THE  DOVER WAR MEMORIAL  PROJECT

 

war memorial at dusk, photographed by Michelle Cooper


 World War II

 

SERVICE CASUALTIES IN THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

Surnames C

Cadman, R. W.
Ronald William Cadman, 1165794, was the son of Henry William Cadman and his wife Edith Harriet, née Uden, and the husband of Winifred Cadman, née Geer, from South Street, Faversham, Kent

He was a Flight Engineer Sergeant in the RAFVR, 61 Squadron. He took off in Avro Lancaster R5759 from Syerston, Nottinghamshire, at 18.05 hours on 1 October 1942, for a raid on the town of Wismar, Northern Germany. It was a relatively small raid with 78 Lancasters, of which two were lost. R5759 crashed later that evening at Sildemow, south of Rostock. Only one crew member, Sergeant Bartells, survived, to become a PoW The remainder of the crew are buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany. 8 B 34

The crew were:

Flight Sergeant Geoffrey Ernest Dale Captain (Pilot) -RNZAF aged 25
Sergeant Ronald William Cadman Flight Engineer aged 26
Sergeant George Francis Dare Navigator - RAAF aged 28
Sergeant J G Bartells Bomb Aimer age unknown - became PoW
Flight Sergeant Ronald Sydney Cole Wireless operator/Air gunner aged 22
Sergeant Harry Robert Williamson Air Gunner - RCAF aged 21
Sergeant Harold Hewitt Air Gunner - RCAF aged 23

Notes:

Flight Sergeant Dale was the son of Ernest James and Caroline Lucie Dale, of Whangarci, Auckland, New Zealand
Sergeant Dare was the son of Joseph Penric and Ida May Dare, of Yanco, New South Wales, Australia
Sergeant Williamson was the husband of Theresa Williamson, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

with thanks to Dean Sumner

Cairns, J.
John Desmond Cairns, 1894992, was the son of Edward and Helen Cairns, from Dover, and an old St Mary's school boy. He was an Air Gunner Sergeant in the RAFVR, 15 Squadron

In Avro Lancaster LL752 LS-A he took off from Mildenhall in Suffolk at 22:36 hours on 11 May 1944, for a raid on the railway yards at Leuven (Louvain) in Belgium. The raid was carried out by 105 Lancasters as part of the extensive operations carried out to destroy and disrupt German supply and transport facilities in preparation for D-Day. Four Lancasters were lost including LL752, which was shot down by a Luftwaffe night-fighter at 00:30 hours, and crashed to the northwest of Leuven. All of the crew are buried there in the Leuven Communal Cemetery, Belgium. John Cairns is in Row B, Grave 4

Flight Lieutenant Alan Amies Captain (Pilot) aged 21
Flight Sergeant Ernest Thomas Jones Pilot aged 24
Sergeant Donald Jack Wilson Flight Engineer age unknown
Flight Sergeant Reginald Kenneth Watson Navigator - RAAF aged 26
Flight Sergeant Gavin John Cronk Bomb Aimer - RCAF aged 29
Sergeant Herbert Samuel Baker Navigator age unknown
Sergeant John Whittaker Air Gunner - RCAF aged 20
Sergeant John Desmond Cairns Air Gunner aged 20

Notes:
Flight Sergeant Jones was an extra crew member on operational experience
Sergeant Wilson was the son of John and Lily Wilson, of Cape Town, South Africa
Flight Sergeant Watson was from Queensland, Australia
Flight Sergeant Cronk was from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sergeant Whittaker was the son of Harry and Hilda Mary Whittaker, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

1949- "In loving memory of our dearest son and brother ... and his crew" from Mum, Dad, Eddie and June

RAF information with thanks to Dean Sumner

*Cant, P. W.
Possibly Percy Augustus Cant, who was an Assistant Steward on the Merchant Navy Cable Ship Alert. Born on 6 April 1882, he was 62 when he died on 24 February 1945. He had been in service for only two months. He is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London. Panel 4.

