Military deaths (listed by Air Force and then others) compiled by Jan Gore

Jan welcomes further information and readers can email her at jangore3@gmail.com

RAF:

William Stevens Anthony, Aircraftman 2nd Class, Service No: 1631292, aged 40. He was the son of William Walter Anthony and Eliza Stevens; they married in Shardlow in the September quarter of 1899. William senior was a baker. His oldest son, also William, was born in the September quarter of 1902 in Shardlow. He married Mabel Alice Mead (1899-1998) in the September quarter of 1924 in Shardlow; they had two children. By 1943 he was serving in the RAF Volunteer Reserve; his home address was Sandiacre, Derbyshire. He was an AC2. He died on 23 May 1943 and was buried in Beeston and Stapleford (Stapleford) Cemetery: grave reference section A grave 515.

Charles Arthur William Bailey, Leading Aircraftman, RAF Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1080166, aged 31. He was the son of Arthur John Bailey (1876-1937) and Eleanor Marjory Hayden: they married in the June quarter of 1909 in Winchester. He was born in the June quarter of 1911 and had two younger sisters. He married Mildred G. Bugg in Winchester in the September quarter of 1939; they had two sons. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel; his body was unrecovered. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial: panel 171.

William (Bill) Herbert Bastable, Sergeant Observer, Navigator/Bomber, RAF Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1433876, aged 21, of Queens Drive, Heaton Mersey. He was the son of Herbert Arthur Bastable (1889-1943) and Edith Ellen Allen (1885-1954), of the same address; they married in 1920 in Cardiff.They had two sons; the elder, William, was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1922. In 1927 the family travelled back to England from Japan, where they had been living, via Montreal. Edith was from Ledbury, Herefordshire, and returned there after her husband’s death.

Herbert studied at Finsbury Technical College and then became an estimating engineer at AEG Electric in Cardiff. He then joined the London Electrical Engineers in November 1914. He served in an anti-aircraft searchlight section of the Royal Engineers; in 1916 he held a temporary commission and was posted to the Works Directorate. He served with the British Expeditionary Force in France. He was working as an electrical engineer at the time of his return from Japan. He died on 17 December 1943.

William (known as Bill) died on 23 May 1943 in Bournemouth. He was buried in Ledbury Cemetery: grave reference Sec. U.V. Row 11A/12A. He is commemorated on the Ledbury War Memorial.

Philip Lawson Corner, Aircraftman 2nd Class, RAF Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1066878, aged 40, of Marine View, Upgang, Whitby. He was the son of William Gladstone Corner (1870-1938) and Emma White Falkingbridge (1872-1961), of Whitby; they married in 1900 in Whitby. Philip was born there in the March quarter of 1903 and was their only child. He died at Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth on 23 May 1943. He was buried in Whitby Cemetery: grave reference 4022. He and his parents are commemorated on the Falkingbridge family gravestone. His name was recently added to the Whitby War Memorial Boards in St Mary’s Church.

Ronald Crawshaw, Leading Aircraftman , RAF Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1026511, aged 34, of Windsor Place, Hebden Bridge. He was the son of Fred and Hannah Maria Crawshaw of Windsor View, Hebden Bridge. In 1901 Fred was living with his parents in Hebden Bridge. He married Hannah Maria Boggis on 6 June 1905 at Cross Lanes Chapel, Hebden Bridge; he was a “clerk in wholesale clothing works (fustian)”, while she was a “tailoress (fustian)”. Ronald was born on April 30 1909 in Hebden Bridge and was baptised at Foster Lane Chapel on 27 June. In the 1911 census the three of them were living at Windsor View and Fred was a clerk (fustian clothing). (Fustian was a type of strong cotton cloth, a significant part of the textile industry in Hebden Bridge.) Ronald died on 23 May 1943, possibly at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference G4/99.

Thomas Hayde, Aircraftman 2nd Class, Service No: 1651763, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 21, from Bury. He was the son of William Hayde (1884-1937) and Elizabeth Ann Butterworth (1887-1970); they married in the March quarter of 1909 in Bury. In the 1911 census, William was a paper mill backtender (operating paper machines to produce paper and wind it onto rolls, as well as checking the rolls for defects) and Elizabeth was a cotton ring spinner (processing cotton to make a yarn). They had seven or more children; William and his twin sister were born in the June quarter of 1922 in Bury. William died on 23 May 1943. He was buried in Bury Cemetery, Redvales: grave reference section H.P.138, grave 6249.

Frederick William Hennessey, Flight Sergeant, Observer/Pilot, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1551026, aged 20, from Edinburgh. He was the second son of James Henry Hennessey (1890-1971) and Mabel Hudson Wallace (1895-1978), of Edinburgh; they married in about 1919. They had four children.

James Henry Hennessey was born on 14 June 1890. In his teens he went to sea on merchant ships travelling round the world. He joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman, studied and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant RN in 1918. He then transferred to the Fishery Cruisers as a captain.He qualified as a mariner and gained his master’s certificate in 1921; this enabled him to captain foreign seagoing vessels. He joined a merchant company and spent many years at sea. In 1939 he was called back to the RNR (reserve) and was given the rank of Commander. During the first two years of the war the UK was short of merchant navy captains and he was requested to return to the merchant fleet. During the landings in Normandy on D Day he captained two American merchant ships that were supplied to Britain, the Empire Waterhen and the Empire Spartan. One was sunk in the attack on the French coast at the Mulberry Harbour (floating dock) and he was immediately transferred to the other which he served on till the end of the war.After the war he joined merchant companies in Hong Kong and Singapore, and traded around the Indonesian Islands. He eventually retired in about l956, and died in l971 at the age of 81.

