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World War II
SERVICE CASUALTIES IN THE BOOK OF
REMEMBRANCE Surnames B
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Back, L. J. R.
Leslie
Joseph R. Back, 121432, was the
"dearly loved youngest son" of William James and Ethel Back, from 113
Priory Hill, Dover, brother to Harold, Cecil, and Ivy, and
brother-in-law to Edith. He was a member of the Dover Cycling Club, and
had worked at Messrs T. Francis as a signwriter and engraver
He served as a Pilot Officer (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) in the Royal
Air Force Volunteer Reserve and a member of 223 Squadron. He received
his commission in January 1942
On 23 May 1942 he was on a raid to Derna, Libya. He
took off from Landing Ground LG167 (Bir
el Baheira No.2) near Bardia, Libya at 10.32
in Martin Baltimore AG708, to attack an enemy
main landing ground at Derna near the
northernmost coastline of Libya. At around midday near Ras el Tin the
formation was attacked by Luftwaffe Messerschmitts.
Three Baltimores were shot down including
AG708, which was possibly the victim of the famed 'Star of Africa'
Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Marseille from Jagdgeschwader 27, the top
German air 'ace' of the North Africa conflict. (He himself died on 30th
September 1942, bailing out over Sidi from his smoke-filled plane)

None of the crew of AG708 survived, but Pilot
Officer Back is buried in Tobruk War Cemetery, Libya, 1 B 11 The others are
commemorated on Special Memorial C at Tobruk
The crew were:
|
Flying Officer Leonard William Bangley |
Captain (Pilot) |
aged 24 |
|
Flight Sergeant Reginald Earnest Richard
Cotton |
Observer |
aged 22 |
|
Pilot Officer Leslie Joseph Ronald Back |
Wireless operator/Air gunner |
aged 26 |
|
Pilot Officer David Laird Muir |
Air gunner |
aged 27 |
"He has made the supreme sacrifice.
In death a hero"
Memorial (announcements) RAF and incident
information with thanks to Dean
Sumner
|
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*Bailey, L. J.
Probably Leonard John Bailey, 518453, who was a
Flight Sergeant in the RAF, and who was killed by enemy action on 24
October 1942, aged 28, on the East Coast. He was probably attending an
Officers' Training School
He was the son of Frederick John Bailey, and Amy his wife, nee Robinson,
and the "dearly beloved husband" of Eileen Louise Bailey (nee Moor), of
King's Heath, Birmingham, and father of little Gary John
His body was taken to Birmingham and buried on Saturday, 31 October,
at Brandwood End Cemetery, Section B13 FC Grave 453. Mourners present
included his widow, his father and step-mother Mr and Mrs F J Bailey,
his father-in- law Mr S F Moor, Mr and Mrs C Brown, sister and
brother-in-law, and Private E Bailey, ATS, his sister. Friends and
representatives of the Officers' Training School were also there,
and
many tributes laid
The headstone on his grave reads: In treasured memory of my dearly loved
husband, Sergt Leonard John "Billy" Bailey, RAF, killed on active
service Oct 2? 1942, aged 28 years. He lives in the garden of happy
memories." The flower-holder is inscribed "My darling Daddy"
The grave is in the centre of the picture, right
Possibly Leslie Joseph Knott Bailey, R/KX 117355, who was a
Stoker, 2nd class, in the Royal Navy, with the H.M.S. Tonbridge. He died
on 22 August 1941, and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Panel 56, Column 1
1949 - In ever loving memory of my brother, Leslie Joseph Bailey ...
From his sister Kitty |
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Baldwin, F. S.
