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Josph Atherton . Royal Navy HMS Cardiff from St Helen's
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Able Sea. Peter Atherton . Royal Navy HMS Saunders from 16 Boscow Crescent, St Helens, Lancashire (d.8th June 1944) Uncle Peter Atherton was taken prisoner of war at Tobruk 1942. The exact date I cannot ascertain but from the documents in my possession it is evident that he was on a vessel of 13 crew delivering supplies at the port. A subsequent document confirms they had been captured before they could get up enough steam to get beyond the boom.
At first he was reported as missing but as two officers aboard that vessel where known to be prisoners of war the signs were hopeful. So it proved to be and it was reported that Peter was indeed a prisoner of war.
Sometime later, again sorry to be unable to provide a date, on the initiative of the Italians an exchange of prisoners took place. From documents I understand that the Italians wanted certain prisoners held in Saudi Arabia and as it turned out Britain got some fit men in return.
After being repatriated Peter went back into service and became an Able Seaman.
Peter died on the 8th of June 1944 and is buried at Newhaven Cemetery. He was awarded the 1939-45 War Medals and Africa Star.
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O Atkin . British Army Royal Armoured Corps O Atkin served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Gunner Reg Atkin . Royal Air Force I am trying to find out what my Dad, Reg Atkins did, as he worked from Camp David. This is all we can find out. We know he was in Italy, Yougoslarva, and attached to the yanks. Mum says he was dropped into occupied Europe where he lay in a ditch for days injured before the resistance found him. He had a badge RAF wings with parachute and loral leafs we can't find what for or why.
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Atkins . Canadian Army 12th Manitoba Dragoons My Mum served in the land army around Watford in the Bedmond area, she often told us stores of how she and her friends visited injured Soldiers at Leavesden Hospital where she met my Dad who was in the Canadian 12th Manitoba Dragoons and was injured in France and sent to Leavesden Hospital. She went to Canada on her own on the Lucitania and Dad followed. My sister was born in Canada but Mum wanted to come back home to England and they settled back in Watford, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary almost in the same spot where they met during the war in my house which was built on the grounds of the old hospital. Mum unfortunately died in 2006.
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Pte. C. K. Atkins . British Army 73 Coy. Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps My Father, Pte C K Atkins, 73 Cpy AMPC, set sail on the Lancastria on the 17th June 1940. He was one of the lucky ones to be picked up, and spent some time in hospital being cleaned up.
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P/O. Donald Charles Seymour Atkins . Royal Air Force 148 Sqdn from Brighton My uncle Don Atkins volunteered for the RAF and was trained as a pilot in Pensacola, Florida, before joining 624 (Special Duties) Squadron based at Blida in North Africa in August 1944 as a 21-year-old Flight Sergeant. He flew all of his operations with the same crew, with a change of navigator in March 1945.
They flew Short Stirlings, the first of the RAF's four-engine heavy bombers, which by then was considered obsolete in that role but widely used for the dropping of agents and supplies by parachute into occupied Europe. Don and his crew flew one operation on the night of 30/31 August, Operation Caracole, dropping supplies to the French Resistance engaging retreating German forces in southern France. In light of the success of the Allied invasions of June and August 1944, 624 Sqdn was disbanded, and Don and his crew were transferred to another Special Duties squadron, No 148, part of the Balkan Air Force at Brindisi, Italy.
148 Sqdn had sustained terrible casualties in the operations to supply the Warsaw Uprising, and many replacement crews arrived at Brindisi at that time. Don had a circuits-and-bumps conversion to flying the squadron's four-engine Handley Page Halifax aircraft courtesy of a very experienced pilot, Larry Toft. He then flew 36 operations with the squadron until the end of the war. They dropped supplies and agents and on one memorable occasion - in support of Operation Tombola - a jeep, to partisans in the Balkans and southern central Europe.
The life of a Special Duties crew was very different to that of a "typical" i.e. Bomber Command crew - for security's sake there were few communal activities with other crews, even operational briefings were usually individual, and the men lived isolated and fairly uncomfortable lives. In addition they faced danger on each operation: typically at this time, a drop was made in daylight at very low altitude, a few hundred feet, and often entailed several passes over the drop zone to make sure the reception party was there and was from the right side! Small arms and anti-aircraft fire from the ground caused casualties, as did mechanical failure and the weather; on top of this was the danger of low-flying between mountains, etc. The strain was considerable - the chances of bailing out safely at low altitude are low, and this alone must have given those young men considerable pause for thought - and increased as the end of the war in Europe approached. Don and his crew all survived the war, and went their separate ways on demobilisation. Don himself died in Brighton at the age of 42 in 1966.
