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MARINE GEORGE ASHTON
SERVICE NUMBER: PLY/X 101938. UNIT: Royal Marines Group M.N BDO. (2).
GAVE HIS LIFE: 03/11/1943. AGED: 28.
CEMETERY: Syracuse War Cemetery Scicily GRAVE: III. E. 2.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
"Son of Francis Duncan Hall Ashton and Harriet Ashton.
Husband of Irene Elizabeth Ashton, of Tadcaster"
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LEADING AIRMAN PHILLIP WILLIAM McLEAN ATKINSON
SERVICE NUMBER: FAA/FX. 86809. UNIT: Royal Navy H.M.S. Ukassa
GAVE HIS LIFE: 24/08/1944. AGED: Unknown
CEMETERY: Lee on Solent Memorial. PANEL: Bay 5 Panel 2.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
"Son of Charles and Amy Atkinson"
Phillip served in the Fleet Air Arm which supported ground troops by air reconnaissance operating from aircraft carriers.
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PRIVATE THOMAS BELL.
SERVICE NUMBER: 14333771. UNIT: 1st Bn West Yorkshire Regiment.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 20/03/1945. AGED: 20.
CEMETERY: Taukkyan War Cemetery Burma. GRAVE: 21. E. 13-15.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States " No Details."
I believe this to be the T. Bell shown on the Tadcaster Memorials, on searching the Army Roll of Honour 1939-45 there are only Two T. Bell's born and residing in Yorkshire.
The other man is a Thomas Frederick Bell married in Bedale.
Thomas lost his life in Mandalay on the day it was captured from the japanese by the West Yorkshire Regiment which were attached to the 19th Indian Division.
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PRIVATE STANLEY BURTON.
SERVICE NUMBER: 14565906. UNIT: 61 Company Pioneer Corps.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 01/11/1944. AGED: 20.
CEMETERY: Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Holland.
GRAVE: 6. B. 5.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
"Son of Albert and Mary Burton of Tadcaster, Yorkshire."
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CORPORA; JOHN SMITH CONSTABLE.
SERVICE NUMBER: 564134. UNIT: Royal Air Force.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 22/07/1940. AGED: 26.
CEMETERY: Tadcaster Cemetery GRAVE: Section C.5 Row B 10.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
" Son of George and Emma E of Tadcaster."
Cliff Phillips Royal Air Force Assocation Tadcaster Branch
gives the following information regarding John:
"John Constable was a 21st entry Aircraft Apprentice who joined in 1930 he would have been 16 then.
Margaret remembers there being a Constable family in the early 40's who ran a sweet shop in Kirgate, possible where the Chinese is now.
If you come across any RAF with numbers between 550000 and 559999 they would be pre war "Boy Entrants".
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STOKER 1st CLASS CLARENCE ARTHUR DAVIS.
SERVICE NUMBER: /C/KX 671566. UNIT: Royal Navy H.MS. Bullen.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 06/12/1944. AGED: 16 ?.
CEMETERY: Chatham Naval Memorial. PANEL: Bay 77 Panel 3.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
Geraldine Lowe has left a message in the Guestbook giving details of Clarence
he was the son of Clifford and Mary Berry and had a brother Charlie and a sister Judy.
Geraldine believed he was aged around 16 when he gave his life and is ship was torpedoed outside Liverpool.
Clarence was serving on H.M.S Bullen which was launched on the 7th August 1943 at Bethlehem Shipyard Massachusetts, U.S.A.
She was leased to the Royal Navy and was never commisioned into the US Navy.
H.M.S Bullen was torpedoed and sunk by the German U Boat U755 due west off Strathy Point, Scotland in position 58º30'N, 05º03'W. Of the 168 crewmembers on board 71 went down with the ship.
U Boat U755 was built in early January 1943 and sank three ships, she Surrendered at Trondheim, Norway on 8 May, 1945,
and was Sunk on 8th December 1945 as part of Operation Deadlight at Loch Ryan Scotland along with a further 114 other U Boats.