He was the son of Evans Cant and his wife Mary. In 1891 they were living at 37 Howson Road, Lewisham, and with them were Percy, his younger brother Stanley, 6, and their sister, Mabel 2.  She was named as Percy's next-of-kin; she lived at 19 Anson Road, London and had married George New in 1921.

Notes on Alert

Carter, J. A. J.
Joseph Albert John Carter, 156320, was born in Dover in 1912. He was the "dearly beloved and only son" of Ellen and Joseph Carter; Mr Carter was a boot and shoe repairer, with a shop in the centre of Dover. They lived at 28 Church Street

He married Edith Annie Brookman, and they had two children - Michael, who was born in 1939, and Jeanette, born 1941

Joseph became a Lance Bombardier in the Royal Artillery, 33 Battery, 11 (City of London Yeomanry) Lt A A Regiment. He died of wounds at the age of 32 on 18 January 1943, and is buried in the Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery, Tunisia. 16 G 1

with thanks to John Brookman
John, please contact us

Carteret, H. G.
Harvey George de Carteret, 200235, was a Lieutenant in the 71 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery, gazetted as 2nd on 19 August 1941. Mentioned in Dispatches and with two bars, he was 27 when he died on 8 January 1945. He is buried in the Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium. I D 6. He is said to have met an old school friend, John Bushell, in Normandy ten days after the landings. One night in September John saw Harvey brought into a Field Ambulance, badly wounded. Harvey received emergency treatment, but later died in a Field Hospital.

Harvey attended the County (now Grammar) School between 1930 and 1934.  On 1 August 1930 he was reported as gaining honours in the preparatory exams for pianoforte playing. In form VB in December 1932, he wrote a short history of The Pharos, which appeared in the school magazine. On 28 August 1934, Harvey was best man for his brother Philip when he  married Eileen T N Foster at Chelsea Old Church.

In civilian life Harvey was an actor, beginning his career early. In 1928 he played Puck in a performance by scholars of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a prize-giving for Godwynhurst College at St Mary's Hall. In 1938 he was said to be "making rapid progress as an actor", appearing with the M'Master International Players in the Alhambra at Dundee and scheduled to go to India with them.  That year he gave a residence address also of the Hillside Hotel, Duppas Hill Road, Croydon.

With Anew M'Master, Harvey in June 1938 was in the melodramatic play "Trilby". He gave a "fine performance", making "a romantic and appealing figure of Trilby's true love". He also appeared that month in the curtain-raising one-act play "King René's Daughter", supporting "more than capably". Giuliano de Medici, the younger brother of  "The Cardinal",  was "well portrayed" by Harvey, contrasting "his light-hearted moments with highly emotional passages".

July 1938 brought several appearances, with parts in "The Last of Mrs Cheyney" and in "Romance". In the comedy "David Garrick", which included extracts from "Romeo and Juliet", Harvey played the apothecary, and was said to be "completely unrecognisable" with "emaciated frame and hands like skinless claws". He also appeared in Noel Coward's "Hay Fever", playing Simon Bliss, and was reviewed as one of the "clever and attractive young people". A further part was as the daughter's beau in "Mr Wu", described as giving "a sympathetic rendering of Basil Gregory, the rather craven lover, who lacks, until too late, a full appreciation of the Oriental outlook". The following month he acted in "A School for Scandal" in Dundee, and, "keeping faithfully in character", as Richard in "East Lynne". He also appeared in "Othello".

Further appearances were in March 1939, again at the Alhambra in Dundee, in J B Priestley's "Eden End", where he was said to be "excellently cast as brother Wilfred", playing "in a most attractive manner". The "scene where he and his brother-in-law philosophise in their cups is a joy". He reprised his role in "The Cardinal", making "an attractive figure of Giuliano, the Cardinal's wronged brother", with "the impetuous young lover" "splendidly played".

