from an advanced base in the Channel Isles (Guernsey Airport) through thunderstorms and severe icing to attack the Fiat Works at Turin. One aircraft was struck by lightning and had to abandon the mission because of shock to the rear gunner who had been leaning on his guns, and burns to the wireless operator. One other aircraft failed to return. Bombings were renewed during August 1940. On the night of 13th/14th of August 1940, three bombers dropped bombs and propaganda leaflets; the target was again the Caproni plant which however was not hit, while several buildings along a few streets were, with 15 killed and 44 wounded. On the night of 15th/16th of August another raid ensued, but the reaction of the anti-aircraft batteries shot down one Vickers Wellington bomber, and induced the others to drop their load over the towns of Merate and Mariano Comense. On the night of 18/19 August another bombing by four planes hit the Innocenti and Caproni plants and the Linate Airport. On the night of 26th/27th of August, eleven bombers bombed the Idroscalo, a seaplane base in Milan, which saw the loss of John and his crew.

Remembered on the Camberley War Memorial.

Son of Christopher and Gwendoline Belle Parvin (nee Harper) of Broxhead, Southwell Park Road, Camberley, Surrey.

John Montague, Peacock 1913 - 1943;

Born between April and June 1913. Registered at Willesden, Middlesex.

Educated at Brighton College, unknown date.

John joined the Officers Training Corps as a Cadet whilst at Brighton College.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Royal Engineers, on the 11th of July 1931. Published in the London Gazette on the 10th of July 1931. Issue 33734, Page 4544.

Promoted to Lieutenant 26th (London) Anti Aircraft Searchlight Battalion (London Electrical Engineers) on the 11th of July 1934. Published in the London Gazette on the 20th of July 1934. Issue 34071, Page 4668.

John married Annabelle Barbara Pluck between July and September 1939. Registered at Hampstead, Middlesex.

Promoted to Captain, unknown date.

Transferred to the Royal Artillery, unknown date. In August 1940 the Anti Aircraft Battalions were transferred from the Royal Engineers to the Royal Artillery, being redesignated Searchlight Regiments.

Promoted to Major, unknown date.

Posted to the 64th (The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, unknown date.

Mobilised in September 1939 the 64th (The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment remained in Britain as part of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division until July 1942 when the regiment became an integral part of the newly created 78th "Battleaxe" Infantry Division. The 78th was formed specifically for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, from regular British Army units, landing at Algiers in November 1942 it also fought in the Tunisian Campaign.

Killed In Action on the 8th of April 1943, aged 29.

Buried at Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery, Tunisia.

Grave Reference: 1. F. 18.

Posthumously Awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration in 1950. Published in the London Gazette on the 21st of April 1950. Supplement 38889, Page 1934.

Son of Montague and Ethel May Peacock (nee Firmin); husband of Annabelle Barbara Peacock, of 42 Gordon Road, Camberley, Surrey.

Charles Harry, Pell 1921 - 1943;

Born at Frimley, Surrey on the 8th of December 1921.

Living at 3 Council Cottages, High Street, Frimley, in 1924.

Enlisted unknown date.

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

Service No: 1536156.

Rank: Sergeant.

Trade: Flight Engineer.

Posted to No.630 Squadron R.A.F., based at R.A.F. East Kirby, Lincolnshire, unknown date.

The squadron was formed at R.A.F. East Kirkby, near Spilsby in Lincolnshire on the 15th of November 1943 from 'B' Flight of No. 57 Squadron RAF, equipped with Lancaster Mk.I bombers as part of No. 5 Group RAF in Bomber Command. It re-equipped with Lancaster Mk.III bombers the same month, carrying out strategic bombing roles. The first active raid took place on the 18th/19th of November 1943 when 9 Lancasters bombed Berlin, Germany.

Killed In Action on the 23rd of November 1943, aged 22.

Lancaster Mark III, Serial No: JB236, Code: LE-O, took off from R.A.F. East Kirby at 4.50.pm on the 23rd of November 1943, target Berlin, Germany. Shot down by German fighters and crashed onto the bombing range at Fassberg, about 12 miles from Munster. Two of the crew, the wireless operator and rear gunner, escaped the Lancaster and parachuted out being captured as prisoners of war. The rest of the crew were buried with full military honours by the Germans at Fassberg before being reinterred after the war at Hannover. This was the first operational loss for the newly created No. 630 Squadron R.A.F.

Buried at Hanover War Cemetery, Seelze-Harenberg, Germany.

Grave Reference: 3. H. 7.

Son of Harry and Rose May Pell (nee Kemp) of Ardencote, 9 Station Road, Frimley, Surrey.

