I've had a go at transcribing the names with the help of CWGC and a couple of Penrith memorials. W. Benson, R. Lamb, J.G. Smith and R.A. Smith don't appear on any of the Penrith memorials that I've seen. 87588 Major Christopher Rowland Alderson M.C. M.M. Royal Army Medical Corps 20.3.1941, aged 47 Son of Christopher and Isabella Alderson; husband of Phyllis Maud Alderson Second Lieutenant Roger Henry Johnson Baily 4th Border Regiment 5.12.1941, aged 29 Son of the Revd. George Herbert Johnson Baily, M.A., and Mary Hope Baily, of Kirkoswald Vicarage, Cumberland 3657756 Trooper Edward Faraday Beck 15th (Scottish) Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. 14.5.1945, aged 27 Son of John and Dora Mary Beck, of Tebay; husband of Florence May Beck, of Tebay W Benson D/JX 213084 Signalman George Arthur Chapelhow Royal Navy H.M.S. Hurworth 22.10.1943, aged 23 Son of Herbert and Jessie Chapelhow, of Penrith 551339 Sergeant Samuel Walter Curry 224 Squadron, Royal Air Force 21.7.1940, aged 19 Son of Walter and Annie E. Curry, of Glenridding, Westmorland Lieutenant Hartley Brisco Graham 72 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 1.6.1942, aged 31 Son of Hartley Graham and of Alice Graham, of Penrith 1874312 Corporal Donald Joseph Grant 22 Fortress Company, Royal Engineers 11.10.1942, aged 22 Son of Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Grant, of Penrith 40908 Flying Officer (Pilot) Alfred John Grisenthwaite Royal Air Force 11.3.1941, aged 21 Son of Alfred Grisenthwaite and of Kathleen Grisenthwaite, of Didsbury, Manchester 52072 Flying Officer (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Herbert Hartnett Royal Air Force 18.11.1943, aged 22 Son of William and Olive Gladys Hartnett, of Penrith 1826680 Sergeant Rodney Hetherington 462 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 24.2.1945, aged 20 Son of Thomas and Doris Hetherington, of Lazonby 1149218 Sergeant (Pilot) John Thompson Howe 207 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 21.1.1943, aged 19 Son of Frederick C. and Mary E. Howe, of Penrith Serjeant Richard Emmerson Jackson 8th Cumberland (Penrith) Battalion, Home Guard 23.5.1943, aged 43 Son of William and Elizabeth Jackson, of Penrith; husband of Nora Eleanor Jackson, of Penrith Richard H. Jackson, Storekeeper. Merchant Navy - S.S. Avila Star (London) 6.7.1942, aged 54 [Identified by CL1] 3599414 Serjeant Alan Hutton Kirkpatrick Royal Corps of Signals 14.10.1942, aged 24 Son of Joseph Mathison Kirkpatrick and Mary Emily Kirkpatrick, of Penrith 655748 Flight Sergeant (Pilot) George Lamb Royal Air Force 3.10.1943, aged 24 Son of Richard and Mary Hannah Lamb; husband of Marjorie Lamb, of Staveley, Westmorland 1094107 Sergeant Leslie Lamb 76 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 18.1.1943, aged 20 Son of George Henry and Elizabeth Noble Lamb, of Penrith R Lamb 627700 Aircraftman 1st Class Ernest Walter Marsh Royal Air Force 30.10.1941, aged 20 Son of Walter Thomas Marsh and Mary Marsh, of Shap 170636 Pilot Officer Thomas Gordon Marsh 15 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 26.3.1944, aged 20 Son of Walter Thomas Marsh, and of Mary Marsh, of Penrith 1040315 Flight Sergeant (Navigator) John James Martin 83 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 29.1.1944, aged 22 Son of Arthur and Emily Laura Madeline Martin, of Carnforth 2824576 Corporal Alexander MacBean 5th Seaforth Highlanders 23.1.1943, aged 26 Son of Alexander and Catherine MacBean, of Inverness [Identified by CL1] 334562 Second Lieutenant Donald Robert McPherson 555 Field Company, Royal Engineers 3.3.1945, aged 22 Son of John Jackson McPherson and Hannah Selina McPherson, of Brockley, London 94447 Second Lieutenant Alexander Moore 51 (The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 9.1.1941, aged 27 Son of John Bowman Moore and Mary Louisa Moore of Penrith 2606 Constable Noel Nicholson Palestine Police Force 27.12.1945, aged 20 Son of Mr. and Mrs. John William Nicholson, of Penrith 83719 Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Gerald North 232 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 10.2.1943, aged 22 Son of William Arthur and Dorothy Symn North, of Penrith 147981 Flying Officer Geoffrey Charles Orme 550 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 24.12.1943 1121223 Aircraftman 2nd Class William Dufton Preston Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 8.2.1942, aged 27 Son of William and Jane Dufton Preston; husband of Ada Isabella Preston, of Bampton 981544 Sergeant (Radio Operator) Thomas Richard Salkeld 255 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 22.8.1941, aged 22 Son of Robert and Sarah Agnes Salkeld, of Penrith 1685244 Sergeant (Navigator) John Scaife Sanderson 462 (R.A.A.F.) Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 7.1.1945, aged 22 Son of Thomas Scaife Sanderson and Annie Mary Sanderson, of Tebay J G Smith R A Smith Possibly D/JX 152804 Leading Telegraphist John Wrey Swenson Royal Navy H.M.S. Dorsetshire 5.4.1942, aged 20 Son of Harry and Agnes Swenson, of Blackpool 755659 Sergeant (Air Gunner) Walter Hugh Wilkinson 149 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 13.4.1941, aged 21 Son of Walter Henry and Bessie Wilkinson, of Penrith 138848 Second Lieutenant James Wright Border Regiment, attached 2nd Nigeria Regiment, R.W.A.F.F. 31.5.1941, aged 25 Son of James and Maggie Isabella Wright, of Penrith 14307470 Corporal A.K. Fleming 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, Royal Armoured Corps 1.3.1947, aged 23 Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Fleming, of Penrith
Hello Bernice possible (I am sure one of our genealogists will be able to help with further detail) JACKSON, RICHARD H. Rank: Storekeeper Date of Death: 06/07/1942 Age: 54 Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy S.S. Avila Star (London) Panel Reference: Panel 12. Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL
Although not of the area MacBEAN, ALEXANDER Rank: Lieutenant Service No: 182803 Date of Death: 05/03/1943 Age: 24 Regiment/Service: Royal Artillery attd. 1 H.A.A. Regt. Royal Indian Artillery Panel Reference: Column 3. Memorial: SINGAPORE MEMORIAL Additional Information: Son of the Revd. George Kenneth MacBean, B.A., and Margaret Agnes MacBean. M.A. (St. Andrews). MACBEAN, ALEXANDER Rank: Corporal Service No: 2824576 Date of Death: 23/01/1943 Age: 26 Regiment/Service: Seaforth Highlanders 5th Bn. Grave Reference: 11. F. 19. Cemetery: TRIPOLI WAR CEMETERY Additional Information: Son of Alexander and Catherine MacBean, of Inverness.