By June 1939 he was with the Forbes-Russell players at Brighton Palace Pier, playing in "The Breadwinner" and "Anthony and Anna". The next month he was at Shanklin in the comedy "Ma's Bit of Brass" directed by Ronald Russell - this also was in the Winter Gardens in Lancashire in August 1939. In the plot, "Ma" wins £500 on the pools. She buys a cottage, wants to run a tearoom, get a garage for her son Joe to run, and maybe a farm for her husband. This involves them in a number of misadventures, from battles with the Lady of the Manor to having a daughter nearly eloping with a belted earl. Harvey played Gerald Maydew, "the lovesick baronet" and the Stage reviewed him as one of those "prominent in the large cast". His Gerald Maydew in Eastbourne the same month was considered "a breezy manly portrait", and in September 1939 in Gloucestershire the play was recommended as a cure for "the black-out blues". He was described as an actor in the 1939 register, then staying at 101 Park West, Paddington. In December at Coventry he appeared at the Opera House, Coventry, in "Worth a Million", where he stepped "into the limelight with an efficient representation of the promoter's son". In the Grammar School magazine he was also said to have appeared in a Tommy Trinder film.

Perhaps Harvey was building on a family inheritance. His father was Major Forbes de Carteret, born in Jersey. In 1905 he sang Sullivan's "A Sailor's Grave" with "fine feeling" and earned himself "hearty applause" , in a fund-raising concert for the Union Jack Club in Jersey.

Mr de Carteret had married in 1906, to Nellie Wells. Philip Royal Forbes was born in 1907. In 1911 the family were living at 71 Cleve Road, Gillingham, in 1911 when Mr Forbes was an engineer clerk, quartermaster sergeant, for the Royal Engineers. Born on 25 August 1917, Harvey was the second son to bear that name; the child born the year before sadly died in infancy. The family later moved to "Byways" at Guston and in 1939 Major Forbes became head warden for the ARP in the Guston area. He died on 10 December 1949.

The inscription on Harvey's grave in Belgium reads,

"A dearly loved and loving son, a true friend to all his companions"

Cassingham, J.
Jack Cassingham, was born on 9th April 1905. With ten years service, he was a Third Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy, Cable Ship Alert. Born on 9 April 1905, he was 39 when he died on 24 February 1945, and is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel 4

He was the son of John Odion and Kate Cassingham from 10 Monins Road, Dover. In 1911 they were living at 51 Monins Road, with Mr Cassingham working as a marine engineer for the South East Kent railway. Jack, aged 6, was with them. He was the husband of Violet Cassingham, from Folkestone, and his effects were sent to George Edward Harrow, the chief clerk of the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes.

Notes on Alert

Castle, R. V.
Ronald Victor Castle, was a Fourth Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy Steamship "Empire Crossbill". He was 22 when he died on 11 September 1941, and is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel 39

His parents were Sydney Ernest and Bertha Harriet Jane Castle, from River, Dover, who had married in Dover in 1911. They probably had five children, Sydney, born 1912, Harold, 1915, Ronald, 1919, Bertha, 1921, and Leonard, 1925. Ronald's address was given as 10 Salisbury Road for probate, and his effects were sent to his father, a scrap metal merchant.

Castle, T. A.
Thomas Alfred Castle, 10547175, was a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was 22 when he died on 3 April 1943, and is buried in the Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya. 6 C 10

He was the third son of John W. and Ellen M. Castle, of 21 Pilgrim's Way, late of 11 Military Road, Dover. Their second son, Albert George, serving with The Buffs, was reported missing in November 1943. Two months later they heard that he was a Prisoner of War in Germany.

There were probably ten children born to the family, the first-born son John, in 1915 dying soon after birth. Amongst the children was Ellen Miriam Sydenham.

Chapman, E. C. W.
Edward Charles William. Chapman, 6287784, was a Private in the 4th battalion of The Buffs, attached to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was 21 when he died as the result of enemy air action over Olympia in London on 7 September 1940, just after he had finished a week's leave at Dover. He is buried at St Mary's Cemetery, Dover, and the first part of his funeral service was held at Christchurch, Folkestone Road. Section YHX Grave 27

Known as Teddie, he was an old St Martin's schoolboy. He was a keen cricketer and footballer, and a member of the Dover Football Supporters' Club. Until a week before the outbreak of war he worked at Barwick's, the builders, but was then called up with the Dover Company of the Buffs Territorials. He went to France and became attached to the RAOC