Frederick William Hennessey was born in Edinburgh on 25 May 1922. He had received his RAF training in Canada and has just returned to the UK. He was killed on 23 May 1943, two days before his twenty-first birthday. He was buried in Edinburgh (Rosebank) Cemetery: grave reference Sec. C grave 33.

His elder brother, John Wallace Hennessey, also died on active service. He was born on 14 February 1920. He was serving in the Merchant Navy as a 3rd Officer; he was on board the steamer SS British Monarch when it was torpedoed and sunk by a U48 U-boat on 19 June 1940 in the Bay of Biscay. The master and all 39 crew members were lost. It was one of 67 ships hit that month. He is remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial, panel 20.

Jack Howlett, Leading Aircraftman, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service no: 1657723, aged 38. He was the son of Charles Robert (1872-) and Ellen Martha Howlett (1874-), of Leytonstone, Essex; they married in the December quarter of 1895 in Bury St Edmunds. By the time of the 1911 census they had seven children. Charles was an iron moulder and they lived in Diss. Jack was born in the June quarter of 1905 in Depwade, Norfolk. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He is buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery, grave reference: D4/94.

James Ireland, Leading Aircraftman, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1057613, aged 21. He was the son of David and Joan Ireland, of Lochee, Dundee. I have been unable to find any other confirmed information about him; his family may originally have been from Ireland as Lochee was the area in Dundee where many Irish lived. He died in Bournemouth on 23 May 1943; he was buried in Dundee (Balgay) Cemetery, grave reference: plot A, grave 196.

Andrew Joseph Phillips Lohoar, Aircraftman 2nd Class, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No:1862704, aged 57. He was the son of Robert Lohoar (1858-1924) and Isabella Reynolds (1862-1941); they married in January 1885 in Clerkenwell. They had four children; Andrew was the oldest and was born on 12 October 1885 in Holborn. He was baptised on 31 October in Clerkenwell. In the 1891 census Robert was a warehouseman from Scotland. Andrew may have fought in WW1; there is a medal card for a Joseph P. A. Lohoar. If so, he was in the 42nd Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery as a Gunner, and then the Labour Corps. He married Ethel Phoebe Smith (1896-1982) on 11 April 1920 at St Thomas Parish Church, West Ham. They had seven children. Andrew became a post office porter in January 1925.At the time of his death, Ethel was living in Grays, Essex. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried on 29 May in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference U3/95.

Vincent Monaghan, Leading Aircraftman, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1056266, aged 23. He was the son of Bernard Monaghan (1886-1965) and Margaret Sullivan (1889-1963); they married in Wigan in the June quarter of 1915. In the 1911 census Bernard was a coal hewer. Both his and Margaret’s families were originally from Ireland. Vincent was born in the June quarter of 1920 in Wigan; he was their only child. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Wigan Cemetery: grave reference JRC 1045.

James Joseph Morrissey, Aircraftman 1st Class, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1486216, aged 40. He was the son of Thomas Morrissey and Mary (nee Cody), of Tramore, Co. Waterford, Irish Republic; Thomas was an agricultural labourer and they had 7 children by the time of the 1911 census. James was probably born in the September quarter of 1902 in Dublin North; I have been unable to confirm this. He married Josephine M. Morrissey and they lived in Tramore. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel; he was buried on 29 May in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference K4/99.

Wilfred John Peregrine, Corporal, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1165661, aged 31, of Harrogate. He was the son of William Peregrine (1885-1967) and Elizabeth Ann Gittoes (1883-1947), of Roundhay, Leeds; they married on 20 October 1909 in Merthyr Tydfil, and had three children. William was a grocery shop manager. Wilfred was the eldest; he was born in Pontypridd in 1912. He married Maimie Dorothy Lippitt in the September quarter of 1941 in Anglesey. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Central Hotel, as a result of injuries received. He, his wife (see above under Peregrine) and his brother in law (see below under Peter Francis) all died, along with Peter’s fiancée (identity as yet unconfirmed, but may have been Beryl Dyson). He was buried on 31 May in Roundhay (St John’s) Churchyard: grave reference B/35. He and his wife are listed on grave NG11 there, along with his mother, Elizabeth Ann.

Charles Dennis Pulsford, Leading Aircraftman, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1462593, aged 21, of Stanford-le-Hope. He was the only child of Charles George William Pulsford (1891-1969) and Violet Louisa Kerley (1895-1981); they married in Orsett in the September quarter of 1917. In the 1911 census, Charles senior was a lighterman’s apprentice. Charles was born in the December quarter of 1921 in Fulham. He died on 23 May 1943 and was buried at Thurrock (Stanford-le-Hope) Cemetery: grave reference A/254.