Frederick
Sydney Bertie Baldwin BEM was born on 12 June
1897. He had 12 years service and was a Seaman Cable Hand,
Merchant Navy aboard the Cable Ship Alert. Previously
he had served in the Royal Navy, during the Great War in Russia
On 24
September 1943 he, along with Chief Officer Charles Evans and Third
Engineer Eric Prince was gazetted for
"courage and devotion to duty, which he displayed during operations to
salvage an abandoned ship". The Alert had been repairing cables when
they were told of the abandoned ship and were put aboard with a salvage
party. Unfortunately the weather became very bad, and after three days
the tow rope broke and the ship began to drift into a minefield. They
abandoned the ship, but two days later were able to resume salvage when
the weather eased, and towed it into port
He was 47 when he died on 24 February 1945. He is commemorated on the
Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel 4
His parents were William and
Elizabeth Baldwin, and his wife was Julia Edith Baldwin,
from 46 Odo Road, Dover
"Silent thoughts and treasured
memories of my dear husband and Mary's dad"
(February 1946)
Notes on Alert |
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Balfour, R. D.
Raymonde Derek Balfour,
1396828, was a Sergeant (Bomb Aimer) in
the RAFVR and a member of 101 Squadron. The son of Mr
and Mrs Balfour of 81 Balfour Road, he was the nephew of Mrs Amy W. Pike
of 28 Minerva Avenue, Dover
Raymonde was educated at Barton Road School. After leaving school he got
a job as a clerk in the Borough Treasurer's office at Brook House, later
transferring to the Borough Engineer's Department
On service during the war, Raymonde took off
from Home-on-Spalding
Moor, Yorkshire
on 27 April 1943 at
21:45 hours. Flying in Avro
Lancaster ED728 SR-Y, their mission was mine- laying
in the 'Elderberry' region (Bayonne, France). 160 aircraft took part in
this, the largest mine-laying operation of the RAF in the war so far,
where 458 mines were laid off the Biscay and Brittany ports and the
Frisian Islands
Just one plane was lost - Sergeant Balfour's. It was presumed crashed in
the target area in the early hours of 28 April 1943. They had flown
their first operational flight only 25 days previously
None of the crew survived, and they are all buried in the
Biarritz (Du Saboau) Communal Cemetery, France. Div 9,
Collective grave 6730
The crew were:
Sergeant Charles Alfred Margerum
(son of Mrs E V Margerum, Erith, Kent) |
Captain (Pilot) |
aged 21 |
|
Sergeant Herbert Clegg |
Flight engineer |
age unknown |
|
Sergeant Richard Norman Dixon |
Navigator |
aged 29 |
|
Sergeant Raymonde Derek Balfour |
Bomb aimer |
aged 19 |
|
Sergeant Donald Jasper Park |
Wireless Operator/Air gunner |
aged 22 |
|
Sergeant Joseph William Stotter |
Air gunner |
aged 33 |
Sergeant Johannes Jacobus Veldsman
(from Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia) |
Air gunner |
age unknown |

1949 - "Treasured are the memories of our dearly loved
nephew" From his loving Auntie Amy and Uncle Ernie
with thanks to Gordon
Bowyer
with thanks to Dean Sumner
illustration (right) by Keith Skinner |
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Barron, A. V. M
Alfred Victor MartinBarron, 1813827,
was the son of John Thomas and Elizabeth Barron, from
Dover, and was aged 19.
He was a Sergeant in the RAFVR and a member of
158 Squadron.
On 16 September 1943, he took off from Lisset,
Yorkshire at 19:33 hours in Handley Page Halifax JN904 NP-K. They were to raid on the
railway yards at Modane, France
In the early hours of 17 September,
the plane crashed into a wood called le Bois due Rivoireau about 10
miles east of Vienne in France. Alfred
Barron was 19. There were no survivors, and the crew are all
buried in Lyon (La Douva) French National Cemetery. Row K, Grave 4
The crew were:
| Sergeant Eric Le Huray |
Captain (Pilot) |
aged 22 |
| Sergeant Harold Pennell |
Flight engineer |
aged 23 |
| Sergeant Francis Graham Shaw |
Navigator |
aged 21 |
| Sergeant Thomas Ainslie Roberts |
Bomb aimer |
aged 28 |
| Sergeant Colin Anthony Budd |
Wireless operator |
aged 26 |
| Sergeant Alfred Victor Martin Barron |
Air gunner |
aged 19 |
| Sergeant Victor George Edward Briant |
Air gunner |
aged 22 |
with thanks to Dean Sumner
 |
 |
Beautiful Memories
Left Behind of
Sgt A/G Alfred V.M.