He was the "dearly loved only son" of Albert Edward and Harriett Chapman, from 116 Clarendon Street, Dover, who laid a wreath "In affectionate remembrance of our dear one". He had a "loving sweetheart", Marjorie, who came from Canterbury

"Ever in our thoughts"
"He did his duty bravely and died beloved by all"

Charlwood, H. S.
Harold Sydney Charlwood, T/17104,was a Serjeant in the 308 Reserve MT Company, Royal Army Service Corps. He was reported missing, and later as presumed killed, on 26/27 April 1941, when he was 39. He is commemorated on the Athens Memorial, Greece. Face 8

His parents were Cecil Oliver and Laura Charlwood, and in 1911 they were living in 26 Queen's Gardens, Dover, with six children; Leonard, 19, an apprentice to a whitesmith, Frederick, 16, a drapers' assistant, Edmund, 13, Harold, 9, and twins Rosin and Doreen, 4. Mr Charlwood was working as a process server for Dover County Court.

He was married in 1935 to Kitty Gillmore, of Denver, late of 10 Maxton Road, Dover. The couple had a son, Peter, born in 1939. Mrs Charlwood wife asked the friends and members of the Congregational church to note that he was reported as presumed killed

Cheeseman, H. M.
Harold Montague Cheeseman, 62825910, was a Lance Corporal in The Buffs, 1st battalion. He died on 15 August 1941 and is buried at El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt, XXX F 24.

He was the son of George and Elizabeth Cheeseman, from Reading, Berkshire.

Chell, A. C.
Alfred Charles Chell (under "Clell" in Book of Remembrance), 2617566, was a Guardsman in the Grenadier Guards, 5th battalion. He was 27 when he died on 26 February 1944. He is buried at the Anzio War Cemetery, Italy. IV F 8

He was an old County (now Grammar) school boy, between 1920 and 1932, and was married to Emma Foster Chell, of Glasgow

headstone, Simon Cahmbers, 67-5156Clarke, A. T.
Alfred Thomas Clarke, 175596, was the son of Henry Clarke and his wife Eveline Matilda, née King, from 6 Lowther Road, Dover. An old St Bart's schoolboy, he was employed before the war by the East Kent Road Car Co, and was one of the earliest members of ATC, Dover. He was the secretary of the sports club, which he had formed

As a Pilot Officer in the RAFVR, No 76 Squadron, he took off on 22 June 1944 from Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire, at 23.07 hours, in a Handley Page Halifax, LW620 MP-G, on a raid to bomb railway yards at Laon, France

At some point during the flight, Halifax LW620 was assumed to have been attacked and badly damaged by a Luftwaffe night-fighter. As the crippled Halifax returned to land at its home base something on the port-inner engine failed causing the propeller to shear off. Wildly spinning, it cut into the cockpit and presumably killed the Pilot. The stricken Halifax went out of control and crashed in the early hours of 23 June at 03:21 hours, about 10 miles south-west of Beverley in Yorkshire. All the crew were killed

Alfred's body was recovered, and he is buried at Charlton Cemetery, Dover. Section 3T, Grave 14, his coffin draped for the service with the RAF Ensign. Mourners included his parents, Mr H W Clarke, his brother, and Mr and Mrs Hingston, brother-in-law and sister. There were over fifty floral tributes

A total of 100 Halifax bombers took part in the raid on Laon, and 4 were lost including LW620

The crew were:

Squadron Leader Robert George West - RCAF Captain (Pilot) aged 25
Pilot Officer Alfred Thomas Clarke Flight engineer aged 20
Flight Lieutenant Peter Scott Milliken - RCAF Navigator aged 27
Flight Sergeant James Johnson Bomb aimer aged 22
Pilot Officer Wilfred Jim Lowe Wireless operator aged 24
Pilot Officer Leslie James Barnard Air gunner aged 21
Flight Sergeant Thomas Glen Air gunner age unknown

Notes:-

Squadron Leader West was the son of Walter and Florence Jane West, of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Flight Lieutenant Milliken was the son of George Watson Milliken and Mary Belle Milliken, of Sinclair, Manitoba, Canada

with thanks to Dean Sumner

Alfred Clarke was the nephew of Edward Thomas King, who died in 1918. Petty Officer King was the brother of Alfred's mother.  Mrs Clarke had worked as a bottle labeller in a brewer's factory in Dover before her marriage in 1912. Alfred was also the nephew-in-law of Frank Booth, who was married to Mary, Eveline Clarke's sister.