"Thank You to Geraldine Lowe for helping find this young man and help record his details"
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TROOPER ARTHUR FISHER.
SERVICE NUMBER: 7954058.
UNIT: B Sqn 17th/21st Lancers Royal Armoured Corps.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 23/04/1943. AGED: 33.
CEMETERY: Massicault War Cemetery, Tunisia. GRAVE: I. C. 3.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
"Husband of Kathleen Fisher, Tadcaster Yorkshire."
The CWGC gives the following details:
"Axis forces defeated at El Alamein were withdrawing into Tunisia along the coast through Libya, pursued by the Allied Eighth Army.
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.
Many of those buried at Massicault War Cemetery died in the preparation for the final drive to Tunis in April 1943 and in that advance at the beginning of May."
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GUNNER FREDERICK WILLIAM FRANKLIN.
SERVICE NUMBER: 1532802. UNIT: Royal Artillery
GAVE HIS LIFE: 09/07/1940. AGED: 22.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States :
"Son of Mark and Annie M J Franklin, of Tadcaster."
His family resided at Fairfield Villas Tadcaster.
"AT HOME AT REST"
CEMETERY: Tadcaster Cemetery GRAVE: Section B5 Row K Grave 13.
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AIRCRAFTSMAN 1ST CLASS SIDNEY GAWTHROUP.
SERVICE NUMBER: 1064089. UNIT: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 01/11/1941. AGED: 25.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
"Son of Frederick and Charles and Elizabeth Ann of Tadcaster"
Sidney passed away at the City Hospital Newcastle Upon Tyne and was laid to rest in Tadcaster on the 6th November 1941.
"PEACE PERFECT PEACE"
CEMETERY: Tadcaster Cemetery. GRAVE: Section B.7. Row K Grave 1.
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CRAFTSMAN ALFRED REGINALD GOODRICK.
SERVICE NUMBER: 2122409.
UNIT: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Ulster Rifles Attchd 2nd Bn London Rifles.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 12/06/1944. AGED: 35.
CEMETERY: La Deelivrande War Cemetery, Douvres, France. GRAVE: VII. K. 9.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
CWGC States:
"Son of John and Minnie, Husband of Ida Mary of Tadcaster, Yorkshire."
Arthur took part in the D Day landings of June the 6th 1944 on Sword Beach either in the Oboe or Peter sector, where he lost his life.
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GUNNER MAURICE GRAYSON.
SERVICE NUMBER: 845216.
UNIT: 3rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery.
GAVE HIS LIFE: 12/06/1942. AGED: 24.
CEMETERY: Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Lybia GRAVE: 3. E. 14.
LOCAL MEMORIAL: Tadcaster.
Spelt Morris on CWGC website, and Maurice in St Marys Church Tadcaster.
Maurice was part of the the Eighth Army which on the 5th of June 1942 launched a counter-attack against the Afrika Korps.
This operation codenamed 'Aberdeen', went wrong from the start, with an infantry tank brigade being destroyed in minefields and an Indian infantry brigade attacking the wrong positions.
The remainder of the force, the 22nd Armoured Brigade was repulsed easily by the untouched German defenses. British losses for this operation were 150 tanks, 133 guns and 6,000 troops.
At this point in the battle, the British forces in the northern part of the Gazala line (1st South African and the remainder of the British 50th Division), were still in a strong position and so General Auchinleck and Lieutenant General Ritchie decided to hold the line facing south from the Knightsbridge defensive box to El Adem with the remainder of their infantry and tank forces and wait for Rommel's next move.
On the 12th of June 1942 Rommel although his tanks were outnumbered two to one, attacked the British positions between Knightsbridge and El Adem, trapping much of the British armour.
Maurice lost his life during this time period, Knightsbridge was a key British position and when this fell a couple of days later the Eighth Army withdrew into Egypt and Rommel captured Tobruk.