Harold Simmonds, Corporal, Wireless Operator, Royal Air Force, Service No: 44244, aged 44. He was the son of Hyman (c 1874-) and Sarah Simmonds (c 1876-). Hyman and Sarah (née Schnitzer) both came from Russian Poland and were Russian subjects. In the 1901 census they were living at Broad Street, Westminster; Hyman was a tailor. They were living with Louis Schnitzer, Hyman’s brother-in-law. Harold was born in about 1899 in Soho. He was a taxi driver and he married Lily in 1923. They lived in Kenton, Middlesex. In 1943 he was serving as a Wireless Operator attached to RAF Bournemouth (part of Flying Training Command). On 23 May 1943, having returned from an operation, Harold and other crew members checked into the Hotel Metropole, Bournemouth, where they were billeted. Shortly afterwards, the hotel suffered a direct hit from an enemy bomb. Harold was buried in East Ham (Marlow Road) Jewish Cemetery: grave reference U3. He was the uncle of Alfred Sandow (1920-1943), a Sergeant Flight Engineer, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was shot down over Holland on 1 March 1943.

Ralph Taylor, Leading Aircraftman, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1415453, aged 19, of Aberdare. He was the son of Ernest Augustus Taylor (1897-1964) and Flossie James; they married in the June quarter of 1920 in Merthyr Tydfil. Ralph was born in the December quarter of 1923 in Merthyr Tydfil. He died on 23 May 1943 and was buried in Aberdare Cemetery: grave reference W/32/27.

Unidentified airman, body recovered from the Metropole Hotel. Buried Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference T3/99.

Possible other RAF death:

Richard James Wood, Aircraftman Second Class, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service No: 1834136, aged 35. He was the son of Richard James Wood and Margaret Wood. A Richard James J Wood was born in Medway in the June quarter of 1910; he married Florence D Rowbotham in the June quarter of 1936 in Birmingham; they had two children. In 1943 Florence was living in Kingstanding, Birmingham. Richard died on 23 May 1943; he is commemorated on the Runnymede memorial, panel 171. I have been unable to confirm whether he was one of the Bournemouth dead.

Royal Australian Air Force:

Colin Bernard Crabbe, Flight Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 420453, age 23, of Strathfield, New South Wales. He was the son of George Bernard Crabbe (1885-1966) and Myrtle Evelyn Swann (1891-1984), of Suva, Fiji; they married in Navua, Fiji, on 22 March 1911. They had 6 children. Colin and his twin sister Peggy were born on 8 February 1920 in Suva, Fiji. He was the youngest son. His RAAF nominal roll says he was an accountant; it also says his cousin, Corporal F.J. Johnson, was killed at Buna on 11 November 1942. He enlisted in the RAAF on 8 November 1941, and was trained in Australia. In 1943 he was serving with 11 Personnel Depot and Reception Centre (attached to the RAF) in Bournemouth. He died at the Central Hotel on 23 May 1943. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May at 12.30 pm: grave reference H4/94. (A Mrs Burt volunteered to look after his grave). He is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, panel 120.

Ronald Franklin Fenton, Flight Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 412938, aged 20. He was the son of Claude Fenton (1889-1960) and Martha Fenton (nee Snell, 1890-1967), of Glen Innes, New South Wales, Australia; he was the youngest of four children. He was born on 1 August 1922 at Marmidale, New South Wales. He enlisted at Sydney and was trained in Australia. On 7 February 1943 he arrived at Liverpool on the M.V. Port Wyndham with 22 other RAAF personnel; they had travelled from Sydney. He joined 20 (P) Advanced Flying Unit (attached to the RAF) but was believed to be attached to 11 PDRC at the time of his death. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Central Hotel. He was buried on 29 May at 12.30 pm in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference F4/94. He is commemorated on the Australian War memorial, panel 122.

Neal Morton Gray, Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 420618, aged 19. He was the son of Charles Leslie Gray (b. 1895-) and Annie Catherine Gray (nee Morton,1898-) of Mascot, New South Wales, Australia; they had three children. He was born on 31 August 1923 at Mascot. He was a draftsman. He enlisted at Sydney on 8 November 1941 and trained in Australia. He served in 11 Personnel Depot and Reception Centre (attached to the RAF). He died on 23 May 1943 at the Central Hotel. He was buried on 29 May at 12.30 pm at Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference G4/94. (A Mrs Burt volunteered to look after his grave). He is commemorated on the Australian War memorial, panel 123.

Allan John Kerrigan, Flight Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 420681, aged 24. He was the son of Norman and Sarah May Kerrigan, of Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia. Norman Kerrigan (1883-1957) married Sarah May Pinchen in May 1915 in St Leonards; they had three sons. She died in 1920 in Granville. The following year he married Bridget Fox, who died in c. 1968. Norman was a carpenter. Allan was born on 18 August 1918.

The following details are taken from his RAAF record: e gained an intermediate certificate in six subjects from Parramatta High School and then did five years’ technical training in the Higher Trades Course, mainly in construction. He worked as a builder’s assistant at Concrete Construction Ltd for six years until he enlisted on 9 November 1941 as an AC2; he had previously served for three months with the Army Signallers. His RAAF record describes him as being of very good character throughout his service. He was just over 5 feet 10 inches tall, with blue eyes, fair hair and a fair complexion. He was a Roman Catholic.

He trained in Australia, and qualified as a pilot on 5 November 1942; he was trained to fly Wirraways. He embarked at Melbourne 15 January 1943, travelled via New York and disembarked in the UK on 17 March, when he joined 11 PDRC. He was stationed at RAF Whitley Bay 14 April-12 May 1943.He was promoted to temporary Flight Sergeant on 19 May 1943, four days before he died. He was off duty when he died at the Central Hotel on 23 May 1943. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May at 12.30 pm: grave reference J4/94. (A Mrs Squire volunteered to look after his grave.) He is also commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, panel 125.