Cock, C. E.
Charles Edward Cock, 6191167, was a Serjeant in the 4th Battalion of The Buffs. He died on 23/24 October 1943, with the Eclipse. He was 43, his birthday being 8 August. He is commemorated on the Athens Memorial, Greece. Face 4

His wife was Clara Sophia Cock, from Dover, and he was born at 3 Woolcomber Lane, Dover.

Others lost with HMS Eclipse were Alfred Ward, Robert Patrick Bean, and Percy Macdonnell.

Cole, T. C.
Thomas Charles Cole, 2612948, was a Guardsman in the 2nd Grenadier Guards. He had joined the Army from the Duke of York's school, and had served in France at the beginning of the war, being evacuated from Dunkirk.  He was 27 when he died at Nijmegen on 20 September 1944, and is buried at the Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Netherlands. 22 B 3

He was the fourth son of Captain and Mrs W S Cole.

"In ever loving memory of our dear daddy and my brother" - 1949 - from Brian, Tommy, Teddy and his sister Gladys.

Coles, P. E.
Peter Coles' cemetery, courtesy Bob Carson Peter Ernest Coles, 1389953, was a Leading Aircraftman (Observer under training) in the RAFVR, having previously attended Sandhurst and having been educated at the Boys' Grammar. There he was in the cadets and also active in sport.

 Peter, then of RAF Jurby, Isle of Man, was 24 when he died on 31 October 1941, and was buried with full service honours at the Killead (St Catherine) Church of Ireland Churchyard, Ireland, Section 23, Grave 4.

Born on 1 April 1917, he was the son of Ernest James Coles and Alice Maud Coles, née Paul, who had married in Dover in 1912. He was the twin brother of Paul Charles Coles, also a Leading Aircraftman in the RAFVR. Their elder sister was Mary Davies, from Ninham House, Digswell, Welwyn, Herfordshire. Mrs Davies was amongst the mourners, accompanied by Mr Dennis Taylor, who was her brother's friend and colleague, and who represented the Special Branch of the CID, Scotland Yard, in which Peter had been working before he volunteered for service. Peter's effects were sent to Mrs Davies.

Mrs Coles died in a nursing home in Purley on 9 November 1936. Her home address had been 116 Folkestone Road. Mr Coles died on 15 March 1927; he is buried at Hougham.

St Patrick's Church, Jurby, is near the airfield.  In the churchyard are buried a number of men who served at RAF Jurby. A window in the church has the inscription, left. The men would have attended services on the airfield, rather than at the church, except on special occasions. Visible from the graveyard is a pillbox.

 

pictures: Killead (St Catherine) Church of Ireland Churchyard, with thanks to Bob Carson
Jurby airfield
window of Jurby church

Collier, W.W.
William Willis Collier, 400970, was a Corporal in the Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Dragoons. He was 33 when he died on 28 December 1941. He is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt. Column 15

His parents were John and Kathleen Collier, and his wife was Eveline G Collier (née Crascall), from Elvington, formerly from 6 Whittington Terrace, Shepherdswell

 

left: William and Eveline on their wedding day, 24 August 1937. They were married at St Andrews, Shepherdswell.

in memoriam, courtesy Dover Express
January1943

Note: Eveline was first cousin to Maggie S-K's grandfather

Cook, D. H.
Douglas Henry Cook, 6297406, was a Gunner in the 4th battery of the 2nd Maritime Regiment of the Royal Artillery. He died, aged 40, on 22 May 1945 at Sumatra, while a POW. He is buried in the Jakarta War Cemetery, Indonesia. 4 A 10

He was the son of Henry and Rose Edith Cook, from Dover, and lived at 30 Heathfield Avenue. His effects were sent to his mother.

