|
Post by Ken Porter on Aug 24, 2004 0:51:07 GMT 1
Frederick William Francis Tennison Rank: Sapper Service No: 1890829 Royal Engineers
Unit Text: 16 Bomb Disposal Coy.
Date of Death: 26/04/1943
Son of William John and Margaret Ellen Tennison, of Spondon.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Interred in Spondon Cemetery Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. E. Grave 189.
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Aug 25, 2004 3:39:03 GMT 1
Peter Richard Thompson Rank: Private Service No: 5834818 Suffolk Regiment, 4th Bn.
Age: 30
Date of Death: 21/09/1944
Son of Arthur and Julia Dorothy Thompson, of Spondon, Derbyshire; husband of Muriel Henriette Thompson, of Nuthall, Nottinghamshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Memorial Cemetery Singapore Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 56.
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Aug 25, 2004 3:46:06 GMT 1
William Arnold Thompson Rank: Private Service No: 7624821 Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1 Base Ordnance Depot
Age: 27
Date of Death: 17/06/1940
Son of William Holloway Thompson and Sarah Alice Thompson, of Spondon, Derbyshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Dunkirk Memorial Cemetery Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 146
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Aug 25, 2004 3:51:33 GMT 1
William Harold Turner Service No: 5887273 Rank: Craftsman Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Age: 25
Date of Death: 20/06/1944
Son of Joseph Henry Turner, and of Florrie Turner, of Spondon.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Interred in Spondon Cemetery Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. E. Grave 191
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Aug 27, 2004 4:35:19 GMT 1
Ernest Whysall Rank: Corporal Service No: 5676622 Regiment: Somerset Light Infantry 4th Battalion
Age: 27
Date of Death: 29/06/1944
Son of Ernest and Agnes Whysall, of Spondon, Derbyshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Bayeux War Cemetery: Grave/Memorial Reference: III. G. 2.
|
|
|
Post by Nickyhooley on Sept 2, 2004 20:02:50 GMT 1
Hi, I have visited this website many times but this is the first time I have used the mesage board. I left Spondon in 1984 and love to keep up with what is happening in the old village. I am very interested in two of the names on the WW1 memorial photo, which is the 2 Hooley's. I have my Great-Grandad's diaries, Francis I Hooley, who fought in the First World War, and I'm sure from those I should be able to give a little info on who these two gentlemen were, if not on more of the names on the list. I am currently typing up the diaries on the computer. If anyone is interested, or would like me to search them for any Spondon info please let me know. They start from about 1894. Nicky
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Sept 2, 2004 20:51:28 GMT 1
I wonder if the diaries mention my father, L/Cpl. John Porter of the 5th Battn Sherwood Foresters? He was invalided out after being wounded in 1917.
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Sept 15, 2004 22:39:02 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by BILL SLATER on Sept 27, 2004 20:25:08 GMT 1
ROYAL AIR FORCE Sgt WILLIAM MAWRY HARVEY 1924 to 1944 Stationed at RAF BLYTON, HCU 1662, in Lincolnshire. Died on ACTIVE SERVICE,4th MAY, 1944. In a Flying Accident, When HP HALIFAX DB,316 Suffered Engine Problems, & Crashed at KIRTON-IN-LINDSEY,in Lincolnshire,
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Oct 2, 2004 23:43:39 GMT 1
A brief mention of Frances Walker-Smith in combat is made in the book "Duel of Eagles" by Group Captain Peter Townsend, his No.85 Fighter Squadron commander in the Battle of Britain. (ref: ISBN: 0-7607-5415-2)
|
|
|
Post by kenpor2 on Oct 3, 2004 3:14:40 GMT 1
F/Sgt Jack Craig served in 149 Squadron as noted earlier. It was when the German offensive in the Low Countries began in May 1940 that the squadron began the bombing offensive against Germany which occupied it for the rest of the war. The Vickers Wellington was soon found to be the best of the British bombers, 50 from No.149 and the other No.3 Group squadrons were busily involved, at first in tactical bombing to try to halt the German advance on the British troops evacuating from Dunkirk, then against the invasion barges massing at the Channel ports. But the squadron was really meant for strategic bombing and it was this task, principally against the Ruhr, on which No.149 concentrated during the winter of 1940-1, when Jack was killed.
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Oct 29, 2004 1:04:40 GMT 1
Many of Spondon's heroes served in the Sherwood Foresters Regiment in both World Wars. The Regimental History can be found on freespace.virgin.net/stephen.mee/index.htmMany Foresters were in the BEF and were either captured at Dunkirk in May 1940, or were evacuated. In June 1940 the 1st Battalion was moved from Palestine to reinforce the Garrison of Cyprus, where they suffered their first war casualties in an air raid. Early in 1942 the Battalion was moved to Egypt, converted to a motorised role, and joined the Desert Army. The 1/5th Battalion after a year in England sailed for the Far East and arrived in Singapore on 29th January 1942 just prior to its capture by the Japanese. As a result of those early defeats, many Foresters spent long years in captivity. Those of the 1/5th Battalion suffered particularly badly at the hands of the Japanese while working on the now notorious Burma-Siam Railway. 450 officers and men of this Battalion died in captivity. In January 1943 the 2/5th Battalion, by now renamed the 5th Battalion, joined the 1st British Army in Tunisia and was followed shortly by the 2nd Battalion. The Battalions took part in severe and difficult fighting, in particular at Sedjenane and the Medjez Plain, and suffered many casualties before the remnants of the German Armies capitulated at Cap Bon. The 5th Battalion were next in action in Italy at the assault landing at Salerno in September 1943. They suffered heavy casualties there and later in the difficult and fiercely resisted fighting advance up to the Cassino area. The 2nd Battalion took part in the assault landing at Anzio in January 1944, where they were joined later by the 14th Battalion and took part in what was probably the toughest fighting of the whole War. After the fall of Rome the 2nd, 5th and 14th Battalions continued the difficult fight up the length of Italy, adding a further eleven battle honours to the seven earned in North Africa. In December 1944 the 5th Battalion was despatched to Greece to help to quell the Civil War, which had started there after the German withdrawal. Meanwhile the 14th Battalion had been disbanded and many of its officers and men were posted to the 2nd and 5th Battalions. At the end of the War the 2nd Battalion was in Palestine and the 5th back in Italy from where they moved into Austria with the liberation armies. Spondon can forever be proud of its Forester heroes and the survivors of all its battles in our behalf.
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Jan 27, 2005 0:15:48 GMT 1
ROYAL AIR FORCE Sgt WILLIAM MAWRY HARVEY 1924 to 1944 Stationed at RAF BLYTON, HCU 1662, in Lincolnshire. Died on ACTIVE SERVICE,4th MAY, 1944. In a Flying Accident, When HP HALIFAX DB,316 Suffered Engine Problems, & Crashed at KIRTON-IN-LINDSEY,in Lincolnshire,
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on May 16, 2005 5:19:37 GMT 1
The time is rapidly approaching for Spondon to say au revoir to all its World War II surviving servicemen and women from the Royal Navy, Royal Army and Royal Air Force and the equally gallant members of the Merchant Navy and other supporting services.
They should not be allowed to just fade away without another Victory Celebration and to also give honours once more to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their Village and our own survival.
Let this page be the place where ideas can be marshalled and a listing made of all those comrades who would like to be part of the remembrance festivities.TEXT
|
|
|
Post by Ken Porter on Oct 7, 2005 18:46:42 GMT 1
And let's not forget those other heroes who survived long years in prisoner-of-war camps, and those who suffered long-lasting trauma from the physical and mental wounds of violent combat in all the theatres of war. God bless them all.
|
|