John Francis McMahon, Flight Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 409848, aged 28, of Oakleigh, Victoria. He was the son of John Joseph McMahon (1874-1961) and Margaret Mattie Carrucan (1879-1925); they married in 1911 at Eltham. They had four children. John Francis was their youngest surviving son and was born on 6 January 1915 at Kinglake, Victoria; he was a Roman Catholic. He married Muriel Edith McMahon of Oakleigh, Victoria; they had three children. He was described as a farmer in his roll of honour record. He enlisted in Melbourne on 10 October 1941. He trained in Australia and embarked for England on 15 January 1943 (probably travelling with Allan Kerrigan and Vivian Pope). He was promoted to Flight Sergeant on 22 April 1943 and was attached to the RAF (believed to be 11 PDRC). He died at the Central Hotel; he was a friend of Vivian Pope (see below) who also died there. He was buried on 29 May at 12.30 pm at Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference K4/94. His gravestone reads: “Fond husband of Muriel, daddy of Wendy, Terry and Pam.” He is also commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, panel 126.

George Arthur Mills, Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 33250, aged 23. Son of George Francis Mills (1876-1944) and Eva May Thornett (1888-1953), of Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia; they married in 1906 and had six children. George was born on 29 June 1919 in Dubbo. He married Philomena Mavis Harper in 1941 in Dubbo. He enlisted on 20 August 1940 and trained in Australia; he embarked for England on 6 March 1943. He was posted to 11 Personnel Depot and Reception Centre (attached to the RAF). He died in Bournemouth on 23 May 1943; he was killed by cannon fire while walking in the Pleasure Gardens. He was buried on 29 May at 12.30 pm in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference E4/94. The inscription reads: “dearly beloved husband of Philomena Mavis Mills”. He is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, panel 127.

Vivian Lewis Pope, Flight Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, Service No: 416993, aged 19. He was the son of Albert Henry and Mary Annie Pope, of Waikerie, South Australia. Albert Henry Pope (1888-1964) married Mary Annie Mabel Beddome (1888-1977) on 25 December 1916 at Lockleys, South Australia; they had two sons and a daughter. Albert was an orchardist. Vivian was born on 20 August 1923 in Waikerie and was a junior constable.

The following details are taken from his service record: He took his intermediate certificate at the University of Adelaide and passed in 6 subjects. He also took seven Police Training College examinations, including finger prints and pistol shooting. He enlisted in Adelaide as an AC2 on 8 November 1941 and trained in Australia, learning to fly DH 82 Tiger Moths and Wirraways. He was awarded his flying badge on 8 August 1942. He embarked in Melbourne on 15 January 1943 (presumably travelling with John McMahon and Allan Kerrigan) and travelled via San Francisco to New York, and then on to the UK, arriving on 17 March; he joined 11 PDRC on 20 March. His RAAF record describes him as being of very good character. He was six feet tall, with blue eyes and brown hair, and weighed 11 and a half stone. He was a Methodist. He was promoted to Temporary Flight Sergeant on 22 April 1943. He died at the Central Hotel on 23 May 1943; he was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery at 12.30 on 29 May: grave reference U3/99. He is commemorated on the Australian War memorial, panel 128.

His elder brother, Ralph Henry Pope, also died in the Second World War. He was born on 15 October 1917. He was a horticulturalist. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 4 March 1940 and was a Flying Officer with 13 Squadron, flying Hudson light bombers. He was killed in an air battle on 10 December 1941 and is thought to have died in the sea near Laha, in the Moluccas. 6 Hudsons from13 Squadron had moved to Laha on Ambon just three days before. He is commemorated on the Ambon Memorial, column 8, as well as on the Australian War memorial, panel 100.

Royal Canadian Air Force:

William Geoffrey Abbott, Flight Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, 408 (Goose) Squadron, Service No: R/100271, aged 21, from Winnipeg. He was the son of William Geoffrey Abbott (1890-) and Emily Atkinson Burroughs (1893-). William Geoffrey Abbott senior was born on 5 April 1890 in Lambeth and was one of 10 children. In the 1911 census he was working as an upholsterer, although in later life he became a mechanical engineer. In 1912 he travelled from Liverpool to Quebec with his younger brother Charles; they were going to Toronto and arrived on 7 June 1912. He left Canada for the United States in March 1915 and went to Newton, Massachussetts, where he married Emily Atkinson Burroughs on 26 June 1915; she was born on 20 November 1893 in Fallowfield, Manchester. He registered for the draft in Albany City, New York, June 5 1917; his wife was pregnant at the time. His registration card describes him as a fire protection engineer; he had previously served as a sapper in the Royal Engineers in England. He was described as tall and slender, with blue eyes and dark hair. By the time of the 1920 US federal census he was living in Vernon, Tolland, Connecticut; he was an interior decorator and upholsterer with a five-month-old son.

William Geoffrey junior, their youngest son, was born on 30 July 1921 in Hartford, Connecticut. He moved to Canada with his parents in about 1923. At Kelvin High School, he was nicknamed “Buzz”; in the RCAF this became “Bud”. He enlisted in Winnipeg on 2 April 1941; he had previously worked as a painter, a warehouse clerk and a pipe fitter.

