World War II Soldiers honoured on Stokesley War Memorial
Cadet W P Allan
William Phillip Allan was born in 1922, and was the son of Francis C and Marion N Allan of Stokesley. Francis Allan had married Marion Moon in 1920, and as there appear to be no other children born to Allan/Moon recorded in the GRO indexes, it seems that William was their only son.
William's mother, nee Marion Newton Moon was the daughter of Alfred Moon and his wife Annie. Alfred was a miller and farmer, who in the 1911 census was recorded as living at “the Mill” in Stokesley (and in 1901 as living at Mill Riggs). William's father, Francis C Allan, was probably Francis Cuthbert Allan son of William Allan and Mary Emma, in which case Francis and his father were house painters. In 1911 they were living in Thornaby with 1 servant and therefore vulnerable to enemy action.
William served in the the Second World War in the Merchant Navy, and in early 1941 was a member of the crew of S.S Holmelea (Newcastle), a British cargo steamer of 4223 tons, built in 1928 and owned by JOHN MORRISON & SON, CLIFFSIDE SHIPPING CO LTD. On the 28th February 1941, SS Holmelea was en route from ROSARIO for HULL, carrying a cargo of 7000 tons of grain, linseed and maize. She was part of CONVOY HX-109, but having become a straggler, she was especially vulnerable to enemy action. She had already been damaged by shells fired from a German submarine earlier in that night, before again coming under attack and being sunk by a torpedo launched from submarine U-471.
The Master, John Robert Potts, and 26 crew members, including Cadet Allan, were lost from a total crew of 39. Fortunately, on the 5th March, ten surviving crew members and one gunner in one lifeboat were picked up by the Icelandic trawler Baldur and subsequently landed at Fleetwood. (From http://www.wrecksite.eu)
The official Register of Deceased Seamen states that William P Alan was a cadet born in Stokesley aged 18 and that his address on joining the Holmelea was North View, Stokesley, and that he was “Missing presumed drowned” on 28th February 1941 “as a result of enemy action”
1. The Captain of U-47 was Gunther Prien, who had in 1939 penetrated the British Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and had sunk HMS Royal Oak. He was a great German national hero, and sank a total of more than 30 allied ships, with a combined capacity of 200,000 tons. But, only seven days after sinking //Holmelea, Prien and U-47 fell victim to a joint depth charge attack by two British destroyers, HMS Wolverine and HMS Verity with the loss of the entire crew of 45 submariners. Churchill himself broadcast the news to the German people, who had been kept in the dark about Prien's demise//
Cadet Allan is commemorated on plaque 57 of the Tower Hill Memorial in London
THE TOWER HILL MEMORIAL, LONDON.
Private Harry Baines
Harry Baines was a Private in the Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment 4th battalion) No. 4389609. He is remembered by CWGC as the son of Mr and Mrs H(arry) S(carth) Baines of Stokesley, but his descent seems a little more complicated.
Harry Scarth Baines had married Emily Wiles in Stokesley in the December quarter 1904. Emily at this time already had 2 daughters, Rose born 1898 and Annie Elizabeth born September quarter 1904. In the 1911 census, however, both girls are recorded as daughters of Harry S Baines - as Rose Wiles Baines and Annie Baines. The family at that time was living on South Side Stokesley. Harry and Emily state that they have been married for 6 years and have 2 children both alive (presumably Rose and Annie). Harry was a farm labourer born in Easingwold.
Harry Scarth Baines had enlisted in the army in WW1 and went to France where he served as Driver T3/026843 ASC. (See They also Served Surnames A-C)
Despite Harry Scarth Baines being recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Harry Baines junior's father, it seems that at his birth in 1920, Harry junior was registered as Harry B Wiles, and that he possibly had 2 sisters Emily K Wiles, born 1918 and Muriel B Wiles born 1923. All three children, despite their registered names,were nevertheless known as Baines. It seems possible that Harry B, Emiy K and Muriel B were actually the children of Rose and/or Annie but were brought up as the children of Harry Scarth and Emily Baines.
When World War Two began, British troops were despatched to France to stiffen resisitance against a German attack. Harry went with the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Green Howards and arrived in France on 26th January 1940. The units were sent first to to Lille and then Wavrin. The 6th and 7th Battalions Green Howards arrived in France on 24th Apil 1940. The 7th was sent to Farbus. The 6th Battalion was sent to Irles.