Barron Killed flying over
France 17th September 1943.
Aged 19
Also John T. Barron, Father of the
above, Died 18th April 1956.
Aged 66
Also Elsie Violet
Law, Daughter of the
above Died 18th November 1952.
Aged 31
"Sleeping" |
The stone has been replaced and a new name added. Also her
daughter, Jacqueline Anne Hood, died 24th April 1997, aged 50 |
"The years roll by but memory clings of our dear son and brother" - 1949
- Always remembered by his loving Mum, Dad, Brothers and Sisters
photo of original headstone by Joyce Banks |
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Baston, R. G.
Ronald
George Baston, 943422, was a Lance Bombardier in the 118
Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery. He was 25 when he died on 12
September 1944. He is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial. Column 9
His parents were
Sidney Lewis and Daisy Marion Baston, from Dover |
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Bates, H.
Harry Bates was a Chief Steward on the Cable Ship
"Alert". It was lost in the Channel on 24 February 1945. Harry was 47,
born on 14 November 1987, and the son of James and Elizabeth Bates and the husband of Alice. He is
commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London. Panel 4
Note: An Alice Emily Bates (nee Thompson), youngest
daughter of Mr and Mrs H Thompson of 11 Wyndham Road, loving wife of
Harry Bates of 20 Winchelsea Terrace, died on 8 May 1942, aged 42
years. "The sun doth but set to rise again"
(We Remember 06) (brother George
Bates) (Notes on Alert) |
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Beal. J.
John Beal, listed as Henry John Thomas
Beal, 14398586, on the CWGC. He was a Private in the Durham Light
Infantry, 8 battalion. He was 21 when he died in Normandy on 11 June 1944. He is
buried at Tilly Sur Seulles War Cemetery, France. II E 9
He was the "beloved elder son" of Henry George and Louisa Olive Beal,
from 96 Markland Road, Dover, who at the time of his death were
living at 3 Winchester Street, Hampshire.
1949 - "In proud and ever loving memory of our dear
son and brother", from Mum, Dad, Joan, Reg and
Marion,
Grandma and Grandpa |
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Beeston, W. R. H.
William Ralph Humphrey Beeston, 307780, was a
Lieutenant in the Royal Armoured Corps, attached to the Army Air Corps.
He was 21 when he died on 19 November 1944. He is buried at Shaftesbury
Borough Cemetery, Dorset. Grave 820. The words on the bottom of his
headstone read, "At t he
going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them".
His parents were Humphrey Albert Beeston and his wife
Audrey Muriel (née Swannell), from Temple Ewell, Kent
More about William Beeston is here -
King's School, Canterbury, Roll of Honour
The lychgate bears a plaque, "This gate, the gift of the
Shaftesbury and District British Legion, Women's Section, is placed here
in proud and loving memory of those who gave their lives in the service
of their country, 1939-1945". |
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Bell, F.
Frederick Bell, C/KX 599223,
was a 1st Class Stoker serving aboard
HMS Bullen. He died on 6 December 1944, when he
was 22. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Panel 77.3
His wife was Josephine E. Bell, from
Dover, and they had a little son, Peter |
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Benbow, C. A.
Cecil Anthony ("Tony") Benbow was born on 14
October 1922, and was 18 when he lost his
life in the sinking of SS Tahoma Star on 1 February 1942. He was a cadet
in the Merchant Navy and is commemorated on the Tower Hill memorial,
panel 105.
Between 1930 and 1933, he was a pupil in the
junior school of Dover College. He was the son of John Norman Benbow OBE and his wife, Joan H, née Stokes, who
were married in Plymouth in 1914. His siblings were John, born 1915, Shelagh, born 1930, and probably Biddy. The family lived at 11 Laureston
Place, Dover, from where Shelagh enjoyed breeding and showing dogs.
