bursary
WESTONBIRT ASSOCIATION
MEMORIAL BURSARY
Five former pupils of Westonbirt died in the second world war as members of the Forces, Civil Defence and the Nursing Services. Funds were raised for a memorial panel, inscribed with their names and placed in the School's Main Hall.
IN
HONOURED
MEMORY
1 9 3 9 - 1 9 4 5
BARBARA BLAKISTON
HOUSTON W.A.A.F.
BRIDGET HILL A.T.A.
HONOR SALMON A.T.A
ESTELLE TIDMAN C.D.
GRIZEL WOLFE MURRAY V.A.D.
Bono Malum Superate
Barbara Blakiston Houston, known as Patsy, was in Beaufort, 1930-4. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force at the start of the War and died in an air accident in Northern Ireland.
Bridget Hill was in Dorchester, 1929-30. Having qualified as a pilot, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (responsible for moving aircraft around, particularly from factory to aerodrome) and died in an aeroplane accident.
Honor Salmon (née Pitman) was in Beaufort, 1929-30. Also a qualified pilot and a member of the A.T.A., like Bridget she died in an aeroplane accident.
Estelle Tidman was in Gloucester, 1928-31. She joined the Civil Defence and died driving an ambulance during a bombing raid on London.
Grizel Wolfe Murray (née Boyle) was in House, 1928-30. She was a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. The troopship in which she was returning from nursing service abroad was torpedoed, and she died a few days later in the lifeboat to which she had been transferred.
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Remaining funds collected in their memory formed the basis of the Westonbirt Memorial Fund, to assist girls to benefit from education at Westonbirt.
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The information above was taken from Miss Freeman's "Weston Birt", 1977 edition completed by Miss Venning.
Additional information, mostly from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website:
Section Officer Barbara Kathleen (also known as Patsy) Blakiston-Houston of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force died aged 24 on 16 March 1942. Her parents lived in Killyleagh, County Down. Some details about the crash in which she died are here and here.
Third Officer Bridget Grace Marian Ledger Hill of the Air Transport Auxiliary died aged 27 on 15 March 1942. Her parents lived in Upper Woodford. See here for photographs of her with some details of her life and of the crash in which she died.
First Officer Honor Isabel Salmon (née Pitman) of the Air Transport Auxiliary, formerly of the Women's Transport Service (F.A.N.Y.), died aged 30 on 19 April 1943. See here for some details about the circmstances. She had married in 1941. Her name is on the War Memorial in the churchyard of St Peters Church, Dyrham, as are those of her brothers Captain Peter Pitman Butler of the Royal Armoured Corps, 7th Queen's Own Hussars, who died aged 29 on 17 July 1940, and Captain John Pitman of the Royal Armoured Corps, 3rd King's Own Hussars, who died aged 36 on 1 October 1943.
Estelle Ryall Tidman, a driver in the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service, died aged 26 on 11 January 1941 at Green Park Station, Piccadilly. Her parents lived in Cheltenham. She is also remembered at Ryde School with Upper Chine.
Grizel Mary Wolfe Murray (née Boyle) died aged 29 after a few days in the lifeboat to which she had been transferred when the S.S. "Laconia" was torpedoed on 12 September 1942. There were initially about 60 occupants in the lifeboat; 8 finally survived. The only other nurse on board (Doris M Hawkins) wrote a book about it, "Atlantic Torpedo: The record of 27 days in an open boat, following a U-boat Sinking". The National Portrait Galley shows photographs of Grizel here. Her parents lived in Fairlie, Ayrshire. She had married in 1935 and left two sons. An obituary of the younger son is here.
last updated 12 April 23