On 10th May, the long-expected attack was launched, but unexpectedly through the Ardennes, avoiding the best equipped Allied units, which had been deployed against the expected attack through Belgium. The The attempts to realign the Allied troops only led to a confused and erratic retreat from one defensive line after another. More than once orders were issued to dig in and hold a position at all costs, only for a further retreat to be ordered a matter of hours later.
As Synge relates in his history of the Yorkshire Regiment during World War Two…“…often without rations, at times separated from their Brigades and, indeed with companies and platoons fighting for long periods on their own, it is impossible to tell a coherent story of those chaotic days..”
The 23rd of May was a typical day. It was hot and sunny, and the men of the 4th Battalion were in Athies. Enemy sniping and mortaring of the forward positions grew in intensity. The Battalion transport under Lance Sergeant Peacock managed to get away with some casualties; an action for which he was awarded the Military Medal for his fine leadership. But by early evening enemy pressure was becoming unbearable. Lt Col Littleboy withdrew his HQ to a position outside the village leaving 2nd Lt. Kirby in the attic of an Estaminet to watch the approaches of the village, a position that became extremely uncomfortable both because of the close proximity of the enemy and the fact that the building was partially on fire. The exits from the village were also reinforced in case of need.
Again, plans went awry due to the rapidity with which the enemy was able to turn flanks. The men in Athies soon came under fire from the rear, and patrols sent out to investigate reported back that the enemy was now in behind the Battalion position. The now usual quandary presented itself to local command: stand and fight to the last man, be taken prisoner, or move further back in the hope of joining similarly stranded units to make a more coherent defence.
Brigade orders eventually put paid to any thought of meeting the enemy head-on and the long withdrawal towards Dunkirk began.
At 7pm on 23rd May the enemy broke through. With Athies in flames the 4th Yorks retired to a ridge behind the village. This position was manned by HQ Company and any stragglers that arrived, but inevitably the defenders were forced to withdraw again, falling back towards Fampoux and beyond towards Dunkirk. It was a very confused situation and soldiers were separated from their comrades and had to move with whatever group they happened to find themselves. There are many cemeteries in this region in which are buried the hundreds of casualties who fell along the route to Dunkirk. There is little or no information, however, on the actions that took place or the circumstances of individual deaths.
Harry Baines' date of death is given as 24th May 1940 and he lies buried in Sp Mem Grave 3, Bailleul-Sire-Berthoult Communal Cemetery. Bailleul-Sire-Berthoult is a village some 8 kilomet,res north-east of Arras. The Communal Cemetery is south-east of the village on the road to Gavrelle. The graves of 9 British soldiers are in the north-western part of the Cemetery. Of these 9 burials 3 others, also Green Howards, died the same day as Harry. The 9 graves are the only war graves in the cemetery, and as there are other larger cemeteries close by it seems safe to assume that the nine men buried here actually died in the village of Bailleul sire Berthoult. All 9 died between 23rd – 29th May, 1940, and they are all from the 5th and 50th Divisions showing the retreat from the Scarpe and Arras after the defeat at Arras on 21st May.
Harry was originally reported as missing on 22 May 1940 (Casualty List 238) and incredibly was not confirmed as dead until 21 November 1941 (Casualty List 675). (Another soldier among the 9 burials is 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Christopher King. He was from “Aldersyde*, The Avenue, Marton, Middlesbrough. One wonders if Harry stuck with him because he was another local man? Alexander was also originally reported as missing and it was not until 19 February 1942 - Casualty list 751, Officers - that he was eventually confirmed dead. Alexander was an only child. How awful it must have been for their loved ones to have to wait in hope for all that time).
Harry died on 24th May 1940 aged 19 and is buried in Sp Mem Grave 3, one of nine British soldiers to lie in Bailleul-Sire-Berthoult Communal Cemetery. Across the top of Harry’s headstone is inscribed “Buried near this spot. At the foot there is a dedication from Harry's parents:"In Memory of our dear son”.
Harry Baines' Headstone, Bailleul
John Richard Barnley
John Richard Barnley was the son of Richard Wynne Barnley and Beatrice Barnley of Nunthorpe. Richard Wynne Barnley, a solicitor, had married Beatrice E Ridley in 1914 in Middlesbrough. They had 2 sons, George Ridley Barnley born 1915 and John Richard Barnley born 1918, both in Middlesbrough. In 1924, however, Richard Wynne Barnley leased Tanton Hall for 7 years from James Pennyman, and after that they moved to Sunny Cross, Nunthorpe.
