Portsmouth War Dead project

aha I see what I did, confused Vepser and Lively. Duly corrected.

 

Sergeant Louis Hogg
59 Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
KIA 10 July 1944
Buried at Banneville-la-Campagne, France
Age 24, from Stamshaw, Portsmouth

Sergeant Hogg was killed shortly after Operation Charnwood, the capture of Caen during the battle of Normandy. 59 AT Regt were attached to the 43rd (Wessex) Division during the battle.

What interests me about Sergeant Hogg is that his CWGC records describe him as being the son of 'Mr and Mrs Loader'. I'm at a loss to describe how this might be. It might not be militarily important, but it would just be interesting to know his story.

Any ideas?

 

Able Seaman Henry James Miller GC
HM Submarine Unity
Age 39, from Southsea
KIA 29 April 1940
Portsmouth Naval Memorial

Awarded Empire Gallantry Medal 16 August 1940 for Gallantry onboard one of HM Submarines. Later exchanged for the George Cross.

HM Submarine Unity was sunk after a collision in fog with the Norwegian freighter ATLE JARL when leaving Blyth for her ninth patrol on 29th April 1940. The submarine sank within five minutes taking the First Lieutenant and a seaman down with her.

 

Miller can be found on 'All the George Cross's of WW2' thread.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/searching-someone-military-genealogy/20710-all-george-crosses-world-war-two.html#post213518

His EGM was gazetted on the 16th Aug 1940. I have written a more detailed account of what happened on the GC thread if you are interested.

Can I ask what connection he has with Portsmouth as he was born in Poole and died in the North Sea. He is also remembered in the Memorial Chapel at Hanborough Parish Church, Oxfordshire.

Regards
Andy

 

Miller can be found on 'All the George Cross's of WW2' thread.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/searching-someone-military-genealogy/20710-all-george-crosses-world-war-two.html#post213518

His EGM was gazetted on the 16th Aug 1940. I have written a more detailed account of what happened on the GC thread if you are interested.

Can I ask what connection he has with Portsmouth as he was born in Poole and died in the North Sea. He is also remembered in the Memorial Chapel at Hanborough Parish Church, Oxfordshire.

Regards
Andy

He's recorded on CWGC as being husband of Vida Maude Miller, of Southsea, Hampshire.

Its something I've noticed quite a lot with Portsmouth's WW2 dead - many men don't originate here, but having joined the RN met local girls and settled here.

Cheers for the heads-up on the other thread btw

 

Sergeant (Flight Engineer) Frederick Seiler
44 Squadron Royal Air Force (Lancasters, Spilsby)
Age 30, from North End
KIA 1 November 1944
Buried Eastbourne (Langney) Cemetery

Seiler, 30 and From North End, was a Sergeant (Flight Engineer) and a crew member of Lancaster LM650, KM-T of 44 Squadron.

On 1 November 1944 Seiler was onboard KM-T for a raid against a synthetic oil plant at Meerbeck, near Homberg in the Ruhr. Taking off from RAF Spilsby at 1.42pm, this was to be a daylight raid – a most unusual occurence indeed. Flak over the target seriously damaged the aircraft, and the Pilot, Flying Officer Haworth, was killed. The Wireless Operator, Flight Sergeant Walters took over the controls and managed to fly the damaged aircraft back across the Channel.

Once over Southern England Walters ordered the crew to bale out. All manged to exit the aircraft, including Walters. However, Sergeant Seilers parachute failed to deploy properly and he was killed on impact. The aircraft crashed at 5.45pm near Battle in East Sussex.

 

Hi Diane, I hadn't thought that he might have been fostered. Come to think of it I've seen an 'Adopted son of...' recently too.

 

James, I have seen entries which state 'son of ... & step-son of ... ', as well as 'foster son of ...' but I suppose cwgc record depends as always, on what information they were provided. So, apart from error, it could simply be that his mother remarried/married, or that he was fostered.
Diane, im intrested in your post saying about foster son or step son, given your research have you ever come across cases of Barnardos boys who joined the services were killed but had no next of kin that would show on eg, CWGC- record. I ask as I have in vain been trying to find a mate of my Dads killed in the war who was a Barnardos boy all the best, Jason

 

Lance Bombardier Edward Wait MM
444 Field Battery, 64 Field Regiment RA, 56th (London) Division
Age 25, from Southsea
KIA 21 March 1944
Buried Anzio Beachead War Cemetery

From the Reccomendation for Wait's MM:

On the night of 29 October 1943 444 Field Battery RA were supporting the 7th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in the attack on the Tranzi feature 0492. Lance Bombardier Wait was performing the duties of O.P.A. to the Battery Commander’s party. In about the area 047916 the wireless set which was carried by a signaller got struck by a piece of shell which damaged the terminal wire and rendered the set unserviceable. At this particular moment, approximately 0230 hours, this set was the only means of communication to Brigade HQ as the Battalion set was disserviceable. To repair the wireless set was a delicate operation which entailed removing minute screws from the control panel. Lance Bombardier Wait worked coolly and patiently in the dark under heavy mortar and shelling and made good the repair in 15 minutes. The shelling was so intense that the Infantry were forced to take cover but Lance Bombardier Wait remained in the open with his set. Later on the set gave further trouble; infiltrating enemy made things very confused and Lance Bombardier Wait and one signaller got separated and lost touch with the rest of the party. He knew that the objective was a certain feature and through his determination to succeed at all costs he rejoined his Battery Commander on the feature at first light with his set through to the Battery. His complete disregard for personal safety was most noticeable, he is a young NCO and this was his first experience of an attack and his behaviour throughout was very fine indeed.

 

James, I have seen entries which state 'son of ... & step-son of ... ', as well as 'foster son of ...' but I suppose cwgc record depends as always, on what information they were provided. So, apart from error, it could simply be that his mother remarried/married, or that he was fostered.

James, must admit I havent seen one detailed such as this, but It suggests that his mother remarries as Sgt Hog was born in 1919, and his mothers marriage to Charles Loader is recorded as 1932. BUT, I cant find details of the original Marriage, so she may have been a single mother until 1932.

Name: Louis G Hogg
Mother's Maiden Surname: Boynes
Date of Registration: Jul Aug Sep 1919
Registration district: Portsmouth
Registration county: Sussex, Isle of Wight

Name: Charles T Loader
Spouse Surname: Hogg Or Boynes
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1932
Registration district: Portsmouth
Registration county (inferred): Southampton


Name: Lilian E Boynes
Spouse Surname: Loader
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1932
Registration district: Portsmouth
Registration county (inferred): Southampton

FOUND IT
Name: Charles Hogg
Spouse: Lilian Edith Boynes
Year of Registration: 1899
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Isle of Wight
County: Hampshire, Isle of Wight


His mother was born in 1877, married Charles Hogg when she was 22, had Louis when she was 20, and then remarried when she was 55. The fact that she reverted to her maiden name suggests that she divorced

 

Thanks for that Phil, its very much appreciated.

I find it interesting, considering the talk about modern divorce rates, that out of over 1,900 records I have analysed Hogg's is the only entry recorded like that. Admittedly I have seen a few 'step-son of...' and one 'adopted son of'.

 

Sergeant Louis Hogg
59 Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
KIA 10 July 1944
Buried at Banneville-la-Campagne, France
Age 24, from Stamshaw, Portsmouth

Sergeant Hogg was killed shortly after Operation Charnwood, the capture of Caen during the battle of Normandy. 59 AT Regt were attached to the 43rd (Wessex) Division during the battle.

Sgt Hogg is mentioned in a little privately-published memoir: Tank Alert by Ivor D Astley. Hogg commanded No.3 Det, G Tp, 236 Bty - a 6-pdr gun. On 10 July, the troop were supporting the attack on Eterville and Maltot, part of Op JUPITER. Though the book claims they were supporting the DCLI, the Div history says 4 DORSET carried out the attack. Hogg appears to have got into Eterville and emplaced his gun before being sniped twice. The first shot hit him in the stomach and he died shortly afterwards.

 

thanks for that idler, thats very useful... every little piece of information helps build up a picture!

 

Lance Corporal Leslie Webb MM
1st Battalion Hampshire Regiment
Age 27, from North End
DOW 14 June 1944
Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth

D Coy, 1 Hampshires, on Gold Beach on D-Day. The Reccommendation for his MM takes up the story:

At Le Hamel on 6 June 44, during an attack on an enemy position by D Coy, the Company came under heavy enemy fire and found movement forward impossible.

L/Cpl Webb, showing complete disregard for his personal safety, repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to move his men forward. In full view of the enemy he went to get orders from his Pl Cmd, and was seriously wounded, but his courage and bravery were such an inspiration to all that the Pl went forward again and seized its objective.

 

I’ve now finished processing the list of Portsmouth’s World War Two Dead from the list on Portsmouth City Council’s website. Each name has been inputted into a database, along with their details from the Commonwealth War Graves online roll of honour. I have also done a lot of research on each person, using websites such as lostbombers, Far East Prisoners of War, RAF Web and Naval History.net.

I’ve managed to find some fascinating stories, which I have written about on my blog over the past few months. Stories of heroic deeds, medals, families, young and old, men and women, rich and poor. Men who have no grave, who are buried in Portsmouth, or who died far away from home. Men who died in famous battles, and men buried in cemeteries long forgotten. Men who served on the sea, on land and in the air. From all corners of Portsmouth.

There are a total of 2,023 names in the list. 1,027 in the Royal Navy, 539 from the Army, 319 from the Royal Air Force, 84 in the Royal Marines, 35 in the Merchant Navy and 11 in the NAAFI.

