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1
Syston World War II
Book of Remembrance
2
Syston World War II
Book of Remembrance
Compiled by Cynthia Brown
Published by the Friends of
St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Syston
November 2016
3
Dedication
This memorial book is dedicated to the
memory of all the Syston men and women
who died serving their country during
World War II, in grateful recognition of the
debt that we owe them.
4
5
Introduction
This memorial book has been compiled as part of a project to
record the history of Syston during World War II. Alongside
new research, it incorporates information from an earlier
memorial roll produced in 2008 by Sue Blaxland, whose work
is gratefully acknowledged.
Additional thanks are due to those people, including family
members of those commemorated on Syston War Memorial,
who have also contributed information and photographs.
Where available, photographs have been included as an
appendix to the book, in alphabetical order.
The sources for individual entries are indicated in footnotes
on each page. Much of the information has been drawn from
the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
at www.cwgc.org. Its certificates are reproduced here within
the CWGC copyright terms as follows:
‘Copyright and database rights in all material on this site are the
property of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission unless
otherwise stated. This material may be reproduced free of charge in any
format or medium for personal use or for internal circulation at an
educational establishment, provided it is not altered or used in a
misleading context and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is
acknowledged as the source of the material’.
It has not been possible so far to identify four of the names
recorded on the War Memorial. These are listed on page 47
of this book, with an appeal for information.
http://www.cwgc.org/
6
Matthew Bent Corporal
1409798
Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve
Died 26 February 1945, age 36
Matthew Bent was the son of
Matthew and Hannah Bent. He
was born in Toxteth, Liverpool
in 1909.
He married Edna May Margaret
Geeves at Syston parish church
on 28 December 1932. His
occupation is given at that time
as a clerk, and Edna’s as a nurse.
Edna was the daughter of
Horace Geeves of Central
Avenue, Syston. In 1945 she was
living in Medway Street,
Leicester.
At the time of his death Matthew Bent was based at 54 Personnel Transit
Centre at Taranto, Italy, which was formed in September 1944. He is buried in
Bari War Cemetery, Italy.1
1 Sources: CWGC; Syston marriage register; England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and
Administrations), 1858-1966 (1945); Royal Air Force Commands Forum - www.rafcommands.com/forum/
(accessed 20 July 2016)
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/
7
Bernard Harry Bentley Gunner
1564536
Royal Artillery, 276 Battery,
68 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
Died on 10 April 1942, age 25
Bernard Harry Bentley was the son
of Thomas and Mary Ann Bentley
of Syston, and the husband of
Gertrude Bentley of Syston. Before
joining the Royal Artillery he was
employed by Eatough’s Ltd. of
Syston.
He died during the campaign in the
Western Desert, between
Alexandria in Egypt and Benghazi
in Libya, and is buried in the
Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt, 3. C. 3. All the graves in the cemetery
were brought in from the surrounding area, including military cemeteries at
Sidi-Barrani, Buq Buq, Fort Capuzzo, Bardia, and Minquar el Zannan.2
2 Sources: CWGC; Eatough’s Ltd. Commemoration Souvenir (1945)
8
Sidney Black Aircraftsman 2nd Class
2214634
Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve
Died on 9 March 1943, age 22
Sidney Black was the son of
Edwin and Polly Black of St
Peter’s Street, Syston. His death
was registered in the Blackpool
district in Lancashire. He is
buried in a family grave in St
Mary’s churchyard,
Queniborough.
Sidney’s brother Private Edward
(Teddy) Black served in the
Leicestershire Regiment, and
spent several years as a Prisoner
of War of the Germans after being captured in France in 1940. He survived the
war, and in August 1945 he married Lily Gwendoline Hall of Sandford Road,
Syston.3
3 Sources: CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 21 December 1940 & 28 February 1942
9
Derrick Richard Bolton Able Seaman, Royal Navy
C/SSX 25844
HM Submarine Traveller
Died 12 December 1942, age 24
Derrick Bolton was the son of
Arthur Richard and Kate Bolton,
and the husband of Margaret
Rose Bolton of Leicester. They
were married in 1940.
He was serving on the T Class
submarine HMS Traveller N48)
when it left Malta on 28
November 1942 to patrol the
Gulf of Taranto. She was
reported overdue on 12
December 1942, and was
believed to be lost to Italian
mines in the patrol area.
He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Panel 53, 1.4
4 Source: CWGC; Naval History - www.naval-history.net/WW2aBritishLosses05SS.htm
http://www.naval-history.net/WW2aBritishLosses05SS.htm
10
George Cecil Cherry Private
1561648
Army Catering Corps
Died on 31 July 1945, age 39
George Cecil Cherry was the
son of George and Mabel
Cherry, and the husband of
Sybil Olive Cherry of Syston.
The family had three children,
Guy, Mary and Joan, and lived
in Mostyn Avenue, Syston.
Before the war he ran a market
gardening business at the top
of Sandford Road.
His daughter Joan, who was
five when he left for the war,
recalled that he was stationed
in Weymouth for some time,
and later in Sicily. He was serving in Austria at the time of his death. The
telegram informing the family that he had been killed in action arrived on the
day of the VE Day celebrations in Syston.
He is buried in the Klagenfurt War Cemetery, Austria.5
5 Sources: CWGC; information from Joan Quinn (nee Cherry)
11
Frank Clarke Corporal
13032839
Pioneer Corps
Died 18 April 1941, age 24
Frank Clarke was the son of
Frank and Gertrude Emily Clarke
of Barkby Road, and the
husband of Lilian Rose Clarke of
Leicester. They were married in
1939. His father served in the 1st
Yorkshire Regiment in World
War I, when the family were
living in Leicester Road, Syston.