During World War II, John Richard Barnley served in the RAF in what is now known as Malaysia and was Squadron Leader No. 39647, Kluang Unit, 34 Squadron. This squadron flew Blenheim I's to Singapore in the autumn of 1939, though at that time therebwas little thought of the cataclysmic events thst would unfold a few short years afterwards. We can learn a little about John's life there from the Malaya press. (See http://TimesofMalaya.blogspot.co.uk)
"At Kluang we were billeted under canvas with the Australians (19th & 29th Battalions ) on the perimeter of Kluang Aerodrome. Food was very good with plenty of meat, butter, bread and cheese. The section’s job was to repair and keep in operation the overhead lines between Kluang and Mersing. There were only two Blenheim bombers stationed on the airfield".
However, during the Japanese invasion, the Japanese actually re-located their forward base from Kuala Lumpur to Kluang on 23 Jan 1942 and used the airbase for flying their own planes over Singapore during the fighting withdrawal of the allied forces. Squadron No.34 shared the fate of every Allied squadron in the areas attacked by the Japanese at the start of 1942 - heavy loses followed by a forced retreat, in this case to Sumatra, then Java. By the end of February 1942, 34 squadron had ceased to exist as a fighting unit, and the surviving ground crew were evacuated to India. (http://www.historyofwar.org)
John himself was reported as missing in 1942. From POW records, we now know that he had been taken prisoner on 8th March. This was not known in England, and his parents placed the following item in the press on 1st August 1942:
Missing: Squadron Leader J R Barnley last heard of in Batavia February 21st. Any information gratefully received by his parents Mr and Mrs R.W. Barnley, Sunny Cross, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Yorks.
This was followed by a further item in September 1943, after they had learned of the fate of their son:
BARNLEY – Previously reported missing now known to have died while a prisoner in Japanese hands. Sqdr Ldr J.R. Barnley, younger son of Mr and Mrs R.W.Barnley of Sunny Cross, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Yorks.
The website http://www.mansell.com gives information on prisoners of war held by the Japanese, and includes these details of John’s death:
John Richard Barnley died at Ohama POW camp of bronchial catarrh and external haemorrhoids. Arrived at the camp on 27th Nov 1942 having travelled on the vessel Singapore Maru. Many of the prisoners died of dysentery en route or shortly after arriving at Fukuoka.
http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/hell_ship (another site concerned with the war in the Far East) gives an account of the appalling conditions suffered on board this ship. Readers may be interested to delve into it in order to see how the prisoners suffered, but it is to be hoped that John’s parents remained unaware of the details…
Squadron Leader John Barnley’s death is officially recorded as occurring on 30th November 1942 when he was aged 25. As with all POWs who died in Japanese camps, John's body would have been cremated and the ashes buried in the camp where he died.
The administration of John’s estate was granted to his father who at that time was described as a bee keeper. John's effects totalled £1060 11s 1d.
After the war the Army Graves Service arranged for the ashes of Allied POWs who were buried in Japanese camps to be brought by H.M.A.S. NEWFOUNDLAND to Sydney (www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Japanese_Homeland/B) to be buried alongside their comrades. John Barnley's ashes were re-interred in plot 2Z. D.7 of the Sydney War Cemetery, which is in the grounds of Rookwood Necropolis, about 17 kilometres west of Sydney. It contains 732 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the Second World War.
John’s brother, George, also served during WW2 and was mentioned in the London Gazette when he was promoted from Cadet to 2nd Lieutenant in July 1942. He apparently progressed to the rank of Colonel and received an OBE in 1956.
Norman Francis Pollard
Norman Francis Pollard was born in Stokesley in 1924. He was the son of John Henry Pollard and Hannah Mary Hugill who had married in Stokesley earlier in that year, and he had 2 sisters, (Florence born 1925 and Lilian born 1927), and 2 brothers (Gordon and Reginald born 1930).
Norman Pollard was only 15 when war broke out, but once of age he joined the Green Howards and served as Private 14384570 of the Parachute Regiment, in a unit known as Army Air Corps, 12th (10th Battalion the Green Howards [Yorkshire Regiment] Battalion). Perhaps the most celebrated operation to involve the the AAC was Operation Market Garden - a heroic catastrophe better known as the Battle of Arnhem and to many, even better known through the film A Bridge too Far
The lessons of this setback were well-learned however and applied successfully to subsequent operations as the German Army was driven back on the Western Front in 1945. In March, the allies were at the Rhine, and even across it in places. However, some German forces remained on the west bank and Operation Plunder was launched with the aim of forcing further crossings into the German heartlands. As a support to the infantry offensive, an airborne assault known as Operation Varsity was launched on 24th March by the 6th Airborne Division. The tactic was to prove very costly, but crossings were forced and the infantry linked up successfully with the airborne forces on the east bank of the Rhine.