1949 - Treasured and happy memories of our dear son and brother" From his loving Mum, Dad, Connie, Kath and Bill

Cornwell, W. F.
William Frederick Cornwell was born on 29 September 1914. With 7 years service he was a Seaman Cable Hand, Merchant Navy on the Cable Ship Alert. Born on 29 September 1914, he died on 24 February 1945, when he was 30. He is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel 4

His parents were William John and Ellen Susan Cornwell, from Dover, and his wife, married in 1935, was Olive Cornwell, née Gillmore, from 6 The Grove, Dover

Notes on Alert

Cox, C. C.
Cecil Charles Cox, 7594509, was a Private at the 1 Base Ordnance Depot in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was 24 when he died on 17 June 1940, and is commemorated on the Dunkirk Memorial, France. Column 145

His address was 39 Liverpool Street, Dover, and his effects were sent to his widow, Hazel.

Cox, F. H.
Frank Herbert Cox, C/KX 84647, was a Petty Officer Stoker aboard HMS Suffolk. He was 26 when he was accidentally killed on 3 June 1942. He is buried in the Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery. Grave K 14480

He was the youngest son of Alfred James Thomas and Alice Elizabeth Cox, from Felderland Lane, Worth, Kent, and the husband of Marjorie Cox, from St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Kent

courtesy Dover Express

1943

courtesy Dover Express

Crepin, F. T. G.
Frederick Thomas George Crepin, 629113, was a Trooper in the Royal Armoured Corps, with the Yorkshire Hussars. He was 29 when he died from wounds on 14 March 1944. He is buried in the Cassino War Cemetery, Italy. VII E 14.

Born in 1914, Frederick was the son of George Henry Crepin and his wife Alice Susan, née Coghlan or Coughlan. Both from 18 Odo Road, the couple had married on 5 June 1911 at St Bartholomew's, Charlton. George Henry, then a miller, was the son of Eliza Jane, née Ballard, and George Town Crepin, a sailor, who in turn was the son of Charles Town Crepin and his wife Mary. Alice was the daughter of Thomas Coughlan, also a sailor.

There were at least ten children in the family: Alice E S, born in 1912, followed by Frederick, then Gladys M, 1915, Margaret L L, 1917, Violet E, 1919, Lily or Lilian Matilda, 1921, who sadly died aged one year and eight months, George H, 1924, Ida K, 1927, Rose D, 1928, and William E, 1930. The family address was 65 Wyndham Road.

Frederick's father, George Henry, was the brother of Matilda, the wife of Barrington Bradish.

Note: Alice Crepin lost her little brother George at the age three in 1913 of when his nightshirt caught alight.
Eliza Jane Crepin died at the age of 74 on 20 January 1934. George Henry Crepin died in 1973, aged 71. Alice Susan Crepin, born 18 December 1887, died in 1973.

Crighton-Pascoe, W. J. C.
William Thomas.Crighton-Pascoe, 220937, was a Captain in the Reconnaissance Corps, RAC. He was mentioned in dispatches. He died from wounds on 20 January 1946, Military Hospital, Shaftesbury. He was 27. He is buried at St Mary's, Dover. G H 7, on 26 January from 47 Astley Avenue

He was the son of Chief Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy Norman Cecil Pascoe and Ellen Rocina Pascoe, of Dover, and was engaged to be married to Margaret (Lanark, Scotland)

*Cronin, H. G.
H. G. Cronin - this could possibly be Henry Treverton Cronin, who was a Purser, Merchant Navy, aboard the Cable Ship Alert. He died when he was 35, on 24 February 1945, and is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel 5

Born on 29 September 1909, Henry was the son of David Treverton Cronin and Eliza Priscilla, née Creed. He was married to Doris, née Hutchings, of 18 East Cliff, Dover, and the couple had a son, Michael. When he died, Henry's address was given as 103 Glenview Abbey Wood, London.