He died in an accident in
Dunfermline, Scotland. The
Leicester Advertiser reported
that he had joined up only nine
weeks before his death. His previous occupation was as a hairdresser. His wife
had received a letter from him the day before his death ‘saying how well and
fit he was’. His funeral was conducted by Rev C.O. Ward, Minister of High
Street Methodist Church, Syston.6 He is buried in Syston Cemetery, Sec. B.
Grave 116.
6 Sources: CWGC; Syston baptism register, 25 April 1917; Leicester Advertiser, 26 April 1941
12
Victor William Clarke Corporal
5576584
Pioneer Corps
Died 1 February 1943, age 24
Victor William Clarke was the
son of Ernest and Rose Clarke
of Syston. Before the war he
was a member of the 10th
Leicester (Syston) Scout Group,
and is commemorated on the
Scouts Second World War Roll
of Honour.
He died on active service in
India, and is buried in the
Calcutta (Bhowanipore)
Cemetery, Kolcutta, India.7
7 CWGC; Scouts Second World War Roll of Honour -
www.scoutsrecords.org/scoutsuploads/Second%20World%20War%20Roll%20of%20Honour%20A-S.pdf (accessed 22 July 2016)
http://www.scoutsrecords.org/scoutsuploads/Second%20World%20War%20Roll%20of%20Honour%20A-S.pdf
13
George Edward Corby Private
5892063
Northamptonshire Regiment, 5th
Battalion
Died 12 July 1944
George Edward Corby was born
in Nottingham in 1906. He was
the second son of George Corby
and his wife Alice (nee Ball). In
1911 the Corby family was living
in Leicester Road, Syston.
In 1930 George Edward Corby
married Eveline Grace Whelband,
and in 1939 they were living with
her parents in Portsmouth
Street, Leicester. They had five
children, the youngest born in
1943.
He was wounded in June 1944 during the Italian campaign, and died the
following month. He is buried in the Naples War Cemetery, Grave I.B.1.
14
Cyril Frederick William
Cunnington
Private
4859833
Leicestershire Regiment, 1st
Battalion
Died 15 December 1941, age 21
Cyril Frederick William
Cunnington was the son of
Walter and Annie Cunnington,
and husband of Ethel
Cunnington of Syston.
He enlisted in the Militia on 15
September 1939 (service
number 10103295), and served
in the Leicestershire Regiment
during the Malaya campaign in
1941 – 42.
He was killed in action in Malaya
during the retreat from the Battle of Jitra. He is commemorated on the
Singapore Memorial, Singapore, Column 65.8
8 Sources: CWGC; Leicestershire Regiment Roll of Honour - www.roll-of-
honour.org.uk/Regiments/Leicestershire_Regiment/html/c_database_95.htm; Have You a Tiger in Your Family? - www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/have-you-a-tiger
http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Regiments/Leicestershire_Regiment/html/c_database_95.htmhttp://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Regiments/Leicestershire_Regiment/html/c_database_95.htmhttp://www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/have-you-a-tiger
15
Kenneth Jack Endwig Sailor
Merchant Navy
S.S. Goodfellow (America)
Died 25 July 1944, age 25
Kenneth Jack Endwig was the
son of Ernst and Amelia Endwig,
and the husband of Mary Eileen
Curie Endwig of Bassett, Dorset.
His connection with Syston is
not known, although there were
others with the same surname
living in the village during World
War II.
SS Robin Goodfellow was an
American merchant ship owned
by Seas Shipping Co. Inc. of New
York. The ship left Capetown,
South Africa on 16 July 1944 with a cargo of chrome ore, bound for Bahia in
Brazil, and then New York. On 25 July it was torpedoed in the South Atlantic by
the German submarine U-862 and sank. None of the 41 Merchant Mariners
and 27 US Naval Armed Guards on board survived.
Kenneth Endwig is commemorated on Part V (Ead – Fyn) of the memorial at
Tower Hill, London to the men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing
Fleets who died in both World Wars and have no known grave.9
9 Sources: CWGC; Uboat.net - http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3298.html
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3298.html
16
Guy Fernsby Leading Aircraftman
2202536
Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve, 61 Squadron
Died 14 June 1944, age 35
Guy Fernsby was the son of
Frederick Richard Ellison Fernsby
and Emma Ellen Fernsby, and
husband of Winifred Margaret
Fernsby, of The Meadway,
Syston. His late father was the
Headmaster of Barrow-on-Soar
Grammar School from 1899 –
1926. He was educated at
Bedford Modern School, and is
commemorated on the Second
World War Memorial there to its
Old Boys. He played rugby
football for Stoneygate from 1926, and had worked for the Leicester hosiery
company Wolsey Ltd. since leaving school. He joined the National Fire Service
in 1941, and enlisted in the Royal Air Force in the following year.
He died in an accident in Lincolnshire when a RAF petrol tanker backed up and
ran over him. His funeral was held at Barkby parish church, when the bearer
party was provided by Leicester airmen. The service was conducted by Rev
T.R.J. Avery, Rector of Lutterworth and former Vicar of Syston, assisted by Rev
L.W. Watkin, Vicar of Barkby. It was attended by his widow and mother, his
elder brother Lieutenant Ronald Fernsby, and his twin brother, Rev Jack
Fernsby. He is buried in Barkby Cemetery, Section W. Grave 45. 10
10
CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 24 June 1944
17
William Harold Freer Sergeant (Wireless Operator/
Air Gunner)
1580825
Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve,
78 Squadron
Died 15 June 1944,
age unknown
William Harold Freer was the
only child of William Freer and
Daisy (nee Bird), and was born
in Leicester in 1921. The family
moved to Oxford Street, Syston
soon after his birth, and were
living in School Street at the
outbreak of war in 1939. His
father was working as a boot
and shoe trimmer at that time.