Private Norman Pollard died on the first day of Operation Varsity, that is to say in the opening attack. He was aged 22 and is buried in Plot 41.C.3 of the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery
John G Brotton
John George Brotton was born in Stokesley in 1921. His parents were George Brotton and Mary Agnes (nee Gillies) who married in Stokesley in 1913. John had several siblings – Thomas, born 1913; Kathleen, 1917; Robert, 1923; Violet, 1925; William, 1928; Myra, 1931; Mary 1933.
John G Brotton and Harry Brotton (see below) were cousins as their fathers were brothers. John's father served in the First World War and his story can be found on this website under the heading They Also Served
When the Second World War came, John G Brotton was a resident of Middlesbrough. He enlisted he became Gunner 1781666 in the Royal Artillery attached to 1 H.A. A. Regiment, Royal Indian Artillery in Malaya. On 8 February 1942, in their attack on Singapore, the Japanese crossed the Johore Straits in strength, landing at the mouth of the Kranji River. On the evening of 9 February, they launched an attack between the river and the causeway. During the next few days fierce fighting ensued, in many cases hand to hand, until their greatly superior numbers and crucially superior air power necessitated a withdrawal by the British forces. Many of the defenders were killed or wounded in the fighting, and those taken prisoner were interned in prisoner of war camps like that established at Kranji. Prisoners of the Japanese were treated extrememly inhumanely by western standards, and the death toll amongst them from disease and malnutrition was truly appalling.
Gunner John Brotton was one of these prisoners, and records show that he died on 5th March 1943. He is commemorated on column 14 of the Singapore Memorial, which stands within the Kranji War Cemetery.
Harry Brotton
Harry Brotton was born in 1921 in Stokesley. He was the son of James Brotton and Elizabeth Stephenson who married in Stokesley in 1909. Harry had 2 brothers, James (born in 1910), Thomas (1911) and 3 sisters, Mary (born 1913), Sarah (1916) and Vera (1918).
The 1911 census records Harry's parents and eldest brother (James, Elizabeth and James junior) living in Cail's Yard, Stokesley, where James senior gave his occupation as 'Labourer, Drainer'. James himself would go on to serve in World War 1 as Private 018855 in the Army Ordinance Corps and to receive the Victory Medal and British War Medal. (James senior's brother Robert also served and his medals are on display in the Richmond Museum. George, another brother of James, was the father of John G Brotton who died in Malaya in 1943. See above).
When the Second World War broke out, Harry was 18 years old. He joined the 8th Battalion of the Royal Marines, and then in late 1942, found himself serving as a Royal Marine Commando, something that did not exist when the war had begun.
The formation of the Royal Marine Commandoes seems to have been something of an afterthought as the first Commando units in the Second World War had all been drawn from the British Army. In February 1942, however, the Royal Marines were asked to organise Commando units of their own, and 6,000 men volunteered. The new unit was known as “A” Commando which later became 40 RM Commando. This was the only volunteer RM Commando unit, but its success led to an expansion of the whole idea. Harry's joined this elite company when "B" RM Commando was raised at Pembroke Dock on 7 October 1942, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel P W O'H. Phibbs, from the men of the 8th Royal Marine Battalion. The new battalion consisted of all the marines who had passed the training. The former 8th RM battalion was disbanded and the new “B” RM Commando was renamed No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando. Harry Brotton served in this new unit as Marine No PO/X 107381. 41 R.M. Commando fought with the Special Service Brigade in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The island was captured with fewer casualties than might have been anticiapated, but Axis forces managed to withdraw in good order to the mainland. On 3rd August, Allied landings were made at Salerno, where they suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the re-organised defenders, losses including two second-in-commands and most of the Troop Commanders. 41 RM Commando were fortunate enough to land unopposed, but the next two weeks saw the defenders regroup and counter-attack with devastating effect. Crucial to this stage of the battle was the presence of several Panzer Divisions which spearheaded the counter-offensive and inflicted heavy casualties on the invaders. According to the Stokesley diarist Marion Hall, Harry Brotton was killed in Sicily on 20th August, which would have been during this phase of the battle. Marion generally derived her information directly from her neighbours, fellow church-goers and journals and is usually very reliable, so if she is correct on this point, Harry fell in the battle to maintain the bridgehead which he and his fellow commandoes had established.