Charles Robert McLeod, Petley 1917 - 1941;

Born on the 24th of December 1917. Registered at Kensington, London.

Educated at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, between 1931 and and 1936.

Educated at Cambridge University, from 1936.

Awarded a Double First from the School of Natural Sciences.

Enlisted into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

Commissioned as a Pilot Officer R.A.F. on the 8th of March 1938. Published in the London Gazette on the 8th of March 1938. Issue 34490, Page 1512.

Service No: 72107.

Promoted to Flying Officer R.A.F. on the 2nd of December 1939. Published in the London Gazette on the 7th of May 1940. Issue 34844, Page 2727.

Charles married Audrey Phyllis Johnston between July and September 1940. Registered at Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.

Posted to No.77 Squadron R.A.F. based as R.A.F. Topcliffe, Yorkshire, unknown date.

Promoted to (War Substantive) Flight Lieutenant R.A.F. on the 17th of March 1941. Published in the London Gazette on the 28th of March 1941. Issue 35119, Page 1814.

Killed In Action on the 8th of July 1941, aged 23.

Charles took off at 10.30.pm from R.A.F. Topcliffe, Yorkshire, as Captain and Pilot flying a Whitley Mark V, SeHHrial No: Z6799, Code: KN-, with a target for the night as Osnabruck, Germany. Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast Charles and his crew were shot down by German night fighter flown by Oberleutnant Helmut Lent. All aboard were killed except the wireless operator Reginald Luce. Below is an extract from the book The Heavy Bomber Offensive Of WWII by Martin Bowman;

"When war came Luce elected to join the RAF as a trainee wireless operator. He did most of his flying on Whitleys on 77 squadron at Topcliffe in Yorkshire and on the seventh night of the seventh month in 1941 he was on his 27th operational flight when the target for 54 Whitleys and 18 Wellingtons was Osnabruck. Luce and his fellow members on Flight Lieutenant Charles Robert McLeod Petley DFC's crew had flown around thirty operational trips and they named their track out to the Ruhr 'the 25a bus route'. Sergeants George Lightly and Kenneth William Marshall Christopher were the second pilot and navigator respectively. Sergeant Josiah Herbert Wilson, the rear gunner, was a first tripper but he was a lad they already liked well and they all felt that he was going to shake down and give a good account of himself in his responsible, if unenviable and draughty, position.

The moon was bright in a clear summer sky as the Whitley droned away across the sleeping Yorkshire countryside and out over the North Sea. Meanwhile the bright moonlight promised that they would receive a most lively welcome from the flak gunners. There was also every chance that they be intercepted by Luftwaffe night fighters stationed at Leeuwarden.

As the Dutch coast passed beneath the Whitley, making a dull fringe to the beaten-silver expanse of the sea, Reg Luce got busy with his wireless and sent his routine signal 'crossed enemy coast'. In his small cabin he could see and hear nothing of what went forward in the rest of the world outside. Everything seemed normal enough, however, except the wireless set itself. As he worked, it went dead. He fiddled with it, made an adjustment, but was not altogether certain that it was functioning properly. However, since he did not care to bother his skipper with details, he leant out of his cabin to call Petley's attention and give him the thumbs-up sign that the signal had been sent. Then he had a most unpleasant surprise, for the pilot's seat was empty and for a moment it appeared that he was entirely alone in the aircraft. He saw a vague figure standing over the forward escape hatch, wearing a parachute and beckoning to him urgently. The figure crouched down, slid over the hatch-edge and disappeared. Naturally enough Luce realized that his bother with the wireless set had meant real trouble. He knew that an order to bail out must have been given by the skipper, but owing to general circuit failure he had not been able to hear it over the intercom. What had caused everybody to grab their parachutes and jump he hadn't the faintest idea. In the freakish way that things have of happening to aircraft, he had felt no shock, sensed no unusual movement and heard no alteration in the note of the engines.

As the only man left aboard Luce reasoned it was no time to debate possibilities. The obvious thing was to grab his parachute and follow the others. Accordingly he knelt down, whipped his parachute pack from beneath his seat and clipped it on. He jerked open the mid-fuselage hatch - and had all his questions answered. Outside the hatch a roaring mass of flame was blasting back from the wing tanks in the slip-stream of the Whitley. There and then it was perfectly obvious that an enemy fighter must have crept up on their blind spot and exploded the tanks with a burst of cannon shells. Their attacker was 23-year old Oberleutnat Helmut 'Bubi' ('Nipper') Lent, Staffelkapitan 6./NJG1. Lent who had taken off from Leeuwarden at 0010 hours, had entered the Luftwaffe in 1936 as an officer cadet and trainee pilot, was born into a Prussian family of profound religious faith and believed that his God protected him in combat. It was said he mouthed a prayer for his victims each time a bomber fell to his guns. He had become a national hero after the air battle of 18 December 1939 when flying a Bf110C-1 Zerstorer in 3./ZG 76 he had claimed three Wellingtons destroyed. His seven Zerstorer victories marked him out as outstanding pilot and Lent scored his first night victories on 11/12 May 1941 when he destroyed two Wellington's ICs on 40 squadron during the raid by 92 aircraft on Hamburg.