At the time of his death in 1944 William Freer was serving as a Sergeant
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner with 78 Squadron RAF, based at RAF Breighton
in Yorkshire as part of Bomber Command. His Halifax bomber was shot down
during a raid on Douai in Northern France, and crashed onto houses in the
village of Bersee. He is buried in Bersee Communal Cemetery, in the Nord
department, France, Grave 27, along with the other members of its crew.11
11
Sources: CWGC; Le Crash de Bersee - http://aaafdm.free.fr/Fred/Le%20crash%20de%20Bersee.pdf (accessed July 2016); additional information provided by Mark Gamble.
http://aaafdm.free.fr/Fred/Le%20crash%20de%20Bersee.pdf
18
Reginald Wyatt Garland Lieutenant
142574
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Died 18 September 1941, age 49
Reginald Wyatt Garland was the
son of Mr and Mrs Henry
Garland of Acle, Norwich, and
the husband of Marjorie Wyatt.
He served in the Royal Artillery
during the First World War, and
was Postmaster at Syston High
Street Post Office before
rejoining the Army in the Second
World War.
He died in hospital in Norwich
after a short illness, and was
cremated at Leicester Borough
(Gilroes) Crematorium.12
12
Sources: CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 27 September 1941
19
Frederick Arthur Gilbert Lance Bombardier
1122683
54 (The Queen’s Own Royal
Glasgow Yeomanry) Anti-Tank
Regiment,
Royal Artillery
Died 26 March 1943, age 31
Frederick Arthur Gilbert was the
son of Thomas and Rose Gilbert,
and husband of Iris May Gilbert
of Syston.
He is buried in Reichswald Forest
War Cemetery in Germany. This
was created after the Second
World War when burials were
brought in from all over western
Germany. It is the largest
Commonwealth cemetery in
Germany.13
13
Source: CWGC
20
William Goodwill Former Sergeant
Service number not known
Royal Air Force
Died December 1942, age 55
William (Billy) Goodwill was born in Thirsk, Yorkshire. He served for three years
in World War I with the Royal Naval Air Service. In the Second World War he
served in the Royal Air Force in France until its capitulation in 1940. After his
discharge from the RAF he was employed at British Thomson-Houston. He was
also a past Chairman of Syston Constitutional Club, and played for Syston
Cricket Team.14
He died in hospital in Epsom after what the Advertiser described as ‘a serious
operation’.15
William Goodwill was a civilian at the time of his death, and is not
commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for this
reason.
14
Information from William Goodwill’s family 15 Source: Leicester Advertiser, 5 December 1942
21
Charles Arthur Gregory Stoker 1st Class
P/KX 106658
HMS Hereward, Royal Navy
Died 29 May 1941, age 21
Charles Arthur Gregory was the
son of Charles Gregory and
Maud (nee Preston) of Syston,
and the brother of Norman
Gregory (see next entry). The
family lived in Brook Street,
Syston when he was a child. His
mother died in 1932, and in
1939 his father was living at 49
Sandford Road, Syston. He had
two other brothers and three
sisters. He is commemorated on
the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
On 29 May 1941, HMS
Hereward, an H-Class Destroyer, came under sustained air attack after
completing the evacuation of Allied troops from Heraklion. She was hit by a
bomb while heading for Alexandria in Egypt, forcing her to reduce speed. She
sank after further air attacks five miles south of Crete. Charles Gregory was
among the 76 members of the ship’s company who were killed. A further 89
were taken prisoner.16
16
Sources: CWGC; Syston baptism register; Naval History - www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-27H-HMS_Hereward.htm (accessed 17 July 2016).
http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-27H-HMS_Hereward.htmhttp://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-27H-HMS_Hereward.htm
22
Norman Gregory Private
14782463
Somerset Light Infantry (Prince
Albert’s), 4th Battalion
Died 10 February 1945, age 21
Norman Gregory was the son of
Charles Gregory and Maud (nee
Preston), and the brother of
Charles Arthur Gregory (see
previous entry). The family lived
for some time in Brook Street,
Syston. His mother died in 1932,
and in 1939 his father was living
at 49 Sandford Road, Syston. He
had two other brothers and
three sisters.
He was killed in action during
‘Operation Veritable’, a British and Canadian attack beginning on 8 March 1945
against German troops east of the Dutch/German border. He is buried in the
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany, 56.D.15.17
17
Sources: CWGC; UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945; Find My Past: 1939 Register - http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/1939-register (accessed September 2016); World War II Today - http://ww2today.com/8-february-1945-operation-veritable-british-and-canadians-attack (accessed September 2016); additional information from Mark Gamble.
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/1939-registerhttp://ww2today.com/8-february-1945-operation-veritable-british-and-canadians-attack
23
Donald Heggs Staff Sergeant
2038708
Royal Engineers
Died 1 January 1943, age 34
Donald Heggs was the son of Edward
and Annie Heggs, and the husband of
husband of Vera May Heggs of Corby. As
a child he lived with his family on Wanlip
Road, Syston.
He is buried in Corby Cemetery, Row 62.
Grave 5.18
18
Source: CWGC
24
Peter Heywood Boy 1st Class
C/JX 194739
Royal Navy, HMS Galatea
Died 15 December 1941, age 16
Peter Heywood was the son of
Harold and Gladys Mary
Heywood of Syston.
At the time of his death he was
serving on the cruiser HMS
Galatea. On 15 December 1941
she was returning to Alexandria
with the cruiser force of the
Mediterranean Fleet after a hunt
for an Italian convoy en route to
Libya. She was struck by three
torpedoes fired from the German
submarine U-557.
Peter Heywood was among the 469 members of the ship’s company lost in the
attack. A further 144 survived and were rescued by other British warships. He
is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, 45. 2.19
19
Sources: CWGC; Uboat.net Net - http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship1225.html (accessed 22 July 2016)
HMS Galatea (http://commons.wikimedia.org)
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship1225.html
25
Dennis Frederick Hull
Private
14552227
The Parachute Regiment, Army
Air Corps
12th (10th Battalion The Green
Howards [Yorkshire Regt.])