From Ordinary Seaman to Admiral of the Fleet, Private to Lieutenant Colonel, and Aircraftman 1st Class to Wing Commander. Youngest 16, oldest 73.

82 men died on HMS Hood, 60 on HMS Royal Oak, and 43 on HMS Barham. 12 Died on D-Day.

2 George Crosses, 5 BEM, 2 CBE, 1 Cross of St George (Russia), 1 DCM, 9 DFC, 5 DFM, 4 DSC, 1 DSC and Bar, 2 DSO, 5 MBE, 1 MC, 3 OBE, 35 Mentions in Dispatches and 32 DSM and 2 DSM and Bar.

113 are buried in France, 60 in Germany, 102 in Italy, 128 in the Far East and 100 in North Africa. 632 are remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common. 147 are buried in Milton Cemetery, 96 in Kingston Cemetery, and 35 in Highland Cemetery. To put that in perspective, more are buried in Milton Cemetery alone than are buried in France.

I have found some amazing stories – the Chindit, the 16 year old Para, the two brothers who died on the same plane, the submariners, the Paras, Prisoners of War, the Bomber Crew, Engineers, Sappers, Gunners, Ground Crew… all manner of men and women, of all ages, from all parts of Portsmouth, and from all walks of life. I guess the moral of this story is that war, and death, knows no distinction. Like the gravestones in War Cemeteries – all the same, row upon row.

This list was generated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the Council, in order to compile a list of names for the proposed WW2 memorial in Guildhall Square. It is clearly far from complete, however. There are many names on local war memorials that do not feature in the list and will require some further research. Also, using Geoff’s WW2 search engine has already helped me identify that there are many people who’s location is given as ‘Fratton’, and not ‘Portsmouth’, for example, and hence may have slipped the net.

So, the project is far from completed. The names that are inputted still require a lot of research, and there are potentially hundreds of other names that can be added to the list. I’m already starting to think about what to do with my findings – clearly, such a database does need to be available to the general public. I especially hope that young people may be able to use it for school projects and such like. The statistics should be able to tell us so much. I also have plenty of ideas for a website including pictures of each grave, so families may even be able to find pictures of the last resting place of their loved ones.

 

I’ve now started inputting and researching a list of 300+ names from local war memorials that do not appear on the City Council published list of War Dead.

Some of them are names that do not appear at all on the CWGC database, or if they do they don’t have any obvious connection to Portsmouth. These are going to take quite some research. Some of the names are simply given as ‘W Smith’, which for obviously there are many names on the CWGC list. I’m going to have to do some research locally with electoral rolls, BDM registers etc to try and narrow it down.

I suspect that at least a few of them might well be un-commemorated.

 

Major Frank Godfrey Baxter MC
Royal Engineers
GSO2 (Camouflage and Deception) HQ 1st Army
39, from Southsea
D.O.D. 11 July 1943
Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery, Tunisia

For continual bravery and devotion to duty throughout the period under review. During the early stages of the campaign he worked continually in the forward areas in the face of enemy artillery and air fire. He had no less than three motorcycles shot under him. His work as G.S.O.2. Camouflage and Deception, First Army, has been untiring and highly successful.

Would be interesting to find out more about his work.

 

Pilot Officer Ronald Arthur Osgood
22, from Milton
D.O.D. 17 July 1940
Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth



Sergeant (Pilot) Eric Edwin Heaton Osgood

20, from Milton
D.O.D. 17 July 1940
Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth


Ronald and Eric Osgood were brothers. To have died on the same day suggests that they were killed in the same incident. My first thought was that they might have died in bombing, either at home or perhaps at an RAF base?

Interestingly, I was talking to a lady who was at my talk on Tuesday, who told me that two of her brother died in an air accident during the war… I’m sure she said that they were both Royal Navy. Seems a bit of a coincidence though.

Any thoughts?

 

Pilot Officer Ronald Arthur Osgood
22, from Milton
D.O.D. 17 July 1940
Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth



Sergeant (Pilot) Eric Edwin Heaton Osgood

20, from Milton
D.O.D. 17 July 1940
Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth


Ronald and Eric Osgood were brothers. To have died on the same day suggests that they were killed in the same incident. My first thought was that they might have died in bombing, either at home or perhaps at an RAF base?

Any thoughts?

Both listed in 'Flight' 8 August 1940 as Killed On Active Service.....

Killed in aircraft collision North England.

Oxford I - L4618 - 5 FTS - collided mid air over Shotton Steelworks with Master N7432 of same unit.

Caualties L4618:
Brothers Sgts Eric E.H. OSGOOD - 758217 and Ronald A. OSGOOD - 742599.


[FONT=&quot](Killed on active service' means that the individual died as a result of an accident or something similar whilst engaged on operational duties. Thus, if a person was killed on a training sortie, or a flight not engaged in operations against the enemy that would be classed as KOAS)[/FONT]