However, according to official records (in this case the Commonwealth War Graves memorial), Harry Brotton died on 9th September 1943. He is remembered on Panel 93 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Leslie Noel Coughlan
Leslie Noel Coughlan was born in 1920 in Middlesbrough. His parents were Patrick Thomas Coughlan, a photographer, (born in Middlesbrough), and Annie Eleanor Jones. The couple were married in 1904 in Stokesley. The census of 1911 records Leslie's parents living in Stokesley with 2 sons, Basil and Vivian. Leslie also had a sister Joyce born 1922 in Middlesbrough.
During World War II, Leslie served as Lance Corporal No. 4389604 in the Green Howards 6th (Yorkshire Regiment) Battalion, and fought in the Desert War in North Africa. There were two distinct campaigns fought in the desert, of which the best known to British people was that which saw the 8th Army confront the Italians and Germans over control of Egypt. The much celebrated second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 was the pivotal action in this conflict after which the defeated Axis forces withdrew into Tunisia along the coast through Libya, pursued by the Allied Eighth Army.
The other desert campaign began on 8 November 1942, when Commonwealth and American troops made a series of landings in Algeria and Morocco. The Germans responded immediately by sending a force from Sicily to northern Tunisia, which checked the Allied advance east in early December.
The limit of the Allied advance in December 1942 was at Medjez-el-Bab, which remained on the front line until the decisive Allied advances of April and May 1943. By mid April 1943, the combined Axis force was hemmed into a small corner of north-eastern Tunisia and the Allies were grouped for their final offensive. In May 1943, the war in North Africa came to an end in Tunisia with the defeat of the Axis powers by a combined Allied force. Those enemy troops not captured or killed withdrew to Sicily.
Lance Corporal Coughlan died on 6/4/1943 during the final stages of the campaign. He is commemorated on Face 17 of the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial.
Ronald Alexander Eastwood
Ronald Alexander Eastwood is listed on the Stokesley War Memorial (West Green) as a Sergeant in the Northumberland Fusiliers. However, on the Roll of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission he is recorded as a Lance Corporal in the Intelligence Corps with the Regimental Number 4270542.
The CWGC also states that Ronald was the adopted son and nephew of Mr and Mrs A Grainger of Stokesley. The UK Army Roll of Honour tells us that Ronald was born in Manchester, that he resided in Newcastle on Tyne and that he had enlisted into the R.A.M.C. It says that he fought in North Africa and at the time of his death he was Lance Corporal in the Intelligence Corps.
Working from this information, the only person these researchers can find to fit the description was born Ronald A Eastwood in 1920 in Ormskirk. As his mother’s maiden name was Myers, it seems likely that he was the son of Fred Eastwood and Edith Myers who married in 1919 in Wetherby.
Units of the Royal Northumbrian Fusiliers were attached to Montgomery's 8th Army, which, having broken through the Axis lines at El Alamein, advanced, not without difficulties, towards Tobruk, which fell on 13th November. Benghazi was captured a week later, and the 8th Army pursued the Axis forces as they fell back towards Tripoli. Another allied force was advancing from the west, and the pincer movement forced the Axis armies into an ever tighter perimeter. The capture of Sirte on Christmas Day 1942 paced the way for the final assault on Tripoli, which was stoutly defended and did not fall until 23rd January. It then became a hospital centre and the burials in the war cemetery were almost entirely from the hospitals, which included Nos 2, 48 and 133 General Hospitals from March 1943, and No 89 General Hospital from April 1944.
However, from the date given for his death, 7th January 1943, this cannot apply to Ronald Eastwood, who fell during the final push on Tripoli and who is buried in Plot 5.F. 5. of the Tripoli War Cemetery. As previously stated, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records him as the "adopted son and nephew of Mr and Mrs A Grainger of Stokesley," and the inscription on his Headstone reads "In God's Own Time We Will Meet Again"
Ernest Stayman Harland
Ernest Stayman Harland was born in 1914 in Stokesley, the son of Cedric Joe Harland and Edith Stayman who married in 1914 in Stockton. Ernest himself married Hilda Redfearn in 1938 in Middlesbrough. Ernest and Hilda had two children, called Ann (1939) and Alan (1940).
Ernest served in the army as Private No. 4394840 in the 4th Battalion “The Buffs”, (the Royal East Kent Regiment). Towards the end of 1943, Ernest was amongst British forces sent to the Dodecanese Islands (including Kos, Samos and Leros) which had been held by the Italians up to the time of the Italian surrender in September, 1943. It was hoped that this might cause the Turks to join the Allied side, but instead, Hitler sent German troops to the region, backed by a large number of aircraft. Having subjected Allied forces on Kos to a heavy air bombardment, the Germans made amphibious landings and captured the island after a brief battle in October, 1943.