Battalion
Died 10 June 1944, age 20
Frederick Dennis Hull is believed
to be the son of Frederick
Thomas Hull, a butcher, and
Leah (nee Fasquil), of Turn
Street, Syston.
He was buried in Ranville
Cemetery, France, IA.D.18.20
20
Source: CWGC; information from Brian Panter. The name ‘Fredrick’ on the CWGC certificate appears to be a mis-spelling.
26
Joel Sarson Hunt
Sergeant
S/4854619
Royal Army Service Corps
Died 18 December 1943, age 35
Joel Sarson Hunt was the son of
Frank and Mary Hunt of Syston.
The family lived in Upper
Church Street when he was a
child, and later in Goodes Lane.
He served in HM Forces for 17
years before his death, the final
year in British West Africa. He
died in hospital in Takadori,
Ghana, and is buried in Takadori
European Public Cemetery,
Grave 60.21
21
Sources: CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 8 January 1944
27
William Harry Bill Iliffe Lance Sergeant
326674
Royal Artillery
153 (The Leicestershire
Yeomanry) Field Regiment
Died 21 November 1945, age 24
William Harry (Bill) Iliffe was the
son of John Cleaveland Iliffe and
Ada Goode Iliffe of Thurmaston.
The family moved to Syston from
Canada around 1937, and later
moved to Sunnyslope, Syston
Road, Thurmaston.
Before the war Bill Iliffe was
employed by En Tout Cas of
Syston. He was also a member of
the 10th Leicester (Syston) Scout
Group, and is commemorated on the Scouts Second World War Roll of Honour.
He is buried in the Sittard War Cemetery, Netherlands, L.7.
His elder brother John Cleaveland Iliffe joined En Tout Cas at the same time. He
served with the Leicestershire Regiment during the war, and was involved in
the D-Day landings in June 1940. In the autumn of 1944 he was posted missing
for three weeks after being wounded, but managed to make his way back to
the British lines and was flown to a hospital in England.22
22
Sources: CWGC; Scouts Second World War Roll of Honour - www.scoutsrecords.org/scoutsuploads/Second%20World%20War%20Roll%20of%20Honour%20A-S.pdf (accessed 22 July 2016); Leicester Advertiser, 18 Nov 1944
http://www.scoutsrecords.org/scoutsuploads/Second%20World%20War%20Roll%20of%20Honour%20A-S.pdf
28
Charles Leonard
Needham Lewin Gunner
1630925
Royal Artillery
3 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
Died 6 May 1945, age 34
Charles Leonard Needham Lewin
was the son of John Henry and
Amelia Lewin. He was employed
at H. Garner and Sons of Syston
for 14 years before joining HM
Forces.
He was reported missing in
Malaya in February 1942, and
confirmed to be a Prisoner of
War (POW) of the Japanese
several months later. He died in
Saigon while still a Prisoner of War, and is buried in Kranji War Cemetery,
Singapore. According to a report in the Leicester Mercury, his mother was told
by a fellow POW who had been present at his funeral, that he was ‘given a
funeral with flowers and the Union Jack over his coffin’.
All the Second World War graves from Saigon Military Cemetery in French
Indo-China (now Vietnam) were transferred to Kranji War Cemetery after
World War II as their permanent maintenance could not be assured in their
existing location.23
23
CWGC; Leicester Mercury, 24 December 1945
29
William Ernest Lewin Private
4862910
Welch Regiment, 1st Battalion
Died 11 September 1944, age 31
William Ernest Lewin was the
son of Ernest and Chrissy Ann
Lewin of Brookfield Street,
Syston. Before the war he was a
member of the 10th Leicester
(Syston) Scout Group, and is
commemorated in the Scouts
Second World War Roll of
Honour.
He is buried in Coriano Ridge
War Cemetery, Italy, VI, A, 10.
Coriano Ridge was the last
important ridge in the way of the
Allied advance in the Adriatic sector. It was taken with heavy losses by the
Allied 8th Army, in a week-long attack starting on the night of 12 September.
William Lewin died just before the attack was launched, in the last stages of
the German defence of their positions.24
24
CWGC; Scouts Second World War Roll of Honour - www.scoutsrecords.org/scoutsuploads/Second%20World%20War%20Roll%20of%20Honour%20A-S.pdf (accessed 22 July 2016)
http://www.scoutsrecords.org/scoutsuploads/Second%20World%20War%20Roll%20of%20Honour%20A-S.pdf
30
Albert North Coder
P/JX 322728
Royal Navy, HMS Polyanthus
Died 21 September 1943, age 35
Albert North was the son of
Edward and Clara Ada North of
Leicester.
HMS Polyanthus (K47), a Flower-
class corvette, was hit by a
torpedo in the North Atlantic
while attempting to pick up
survivors from the Canadian
destroyer HMCS St Croix. She
sank with the loss of 85 lives.
Only one member of the ship’s
company survived.
Albert North is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, 77, 1.25
25
Sources: CWGC; UBoat.net - http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5489.html (accessed 23 July 2016)
http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5489.html
31
Robert Arthur Ogden Senior Ordinary Seaman
Merchant Navy, MV King Edgar
(London)
Died 2 March 1945, age 19
Robert Arthur Ogden was the
son of Robert and Catherine
Ogden. He is commemorated on
the Tower Hill Memorial,
London, Panel 61.
The British motor merchant
vessel MV King Edgar was part of
a convoy attacked by a German
U-boat in St George’s Channel
on the evening of 2 March 1945.