Luce decided to waste no further time. He was about to crawl along the gangway towards the escape hatch when he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his body and, as far as he knew, recovered his senses a few seconds later to find himself lying flat on his face on the cabin floor. The reason for this was because Lent had come back to administer a second burst coup de grace after having set the aircraft on fire in a first attack. A cannon shell from that second burst struck Luce in his left hip, went clean through him, chipping his spinal column on the way and then went out again, leaving a sizable split in his back. He lay on the floor a while, trying fiercely to get the rights of everything while his senses slowly returned to him. One he could think connectedly the all-important fact came back into his mind: he must get out of the aircraft and quickly, before the blazing tanks finally blew up.

Luce got weaving as best he could. As he dragged himself forward towards the pilot's seat, his left side was completely paralysed and he had no feeling in either his left arm or leg. Even so he got to the back of the seat, clawed himself up and half-blindly caught hold of the control stick in the process. Naturally enough, in doing so he wrenched it back but, as he realised later, one of the aileron wires must have been shot through for the stick movement immediately put the damaged and blazing Whitley into a barrel-roll. What happened in the course of that roll he could never clearly remember afterwards. All he knew is that the aircraft somehow righted itself and there came a moment in which he realised that it was roughly on an even keel while he himself was draped helplessly over the pilot's seat. Since his tiny nightmare world had reached an equilibrium he put out one more violent effort. He dragged himself out of the machine and reached to grab at the radio mast. By that time vague waves were weaving within his mind. He knew it was crazy to jump from above the aircraft and, anyway, the effort was beyond him. With his last will-power he lurchingly forced himself to stand up on his good leg. At the same time he took a blind chance and pulled at the rip-cord of his parachute. In the next second he was aware of passing the tailplane of the aircraft at appalling speed, missing it by what seemed inches. His parachute, of course, had inflated and whipped him off the doomed Whitley. After that he did not remember anything more until consciousness returned to him while he was hanging in his harness and drifting down the silent moonless sky over the flat countryside of Holland. Luce was badly wounded and he knew it. For the time being he was mainly thankful that he had somehow managed to get himself out of a spectacular blazing coffin which had been gyrating around the sky. Then has he hung in his harness there was a thudding explosion from below which actually swayed him beneath his parachute. As he glanced down he saw a sudden uprush of bursting flame and sparks which marked where the Whitley had made its last landing.

Very shortly afterwards Luce made his own landing in the forest of Leeuwarden at, as far as he could judge, at 0230 on the 8th of July. It was easy because his parachute caught in the trees. After a few jerks and a spectacular crackling and breaking of branches he finally came to rest, still in his harness, swaying in the darkness. Since he had no means of knowing how high he was from the ground, he very sensibly decided not to use his release gear and drop clear until dawn broke. From then until 0600, when there was light enough to see his surroundings, was by no means a pleasant period. A parachute harness is not the most comfortable repose for a seriously wounded man. However, when at last he could make out where the ground was, he found it less than 3 feet below his dangling boots. He knocked his release gear undone, dropped down in a heap and too what pleasure he could from being actually upon hard, dry land. In one way his peculiar luck had work to advantage. His long period of hanging in the harness may have saved his life. The harness suit had compressed his wounded with the result that the blood had coagulated. Meanwhile, he had a few cigarettes in his flying suit, a chocolate bar and some spearmint gum, which kept him going. Still, that was not an over-generous ration for two whole days.

From the time he bailed out, Luce spent almost precisely that time in the Leeuwarden forest before he was found. Throughout the long hot summer day he lay helplessly on the ground beneath the trees. From time to time he heard a circular saw working somewhere in the woods. Whenever it stopped he got together what strength he had left and yelled and shouted. But no-one came. The saw worked on and on; its thin harsh note like a monotonous cry of some nightmare bird throughout the long hours of the afternoon. Then it stopped and in deep silence the gathering twilight gradually gave place to night.

Luce got through the second night in comparative comfort. It is probable he was unconscious for long periods without realising it. In any case, he could remember nothing about it. He lay there until the sun woke him again. At roughly 0900 he heard something moving in the bracken. He saw three Dutch foresters, who had either seen the remains of his parachute festooned in the tree or had just stumbled upon him. There they were standing over him and staring in obvious amazement.