The centre of the action then shifted to Leros. The actual German invasion of Leros was delayed for nearly a month by the Royal Navy disrupting German preparations, but the island garrison, including the Buffs, was subject to heavy German aerial assaults from September 26th onwards. The invasion proper began on November 12th, with amphibious landings and parachute landings in the centre of the island. Despite being repulsed in several places, the invaders established a bridgehead and were able to parachute in more troop. The garrison was out-numbered and out-gunned and was compelled to surrender.
Private Harland died on 16th November 1943, the very day on which the garrison surrendered. He is buried in plot 1.B.11 of the Leros War Cemetery, Greece.
The speed - or lack of it - at which news spread is illustrated by an entry in Marion Hall's diary (20th January 1944), in which she records that there was mention in Stokesley's Parish Church of the death in action at Cos of 'Ernest son of Cedric and grandson of Charles Harland, married with 2 children'. (Charles and Cedric Harland were both listed as grooms in the 1911 Census, Cedric working at the Golden Lion Hotel. Albert Hunter was mentioned in the same service).
Sidney Leonard Iley
Sidney Leonard Iley was born in 1911 in Great Broughton, the son of John Graham Iley and Sarah Jane Storey who married in 1905. Jane Storey was the sister of Maria Phoebe Storey who became a nurse and is commemorated on the Great Broughton plaque to those who served during the Great War. (See her story in They also served).
In the Census of 1911 Sidney is recorded as being 2 months old and living at The Bay Horse Broughton with his mother and grandmother, who was described as hotel keeper. There is a John Graham Iley in Stockton as a boarder at this time. He is described as a marine engineer, married, born in Stockton on Tees, and aged 40 years.
Sidney had 2 younger brothers, John born in 1914 and Raymond born in 1916.
Sidney Iley served in the Royal Navy, and the UK navy lists show that he was made Lieutenant in 1935, but according to the Hammond family tree on the “Ancestry” website, Sidney’s first voyage was as an apprentice to Seattle on SS Kirnwood, and in 1936 he is said to have travelled as a member of crew to New York from Newcastle on Tyne on board SS Hazelwood. Two years later, in 1938, Sidney married Betty Hannah Foulk in the Cleveland registration district.
HMS Dragonfly
Sidney's fate remained unclear for some time, but it is now thought that he died at sea on 14th February 1942 on H.M.S. Dragonfly which was one of 5 gunboats in the “Locust” class. During World War 2, Dragonfly together with Locust and Grasshopper were designated to patrol Chinese waters out of Shanghai but were withdrawn to Singapore after the Japanese invaded China. On 31st January these 3 boats successfully evacuated 1500 men of the 15th Brigade in the face of the Japanese advance. As Singapore was about to fall the Grasshopper and Scorpion left for Batavia. Dragonfly remained to pick up more refugees, but was to follow shortly after. Sabrizain.org/malayaNovember
An account given by Captain W G Gingell of the East Surrey Regiment states that he and the remainder of his party (only 14 Other Ranks by the time they reached the boarding pier) went aboard the Dragonfly which sailed at 4.30 am on 14th February 1942. Enemy aircraft then attacked the boat and it received a direct hit amidships. Some of those on board were killed outright and many others were injured. The boat was abandoned and sank in 7 minutes.
The Japanese machine gunned those in the water and Captain Gingell himself was hit. Against all odds, some of the men survived the ordeal. Some of the casualties who died later were buried at sea, some of those who survived made it to an island where they were helped by the crew of the Grasshopper which had also been hit and run aground.
The following newspaper article appeared following the sinking of HMS Dragonfly:
28th July 1943 – “ILEY, Sidney L, Lt RN; missing since the fall of Singapore. Any information gratefully received by his wife, Third Officer Betty Iley, W.R.N.S. 22 Barkston Gardens S.W.5. (Australian papers please copy)
In what would appear to have been a terrible ordeal for Sidney Iley's wife, her husband was still being reported as "Missing" as late as July 1945, but after Captain Gingell's report became known it was accepted that Lieutenant Iley must have perished in the attack on Dragonfly, 3 years before.