She was taken in tow, but later
sank with the loss of two crew
members, one of them Robert
Arthur Ogden, and two gunners. The Master, 32 crew members and nine
gunners were picked up by the Royal Navy frigate HMS Nyasaland and landed
at Milford Haven.26
26
Sources: CWGC; Uboat.net - http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/3463.html (accessed 23 July 2016)
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/3463.html
32
William Orchard Private
4863406
Leicestershire Regiment, 1st
Battalion
Died 30 March 1942, age 29
William Orchard was the son of
Ernest and Charlotte Orchard.
The family lived in Chapel Street,
Syston when he was a child. He
married Matilda Lewis in 1939.
At the time of his death she was
living in Sileby.
William Orchard enlisted on 24
June 1940 and served in the
Malaya Campaign 1941-1942.
He was taken prisoner by the
Japanese, and is believed to
have died of malaria. He is buried in Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. This
was developed into a permanent war cemetery by the Army Graves Service
after the reoccupation of Singapore, and graves were moved there from
Changi and other Prisoner of War camps in Singapore. 27
27
Sources: CWGC; Syston register of baptisms, 1 July 1913; England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005, 7a, 260; Royal Leicestershire Regiment: Have You a Tiger in Your Family? www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/111731-orchard-william – (accessed 23 July 2016)
http://www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/111731-orchard-william
33
Norman Page Private
4859906
Leicestershire Regiment, 1st
Battalion
Died 14 December 1941, age 23
Norman Page was born in
Yorkshire and enlisted in
September 1939. At the time of
his death he was serving in the
Malaya campaign.
His parents had lived in Syston
but moved away before the war
started. He remained in lodgings
in the village, and was organist at
St Aidan’s church. In November
1939 the Syston Parish Magazine
makes a reference to Norman
Page, ‘with us for the Harvest Festival at St. Aidan’s. He is thoroughly happy
and enjoys the life of “togetherness” – the sense of fellowship and
brotherliness’. He is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, Column 66.28
28
CWGC; information from family; Syston Parish Magazine, November 1939; Royal Leicestershire Regiment: Have You a Tiger in Your Family? - www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/112263-page-norman (accessed 23 July 2016)
http://www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/112263-page-norman
34
Thomas Arthur Quincey Seaman
LT/JX 255843
Royal Naval Patrol Service, HM
Trawler Cap D’Antifer
Died 13 February 1944, age 32
Thomas Arthur Quincey was the
son of Thomas and Maud Ethel
Quincey, and the husband of
Marjorie Ellen Quincey of
Brighton Avenue, Syston.
He was serving with HM Trawler
Cap D’Antifer of the Royal Naval
Patrol Service (RNPS) when she
was sunk by a German motor
torpedo boat off the River
Humber on 13 February 1944.
He is commemorated on the Royal Naval Patrol Service Memorial in Lowestoft
to members of RNPS who died during 1939-1946 who have no known grave
other than the sea, or who died on shore but have no known grave.29
29
CWGC; Uboat.net - http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/6819.html (accessed 23 July 2016); England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/6819.html
35
Eric William Saich Lance Sergeant
6139650
East Surrey Regiment,
11th Battalion
Died 2 October 1941, age 29
Eric William Saich was the son of
Ernest Walter and Maud Saich of
Syston, and the husband of
Winifred Mary Saich (nee
Chamberlain).30
The Leicester Advertiser
reported his military funeral at
Syston Cemetery in October
1941: ‘Six soldiers acted as
bearers, and a bugler sounded
the “Last Post”… A lieutenant
and a Sergeant from the
deceased’s unit and four representatives of the Derby Cable Co. were also
present’. The Advertiser noted that Eric and Winifred Saich had three young
children at the time of his death.
He is buried in Syston Cemetery, Sec. E. Grave 187. He is also commemorated
on the War Memorial at St Bartholomew’s church, Sydenham, Surrey.31
30
England & Wales Civil Registration Marriage Register, 1935, Lewisham Id 1192 31
CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 11 October 1941; Lewisham War Memorials - http://lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com/person:saich-eric-william (accessed 23 July 2016). The presence of representatives from the Derby Cable Co. suggests that the company was Eric Saich’s employer before the war, but this cannot be confirmed.
http://lewishamwarmemorials.wikidot.com/person:saich-eric-william
36
Reginald Shorter Private
5890330
Northamptonshire Regiment,
2nd Battalion
Died 13 March 1944, age 33
Reginald Shorter was the son of
Thomas and Gertrude Shorter of
Syston. The family lived in
Albion Street, Syston when he
was a child, and his mother was
still living there in 1944. His wife
Rosamond was a nurse in
London at the time of his death.
They were married at Wigston
Magna in 1941.
He worked at the hosiery
company of Corah of Leicester
before joining the Army in June 1940.
He is buried in Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio, Italy, VII.G.12.32
32
Sources: CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 14 June 1941 & 1 April 1944
37
Barbara Annie Squires Lance Corporal
W/187649
Auxiliary Territorial Service
Died 17 August 1945, age 24
Barbara Annie Squires was the
daughter of Charles W. Squires
and Rose Squires of Syston. She
lived in Leicester Road, Syston.
She died after falling under the
wheel of a bus. According to the
report of the inquest at Hitchen,
Hertfordshire, she was getting
off the bus while it was still
reversing, and slipped and fell
under the front wheel.
One of the other passengers, a
Quartermaster Sergeant in the
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), said: ‘he jumped off the bus
whilst it was backing. As he was walking away he saw Miss Squires on the step,
and she seemed to get off the wrong way and trip, and the wheels went over
her’. The bus driver was ‘exonerated from blame’ by the coroner’.
She is buried in Syston Cemetery, Sec. D. Grave 204.33
33
CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 25 August 1945
38
Walter Fergus Talbott Gunner
14376495
Royal Artillery, 267 Battery, 69
Light Ant-Aircraft Regiment
Died 13 April 1944, age 35
Walter Fergus Talbott was the
son of George Henry and Lilian
Talbott of Syston, the bakers in
Bath Street, Syston. He was the
husband of Lydia Mary Talbott
(nee Goodall), who lived at
Goodall’s Quality Store on The
Green.