Commander Benbow was Master in Charge of the Junior
School at the College between 1924 and 1933, and at prize day 1933 he
received grateful thanks and high praise for his work. He was himself an
old boy of the College. Born on 2 August 1883 and christened
at Meerut, Bengal, India, on 13 November 1883, he was the son of Lieut-Colonel John Edward and Mabel Christina Benbow and brother to
Charles Tytler Benbow. In
1891 he was at Rathaspeck House, Park Road, Uxbridge, Hillingdon, with
his grandparents John, a mealman born in Maidenhead, and Adela, born in
London. Also there was their son, Arthur, a civil engineer.
John Benbow came to Dover College as a pupil in 1895 and entered
the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in 1898. There he played
in the first teams for rugby, cricket, and hockey. He is recorded as
a midshipman in 1901. He went on to the Royal Naval College at
Greenwich, in 1903, again playing for the first teams in cricket and
rubgy. Following was a spell at the Royal United Services Institution,
where he played cricket and rugby, again in the first teams. He also
played county cricket, for Devon. In 1911 he was
a Lieutenant for HMS Albemarle at Portland, Dorset. He saw action at the
Battle of Jutland, and commanded destroyers HMS Thorn and HMS Laverock
in the North Sea fleet, including when HMS Laverock was in collision
with HMS Medusa on 25 March 1916 while under attack from enemy aircraft.
Commander Benbow commanded also 3rd and 7th minesweeping flotillas in
1919, retiring in 1920. During WWII he was in command of a naval depot
in North Shields. He died on 18 November 1961 aged 78, at the Royal
Victoria Hospital, Dover. His effects were given to Kathleen Mary Jones.
His wife died five years later, aged 71.
On 31 January
1947, this notice was placed in the Dover Express. "In proud and ever
loving memory of Cadet Cecil Anthony (Tony)
Benbow, presumed to
have lost his life by enemy action when s.s. Tacoma Star was torpedoed
off the American coast on Ist Feb., 1942: also to the memory of all his
shipmates who lost their lives on on that occasion.—Daddy, Mummy, John,
Biddy, Shelagh."
with thanks for Dover College
information to Philip Barry, Bursar |
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Berry, L. W. C.
Leonard William C Berry, C/SSX 28738, was an Able Seaman serving with HM Submarine Unbeaten. He died on 11
November 1942, when he was 21, and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval
Memorial. Panel 53.1
He was the "dearly beloved eldest
son" of Leonard William Charles and Caroline Nellie
Berry, from 18 Adrian Street Flats, Dover
"Ever in our
thoughts" - loving Mum, Dad, and Brother, 1943
"Always remembered" - Gran, Aunts and Uncles, 1943 |
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Bingham, L. C.
Leslie Charles Bingham was born in Dover in 1913.
His parents were probably Arthur William Bingham and Esmeralda Frances,
née Pilcher, who married in Dover in 1907i. Mr Bingham in 1911 was a
marine porter for the SECR, and the family were living at 35 Albany
Place, Dover. Then present were elder brother Arthur Francis, 3, and
elder sister Winifred Ellen, 1. There may have been a further brother,
Wilfred, born in 1911. Mrs Bingham probably died in May 1932.
Leslie Bingham was a former Merchant Navy Chief Engineer, and he stayed
with his relatives in Dover while on leave. He had served on the oil
tanker Cordelia, which was torpedoed in 1943. He and some 20 of the crew
got onto a raft. When the attacking u-boat surfaced they discovered that
the captain was missing, but they took Bingham on board and he became a
POW in Germany (Poland?). There had been no further news of the other
men on the raft.
At the end of the war Mr Bingham was released, half-starved and very
nervous. He found it impossible to settle and his landlord, John Francis
Bernard, said that he spent much of the time in his room with the door
locked. He was found dead on 30 July 1946, the result of an
eight-inch
dagger wound in his chest. The death announcement in the local paper
gave Mr Bingham's address as 25 Prioress Walk, Dover. The coroner gave a
verdict of suicide while the balance of Mr Bingham's mind was disturbed,
and added, "These were the men that protected us, and it is tragic that
the only man saved from a whole ship has carried such mental wounds that
he could not settle down to civilian life again in comfort."