(Information from: http://www.queensroyalsussreys.org.uk/ww2/malaya)
The following notice appeared in the newspaper on 8th Dec 1945:
ILEY Missing since fall of Singapore now officially presumed killed in Feb 1942. Sidney L Iley Lieut., Royal Navy, H.M.S. Dragonfly, beloved husband of Betty (nee Foulk), Stokesley, Middlesbrough, Yorks.
It was to be yet another four months before probate was granted to the widow, and she could begin to find closure:
Iley Sidney Leonard of the Avenue Stokesley Middlesbrough died 14 February 1942 on war service. Administration LONDON 16 April (1946) to Mrs Betty Hannah (wife of Malcolm Robert Hannah). Effects £869 12s.
Lt Sidney Isley is commemorated on Panel 62 column 3 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
Gilbert Yeoman Newbegin
Gilbert Yeoman Newbegin was born in 1910 in Hartlepool, the son of Joseph Thomas Newbegin and Louisa Jones who had married in 1901 in Hartlepool. He had siblings Lily born 1904, May born 1908, Joseph born 1909, Dorothy born 1916, and Eva born 1918. In the 1911 Census, Gilbert was living with his mother and 3 of his siblings in Beechwood Road West Hartlepool.
Gilbert ** married Amy Elizabeth Wrightson on 16th April 1938 in Stokesley**. Amy was born in Stokesley in 1915 and was the niece of John Joseph Glentworth who served in WW1 (See his story in They also served). Gilbert and Amy had a daughter Gillian in 1940 who apparently emigrated to Canada after her marriage.
Gilbert became a Merchant Seaman and we have his records dating from 1935, when he completed his indentures. At this time he had the rank AB with Discharge Number R90695. His exact date and place of birth are given, (30th November 1910 in West Hartlepool). We are also told that he was 5’ 6” tall with grey eyes and auburn hair and had a fair complexion and a birth mark on his right shoulder.
Gilbert became a Second Officer in the Merchant Navy and he died in home waters on 12th September 1940 when his ship, SS Gothic, was lost. Having previously survived an attack by German aircraft on 1st August 1940 the Gothic was on her way from Immingham to the Tees carrying 2,2820 tons of creosote when she struck a mine and sank off Spurn Point. Two men were killed outright whilst another 10 were reported missing.
Second Officer Gilbert Newbegin is commemorated in Section C Grave 78 of Stokesley Cemetery. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records him as the ' Husband of Amy Elizabeth Newbegin of Linthorpe'.
Gilbert Newbegin was awarded the World War 2 War Medal and the World War 2 Star.
John Smith
John Smith was the son of Watson Smith who was born in Carlton, and Clara Taylor who were married in Hartlepool in 1907. In 1911 Watson and Clara were living in Hartlepool where Watson was a machinist in a marine engineer shop. At this time they had 2 sons who had been born in Hartlepool, George in 1909 and Cecil in 1910. They then moved back to the Stokesley area where Watson was born in 1917 and another son,John, in 1920.
John's CWGC citation records him as Sgt No. 931770 in the RAF Volunteer Reserve. According to Stuart Harker (see Smith Marsden Family Tree on www.Ancestry.com) Sergeant Smith was coming home from Canada for his 21st birthday when he went missing. He died on 14th August 1941 aged 21. He is commemorated on Panel 52 of the Runnymede Memorial
James Thomas Richardson Smith
James Thomas Richardson Smith was born in Stokesley in 1921 . He was the son of Robert Alfred Smith and Annie Elizabeth Taggart who married in Stokesley in 1917. He had 5 sisters: Annie (born 1918), Emily (1919), Nellie (1920), Mary (1924) and Olive (1928).
James served in World War II as Sergeant PO/X 105988 in 45 Royal Marines Commando. 45 RM Commando was part of 1 Special Service Brigade which took part in Operation Overlord (better known perhaps as the D Day Landings). 45 RM Commando came ashore at “Sword Beach” at Ouistreham on 6th June 1944, an action through which Sergeant Smith came unscathed. However, the invaders met fierce opposition even when ashore, as the Germans threw all their strrength into an ultimately vain attempt to drive the Allies back ito the sea. Sergeant Smith died in action less than a week later, as the Allies fought to defend and strengthen the bridgehead they had established.
The website http://www.naval-history.net records that James was killed on Sunday 11th June. It credits him with the rank of Ty/Act/Sgt (Temporary Acting Sergeant) and he is listed along with 10 others from 45 Royal Marines Commando. Sergeant Smith was 22 years old and is buried in Plot XI. J. 8 of the Bayeux War Cemetery.