Luce knew a little French and German, but no Dutch at all. At first there was gabble and pantomime. By signs they asked if he could walk. When he showed his helplessness they knelt down and made fumbling attempts to tie branches to his legs as splints. Then he made them realize that the trouble was his back and when they saw the obvious sign of it, the three took counsel together in shocked whispers. He understood them to say they must get 'the boche'. What that meant, Luce had a slight idea, although he did not like the sound of it.

Two of the men went off but, once they had gone, the third drew a large knife and came down to kneel beside him with a somewhat alarming smile. The moment was not pleasant. Luce had plenty of fighting spirit left in him but no strength. However, he almost chuckled in thankfulness when the Dutchman started cutting the RAF brass buttons off his uniform. As he did so he grinned, announced 'RAF buttons, goot...' and having cut off the lot, fell to polishing them upon the sleeve of his coat. The other foresters were as good as their word. In about half an hour a German captain arrived and, jerking his pistol from its holster, asked Luce to give up his weapons. When it was obvious the helpless prisoner had none, the German dropped his military ferocity, became human and gave him a cigarette. 'Soon you will be looked after' he said. 'Dere shall be no more worry. For you mein freund , dees war if ofer.'

Less than hour later Luce was in the Leeuwarden Convent hospital, where all his personal possessions were taken from him and he never saw them again. However he received good and immediate medical attention and some days later was moved to a hospital in Amsterdam, where he was tucked up in one of a ward of fifty empty beds, which he found somewhat lonely and depressing. But there were two Dutch women cleaners who crept into the room very early each morning, knelt by his bed and kissed both his hands. From that point he was moved to thirteen different prison camps and hospitals in Holland and Germany and was ready to admit that he was to thank a German doctor, Professor Schmiedem, for saving his life was a delicate operation. Although the professor was seventy-seven years old, he practically rebuilt Luce's bowel passage which the cannon shell had torn apart. The doctor also enabled him to go on living without the top left-hand side of his pelvic girdle. With this help and the constant attention of two brother prisoners, Major Lorst and Major Martin, both of whom had been captured at Dunkirk, he gradually returned to normal physical life.

During this time he became known to the Germans and their staff doctors as the wundermensch - or wonder boy - for his fantastic powers of survival. Finally, he was repatriated in 1943 and demobilized in 1944 with the rank of Warrant Officer; in August of that year he was fortunate in choosing the right day upon which to visit the Roebuck Hotel at Buckhurst Hill in Essex. There he met Cecilia, the girl he later married, on Boxing Day 1946. Reg Luce became a government officer in Dagenham, leading a full life and able to enjoy an hour of swimming and drive his own car. He would never forget the three crew members who were buried together at Westerbork General Cemetery in the small Dutch village of Oosterbeek. Luce thought that, in the haste to abandon the aircraft at the time of the fire outbreak, his comrades must of jumped facing the nose instead of the tail. This would almost inevitable mean that they must of been struck by the aircraft, which again seemed likely since the good Dutch folk who found them and gave them a Christian burial reported that none of them bore wounds."

In the book by Martin Bowman he has Charles awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross but I have not found any evidence that Charles was awarded this medal.

Buried at Westerbork General Cemetery, Westerbork, Netherlands.

Grave Reference: Plot 33. Grave 12.

Son of Charles Ralph Carter Petley, LL.B., and of Cis Mary Constance Petley, (nee England); husband of Audrey Phyllis Petley, of Alison House, Connaught Road, Camberley, Surrey.

Ronald Anthony, Pickers 1918 - 1941;

Born between July and September 1918. Registered at Farnham, Surrey.

Living at 2 Alexandra Drive, Camberley, Surrey, 1920.

Educated at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire, 1935.

In January 1935, 98 young hopefuls arrived at R.A.F. College Cranwell as the 7J12 and 7M12 (31st) Entry to train as Instrument Makers (7J12), or Wireless Operator Mechanics (7M12). Ronald was in class 7M12 C. The Entry Passed Out from Cranwell in December 1937.

Royal Air Force.

Service No: 567731.

Trade: Wireless Operator.

Completed training as an Air Gunner, unknown.

Posted to No. 7 Squadron R.A.F., based at R.A.F. Oakington, Cambridgeshire, unknown date.

On the 1st of August 1940 No. 7 Squadron reformed, becoming the first squadron to equip with the new Short Stirling heavy bomber, and the first R.A.F. squadron to operate four engined bombers during the Second World War, flying the first bombing raids with the Stirling against oil storage tanks near Rotterdam on the night of 10th/11th of February 1941.

Killed In Action on the 11th of May 1941, aged 22.