The original crew (ranks given as of May 1945) were: P/O DC Atkins; P/O EF Lock; P/O WA Belson DFC (an Australian); F/Sgt D Sullivan; Sgt J Allcock; F/Sgt BA Lawler; F/Sgt J Sharples. F/O AS Allen (also an Australian) replaced P/O Belson DFC as navigator from March 1945.
The following aircrew flew with them on one or more occasions: Sgt JR Evans, F/Sgt FW Hubbard, W/O DF Hinsby, F/Sgt HS Milman, F/Sgt EG Ambrose, Sgt RG Heyward, F/Sgt PH Small, F/Sgt CW Bromage, F/Sgt RA Walkden.
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Sgt. Earl Hector Atkins . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 257 Burma Squadron from Ottawa, Ontario Canada (d.24th Feb 1941)  My Uncle, Earl Atkins, was the first born into a loving family that would eventually come to have 12 brothers & sisters.
He was an avid outdoorsman, and enjoyed hiking, swimming, and body building from an early age.
At the age of 21 he decided to make the journey to England to help in the war effort by signing up in the R.A.F.V.R.
A brief synopsys of his journey-
Jan 16.1917 -he was born at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
August 10,1939 - Sailed from Montreal, Quebec, with buddy, Lloyd Farrow, for England on the SS Delilian,(a cattle boat) as a "Cattleman" of the Donaldson Line. It took 10 days sailing to cross the Atlantic.
September 6,1939 - Enlisted in the R.A.F.V.R, as A/C 2 -Aircraft Hand U/T
August 17 to November 4,1940 - Flying training a No.9 Flying Training School. Passed the course with an average of 80.8%.
January 30,1940 - Reclassified to L.A.C. U/T Pilot R.A.F.V.R.
November 2, 1940 - Sergeant pilot, authorized to wear his "Wings"
November 15,1940 - Discharged on appointment to temporary "commission" to R.A.F.V.R. for duration of "hostilities". Posted to R.A.F. Coltishall, 257 Burma Squadron under Squadron Leader Robert Roland Stanford-Tuck.
February 24, 1941 - Went missing over the English Channel, whilst engaging a Junkers 88.
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Capt. Fred "Ag" Atkins . Royal Navy HMS Nelson I am looking for information about my grandfather, Fred Atkins. He
was a Captain and his nickname was Ag. He served on HMS Nelson for
a period, and was involved in Operations Husky, Halberd, and
Pedestal. I lack any further information. Can anybody help, or tell
where is a place to start?
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Joseph Atkins . British Army 270th Field Coy. Royal Engineers from Oldham
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Sgt. Percy Frank Atkins . British Army 48th PTW Coy. Royal Engineers
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F/O R. C.C. Atkins . 97 Squadron
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Pte. Sidney Atkins . British Army 2nd Btn. Seaforth Highlanders from Wilnecote
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Thomas Edward Atkins . British Army from Batley, Yorkshire All I know about my Granddad Thomas Atkins so far is that he was a tank driver, captured on 29th of January 1942 and made POW in Benghazi. He was then moved to a camp in Italy. Apparently, he escaped from there but was recaptured by the Germans and taken to a war camp in Germany. From there, I'm told that he made his way home through France and stayed in France for a couple of months before making his way back home.
He would never talk about the war to us but after insisting once, he only told me that the conditions were bad and they had to burn the lice from under their arms with a lighter/match. He also had a finger missing but I don't know how that happened.
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Gnr. Tommie Henry George Atkins . British Army Royal Artillery My grandfather was a POW at Stalag IVb. His name was Gunner Tommie Henry George Atkins, Royal Artillery. We have photographs of family members that were sent to him in the camp and they have his POW number written on the back. His number was 223067. He talked very little about the war to his family. We know that he was shot in the hip and treated (insufficiently) by a German doctor before being sent to the camp. His leg fused straight and he had a limp the rest of his life. Sadly, he died in 2000 but had a good life after the war, despite illness and disability caused by his time there. He was a much loved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.Thank you for recording their history for us,
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A Atkinson . British Army West Yorkshire Regiment A Atkinson served with the West Yorkshire Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Cpl. Adam Atkinson . British Army 5th Btn Hampshire Regiment (d.9th Sep 1943) Adam Atkinson died age 26 whilst serving with the 5th Btn Hampshire Regiment
He was the son of Florence Atkinson (nee Richardson) and the late William Atkinson of Jarrow.
Adam is buried in Salerno War Cemetery. His name was missing off the old plaque in the Town Hall, Jarrow. His name is still missing off the new plaque in the Town Hall.
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L/Cpl. Albert W. Atkinson . British Army 1st Btn. Border Regiment My grandfather, Albert Atkinson, was captured by a blown up bridge on the Rhine by Germans and interred at the Stalag XIIA Limburg an der Lahn. Prior to this he was involved in the Battle of the Bridge at Arnham, whereby he helped capture 3 bridges.