Hi Berenice/CL1 If you would like me to have a search on some of these for you could you let me know which ones TD
There are a couple of Benson's that seem to originate in the Whitehaven area: BENSON, WILLIAM Rank:PrivateService No:14874633Date of Death:27/04/1945Age:18Regiment/Service:Border Regiment 5th Bn. Grave Reference: Ward 5. Sec.E. New ground. Grave 227. Cemetery:WHITEHAVEN CEMETERYAdditional Information: Son of William and Elizabeth Benson, of Whitehaven. BENSON, WILLIAM Rank:PrivateService No:3855972Date of Death:14/02/1942Age:23Regiment/Service:The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) 2nd Bn. Panel Reference: Column 73. Memorial:SINGAPORE MEMORIALAdditional Information: Adopted son of Mr. T. Benson, of Whitehaven, Cumberland. TD
thanks, CL1 and TD, your suggestions noted with thanks. I might drop the school a line when it re-opens to see if anyone has researched the names fully. Without an obvious connection with Penrith or the immediate locality it's difficult to pin a name down.
Flight Sergeant John James Martin was the navigator aboard an 83 (Pathfinder) Squadron Avro Lancaster, JB412 OL-B, that took off from RAF Wyton, near Huntingdon at 00:19am on Saturday 29 January 1944 for operations over Berlin. While outbound, it was attacked by a JU 88C night-fighter of II./NJG 3 piloted by Hauptmann Gerhard Raht and controlled by the radar station “Star” based at Lütjenhorn. Raht (and his crew) were a formidable nightfighter unit; also accredited with bringing down a Halifax only a few minutes before OL-B: Gerhard Raht - Wikipedia At 02:37 am, the Lancaster exploded in the air. Wreckage was spread over a radius of 1.5 miles just north of the village of Varnæs, Denmark. Twenty‐two year old Flight Sergeant JJ Martin with crewmates 21 year old Sergeant Thomas Kinnoch McCash RAFVR (the Flight Engineer from Glasgow) and 21 year old Flight Sergeant John Robert Tree RAAF (an Air Gunner from Michelton, Queensland, Australia) perished as a result. All three were subsequently buried at Aabenraa, their graves attended by the CWGC and a group of local Danes. Aabenraa is on the Southeast coast of Jutland, about 15 miles North of the border with Germany. The other 4 members of the crew managed to parachute to safety and became prisoners of war. It was Flight Sergeant Martin’s 30th operation. He had only recently joined 83 Squadron from 61 Squadron at Syerston and may have signed on for a sequential tour of up to 50 operations - a norm for the specialized Pathfinders. Listed ‘Missing’ in local Cumbrian papers on 5 February 1944, his death was not confirmed until the following November. The Lancaster Guardian of 24 November 1944 reported his parents as living in Carnforth, but that he was originally from Carlisle, had been educated at Penrith and Lancaster Royal Grammar schools and had worked at the Martin's bank in Kendal and Ulverston. Unverified information suggests Flight magazine of 24 Sep tember 1942 listed an NCO of the same name as also being reported missing by Casualty Communique 156 earlier in the War. This might chime with a period when 61 Squadron had been detached from Bomber Command to Coastal Command for operations over the Bay of Biscay.
In reference to post No. 1: Lt. HB Graham was killed in action on the day the 150th Infantry Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division and its supporting troops were overrun at/near Rotunda Ualeb - situated between the Trigh El Abd and Trigh Capuzzo - in the Gazala line defences. Lost were: 4th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment; 4th Bn Green Howards; 5th Bn Green Howards; 72nd Field Regiment, RA - 285th, 286th and 451st Btys; 232nd Field Company, RE; 2nd Bn Cheshire Regiment (MG) - 'D' Coy; 150th Field Ambulance. and the attached: 7th Medium Regiment, RA - 25/26th (Battleaxe) Bty; 25th LAA, RA - 81st Bty; 42nd Bn Royal Tank Regiment - 'B' Sqdn; 44th Bn Royal Tank Regiment The 4th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment; 4th Bn Green Howards; 5th Bn Green Howards; 72nd Field Regiment, RA; 232nd Field Company, RE; and 25th LAA, RA - 81st Bty; were not reconstituted. Those men that were not killed were taken PoW; very few escaped. The Officer Commanding 150th Infantry Brigade and attached troops, Brigadier Haydon was also killed in action on this day.