He is also commemorated along with 110 others on a memorial to 45 Royal Marine Commando in the memorial garden of the Royal Marines Museum Portsmouth.
The “Hall Diary” records on June 18th 1944 “James T. R. Smith, marine commando, son of Mr Robert Smith first reported killed and then missing”
Maurice Wilson
Maurice Wilson was born in 1923 in Stokesley. He was the son of John George Wilson and Rhoda Johnson who married in Stokesley in 1920. Rhoda’s father was a brewer and lived in North Road, Stokesley. It is possible that John and Rhoda had other children as there are several other Wilson/Johnson births recorded between !920 and 1928.
When Maurice joined the forces it seems probable that he originally signed up with the Northumberland Hussars. However, by the end of 1940 they no longer had horses and it was in that year that the Northumberland Hussars transferred to the Royal Artillery and became known as 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Tank Regiment, RA (Northumberland Hussars)Maurice Wilson automatically transferred into the RA as **Gunner 1423312 .
It was therefore as part of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division thay Maurice Wilson and his unit became part of the D Day attack of 6th June 1944 on Gold Beach. Their task in what is properly called Operation Overlord was to secure the beach and then make their way south to capture the Bayeux – Caen road. Like James T. R. Smith – (also on this list of World War II dead) - Maurice died in the subsequent struggle to drive the Germans out of Normandy. He fell on 11th June 1944 at the age of 22 years. By a quirk of fate, he is buried in Plot XI.K.10. of the Bayeux War Cemetery almost directly behind the grave of James T. R. Smith.
Thus two Stokesley men who almost certainly knew each other in life came to lie close to one another in the same foreign field.
George Bretherton
George Bretherton was born in 1916. He was the son of John Thomas Bretherton and Emma Watson who had married in 1904 in Stokesley Registration district. Probable siblings of George, as listed in birth records, are: William (born 1905), Mary Ann (1906), Sarah (1908), Samuel (1910), Sarah (1913), Elizabeth (1914), John (1918), Alexander (1921), Albert (1923) and Alice (1925).
In the 1911 Census John and Emma Bretherton are listed as living with their children (four had then been born) in High Street, Yarm which was then part of the Stokesley Registration District.
George Bretherton married Hilda Walls in 1936 and they had a son Allan who sadly was born and died in the same year. Another son, Raymond, was born in 1938.
George's military rank is unclear as he is listed as CSM on the Stokesley War Memorial and as Sergeant No. 206513 of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). However, CWGC says he was also Warrant Officer 1 (sub Condr) Indian Army Ordnance Corps.
What is clear is that George was unfortunate enough to have been taken prisoner by the Japanese, and spent most of the war as a POW. Even after the defeat of Germany, the Japanese fought on, and their brutal treatment of prisoners did not abate. George Bretherton managed to survive all privations until the summer of 1945. Then, on 10th June, as the Japanese began to fall back in the face of the allied advances, George Bretherton found himself one of a group of 46 POW's being moved by their captors at Miri near Sarawak. The condition of the prisoners was such that they were delaying the Japanes retreat, and they were ruthlessly massacred by their guards in two batches at different locations on the Riam Road.
The Australian Newspaper the Melbourne Argus, published in Victoria, reported on the case in December 1945. Details emerged as Australia-based when War Crimes Tribunals were dealing with atrocities committed by the Japanese during the war. The article can be read by clicking on Jap sentenced to Death
The website http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/ records the fate of many POW's killed in atrocities, of which the Miri Massacre was just one example. The section of the website dealing with The Miri Massacre was compiled with the help of “Sandakan – A conspiracy of Silence” by Lynette Ramsey Silver. (This concerns the fate of 300 prisoners were sent to Labuan from Sandakan and Kuching, of whom none survived). As with the other victims, George Bretherton is honoured on his own dedicated page of this website, which readers can view by clicking the following link: http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Atrocities/Labuan_Party/html/abc_database_26.htm
Sergeant George Bretherton has no known grave, but is commemorated on Column 351 of the Singapore Memorial.
Mike Richardson has told us via the "Stokesley Loop" that Hilda Bretherton lived for a time in College Square in the town with her son Raymond. Eventually she remarried (1950) to Edward (Ted) Marshall and their son lives locally.
NOTE: We have also heard from Andrew Robinson in Canada. His mother (Jean Veronica Bretherton, b. 1942 & d. 1983) is the daughter of Samuel Bretherton & Irene Crowther. Andrew was born in Canada in 1968 but his forebears are all from our area. He would be interested to hear about his family in the Yarm/Stokesley area