I have very little information on my grandfather's time during the war but he did write down his experiences in a matter of fact way. He refused to talk about it with anyone and even my father, Albert's son, did not know much about Albert's experiences. All I know is that he was captured at the Stalag XIIA Limburg an der Lahn, POW 91879, but he then 'left the camp with 2 other people' whilst being moved, that's all I know.
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Fus Alexander Grey Atkinson . British Army 1st Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from Manchester
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Pte. Cyril George Atkinson . British Army 10 Coy. Royal Army Service Corps from Boston, Lincs My Father, Cyril Atkinson, died January 2011. After his death I found many photos of him during the war. Also paper work to show that he was in 10 Coy RASC. He was a dispatch rider, lorry driver and later a batman.
He was at Nijmegen, Breda, Douvres, Hook of Holland, Caen. I have been trying to find out a bit about where he was, what he did, as he never spoke much of his time in the war. I wondered if anyone could remember Cyril, or if anyone seen his name mentioned. I have put on a group photo of Cyril's regiment, hoping someone may recognise someone.
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Flight Sargent E. D. Atkinson . Royal Air Force 640 Squadron (d.4th November 1944) E.D. Atkinson was the Navigator on flight MZ 409 and was lost with all the crew on the 4th November 1944.
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Sgt. Eric Raymond Atkinson . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 90 Squadron (d.30th August 1944) Sergeant, Wireless Op./Air Gunner, Atkinson was buried in the collective grave 967-968 in the Aalestrup Churchyard in Denmark.
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Lt. Eric Atkinson . British Army King's Royal Rifle Corps from Consett Eric Atkinson was responsible for getting troops to the beach at Dunkirk. Captured, he spent war in many POW camps all over Germany and Poland. Also put from time to time in 'revenge camps' in chains and fed on bread and water. Compensation paid by post war Germany in the late 1960s I recall.
He was the father of the actor Rowan Atkinson and political economist and Ministerial adviser Rodney Atkinson.
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A.Sgt. Ernest Atkinson DCM. British Army 6th Battalion Cheshire Regiment from Knutsford My mother went to Buckingham Palace with Sgt.Atkinson's family for the DCM award ceremony.
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FE Atkinson . British Army Royal West Kent Regiment FE Atkinson served with the Royal West Kent Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Cpl. George Atkinson . Royal Air Force (d.16th Aug 1940) George Atkinson died aged 26 whilst serving with the Royal Air Force. He was the son of Andrew Cosser Mather Atkinson and Louisa Atkinson (nee Hunter) of Primrose Jarrow
His younger brothers William Hunter Atkinson and James Atkinson where also among the fallen.
George is buried in Gosport (Ann's Hill) Cemetery.
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Pte. George Atkinson . British Army Royal Army Medical Corps from Marton, Lancs In the months before the war, my father, George Atkinson was employed at Millom Iron works in Westmoreland, as a labourer, casting gun barrels for RN ships. Ironically, he was laid off because of a lack of orders.
On the dole, he volunteered for the Army. This was on family advice; as relatives who had left it too late in WW1 had been conscripted into the infantry and ended up on the front line. As he had been educated at grammar school for one year after the age of 13, he had the extra literacy and numeracy skills, when he took his recruiting tests, to become a Nursing Orderly in the RAMC. This, he thought, would get him a cushy number.
Unfortunately, he was posted to a Field Ambulance Unit serving on the front line throughout the war. He served in the Middle-East, Far-East and Italy; seeing active service at El-Alamein, in Burma and Monte Casino.
As a regular he was not de-mobbed in 1945,but went on to work in a British military hospital in Belgium until 1947.
When he left the Army he worked for Glaxo making antibiotics until his retirement in 1980- a medical advance he witnessed first hand in the middle-east in 1941-42.
My father died in 1985 aged 66. I know a great deal about his service - even though he hardly ever spoke of it to the rest of the family - because I was determined to join the Army myself as a boy soldier. He made it his business to tell me about his experiences and leave me without any doubt about life in the Army. I know he was trying, in his way, to put me off. Nevertheless I joined the Royal Artillery.
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Galley Boy. George William Atkinson . Merchant Navy MV Fishpool from Sunderland (d.14th Nov 1940) George Atkinson age 17, was a galley boy on the Mv Fishpool, Merchant Navy.
He was killed during enemy air attack on the vessel.
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Henry Atkinson . Royal Navy HMS Manchester My father, Henry Atkinson was a steward to the officers. When they were interned in Algeria he was given a melodeon by one of the officers and told to keep it. I still have it. He also told me Mae West saved him, so as a child I imagined a woman swimming and saving him!
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Sgt. J. Atkinson . Royal Canadian Air Force 419 Sqd. (d.28th Dec 1944)
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