Notes on Alert

Curran, P.
Patrick Curran, 2034993, was in the 468 battery of the 20th Searchlight Regiment of the Royal Artillery. He died at the age of 21 on 19 August 1940. He had been returning to his unit after 24 hours leave, and was killed by entering a restricted area which had been mined

His death was witnessed by Second Lieutenant Charles Digby Crumpton, who was in charge of a working party, and by Private Alfred George Bird in that party. Private Bird had called to Gunner Curran, warning him not to go over a wire into the restricted area. Gunner Curran had replied, "There's a footpath, and I'm going through." Approximately two minutes later there was an explosion so large it threw forward the two witnesses in their truck. 2nd Lt Crumpton rushed towards the wire, and saw half of Gunner Curran's body in the field

The Coroner returned a verdict of death by misadventure, and a strong warning was issued over the dangers of disobeying military notices. This was the second death within a fortnight from the same cause. The Coroner expressed his sympathy to the regiment and to the relatives, while 2nd Lt Pain expressed to the relatives the sympathy of the CO, officers, and men of the Battery

Gunnar Curran was buried at St James Cemetery, Dover, Row E, Joint Grave 2, with full military honours. He was the son of Hetty Curran, from 66 Manor Road, Maxton, Dover, and she laid a floral tribute, "To one of the best, with all my love, from his heartbroken Mum"

In 1944 an in memoriam notice in the Dover Express read:
Curran - Treasured memories of our dear son and brother Patrick Curran, accidentally killed 19 August 1940. From his loving Mum, Sisters and Brother (Normandy)

from Joyce Banks

Curtis, G. A. J.
Gilbert Alfred John Curtis, 178241, was a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force, serving with the 431 "Iroquois" RCAF Squadron. He was the son of Alfred Ernest and Amy Afra Curtis, and the husband of Margaret Ellen Curtis, of Dagenham, Essex

On a raid to bomb railway targets at Versailles, France, he took off from Croft, Yorkshire, on 7 June 1944, at 23.54 hours, in a Handley Page Halifax MZ602 SE-U. The Halifax crashed in unknown circumstances during the early hours of 8 June at Blevy about 11 miles south-west of Dreux in France. All of the crew were killed and are buried at Blevy Communal Cemetery, France, in a Collective Grave

A force comprising almost 340 RAF bombers attacked various railway targets in France on the night of 7/8 June, and 28 were lost including MZ602

The crew were:
Pilot Officer John Peter ARTYNIUK - RCAF Captain (Pilot) aged 23
Sergeant William TEAPE Flight engineer aged 20
Flying Officer Hugh Allan MORRISON - RCAF Navigator aged 29
Flying Officer Peter Joseph GANDY - RCAF Bomb aimer aged 21
Flight Sergeant Donald Angus FLETT Wireless operator/Air gunner age unknown
Pilot Officer Gilbert Alfred John CURTIS Air gunner aged 21
Pilot Officer Gordon Beverley JOSE - RCAF Bomb aimer aged 20
Sergeant William Dakin MULLIN - RCAF Air gunner age unknown

Notes:-

Pilot Officer Gilbert Curtis is recorded as holding the rank of Flight Sergeant when he was killed and was thus posthumously commissioned
Pilot Officer Artyniuk was the son of Pete and Rosie Artyniuk, of Onoway, Alberu, Canada
Flying Officer Morrison was the son of Joseph H. Morrison and Mary Ellen Morrison, Canada
Flying Officer Gandy was the son of Agnes Gandy, and stepson of Joseph Skoez, New Westminster, British Columbia
Pilot Officer Jose was an additional crew member on air experience. He was the son of John Sidney Jose, and of Mary Jane Jose, of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Sergeant Mullin was the son of William N. Mullin and Catherine May Mullin, of Brighton, Digby Co., Nova Scotia, Canada

1949 - "Silent thoughts and treasured memories of our dear one ... and to all his crew" from loving wife Peggy and Little Son, Mother and Brothers

with thanks to Dean Sumner

The memorials above are at Burn, North Yorkshire. On the right is the memorial for "All who served in 431 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, Burn, 1942-1943". The memorial on the left is for "All who served in 578 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Burn, 1944-1945". 431 Squadron was formed in 1942 at Burn, then in 1943 went to Tholthorpe, and then to Croft.


Copyright 2006-18 © Marilyn Stephenson-Knight. All Rights Reserved