On the 10th of May Short Stirling Mark I, Serial No. N6010, Code MG-?, took off from R.A.F. Oakington at 10.11.pm for a bombing mission to Berlin, Germany. Ronald as wireless operator and air gunner was aboard along with six others completing the crew. At about 12.35.am over a small German village called Beverbruch, Ronald's aircraft collided with a German Messerschmitt Bf-110 G flown by Heinz Sawert from the Luftwaffe unit 3./NJG 3. Both aircraft crashed near to Beverbruch about 4 miles from Cloppenburg, Germany. All seven crew aboard the R.A.F. Stirling were killed while, Heinz Sawert managed to bail out although he was injured. His radio operator was also killed.

Buried at Becklingen War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany.

Grave Reference: Collective grave 9. D. 7-14. (Buried with his crew all together.)

Son of Walter and Rose Louise Pickers, of 3 Alexandra Drive, Camberley, Surrey.

Gordon Murray, Pirie 1899 - 1939;

Born between October and December 1899 at Tooting, Surrey. Registered at Wandsworth, London.

Living at 46 Althorp Road, Battersea, London, in the 1901 census.

Living at 29 St James Road, Upper Tooting, London, in the 1911 census. Gordon now aged 11 is attending school.

Educated as a Gentleman Cadet, at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Royal Engineers, on the 23rd of January 1919. Published in the London Gazette on the 21st of January 1919. Supplement 31137 Page 1143.

Promoted to Lieutenant Royal Engineers, on the 23rd of January 1921. Published in the London Gazette on the 21st of January 1921. Supplement 32204, Page 678.

Promoted to Captain Royal Engineer, on the 23rd of January 1930. Published in the London Gazette on the 24th of January 1930. Issue 33573, Page 500.

Appointed as General Staff Officer 3rd Grade (G.S.O III) at the War Office, London, on the 10th of November 1937. Published in the London Gazette on the 19th of February. Issue 34456, Page 7263.

Promoted to Major Royal Engineers, on the 1st of August 1938. Published in the London Gazette on the 5th of August 1938. Supplement 34538, Page 5020.

Appointed as General Staff Officer 2nd Grade (G.S.O II) on the 30th of May 1939. Published in the London Gazette on the 27th of June 1939. Issue 34640, Page 4351.

Appointeed as Lieutenant-Colonel Royal Engineers, 1939.

Died on the 15th of September 1939, aged 40.

Buried at Tourlaville Communal Cemetery, Tourlaville, France.

Grave Reference: Row A. Grave 36.

Gordon is one of only two WW2 burials at this cemetery.

Son of James Gordon Pirie and of Charlotte Capon Pirie (nee Murray); husband of Margaret Joyce Pirie (nee Millar), of Vernatts, Upper Park Road, Camberley, Surrey.

Kenneth, Place 1919 - 1944;

Born on the 20th of September 1919, at Preston, Lancashire.

Educated at Preston Grammar School, from the 10th of September 1930 until the 25th of March 1937. Kenneth became School Prefect.

Enlisted into the Royal Army Service Corps, September 1939.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), on the 3rd of October 1942.

Service Number: 247159.

Kenneth married Sylvia M. Hunt between January and March 1943. Registered at Surrey North Western.

Promoted to Lieutenant, unknown date.

Seconded to the 2nd Battalion Nigeria Regiment, Royal West Africa Frontier Force, unknown date.

Posted to Burma, unknown date.

Killed In Action on the 21st of December 1944, aged 25.

No known Grave.

Remembered on the Rangoon Memorial, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Taukkyan, Myanmar (Burma).

Panel Reference: Face 15.

Remembered on the Camberley War Memorial.

Son of Fred and Edna Place; husband of Sylvia M. Place, formerly of 10 Burford Road, Camberley, Surrey; now of Stanford Rivers, Essex.

Richard Bernard, Rice 1901 - 1943;

Born on the 29th of April 1901 at Skirbeck, Lincolnshire. Registered at Boston, Lincolnshire.

Baptised on the 27th of May 1901 at St. Botolph, Boston, Lincolnshire.

Educated at Boston Grammar School, unknown dates.

Living at 34 South Square, Boston, Lincolnshire, in the 1911 census.

Educated as a Gentleman Cadet at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich, unknown date.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Royal Artillery on the 16th of July 1920.

Promoted to Lieutenant Royal Artillery on the 16th of July 1922.

Promoted to Captain Royal Artillery, on the 16th of July 1933. Published in the London Gazette on the 18th of July 1933. Issue 33961, Page 4802.

Appointed as Adjutant Royal Artillery, on the 27th of January 1936. Published in the London Gazette on the 25th of February 1936. Issue 34259, Page 1236.