He was buried at Charlton, from Melita, Valley Road, River, the home of
his brother Arthur, his body having lain overnight in Charlton Church.
Mourners included his brothers and sisters-in-law, his sister Winifred
and her husband Sydney Kelly, and aunts Mrs Pilcher, Mrs Dunsford, and
Mrs Marsh, and friends Mr Cozen and Mrs Claw. Amongst the floral
tributes was one from Lloyd's colleagues in Birmingham.
with thanks to Joyce Banks |
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Bliss, H.
Harry Bliss, 650927, was
the son of Mr and Mrs H Bliss, from Dover, and may have been brother to
Raymond.. He
was in 218 ("Gold Coast") Squadron of the RAF.
On 28 April 1943 at 21.05 he took off from Downham
Market, Norfolk, in
Short Stirling EF356
HA- O.
They were on mine-laying operations in the 'Sweet Peas' area (
Rostock, Germany). It was a large operation,
carried out by 207 aircraft. Low cloud over the German and Danish
coasts forced the minelayers to fly low to establish their positions.
Around Helogiland, the approaches to the River Elbe, and other sea
areas, 593 mines were laid . This was the highest number of mines laid
in one night, but the mission was also the most costly mine-laying
mission of the war, as 22 RAF bombers were lost
One was Stirling EF356, which, at around 00:35 hours
on 29 April, was shot down by a Luftwaffe
night-fighter. It crashed at Oddum, to the north of
Esbjerg in
Denmark. All of the crew were killed
except Sergeant Bliss, who survived to become PoW 1119. He went to Camp
357. otherwise known as Stalag 'Kopernikus' at Thorn (now known as Toru
in Poland, about 80 miles northwest of Warsaw
In late 1944 Russian forces advanced into Poland, and Camp 357 was
relocated near to the
existing Stalag XIB camp at
Fallingbostal, about 50 miles
north of Hanover. Conditions in the camp were bad; reprisals had removed
from all British prisoners much of their furniture, their palliasses,
and many of their blankets, and recreation was forbidden. Many prisoners
suffered from bronchitis and chilblains
It was in that camp that Harry Bliss died on 30 March 1945, just six
weeks before the enemy surrender on 7 May. It was fewer than four weeks
before repatriation of prisoners had begun. He was 25
Harry Bliss is buried at Becklingen
WarCemetery southeast of Soltau, Germany. 16
D 11
The crew were:
| Sergeant Kenneth Sidney
HAILEY |
Captain (Pilot) |
aged 21 |
| Sergeant Andrew George
SURTEES |
Flight engineer
|
aged 21 |
| Sergeant Arthur George
Percival SINDREY |
Navigator |
aged 21 |
| Flying Officer Sidney
Michael HOLLIMAN |
Bomb aimer |
aged 21 |
| Sergeant Ronald James
BARTON |
Wireless operator/Air
gunner |
aged 22 |
| Sergeant Harry BLISS
|
Air gunner |
PoW |
| Sergeant James Alfred
HEAD |
Air gunner |
aged 20 |
with thanks to Dean Sumner
There is a report from the Dover
Express, dated 18 May 1945, entitled "Dover Prisoner of
War Death"
"[the conditions are] shown to be responsible for the
death at a prisoner of war camp of W.O. Harry Bliss,
RAF. Son of Mr and Mrs R. Bliss, 46, Maison Dieu Road,
Dover, which reported in the Express of May 4
In a letter to his
parents, a comrade E. Hunnable describes how W.O. Bliss
was made to travel for 36 hours in a cattle truck so
tightly packed that he, an ill man, could not lie down,
and was kept without water
At the destination
he was taken to hospital and operated upon, but never
recovered. The origin of his illness was when changing
camps they had to move two miles, and the German guards
made them run all the way carrying full kit. The Germans
prodded the men with bayonets to make them hurry, and
set dogs on them with the same objective. W.O. Bliss
received three bayonet wounds in the thigh. He had to be
admitted to hospital, and was never the same[...]"