The following details are taken from his service record:

He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, with light brown eyes and dark brown hair; he weighed 11 stone 11 lbs when he enlisted. His interview report described him as “Reserved, confident, athletic: will develop well”. He enjoyed sport and physical culture, as well as lettering and drawing. He originally enlisted as a pilot, and did over 20 hours’ training in a Tiger Moth. A report from October 1941 said “This airman is keen, alert and dependable...He is considerably better matured than the average man of his age and has many good leadership qualities”. However, on 3 November 1941, he requested to cease training, on the grounds that “he does not like flying”. At that point he had just witnessed two fatal crashes within a week; both were mid-air collisions. He lost a good friend in the first crash, and knew the two men in the second one. He asked to become a physical training instructor.

He was clearly good at his job. His character was rated “VG” throughout. He served with 408 Squadron, gained a series of promotions, and left Canada on 25 January 1943 to come to the UK, arriving on 4 February. On 17 February he was posted to Bournemouth. The last entry on his file is from the Group Captain commanding the RAF Station, Bournemouth, and states: “This airman was an excellent instructor and rendered great service to this station. He was of exemplary character. “ He died on 23 May 1943; he was seriously injured at the Metropole Hotel and was found to have died from multiple injuries on arrival at hospital. He was buried on 29 May at Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference C4/94. He is commemorated on page 130 of the Canadian Second World War Book of Remembrance. In 1974, a lake was named after him: Abbott Lake in Manitoba, east of Nejanilili Lake.

George Assaf, Flight Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force 408 (Goose) Squadron, Service No:R/120876, aged 26, from Saskatchewan. He was the son of Abraham Assaf Hashash (1873-1946) and Nahema Mussallem (1880-1933); both were originally from Syria and married in Syria in 1902. He was born on 27 December 1916 in Milly, Saskatchewan and was their youngest child. In 1937 he travelled with two friends to the United States; he was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes, and was working as a labourer. His nationality was described as “Assyrian”. In June 1940 he married Frances Laura Bennett (1924-1988) in McCord, Saskatchewan; they had two children, one of whom was born in February 1943 and died in infancy. George died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried at Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference A4/99.

David Rainnie Chalmers, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No:R/71447, aged 38, from Rosewood, Manitoba. He was the son of Samuel Chalmers (1875-1941) and of Rose Elizabeth Claydon (1885-); they married on 9 December 1903 at Tache, Manitoba. They had three children; David was the eldest and was born on 15 January 1905 at Tache. He married Barbara V. Chalmers, who was living in Osoyoos, British Columbia at the time of his death. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel; he was buried on 29 May at Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference D4/99.

Robert Richard Valentine Courtney, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No:R/52252, aged 39. He was the son of Arthur William Courtney and Louisa Ellen Gaymore Audely, of Dagenham, Essex. They married in the December quarter of 1889 in West Ham. Arthur was a dairyman and foreman for a retail dairy firm at the time of the 1911 census. Robert Richard Valentine Courtney was born on 14 February 1904 in West Ham, hence his third name; he had an elder brother and sister. He left Southampton for Quebec in June 1923; he was described as a labourer.he arrived in Quebec on 18 June 1923. His passenger declaration stated that he was going to Canada for “better prospects” and hoped to go into farming.The Salvation Army had paid his passage. He lived in Woodstock, Ontario. He joined the RCAF in about 1940, according to his Ontario death record. He was a Messman at the time of his death. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference F4/99.

Earle Oscar Milton Gilbert, Leading Aircraftman, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No: R/189181, aged 22. Son of John Charles and Dora Marion Gilbert. He was born on 20 January 1921 and was originally from Coalhurst, Alberta. He was married to Victoria Denise Gilbert (nee Benekritis, 1921-1996) of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; her family came from Lithuania. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference J4/99.

Alexander Colin Matheson, Sergeant (Air Gunner), Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No:R/112402, aged 19. Son of Angus Matheson (1895-1967) and Mary Elizabeth MacPhee (1901-1944), of Glen William, Prince Edward Island, Canada; they married in 1922. He was born on 24 May 1923 in Prince Edward Island, and was called after his paternal grandfather. He had one younger brother and three younger sisters. He died on 23 May 1943, the day before his twentieth birthday, at the Metropole Hotel; he was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference B4/99.

Francis John Matier, Sergeant (Air Gunner), Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No: R/164447, aged 32. He was the son of John Slater Matier( ?-1959) and Jenet McLarty (1874-1967), of Steveston, British Columbia; both were originally from Ontario. They married in 1902 at Portage la Prairie. John was a thresher. They had eight children; Francis was the youngest. He was born on 12 November 1910 at Portage la Prairie. He was a farmer before he joined the RCAF. He was formerly of Windsor, Ontario. He had been in the RCAF for a year at the time of his death. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel; he was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference C4/99. His name was added to the Richmond, British Columbia, cenotaph in October 2012.

Raymond Francis Pelrine, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No:R/88040, aged 20, from East Havre Boucher. He was the son of Charles Martin Pelrine (1894-) and Clara Pelrine, of Havre Boucher, Antigonish Co., Nova Scotia, Canada. Charles served in World War 1; his particulars state that he was 5 feet 5 inches tall, with grey eyes and brown hair; he was a farmer and a Roman Catholic. Raymond was born on 30 July 1922. He died at the Metropole Hotel on 23 May 1943; he was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference H4/99. He is listed on the Antigonish cenotaph.