His death was reported in the
Syston Parish Magazine in
December 1944: ‘It is with real
regret that we record the
passing of Walter Talbott on active service. Walter was a life-long churchman,
keen and ready to serve as best he may. We extend to his wife and family our
deepest sympathy in their sorrow and feel with them in their great loss’. He is
buried in Maynamati War Cemetery, Bangladesh, 1. F. 10.34
His daughter Jane Matthews recalled that:
‘Walter was an active member of St Peter and St Paul Parish Church, Syston, and was a
Church Warden. He was deeply involved in amateur dramatics, a keen badminton and
tennis player, and was a member of the Northfield Tennis Club. He worked for a number of
years in the family bakery, before joining his uncle, Charles Fergus Talbott, the undertaker in
Thurmaston. In January 1937 he married Lydia Mary Goodall and moved to the Fosse Way in
Syston. Lydia lived there until her death in December 2000’.
34
CWGC; information from his daughter, Jane Matthews
39
George Alan Walker Able Seaman
D/JX255432
Royal Navy, HMS President
Died 6 April 1942, age 22
George Alan Walker – known as
Alan - was the son of Ernest
Arthur Asling Walker and
Florence Elizabeth Walker of
Syston.
The Leicester Advertiser,
reporting that he had been
killed in action, noted that he
had been expected home on
leave soon. He had recently
become engaged to Miss Betty
Martin of High Street, Syston,
and they had arranged to have
the banns put up at the parish church, where he was a former server. His body
rested in the church overnight before his funeral, and several former members
of the Syston Scout Group acted as bearers. The news of his death ‘came as a
great shock to all’, the Syston Parish Magazine reported: ‘He was a grand
young man, regular in the service of the Church, and a loyal servant of his
Master’.
He is buried in Syston Cemetery, Sec. A. Grave 144. The inscription on his
gravestone identifies his ship as SS Soborg, as originally entered in the
Commonwealth Graves War Commission Graves Registration Report Form.
This type-written entry was altered by hand to HMS President III (18 April
1942)’. 35
35
Sources: CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 18 April 1942; Syston Parish Magazine, May 1942
40
William Frank Warren
Signalman
P/JX 159719
Royal Navy, HMS Limbourne
Died 23 October 1943, age 20
William Frank (Francis) Warren
was born in Cawthorne,
Yorkshire in 1922. His parents,
Arthur and Harriet (nee Hayes)
were living at 30 Brighton
Avenue, Syston at the time of his
death, and his father was
employed as a gardener.
HMS Limbourne, a Type III, Hunt-
class Escort Destroyer, was part
of a British naval force taking
part in Operation Tunnel against
a convoy of German ships along the coast of Brittany on 22 – 23 October 1943.
She was attacked by German torpedo boats off Guernsey, and sank after an
unsuccessful attempt to tow her, with the loss of 40 lives:
‘Some days later the bodies of 21 Royal Navy and Royal Marines were washed up on the
Guernsey coast… the German occupying forces decided to bury the bodies with full military
honours at Le Foulon Cemetery, St Peter Port. Islanders took the opportunity to
demonstrate their respect for the men who had died, and their loyalty to their Sovereign, by
attending the funeral. Over 5,000 out of the 20,000 islanders who had remained in
Guernsey during the war travelled on foot or bicycle to Le Foulon. They brought with them
more than a thousand wreaths, many with messages of support for the British forces…’.
William Frank Warren is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial,
76, 3.36
36
Sources: CWGC; Royal Court of Guernsey - http://www.guernseyroyalcourt.gg/article/1940/HMS-Charybdis-and-HMS-Limbourne (accessed 8 October 2016; information from family
http://www.guernseyroyalcourt.gg/article/1940/HMS-Charybdis-and-HMS-Limbournehttp://www.guernseyroyalcourt.gg/article/1940/HMS-Charybdis-and-HMS-Limbourne
41
William Norman
Westbury
Aircraftsman 2nd Class
143764951815985
Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve, 511 Squadron
Died 6 October 1946, age 23
William Westbury was the son of
William and Frances Victoria
Westbury of Syston.
511 Squadron was engaged in
trooping to the Middle East and
Far East until it was disbanded on
7 October 1946.
William Westbury’s Avro 685 York
C.I. aircraft crashed into the sea
with 20 casualties north of Penang on 6 October, en route to Malaya from
Dum-Dum airport in Calcutta, India. The wreckage was found by a Sunderland
flying boat from Singapore. The cause of the crash is not known.
He is commemorated on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, Panel 286.37
37
Sources: CWGC; The Indian Express, 10 October 1946
42
John William Valentine
Whenham Sub-Lieutenant (A)
Service number unknown
Royal Navy, HMS Peregrine
Died 16 March 1940, age 22
John William Valentine Whenham
was the son of Herbert John and
Kate Whenham of Queniborough.
He was educated at Loughborough
College, and worked as a detective
for Leicester County Police before
taking up a commission with the
Observer Fleet Air Arm in May 1939.
At the time of his death his mother
was a commercial teacher at the
Melton Technical College. He died at
Haslar Royal Naval Hospital after a
short illness, and is buried in Haslar
Royal Naval Cemetery, Gosport, Hampshire, G. 8. 14. The following is the report of
his death in the Syston Parish Magazine:
‘We were all distressed to learn of the passing of Sub-Lieut John Whenham and extend our
sincere sympathy to his mother and brothers. It is some eight months since John joined up.