The transcription is with thanks to Joyce
Banks
Edits by Maggie S-K |
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Bocutt, A. A.
Alfred Arthur Bocutt, PO/21632, was a Marine with the
Royal Marines. He served aboard HMS Hood. He died when he was 38,
on 24 May 1941, and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Panel 58, Column 3
He was the son of Alfred Arthur and the late Jessie Bocutt
(of 30 Longfield Road), and the husband of
Dorothy Ada Emily Bocutt, of Southsea, Hampshire
His brother, Alexander Herbert Bocutt also died, as a
civilian away from home |
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Booker, F. J.
Frederick Joseph Booker, C/KX
90859, was a Leading Stoker
with HMS Lynx. He died on 28 July 1941, when
he was 24. His coffin was Union Flag draped, and borne
by members of the Royal Navy. A naval chaplain
officiated at his burial at St Mary's cemetery, Dover.
Section JKX, Grave 8
His parents were
Alfred Edwin and Millicent Florence Booker, from the
"New Mogul", Chapel Place, Dover, who laid a
wreath "from his broken-hearted Mum and Dad". He was the youngest
son, and he was brother to Robert, below. They were
nephews of Millicent's brother,
Reginald Thorner
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Booker, R. E.
Robert Ernest Booker was a Stoker, Merchant Navy serving aboard the Cable Ship Alert.
Born on 18 April 1915, he was 29 when he died on 24
February 1945. He is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.
Panel 4
His parents were Alfred Edwin and
Millicent Florence Booker, and his wife was Joyce
Booker, from Dover. He was brother to Frederick, above.
they were both St Mary's old boys.
Notes on Alert |
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Booth, F. R.
Frank Robert Booth, T/1024189, was a Driver in
the 2nd Division of the Petrol Company, Royal Army Service Corps. He
died at the age of 40 on 25 May 1940, and is commemorated on the Dunkirk
Memorial, France. Column 135
He was the son of John Luke and Margaret Booth, and the " dearly
beloved" husband of Mary Booth, from Noah's Ark Road, Dover

May 1941
|
In ever loving memory of my dear husband
and our Daddy, Frank Robert Booth, who was killed in France,
May 25, 1940 His cheering ways, his smiling face, Are Pleasures to recall;
But there's nothing left to comfort us But his photo on the wall. His loving Wife, Son and Daughter
(Dover and South Wales) |
John Booth was killed in an accident on 1
September 1942. His father, also John, died on 5 November 1934.
(in mem 1944)
(Exhibition 06) |
|
Bradbury, H. T.
Horace Thomas Bradbury, 2665175, was a Guardsman
in the Coldstream Guards, 1st battalion. He died on 1 April 1945 (at
Enschede), when he was 29. He is buried at Enschede
Eastern General Cemetery, The Netherlands, Grave 199A
He was the son of Thomas Augustus and Anne Elizabeth Bradbury, and
the husband of Elsie Bradbury, from Stone in Staffordshire
1949 - "In loving memory ...always remembered by
his sister Mary" |
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Brading, C. F.
Charles Frederick Brading,
6286740, was in the 4th battalion of The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). He
died on the night of 23-24 October 1943, at the age of 24 (his
brother says "23"). He was the son of Bert and Catherine Brading. He is
commemorated on the Cassino Memorial, Italy.
(article)
Panel 4 |
|
Bradish, B.
Barrington Bradish was a Greaser, Merchant
Navy serving aboard the SS Maid of Kent (below), then a
hospital ship. He was 57
when he died on 21 May 1940, and is commemorated at
Tower Hill, London. Panel 66.
