L/Cpl. George Bertram Ecclestone
British Army 5th Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent
from:Stansted, Essex
(d.7th September 1942)
George Bertram Ecclestone was born in Newmarket in 1918 and grew up in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. He was known to the family as Bertram. After leaving school in 1937 he joined Barclays Bank in London. Just prior to the war he joined the Territorials and at the outbreak of war enlisted in the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, 5th Battalion.
In February 1940 he went to serve with the British Expeditionary Force in France, his battalion being involved in several battles including the Battle of Nieppe Forest. Bertram was evacuated from Dunkerque on one of the last boats to England. His sister recalls: 'He was uninjured. At home he slept solidly for days from complete exhaustion.'
In May 1942 Bertram's regiment set sail for the Middle East, arriving at Suez in July. Here they spent a few weeks training in desert warfare and on 14th August 1942 the order came to join the Eighth Army under Montgomery immediately. The 5th Battalion Royal West Kents soon went into battle at Alam Halfa on 3rd September 1942. Here they met with very strong resistance and suffered heavy casualties. His sister recalls: 'He was missing for several days, and was found in a German prisoner of war camp. His right knee had been shot away and he could not survive.' Bertram died of his wounds on 7th September 1942. He is buried in a war grave at El Alamein
The November/December 1942 Barclays Bank staff magazine pays the following tribute: 'with his attractive personality he had become popular with his colleagues. He was a keen swimmer, a member of the swimming section of the Bank's sports club and a water polo player of promise. His death is deeply regretted by all who knew him.'