He served at the Altar the Sunday before he went to Plymouth and said how pleased he was
that it was his duty to do so on the Sunday before leaving home. Many of you who may not
have known him personally must have noticed him in Church in uniform when he was home
on leave. He was buried with Naval Honours at Portsmouth on Maundy Thursday, and the
esteem in which he was held and the universal kindness with which he was treated during
his illness will soften the ache of a mother’s heart’.38
38
Sources: CWGC; Grantham Journal, 22 March 1940; Syston Parish Magazine (May 1940)
43
Norman Colin Whittington Private
6411800
Royal Sussex Regiment, 1st
Battalion
Died 24 February 1944, age 21
Norman Colin Whittington was the
son of Colin Arthur and Gertrude
Eliza Whittington of Syston, and
lived in Wanlip Road.
He died of wounds in the Central
Mediterranean. He had enlisted in
the Army two years before, and
was sent overseas two months
before his death. He was formerly
employed in the butchery
department of the Co-operative
Society in Syston.
He is buried in Cassino War Cemetery, Italy, I. C. 13.39
39
CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 25 March 1944
44
John Henry Willday Private
4862041
Leicestershire Regiment, 2/5th
Battalion
Died 18 March 1943, age 27
John Henry Willday was the
husband of Winifred Willday (nee
Stokes). They were married at
Syston parish church on 3
February 1940 and lived in
Tentercroft Avenue. Before joining
the Leicestershire Regiment he
was employed at Eatough’s Ltd in
Syston.
He died during the final stages of
the defeat of the Axis powers in
North Africa by a combined Allied force. He is commemorated on the Medjez-
El-Bab Memorial, Tunisia. The memorial, to those who have no known grave,
stands in the Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery, where 2,903 Commonwealth
servicemen of the Second World War are buried or commemorated.
John Willday’s widow Winifred died in a road accident in foggy conditions on
23 December 1943, when a US Army truck in which she was a passenger
crashed through the wall of Cossington bridge and overturned in the River
Soar. 40
40
Sources: CWGC; Eatough’s Ltd. Commemoration Souvenir (1945); Leicester Advertiser, 6 January 1945
45
Robert Arthur Wright Able Seaman
C/JX408628
Royal Navy, HM LBV 32 (Landing
Barge Vehicle)
Died 9 June 1944, age 18
Robert Arthur Wright was the
only son of Ben and Gladys
Evelyn Wright of Sandford Road,
Syston, and was educated at
Roundhill Modern School. He was
employed by H. Garner and Sons,
and later by Knight and Mobbs of
Flax Road, Leicester, both
footwear manufacturers.
He was a member of Syston ARP
Messenger Service and the
Queniborough Home Guard until
joining the Royal Navy 18 months before his death. He died of wounds during
the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944.
In a letter of condolence to his parents, one of his former junior school
teachers, Mr W.H. Frost, described him as: ‘one of the kindest, sincere, really
good boys I have known in my life. I have memories of him that I shall treasure
all my life… the spirit of Bob is something that will always cheer me for it is a
spirit that nothing can ever destroy – certainly not the evil of man’.
Robert Wright is buried in Hermanville War Cemetery in Normandy, 1.H.16.
The village of Hermanville lay behind Sword Beach where HM LBV 32 was one
of the Landing Barge Vehicles deployed in the Allied landings.41
41
Sources: CWGC; unidentified newspaper cutting; letter to parents; Turn of the Tide - http://issuu.com/navynews/docs/201406_d-day_70 (accessed 8 August 2016)
http://issuu.com/navynews/docs/201406_d-day_70
46
Jack Yeates Able Seaman
D/JX155766
Royal Navy, HMS Sultan
Died 9 March 1942, age 22
Jack Yeates was the son of Joseph
and Margaret Elizabeth Yeates of
Syston. He was employed at the
footwear factory of H. garner and
Sons in Albert Street, Syston
before joining the Royal Navy
around 1936. He was serving as a
1st Class Torpedoman on board
the battlecruiser HMS Repulse
when she was sunk by Japanese
war planes on 10 December 1941.
HMS Sultan V was a naval shore
base in Singapore, commissioned
in 1940. Jack Yeates was among those listed as Missing Presumed Killed
following its destruction on the surrender of Singapore to the Japanese in
1942.
He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 67. Column 1.
47
An appeal for additional information
We would be pleased to have any additional information about any of the
people commemorated in this book for a future edition.
In particular, we have been unable to trace the following people
commemorated on Syston War Memorial. Any information at all about them
would be very welcome.
BAILEY, A.
It is possible that this is Private Albert Bailey, 4860101, 1st Bn., Leicestershire
Regiment, who died on 25 July 1943 at the age of 24. He is commemorated on the
Singapore Memorial, Column 65. He was the son of Thomas William and Annie Maria
Bailey, of Leicester. However, it has not so far been possible to find any connection
with Syston.
BULL, Dor.
The abbreviation ‘Dor.’ suggests that this may be a woman whose first name began
with these letters, possibly Dorothy or Doris. A Doris Irene Bull, daughter of Charles
and Emily Sophia (nee Walton), is recorded as a civilian casualty of World War II. She
died, age 19, whilst sheltering in the cellars of Walklings Bakery, The Cut/Greer
Street, London on 17 April 1941. The death of a Dorothy Bull, born about 1923, was
also registered in Birmingham in December 1943. However, no connection between
these individuals and the Bull family of Syston has yet been made (the family
included Reuben and Hannah Bull of West Street, and their children Katharine,
Caroline, Thomas Reuben and Henry).
CARTER, S.
It is possible that this is Stanley Childs Carter, a Sergeant in the Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve, who was born around 1921 and died in 1942. His parents lived at
Victoria Road North in Leicester, and his mother (Nee Smart) is believed to be from
Syston. However, no firm connection has yet been established.
KNIGHT, A.
It has not been possible so far to identify any possibilities for this entry on the War
Memorial.