Julius Louis Soos, Flight Sergeant (Air Gunner), Royal Canadian Air Force, 408 (Goose) Squadron, Service No: R/156843, aged 20, from Crowland, Ontario. He was the son of Stephen Gordon Soos (1887-) and Elizabeth David (1890-). Both were born in Hungary, were living in Welland and had fathers who were farmers; they married in Welland on 30 May 1914. In the 1940 Canadian census they were living in Welland with their son, Steve junior; Steve was a labourer. Julius was born in Welland, Ontario on 26 September 1922. In April 1942 he travelled to America while serving in the RCAF; his border crossing information describes him as 5 feet 10 inches tall, with dark hair and green eyes. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference A4/95. (His gravestone gives his name as Julian, but it is Julius in all other records.)

William Godfrey Wood, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No: R/61915, aged 29. He was the son of James Golder Wood (1880-) and Alice Ashby Wood (1883-), of Brancepeth, Saskatchewan, Canada. James Golder Wood was born in Govan, Lanarkshire in 1880, and was living in Dundee at the time of the 1891 census. He came to Canada in the mid-1890s. In 1906 he was living in Saskatchewan. By 1911 he was married to Alice (who came from Ontario) and working as a baker in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; they had two children. In the 1916 census, they had three children and he was a merchant.In 1916 he joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. William, their third child, was born on 6 July 1913. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference B4/95.

Ross Clifton Woods, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service No: R/93015, aged 25, from Toronto. He was the son of Edward Clifton Woods (1884-1934) and Catherine Isabel McDonald (1888-); they married in Glengarry, Ontario on 24 August 1914. (Edward later married Colinnette Ludlow (1885-1988) in Toronto, Ontario in October 1924.) Ross was born on 24 February 1918. He went to Williamson Road Public School 1924-1932 and then to Malvern Collegiate Institute 1932-36. He enlisted in Toronto on 6 February 1941 as Clerk/General and was posted to No.1 Manning Depot. He subsequently trained at Technical Training School, St. Thomas, Ontario. He was posted to Trenton, 12 July 1941 and to Air Armament School, 30 August 1941. He was promoted to LAC, 1 October 1941, and to Corporal, 1 July 1942. He was posted to RAF overseas, 2 February 1943. He was promoted to Sergeant, 1 April 1943. He was working as a clerk general with No 3 (RCAF) Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, at the time of his death. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Metropole Hotel. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May: grave reference E4/99. His father Edward is buried in St Johns Norway Cemetery, Toronto, along with his second wife, and Ross is commemorated on the inscription.

Other possible RCAF dead, identified by date of death:

Henry Neelin Lyons, Flying Officer, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service Number: J13423, aged 32. He was the son of Philip Lyons and Louisa Mary Lyons (née Forde) , of British Columbia. He was born on 5 August 1910 and died on 23 May 1943. Place of death as yet unconfirmed.

Other service personnel:

Norman Ellis Baker, Staff Serjeant, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (108 Company, Bovington), Service No:10596343, aged 32. He was the son of Charles Irwin Baker (Sept quarter 1880) and Margaret Bradbeer (1882-); they married in the March quarter of 1906 in Tynemouth. Norman was born in the June quarter of 1910 in Tynemouth. In the 1911 census his parents were living in Blackpool with him and his elder brother; Charles was a tramway superintendant from Tynemouth. In July 1932 he was travelling from Cape Town to Southampton on board the Winchester Castle, with his wife Jean Moir Baker. He was 22 and a motor engineer, she was 21 and they were living in Ashton under Lyne Manchester. They had been living in Southern Rhodesia. He died on 23 May 1943, presumably with Reginald Miles (see below). He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 29 May. He was later exhumed and his ashes were buried in Ndola (Kansenshi) Cemetery: grave reference: plot 1, row B, grave 20.

Walter Carson, Lance Corporal, Corps of Military Police, Service No: 5190321, aged 29, of Cobden Street, Birkenhead. He was the son of Walter Carson and Ada Eaton of Tranmre, Birkenhead; they married in the December quarter of 1909 in Birkenhead. Walter was a police constable, originally from Liverpool. In the 1911 census he and his wife were living with his mother-in-law in Birkenhead. Their son Walter was born in the December quarter of 1913 in Birkenhead. He died at the Central Hotel on 23 May 1943. His body was originally unidentified and was buried as “unknown male” in Bournemouth North Cemetery on 27 May: grave reference E4/65. He was later identified as Walter Carson and his body was disinterred and buried in Birkenhead (Flaybrick Hill) Cemetery: grave reference Sec 9 (C of E), grave 322A.