He was the son of Stephen and
Caroline Bradish, and the husband of Matilda Bradish,
from 121 Clarendon Street, Dover . Mr Bradish, with his
wife and eldest daughter, Winifred, are pictured, left Mrs Bradish was sent
a letter on 27 May 1940 from the Divisional Marine
Manger, Mr H C Wood, of the Marine Department of the
Southern Railway, stating:
"It is with great regret that
I have to inform you that owing to the very inhuman
bombing by enemy aircraft on the SS "Maid of Kent"
whilst this vessel was lying in Dieppe Harbour on the
21st May, it is presumed that your husband has lost his
life. His name is amongst those reported missing, and it
is feared there is very little hope that he has
survived.
 "It is difficult on such
occasions adequately to express sympathy, but in your
sorrow you have the satisfaction of knowing that your
dear lost one has given his life in the Country's
service, and it will be for those who are left to carry
on to see that he did not die in vain.
"In the loss which you have sustained, I would also say
that the Company has lost a very loyal and devoted
servant."

May 1941 |
In ever loving memory of
a dear husband and father, Barrington
(Barry) Bradish, who was lost in the sinking
of the hospital ship "Maid of Kent" in
Dieppe Harbour, May 21 1940.
Quickly and sudden was the call,
His sudden death surprised us all;
Only those who have lost are able to tell
The pain of a parting without a farewell.
From his loving Wife, Sons, and Daughters |
illustrations by
courtesy of Margaret Fagg
Note: The Maid of Kent
was one of the cross channel ferries, converted to a
hospital ship.
See also:
"Luftwaffe
Destruction of the Maid of Kent" by Richard Thwaites
(.pdf)
and
"Notes on the Hospital
Carrier Maid of Kent"
|
|
 Brann, J. W.
Joseph William Brann, S/147628, who was
a Serjeant in the Royal Army Service Corps. He was captured in Italy,
and became Prisoner of War number 269626 at Stalag 4B Muhlburg, on the
Elbe. He died on 18 February 1945, and is buried at the Berlin
1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany. 10 K6

He was the son of Richard
and Nellie Brann, of Laburnum Cottage, 119 St Radigunds Road. The Branns once owned The Boar's Head, in Eaton Road,
and The Terminus, at the Western Docks
with thanks to Raymond Ellis
Note: Joseph is related to Richard Prescott, died 1916. Nellie Brann was
cousin to Richard's father, Richard J. Prescott. Joseph's sister Eliza
also lost her husband, Arthur Miles, in 1945 |
|
Brett, R. W.
Raymond William Brett, 1807476, was born on 22
November 1923 in Hull, the son of William James and Lillian
Louisa Brett, formerly Harding. From 24 Buckland Avenue,
he was a former pupil of
Barton Road and then the County, now Grammar, Schools,
and had worked at the Westminster bank in Dover for
nearly two years. Raymond became a Sergeant
Air Gunner, in the RAFVR, 44 Squadron. On 21 June 1944
he took off at 22.58 hours from Dunholme Lodge,
Lincolnshire, as part of a
force of 133 Lancasters detailed to attack a synthetic
oil plant at Wesseling, south of Cologne, Germany. Six
de Havilland Mosquitos also took part in the raid.
The target was obscured by 10/10ths cloud, so bombing
was carried out using the H2S radar equipment.
The Luftwaffe night-fighter force
inflicted heavy casualties on the bombers and
contributed to the loss of 37 Lancasters, with six of the losses coming from 44
Squadron. They included Sergeant Brett's Avro Lancaster
BIII ND552, coded KM-X, which crashed in the early hours of 22
June into the grounds of a coalmine between the villages
of Eisden (Limburg) and Lanklaar in Belgium.


All the crew were killed, and are buried in the local
Communal Cemetery, Collective Grave 1-7. On the right is
Raymond Brett's headstone.
pictures by courtesy of and the copyright
of The Williamson family; with thanks to Dennis Clarke
of Kimpton Village Roll of Honour
The crew were:
| Flying Officer
Neil Joseph Smith
- RAAF |
Captain (Pilot) |
aged 22 |
| Sergeant John
Douglas Barber |
Flight Engineer
|
aged 19 |
| Flying Officer
Thomas Sawers Calder |
Navigator |
age unknown |
| Flight Sergeant
Michael William Beevor Steele |
Bomb aimer |
age unknown |
| Sergeant Laurence
Herbert Bozier |
Wireless
operator/Air gunner |
age 22 |
| Sergeant David
Blackie |
Air gunner |
aged 29 |
| Sergeant Raymond
William Brett |
Air gunner |
aged 20 |
Note: F/O Smith of the Royal Australian
Air Force was the son of Sidney and Alice Smith of
Midland Junction, Western Australia
Over 200 RAF airmen lost their lives in this raid.
