Leonard PRATT

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by Mavis Williams, Aug 21, 2018.

  1. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

    Hi everyone, I have on the Hawarden WW2 War Memorial a Leonard PRATT, and the Clwyd Family History Society have him as the s/o John Eric and Mary Elizabeth Pratt died on the 6th April 1942. I have found this Leonard's family on the 1939 Register living at "Fair View,” Sealand Road, Manor Lane, Hawarden R.D., Flintshire, Wales, and possibly his birth in 1916. The only Leonard PRATT who fits age wise on the CWGC database is :-
    Fitter
    PRATT, LEONARD
    Died 07/12/1942
    Aged 26
    British Overseas Airways Corporation

    Commemorated at ALAMEIN MEMORIAL

    So my question is which one, if any is the right one? If it is Leonard who died on the 7th December 1942, where would I find his Records and any more information on him. I know that the BOAC was still flying throughout the war, so he may have been in Alexandria?
    Any help would be appreciated. Kindest regards, Mavis
     
  2. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Not much help. All I can add is that there are 9 BOAC fitters and 1 Storekeeper all killed on 07/12/42 commemorated on the Alamein Memorial. Do Clwyd FHS know where the date of 6/4/42 came from?

    Tim
     
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  3. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    Tim you are closer than you think, Mavis I think you do have the right man . From Clare Hardys. SS Ceramic The Untold Story. Its out of print but theres an old website

    SS Ceramic the untold story by Clare Hardy

    PRATT LEONARD
    Age: 26
    Date of Birth: 18th April 1916
    Place of Birth: Connahs Quay, Flintshire
    Engineer/Fitter/Airman
    British Overseas Airways Corporation
    Ship SS Ceramic
    Ticket No. 391
    Destination: Durban
    Column 268.

    Over 500 killed one single survivor (I recall?)

    Kyle
     
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  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Leonard Pratt
    1916–1942
    BIRTH 18 APRIL 1916 • Connahs Quay, Flintshire, Wales
    DEATH 6 APRIL 1942 • At SEA

    Hmm about 1/2 way down is a list of incidents but it does not include this one
    British Overseas Airways Corporation - Wikipedia


    I would guess you may need to contact British Airways as they took over BOAC, they also have a museum and should have details of the event

    TD
     
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  5. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Kyle - Brilliant. Very well done. How the heck did you get that link?

    Tim
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Full list - SS Ceramic the untold story by Clare Hardy - thats where he got it from

    Alamein Memorial Egypt
    PRATT LEONARD
    Age: 26
    Date of Birth: 18th April 1916
    Place of Birth: Connah�s Quay, Flintshire
    Engineer/Fitter/Airman
    British Overseas Airways Corporation
    Ticket No. 391
    Destination: Durban
    Column 268.

    TD

    SS Ceramic - Wikipedia
    She was sunk by a German submarine in 1942, leaving only one survivor from the 656 people aboard.


    Ceramic (British Steam passenger ship) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net - the only survivor was - Sapper Eric Munday of the Royal Engineers picked up by the Uboat
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2018
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  7. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

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  8. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

    Hi Everyone, Sorry for the delay in replying, but what a response! Firstly, I do not know where the Clwyd Family History got this information, but I recently sent them an email, as I have a couple more queries on some of the men I have researched, and of course, I don't know who's right, just want to know what is correct for everyone's sake. Their list has been so helpful, so I am grateful. This spooky, but there were 4 passengers from Connah's Quay on the Ceramic, on their way to a new life in South Africa, one the daughter of Tom COPPACK, who belonged to a local shipbuilding family and who's book "A Lifetime with Ships," tells the story of losing her and her new husband on the Ceramic, they were going from John Summer's & Sons, Hawarden Bridge Steelworks as Churchill wanted to start up a munitions works and each of the big steel works in Britain was instructed to supply it's quota of Executives. So John Harold and Elizabeth Elsie PICKERING (nee COPPACK) and David George & Joyce May WILLIAMS set off, Tom COPPACK tells in the book about how a friend heard on the radio that "Lord Haw Haw" stated "The transport Ceramic was torpedoed last night by one of our U-boats in mid-Atlantic." Thank you Kyle for connecting them, and TD, thanks for the link to the El Alamein Memorial where I have found the 2 couple's names, they had been missed off our local memorial and had put them down to be remembered at some future date, so good to see they are already somewhere with every who also lost their lives that night. I am so grateful for everyone who have replied and given me such valuable information. Kindest regards, Mavis
     
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  9. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

  10. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Hello Mavis how are the memorial updates on the website going.Do you have any links to the casualties forum members have helped with just so we can see the full story to completion.


    regards
    Clive
     
  11. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

    I haven't put any on the Hawarden one as the website is having to be updated to accommodate WW2, it was just originally for the Great War and I am still working on them, both Connah's Quay & Shotton and Hawarden. There are a small number on the Connah's Quay & Shotton, (Bottom of the page on "WW2 Servicemen, before I had to stop adding them, but have found this one, where I utillised WW2talk - http://www.flintshirewarmemorials.com/memorials/connahs-quay/ww2-names/ashbrook-charles-charlie/" just to give you a flavour. I hope that I pass the test!! Thanks for all the forum has done for me. Regards, Mavis
     
  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Mavis
    Connah's Quay: Researcher asks for help in finding information about the names of WW2 soldiers on town's war memorial | The Leader

    Mavis has now moved onto researching the names from the soldiers involved in WW2 and although is working through the list, she needs the public’s help in finding out information for a few more names.
    She said: “A recent diagnosis and my age has made me aware as never before that I am conscious of my own mortality.