Promoted to Major Royal Artillery, on the 1st of August 1938. Published in the London Gazette on the 5th of August 1938. Supplement 34538, Page 5019.

Appointed as (Temporary) Brigade Major 48th (South Midland) Division on the 13th of September 1938. Published in the London Gazette on the 23rd of September 1938. Issue 34554, Page 6012.

Relinquishes appointment of Adjutant and Seconded for service on the Staff on the 13th of September 1938. Published in the London Gazette on the 27th of September 1938. Issue 34555, Page 6079.

Service No: 18110.

Posted to the B.E.F. in France, 1939/40.

Mentioned In Despatches in recognition of distinguished service in connection with operations in the field March - June 1940.. Published in the London Gazette on the 20th of December 1940. Supplement 35020, Page 7177.

Appointed as Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, unknown date.

Appointed as Commanding Officer 30th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, unknown date.

Posted to North Africa, 1942.

The 30th Field Regiment sailed on the S.S Bamfora disembarking at Algeria, 1942.

Killed In Action on the 9th of May 1943, aged 42.

Buried at Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery, Medjez-el-Bab, Tunisia.

Grave Reference: 7. D. 5.

Mentioned In Despatches in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North Africa. Published in the London Gazette on the 25th of January 1944. Supplement 36349, Page 520.

Remembered on the Boston Grammar School War Memorial, Boston, Lincolnshire.

Remembered on Memorial at Boston Cemetery, Marian Road, Boston, Lincolnshire.

Son of Bernard Francis and Joanna Alexandrina Rice of 4 South Square, Boston, Lincolnshire; husband of Frances Elizabeth Shuttleworth Rice, of Camberley, Surrey.

Bernard's mother died in Camberley 1952. Buried at St. Michael's, Yorktown, Camberley, she was living at Caerleon. Heatherley Road, Camberley, Surrey.

Bernard's brother Colonel Frederick Joseph Rice M.M. and Bar, also lived Camberley since the 1920's. He was living at 8 Woodlands Road, Camberley, Surrey at the time of his death in 1976.

Basil George, Richardson 1912 - 1941;

Born on the 3rd of November 1912 at Frimley, Surrey. Registered at Guildford, Surrey.

Living at Gold Road, Pirbright, Surrey, in 1919.

Enlisted on the 4th of May 1931, for 6 years service.

8th King's Royal Irish Hussars

Service No: 551619.

Rank: Trooper.

Posted to Abassia, Egypt, 1934.

Posted to Palestine, 1936. The 8th Hussars helped quell civil unrest in Palestine, now known as the Arab Revolt.

Posted to the Army Reserve on the 4th of January 1938.

Living at 35 Brook Road, Camberley, Surrey, in 1938.

Basil married Edith Irene Smallbone between October and December 1938.

Called up from the Army Reserve 1939.

Promoted to Lance Corporal, unknown date.

Awarded the General Service Medal with Clasp Palestine. For service in Mandatory Palestine between the dates 19th of April 1936 and the 3rd of September 1939, during the Arab Revolt. Medal was presented at Pocklington, Yorkshire on the 19th of January 1940.

Transferred to the 3rd 3rd The King's Own Hussars, unknown date.

The 3rd Hussars was under command of the 1st Light Armoured Brigade in the United Kingdom from the 3rd of September 1939 until the 14th of August 1940. The brigade was renamed 1st Armoured Brigade on the 14th of April 1940. One troop saw service in Norway, embarking on the 6th of May 1940, landing on the 14th of May, and leaving Norway on the 4th of June 1940.

The 3rd Hussars was dispatched to Egypt on the 22nd of August 1940 and arrived at Port Said on the 24th of September. It then joined 7th Armoured Brigade from the 13th of October 1940 until the 22nd of January 1941, serving in Libya from the 30th of December. It joined 3rd Armoured Brigade from the 26th of January until the 14th of April 1941 in Libya. On the 14th of April ‘A’ and ‘C’ Squadrons were sent to Egypt from Tobruk due to heavy losses. Meanwhile, R.H.Q. and ‘B’ Squadron, along with one squadron of 5th Royal Tank Regiment, formed a composite regiment under 3rd Armoured Brigade.

‘C’ Squadron fought in Crete from the 20th of May to the 1st of June 1941, having left Egypt on the 11th of May. The Germans invaded Crete on the 20th of May 1914.

Killed In Action on the 28th or 29th of May 1941, aged 28.

When the Germans invaded Crete, "C" Squadron of the 3rd King's Own Hussars was in its leaguer four miles west of Canea, and was sent to block the road from Galatos. During the next few days of fighting the 3rd Hussars took part in counter-offensive attacks alongside regiments from New Zealand. Although initially successful in defending against the airborne assault, the Allied forces was too weak to hold off a sustained German assault. The Allied troops made a costly withdrawal.