Leonard Robert Edmunds Crute, Lieutenant, Royal Artillery (26 Searchlight Regiment, London Electrical Engineers), Service No: 190957, aged 25, from Newton Abbot. He was the son of Harry Edmunds Crute (1888-1976) and Gertrude Mary Elliott (1887-1973) of Daison, Torquay; they married in the March quarter of 1913 at St Marychurch, Torquay. Harry’s father was a banker mason in the 1911 census, as was his eldest son; Harry and his brother worked in a local pottery and Harry was an art decorator (pottery). Leonard was born in the September quarter of 1917 in Newton Abbot; he was known as Len to his family. He married Jean Badcock in the December quarter of 1941 in Newton Abbot. On 23 May 1943, he, his wife (see civilian list) and her parents were at the Central Hotel when it was bombed at lunch time in a German air raid. Jean’s father escaped uninjured, Leonard was killed outright, her mother Mabel was trapped in the wreckage for 19 hours and Jean died of her injuries. Leonard was buried at Highweek (All Saints) Churchyard Extension: grave reference: Block D, Row 13, grace 2. His name is omitted from the Newton Abbot War Memorial.

Peter Guy Francis, Second Lieutenant, Royal Marines, Service No: 1041, aged 20. He was the son of Dick and Doreen Francis (née Season); Dick was an actor and was otherwise known as Richard Henry Lippitt.They married in Oswestry in 1915, and had three children. They had twin girls, Maimie and Betty, in 1916; Betty died in infancy. Peter Guy was born in the June quarter of 1923 in Portsmouth (as Peter Guy Lippitt). On 23 May 1943, his older sister Maimie and her husband Wilfred had come to Bournemouth to meet Peter and his fiancée.(This may have been Beryl Dyson, who also died in the raid.) They were having lunch at the Central Hotel at the time of the raid. Maimie and Wilfred were killed outright. Peter was seriously injured and died at the Royal Victoria Hospital on 24 May. He was buried in Bournemouth North Cemetery: grave reference A4/90. The gravestone reads: “Only son of Doreen and Dick Francis. A very lovely memory”. (His parents lost both their surviving children in the raid.)

John St Aubyn Jewell, Temporary Lieutenant, RNVR (HMS President), Service No: 10/3589, aged 68, of St Aubyn, Mill Hill. He was the son of Robert Jewell and Eliza Roby; they married on 22 April 1871 in Manchester. Robert (1845- ) was a crown surveyor of taxes in 1871; by 1911 he was a financier. They had four children, three of whom survived to adulthood. John was born on 23 March 1875 in Brimfield, Herefordshire and was their youngest surviving child. He attended Truro School from 1884-1887, along with his elder brother Robert. He gained his second mate certificate in 1896. He married (Eliza) Louie Palmer (c. 1876-1953) in the June quarter of 1909 in Hackney. He was a company’s manager before the war, according to his naval service record. He joined the Navy in August 1914. His file described him as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with hazel eyes and dark brown hair; he had tattoos on both arms. He joined Drake Battalion in 1914 and later served with them at Antwerp. He also served on HMS Richard Welford. After the war, he lived in London and was a taximeter engineer. In the nineteen-thirties he took out two patents, one of which related to taximeters. He died on 23 May 1943 at the Central Hotel. He was cremated at Bournemouth Crematorium on 1 June and his ashes were scattered in the North Cemetery; he is commemorated on panel 3 in the Crematorium and on the War memorial panel in the grounds. His obituary described him as “one of the pioneers of the taximeter industry in this country”; he left over £16,000 in his will.

Reginald Wilfred Miles, Staff Serjeant, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (108 Company, Bovington), Service No: 7624966, aged 23, from Farnham. He was the son of Harold Jesse Miles and Ada Louisa Stapley; they married in the March quarter of 1907 in Ashford. Harold (1881-1944) was a blacksmith from Charing, Kent; Ada (1885-1962) came from Lower Bourne, Farnham. They had about eight children; they lived initially in Ashford, then moved to Farnham by 1920. Reginald was born in the March quarter of 1920 in Farnham. He died on 23 May 1943, presumably with Norman Ellis Baker (see above). He was buried in Farnham (Green Lane) Cemetery: grave reference Sec. B grave 981.

Ernest Pougher, Corporal, Royal Army Pay Corps, Service No: 766656, aged 25, of 56 Drummond Road. He was the son of Harry Pougher (1885-1917) and Mabel Jeanette Myers (1889-1969), from Beverley. They married on 9 November 1907 in Hull, and had five children. Harry was a house and ship painter, according to the 1911 census.

In November 1914, Harry became a private in the 13th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment (Service no: 13/643); he was only 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 123 pounds. He served in Egypt and in France. In November 1916 he was wounded in the field in France; he received gunshot wounds in his thigh and forearm. He travelled back to the UK in December 1916 and was cared for in Norfolk War Hospital, Norwich. He died of wounds on 4 February 1917. He was buried in Beverley (St. Martin’s) Cemetery: grave reference CE 114. 10 ½.

Ernest, the youngest son, was born posthumously in 1917. He married Mabel Wilson in the March quarter of 1940 in Holderness. By 1943 he was a Corporal in the Royal Army Pay Corps. On 23 May 1943, he and his wife (see above under Civilian war dead) were at 56 Drummond Road at the time of the German raid. Mabel was killed outright; Ernest died on 25 May, presumably in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Boscombe. He and his wife were buried on 29 May at Beverley (St. Mary) Church Cemetery: grave reference Section A Row L grave 12.

American dead:

All six of those who died were from the same unit, and were on leave at the time. It is believed that they died at the Central Hotel, Richmond Hill.