    Would be very nice to see this forum given the credit it deserves ................................

    TD
     
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  13. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Excellent work Mavis if you get time later leave the links in the original threads you might even get more info.

    regards
    Clive
     
  14. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

    Thank you Clive, praise indeed, you have lifted my spirits this Saturday morning!!! Kind regards, Mavis
     
  15. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

    Thank you TD, sorry didn't see your reply straight away. Where did you find that??? I am trying very hard to make sure that they are not forgotten. Kind regards, Mavis
     
  16. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  17. KevinBattle

    KevinBattle Senior Member

    Mavis, I hope the diagnosis is somewhat mistaken and that you can complete your task in good time.
    There is a photo for WW2 Service personnel on the Flintshire War Memorial website but it is a bit blurry and seems to start well before the Edwards GH. Is there a legible listing of the Names for WW2?
    Perhaps if it was available here, people might recognise the Name(s) and thus add more info.

    There is also reference to service personnel killed after WW2; 3 in Kore; 2 in Cyprus, 1 in Irag and 1 in Falklands.
    Are you OK with them or do you also need these looking into?

    You don't need me to tell you but these are the WW2 Names with a link to Connah's Quay from CWGC.
    surname forename initials age_text honours date_of_death
    ARNOLD NEVILLE N 20 06/10/1942
    BENNETT WILLIAM W 20 01/09/1943
    BETTANY DAVID ORMAND D O 20 26/08/1944
    BROCKLEY ROGER R 39 25/01/1946
    CALLEJA DOMENICO D 28 26/05/1940
    DAVIES JOSEPH EDWARD J E 38 29/09/1944
    DAVIES FRANK F 26 10/04/1945
    DODD JOHN DESMOND J D 25 14/05/1941
    ELLIS HARRY H 28 18/03/1943
    FOULKES ANTHONY A 49 05/08/1946
    GRAINGER JOSEPH J. J J 20 24/12/1941
    GRIFFITHS ALBERT HENRY A H 27 16/01/1945
    HARRIS BERNARD B 32 05/05/1944
    HUGHES HUGH MAURICE H M 28 01/07/1944
    HUGHES JAMES J 20 30/04/1943
    HUGHES JOHN J 42 15/07/1941
    HUTTON DAVID D 24 21/09/1943
    HUTTON ROBERT R 37 12/11/1941
    JONES WILLIAM ALBERT W A 32 01/08/1944
    JONES JACK GORDON J G 20/11/1942
    KETTLE CYRIL C 36 D S M 25/11/1942
    MASON JAMES ALBERT J A 36 25/09/1944
    PARRY WILLIAM W 29 16/04/1945
    PAYTON ARTHUR A 30 29/07/1944
    POWELL ALBERT EDWARD A E 33 24/07/1945
    PRITCHARD ROBERT JOHN R J 21 14/07/1945
    REDDIN WILLIAM W 33 05/12/1944
    ROBERTS ALFRED FRANK A F 31 03/03/1944
    SHELMERDINE CHARLES C 21 20/09/1942
    SHEPHERD JACK J 33 12/03/1946
    SWINDLEY GEORGE G 30 27/07/1941
    WHITEHOUSE CLIFFORD C 21 21/03/1942
    WILLIAMS WILLIAM CHARLES W C 20 22/05/1941
    WILLIAMS JOSEPH J 19/07/1944
    WILLIAMS JOYCE MAY J M 24 06/12/1942
    WORRALL WILLIAM W 49 D S C 13/09/1939

    Hopefully, you'll have these Names, but just in case...

    Doh! My mistake, the Names are set out here:-
    Connah's Quay & <title>Connah's Quay

    ... and the ones that need further research are easily spotted...
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2018
  18. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    Hi Mavis,

    Is this a good possibility for "J. Dutton"? The towns are two miles apart.

    Casualty

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  19. Mavis Williams

    Mavis Williams Well-Known Member

    Thanks so much for your concern and input Kevin, so much work you have done, also Dave, but there are only a few that I am missing on Connah's Quay, but would love some help with. There is H. GRIFFITHS, A.C. HALL, F. JONES, G.J. JONES, J. JONES and S.E. ROBERTS. I would appreciate any clue to these. Dave I have John Dutton, thanks so much, yes, he was from Queensferry and buried in Hawarden. Kindest regards, Mavis
     
  20. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

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