An entry in Basil's enlistments papers gives Basil's death as Lost at Sea. (Possibly whilst trying to withdraw from the Island).

Remembered on the Camberley War Memorial. (As a Sergeant, Irish Hussars with Military Medal))

Son of George and Ada Richardson (nee Fuller) of 35 Brook Road, Camberley, Surrey; husband of Edith Irene Richardson (nee Smallbone), of Farnborough, Hampshire. Basil's brother Edwin also fell. (See Below).

Edwin Edgar, Richardson 1915 - 1940;

Born on the 14th of January 1915 at Frimley, Surrey. Registered at Guildford, Surrey

Living at Gold Road, Pirbright, Surrey, in 1919.

Living at 35 Brook Road, Camberley, Surrey, in the 1939 Register. Edwin aged 24 is a General Labourer Heavy Work.

Enlisted unknown date.

1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte Of Wales')

Service No: 5339501.

Rank: Private.

Appointed as Lance Corporal, unknown date.

Posted to the B.E.F. in France, 1939/40.

The 1st Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Miles Dempsey, was still assigned to the 6th Infantry Brigade in the 2nd Infantry Division, part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was sent to France in 1939 after war was declared. They took part in the Battle of France in 1940 and were evacuated during the Battle of Dunkirk.

Killed In Action on the 22nd of May 1940, aged 25.

No known grave.

Remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk Town Cemetery, France.

Panel Reference: Column 112.

Remembered on the Camberley War Memorial. (As a Sergeant, Royal Berks).

Son of George and Ada Richardson (nee Fuller) of 35 Brook Road, Camberley, Surrey. Edwin's brother Basil also fell. (See Above)

Frederick, Rogers 1918/9 - 1940;

Born in 1918/19 at Surrey. I've not confirmed family details for Frederick.

Enlisted unknown date.

The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

Service No: 6086862.

Rank: Private.

Posted to the B.E.F. in France 1939/40.

Missing In Action, May 1940.

Died on the 19th of May 1940, aged 21.

Originally buried at Godewaersvelde, Nord, France.

Reinterred at Lille Southern Cemetery, Nord, France, on the 18th of June 1946.

Grave Reference: Plot 5. Row E. Grave 8.

Son of Thomas John and Kate Rogers, of Camberley, Surrey.

Ewan Boileau, Rotherham M.B. B.S. 1907 - 1944;

Born on the 27th of April 1907. Registered at Grimsby, Lincolnshire.

Living at Woodfield, Chantry Lane, Grimsby, Lincolnshire in the 1911 census.

Educated at Uppingham School, Uppingham, Rutland.

Educated at London Hospital.

Qualified as Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (L.R.C.P.) London Hospital 1932.

Bachelor of Medicine (M.B.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with Honours in Gynaecology and Obstetrics, London 1933.

Membership Royal College of Sugeons (M.R.C.S.)

Ewan Practised in Grimsby, Lincolnshire with his father Frank Herbert Rotherham M.B.

Member of the British Medical Association and served on the local executive.

Living at 32 Cambridge Street, Paddington, City of Westminster, London, 1934.

Ewan married Grace Thelma Stewart at St. Peter's, Frimley, Surrey, on the 24th of April 1934.

Living at Madeley, Yarborough Road, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, 1935.

Emergency (War Duration) Commissioned as Lieutenant Royal Army Medical Corps on the 12th of January 1940. Published in the London Gazette on the 5th of March 1940. Supplement 34804, Page 1309.

Service No: 119626.

Posted to the B.E.F. in France, February 1940.

Evacuated from Dunkirk, May/June 1940.

Promoted to (War Substantive) Captain Royal Army Medical Corps on the 12 of January 1941.

Posted to Africa, May 1942.

Promoted to (War Substantive) Major Royal Army Medical Corps, November 1942.

Killed In Action on the 12th of February 1944, aged 37.

On the 6th of February 1944 the S.S. Khedive Ismail set sail from Kilindini Harbour at Mombasa, Kenya to Colombo, Ceylon in Convoy KR-8. Carrying 1,511 personnel from the Army and the Royal and Merchant Navies, the S.S. Khedive Ismail sank on Saturday the 12th of February 1944 when torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-27 in the Indian Ocean near to the Maldives. No fewer than 1,296 people lost their lives in the space of the 100 seconds it took to sink the ship, including 77 women, the single worst loss of female personnel in the history of the British Commonwealth. The submarine was eventually depth charged to the surface by the destroyers H.M.S. Paladin and H.M.S Petard, a campaign which forced the Navy to attack through some of the survivors when I-27 attempted to hide under the S.S. Khedive Ismail's survivors who were floating in the water. Only 209 men and 6 women survived the ordeal with 1 Japanese submariner taken prisoner.