Damage to the oil plant was deemed to be slight
according to the post-raid reconnaissance, but a German
report indicated a loss of 40% in production. Casualties on
the ground amounted to 20 workers
Raymond Brett is named on his father's
headstone at St Peter, Whitfield. The words on the
headstone read:
In loving memory of William James
Brett, died 8th Sept 1953 aged 58 years
Also his son Flt/Sgt Raymond William Brett RAF
Killed in Action 22.6.44 (Buried in Belgium)
Note: William Brett was born at Walmer in
1895 and died in 1953. His name is on the
Walmer Land and Sea Scouts Roll of Honour
Memorial 1,
Memorial 2
with thanks to Dean Sumner for RAF
information |
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Brewster, I. J.
Ivor
John Brewster, 7590648, was
a Craftsman in the 1st Airborne Division Workshop of the
REME. the announcement, right, appeared on 5 January
1945 in the Dover Express; very sadly just eleven days later Ivor died.
He was 20. He is buried at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery,
Netherlands. 18 C 12
He was the elder son of Walter Lennos Brewster and Matilda
Caroline Brewster, of 23 Stanhope Road, Dover
In Memoriam 1948
Brewster - Fondest thoughts of our beloved Ivor John,
1st Airborne Division REME, who died of wounds whilst a
prisoner of war at Aleldoorn 16th January 1945. Now
resting in the British Cemetery, Arnhem, Holland. From
Mother, Dad, Ian, Kathleen, Gran and Granddad
Brewster. In loving memory of our
comrade (Buff) Ivor John Brewster who died of wounds
received at Arnhem, whilst P.O.W.
Always remembered by Armourers Shop, 1st
Airborne Division
Note: a short
while before Ivor died, he was seen in the street by
Maggie S-K's aunt, Dorne Easton. She said, "He
looked so smart in his red beret. His grandparents lived
in the stone cottage between Paul’s Place and Matthew’s
Place. Recently, your uncle and I went out to visit his
grave, but the area was fenced off because they were
replacing the grass. So we bought a cross for
Remembrance Sunday, and put it in the Garden of
Remembrance by Dover Memorial, because we hadn't been able
to put flowers on Ivor's grave"
Right, tributes at Dover Town War
Memorial Field of Remembrance on 11 November 2012 |
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Burdett, E. E. H.
Edgar Ernest Henry Burdett, C/JX 150678, was an
Able Seaman aboard HMS Arethusa. He was 22 when
he died ("killed by enemy action in the Eastern Mediterranean") on 18th November 1942, and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval
Memorial. Panel 53, 1.
He was the "dearly loved" son of William and Beatrice Burdett,
from 36 Chamberlain Road, Dover, brother of Den, and the dearly beloved husband of Gertrude Patricia Burdett
(née Huntley), from Enfield, in Middlesex, formerly of 4 Prioress Walk,
Dover,. He was an old St Mary's school boy "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay
down his life for his friends."
"God be with you till we meet again." . |
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Buzan, C. W.
Charles Walter Buzan, 6292559, was a Bombardier
in the Royal Artillery, with 331 battery, 100 Light AA
Regiment. He died at the age of 28 on 25 February
1944. He is buried at Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio,
Italy. VG 9
His parents were Charles Edward and
Emily (Elsie?) Buzan, of Dover, and he was married to
Frances M Buzan, from Epsom, Surrey. Flight Engineer
Wilfred Claud Buzan, 1801432, from the RAFVR
and of 103 Squadron, may have been Charles'
brother (his parents are given as Charles Edward and
Emily Florence Buzan, from Dover) |
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