Samuel C. Arone, Private First Class, US Army (175th infantry regiment, 29th infantry division, Company C), service no: 33150489, aged 25, from Homer City, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Anthony and Marie Arone, both originally from Italy. Tony was a miner. They had eight children and Samuel was the youngest but one. He was born on 6 May 1918. He was connected with the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company for 6 years, before joining the Army on 13 February 1942 at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. According to his service record, he was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 157 pounds. He died on 23 May 1943 in Bournemouth, along with his life-long friend Tony Rellick (see below). He was buried in Madingley Military Cemetery: grave reference Plot E, Row 3, grave 51. Two of his brothers were in the service, one with the Navy overseas and one in the Army. His mother Marie had died on 22 May.

James C. Ashford, Technician 4th Grade, US Army (175th infantry regiment, 29th infantry division), Service No: 33024457, aged 25, from Laurel Run Borough, Pennsylvania. He was born on 20 January 1918 and came from Luzerne County. In the 1940 census he was living with his parents, Alfred (1883-)and Louise Ashford (née Rettenmeyer); they had married in 1911. (Alfred’s father, also called Alfred, (1847-) was originally from Wales.) Alfred was a coal miner, aged 57, and they had six children. In 1942 Alfred’s draft record described him as working for Hudson Coal at the Baltimore Colliery; he was 5 feet 5 inches tall, with blue eyes and dark hair. James was also a coal miner. His enlistment record said that he joined up on 25 April 1941, at Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. He was 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighed 135 pounds. He died on 23 May 1943 in Bournemouth. He is listed on the war memorial for Luzerne County and a stone was erected for him in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Hanover Township, Luzerne.

Raymond J. Berwind, Technician 5th Grade, US Army (175th infantry regiment, 29th infantry division), Service no: 32234589, aged 23, from Rochester, Monroe County, New York. He was the son of Joseph G Berwind (1887-1960) and Julia M Eckert (1889-1977); they married in 1915 in Rochester, Monroe, New York. They had eight children. Joseph worked in electrical assembly at the time of the 1940 census. Raymond was born on 6 March 1920 in Rochester. He enlisted on 17 February 1942 at Fort Niagara, Youngstown, New York. His enlistment record says he was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds; he was working as a photographer (the 1940 census says he was working in electrical assembly). He married Greta V. Owen (1916-1981) in Rochester later in 1942; she worked in the family optical business with Raymond’s sister. He died on 23 May 1943 in Bournemouth. He was initially interred in England and then re-interred in the US on 13 July 1948. According to the record, he was part of a medical detachment, 29th Infantry division. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester: grave reference Section 13 North, Veterans’ plot, grave 405.

Stanley L. Bodzioni (or Bodziony), Private First Class, US Army (175th infantry regiment, 29th infantry division), Service no: 33152443, aged 24, from Everson, Pennsylvania. He was the son of John (Jan) and Catherine (Katarzyna) Bodziony; they married in 1913 and were originally from Poland. They had five children. John was a labourer in a sheet steel mill. Stanley was born on 4 April 1919. His mother died in 1932. In the 1940 census he was living with his widowed father, elder brother and two sisters in Everson; Stanley was a truck driver for the Civilian Conservation Corps. He enlisted on 20 February 1942 at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (a week after Samuel Arone). He was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 142 pounds. He died on 23 May 1943 in Bournemouth. He was initially interred in England and then reinterred in the US in 1948. He was buried in St Joseph’s Polish Cemetery, Everson; his parents are also buried there.

Harry Lee Parker, Private First Class, US Army (175th infantry regiment, 29th infantry division), Service no: 33001777, aged 32, from Maryland Park, Maryland. He was the son of John Leo Parker (1892-1923) and Elsie Mae Boswell (1894-1979); they married in about 1910. They were living in Richmond, Georgia, at the time of the 1920 census. John was a carpenter from Georgia: Elsie was from Maryland and her mother was English. Harry was born in Georgia in 1911; he was the oldest of five children. John died in a car accident in November 1923, two months before the last child was born. Elsie later married to Charles Edgar Holmer, a carpenter; in 1930, they were living in Maryland, and Harry was a helper at a railroad shop. In the 1940 census Harry and his siblings were living with Elsie and Charles Edgar Holmer. Harry was working as a time keeper in an electrical industry and living in Prince George’s, Maryland. He enlisted in Baltimore, Maryland on 29 April, 1941. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 177 pounds. He died in Bournemouth on 23 May 1943. He was buried in Madingley Military Cemetery: grave reference Plot D, Row 3, grave 79.

Tony Rellick, Private First Class, US Army (175th infantry regiment, 29th infantry division), Service no: 33150525, aged 24, from McIntyre, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Wasyl Rellick and Stella Krawtz (1884-1953). They had seven children. Tony was born in 1919. He went to Elders Ridge High School, and then worked as a bus driver on the McIntyre-Homer City route. In 1940 he was living with his elder brothers, his sister and his widowed mother Stella; she was originally from Austria. They were at Young, Indiana, Pennsylvania. He enlisted at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania on 13 February 1942, the same day as Samuel Arone who was a lifelong friend.He was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 151 pounds. He received his basic training at Fort Meade, Maryland, and was located at Camp Blanding, Florida, before going overseas. A local newspaper wrote that he had a 14-day furlough with his family in November 1942; this was presumably before he was posted overseas. He died on 23 May 1943 in Bournemouth. He was buried in Madingley Military Cemetery: grave reference Plot D, Row 1, Grave 69. (Samuel Arone and Harry Lee Parker are also buried there.)