Mr Guy Pulvertaft wrote of Ewan;

"The news of Ewan Rotherham's loss at sea was a hard knock to those who knew and loved him, and it is difficult to express in words all that he meant to us. Ewan came from the London Hospital in 1933 to work in practice with his father and was soon recognised as a future leader among us. He was always well informed of recent work, and enriched his knowledge with a tenderness and devotion which was an inspiration to those who saw his work. Paediatrics held his keen interest, and his special gifts were gaining him a growing reputation. In early 1940 Ewan received his commission in the R.A.M.C. and in the army he found his fullest expression. Those who were honoured by his friendship and saw him during brief periods of leave could not fail to be struck by his inward happiness and peace, seen only in those have no fear of life. His friends mourn him and their hearts go out to his dear ones who face the future here without him."

Remembered on the East Africa Memorial, Nairobi War Cemetery, Nairobi, Kenya.

Panel Reference: Column 7.

Remembered on the St. James Memorial Book, Grimsby, Lincolnshire.

Remembered on the Uppingham School Memorial, Uppingham, Rutland.

Son of Frank Herbert and Hazel Durie Rotherham; husband of Grace Thelma Rotherham (nee Stewart), of Gladswood, Prior Road, Camberley, Surrey.

Edward Peregrine Stuart, Russell A.M. 1916 - 1942;

Born between October and December 1916. Registered at Knaresborough, Yorkshire.

Living at Kenmare, Westward Ho, Devon, in 1924.

Living at Silverthorne, London Road, Camberley, Surrey, 1933.

Enlisted into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the 9th of June 1936.

Rank: Probationary Midshipman.

London Division, H.M.S. President, Victoria Embankment, London.

Appointed as Acting Sub-Lieutenant, unknown date.

Promoted to Sub-Lieutenant on the 17th of August 1938. Published in the London Gazette on the 9th of September 1938. Issue 34549, Page 5733.

Promoted to Lieutenant on the 19th of March 1940. Published in the London Gazette on the 16th of April 1940. Issue 34831, Page 2245.

Posted to H.M.S. Eskimo, unknown date.

The winter of 1939/40 consisted of patrols, convoy duty and high speed steaming in rough weather. After a refit was completed in March 1940, Eskimo was ready to participate in the impending operations in Norwegian waters. During the Second Battle of Narvik, H.M.S. Eskimo had her bows blown off by a torpedo. She limped back to Skilfiord, Norway for temporary repairs. Surviving aerial bomb attacks, she was finally made ready for sea on 31 May 1940. The destroyer proceeded without incident, to the Vickers-Armstrong yard at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England for a rebuild. By September 1940, the work was completed and Eskimo re-joined the 6th Destroyer Flotilla.

During the winter or 1940/41, the 6th Destroyer Flotilla was mainly engaged in the escort of the big ships of the Home Fleet. In June 1941, the destroyer was in need of refit so she was dispatched to Green and Silley Weir in London. On returning to the 6th D.F. in September 1941, she paired up with H.M.S. Ashanti in order to support Home Operations during the coming winter.

In March 1942, H.M.S. Eskimo took part in the movements which screened convoys PQ-8 and PQ-12 and in the abortive sweep to intercept the German battleship Tirpitz.

Died on the 9th of May 1942, aged 25.

Edward drowned when he tried to save a man that had been washed overboard.

Posthumously Awarded the Albert Medal. Published in the London Gazette on the 11th of August 1942. Supplement 35662, Page 3503.

"Lieutenant Edward Peregrine Stuart Russell, R.N.V.R.

When H.M.S. Eskimo was on passage in heavy weather on 9th May, 1942, a man was washed overboard. Lieutenant Russell, seeing that he could not grasp the bearing lines thrown to him, dived overboard and tried to secure him, but the man sank before he could do this. As Lieutenant Russell himself was being hauled on board he lost his hold of the bearing line, and drifted away. Another Officer tried to save him, but could not reach him, and by the time the ship could be stopped, he was dead. He was not a strong swimmer, and had made a gallant attempt to save his shipmate"

Buried at Falmouth Cemetery, Falmouth, Cornwall.

Grave Reference: Sec. K. Row B. Grave 15.

Remembered on the Camberley War Memorial.

Son of Captain Somerville Peregrine Brownlow Russell R.N. and Eileen Frances Russell (nee Kelly), of Maitland, Crawley Drive, Camberley, Surrey.

Edward's Albert Medal was available to buy for £9,950. (August 2017)

Lest We Forget

Lee Thomas October 2020