48
Syston men commemorated elsewhere
On the following pages are details of some
servicemen with a Syston connection who – for
reasons unknown - are not commemorated on the
War Memorial.
49
Frederick Howard Private
4860600
Leicestershire Regiment
Died 4 June 1946, age 26
Frederick Howard enlisted with
the Leicestershire Regiment on
15 December 1939. He married
Florence Audrey Borley at Syston
Parish Church on 29 May 1943,
when his address is given as 69 St
Peter’s Street.
He was discharged from Army
service as medically unfit in May
1946, and died at Leicester Royal
Infirmary on 4 June 1946. He is
buried in Syston Cemetery, Sec.
F. Grave 97.42
42
CWGC; Royal Leicestershire Regiment: Have You a Tiger in Your Family? - CWGC; www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/98498-howard-frederick (accessed 24 July 2016)
http://www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/entity/98498-howard-frederick
50
Leonard Herbert Ledwick Corporal
117064
Technical Service Corps, South
African Forces
Died 4 March 1942, age 39
Leonard Herbert Ledwick was the
son of Mr and Mrs Norman
Ledwick of Barkby Road, Syston,
and the husband of Alice May
Ledwick. According to the
Leicester Advertiser, his parents
were informed of their son’s
death in a military hospital while
serving with a technical corps in a
mechanised unit.
He had been employed with the
General Motors Corporation in
Johannesburg and Pretoria
before joining the South African Forces 19 months before his death. He is
buried in Port Elizabeth (South End) Cemetery, H Extension. Grave 50N.43
43
CWGC; Leicester Advertiser, 25 April 1942; South African War Graves - www.southafricawargraves.org/search/ (accessed 24 July 2016)
http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/
51
Kenneth Marston
Stevenson Private
90450
Royal Army Service Corps
Died 28 January 1942, age 23
Kenneth Marston Stevenson was
the son of Clement George and
Gladys Ellen Stevenson of
Leicester. He is buried in Syston
Cemetery, Sec. A. Grave 142.
His residence is given in the
National Probate Calendar in
1942 as 449 London Road,
Leicester.44
44
CWGC; England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1904http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1904http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1904
52
Anthony Beresford
Tisdall Flying Officer
74693
Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve, 224 Squadron
Died 16 October 1940, age 21
Anthony Beresford Tisdall was
the son of Beresford Duff and
Hilda Mary Tisdall of Hendon,
Middlesex. He lived with his
grandparents in Syston as a
child, when his father was
Commissioner of Customs in
China.
He is buried in Killead (St
Catherine) Church of Ireland
Churchyard, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
His death was reported in the Syston Parish Magazine as follows:
‘Many who remember Tony Tisdall, grandson of the late C.S. Harding, Brook Street,
who, as a little fellow, lived at Syston Vicarage – his father and mother being in China
– will be sad at the announcement of his death, and yet proud of him in that he “did
his bit.” On the outbreak of war he at once volunteered. Just the sort of step Tony
would take! Over six feet in height, he was just the same “Old Tony” – just the same
boy we had known and loved. He was as lovely as he looked – fine, manly and yet
child-like! We are proud of him. May the soul of “Our Laddie” rest in peace’.45
45
Sources: CWGC; Parish Magazine, December 1940
53
Photographs
On the following pages are photographs
and other images relating to some of the
individuals commemorated in this book.
We would be pleased to have photographs
of others if available, for a future edition.
54
Bernard Harry Bentley
(Eatough’s Ltd. Commemoration Souvenir, 1945)
55
Sidney Black
(Photograph reproduced by permission of family)
56
George Cherry
Barkby Rugby Team - George Cherry, bottom row, 3rd left
(Photographs reproduced by permission of Joan Quinn)
George Cherry, middle row on the right
57
Frank Clarke
Lilian and Frank’s father, Frank Clarke Snr., in
the garden of Frank’s home in Syston.
(Photographs reproduced by
permission of Dale Stretton and
Jacqueline Wardle)
Frank Clarke’s wife Lilian who served in
the Women’s Royal Naval Service
(WRNS) in World War II
(Photographs reproduced by permission of Dale Stretton and Jacqueline Wardle)
58
Cyril Cunnington
(Reproduced by permission of family)
59
William Goodwill
William Goodwill (2nd rt.) at the wedding of his only daughter
Betty to Albert Simpson at Syston parish church in August 1941
(Photographs reproduced by permission of Val Fairbairn)
60
William Harry Bill Iliffe
(Photograph provided by Mark Gamble with
the owner’s permission)
61
Walter Talbott
Walter Talbott’s grave in Maynamati
Cemetery , Comilla, Bangladesh
Walter Talbott’s Burma Star and
Commemorative Scroll
(Photographs reproduced by permission of Jane Matthews)
62
John William Valentine Whenham
(Friends of St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Syston)
63
John Henry Willday
(Eatough’s Ltd. Commemoration Souvenir, 1945)
64
Robert Arthur Wright
(Images provided by family)
65
Jack Yeates
Leicester Mercury item on the occasion of Jack Yeates’
enlistment in the Royal Navy in October 1937
66
Additional photographs
The photographs on the following pages have
been received since the publication of the first
edition of the Book of Remembrance.
67
Stanley Childs Carter
Since the first version of this Book of Remembrance was published, the
previously unknown ‘Carter S.’ on the War Memorial has been identified as
Sergeant Stanley Childs Carter, an Air Gunner in the Royal Air Force.
(With thanks to Mark Gamble and Dave Ricketts for the information and image).
68
William Harold Freer
(With thanks to Mark Gamble and Dave Ricketts)
69
Norman Gregory
Private Norman Gregory, second left, bottom row
(Illustrated Leicester Chronicle, 3 March 1945, page 3 –
with thanks to Mark Gamble and Dave Ricketts).
70
71