GM 1st class James Joseph Baldock . United States Navy Cl 47 USS Boise from Lynchburg, Va My father served on the Boise during WW II. Just seeing if there are any of his shipmates still around.
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Cpl. Kenneth Baldry . British Army 660 Tank Support Services REME from Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire At the time of writing I am 91 yrs of age (2010) and although I do not speak very often of the 5 years I spent at war, I do try to keep some of the more positive images I remember. I attended the Colchester Barracks to train up on welding and was subsequently attached to REME 660 tank support services. About 200 men were chosen to provide support to Italy and I remember we were dispatched a little way from the beach and had to wade with our loaded rifles above our heads, hitting the beach to lie flat upon on arrival. I do remember feeling not scared, but very apprehensive about what lay ahead. Luckily the coast was clear and we marched into the village and spent our first night in a large barn. For the next 5 yrs I remained in Italy travelling from the toe up to the top (Trieste). I have fond memories of the Italian people who were very friendly. I was asked by a young boy if I would visit his parents' house after I finished my guard duty and did so. I was made very welcome and in total ended up visiting 6 houses on the street partaking of a glass of wine with each visit. I returned to barracks slightly tipsy! Another memory which can make me smile is that it was often my job to round up the men at the end of the night to get them back to barracks. Many of the young men had been visiting the local brothels in the area. Being a young recently married man myself I spent many hours waiting around (true) drinking coffee and chatting with the 'madam' owners. I have to say being relatively newly wed and a baby daughter at home I did not partake of these pleasures, but I fully understand that the young men needed some comfort during those difficult years. I also remember, at the end of the war, staying behind to dismantle equipment - a few of us from the 660 tank support team visited the Isle of Capri. We located where our beloved Gracie Fields lived and proceeded to shout and ask Gracie to come down. True to form she appeared at a top window and said "Hang on a minute lads, let me put my face on and I will be down." Gracie did come down to meet us, signing autographs and we all received a lovely photograph taken with her. To conclude, the war was won. On my return home (having left a new baby girl) I was met by my daughter (who was almost 5 years old) running down the street shouting "Dad Dad!" She had been watching out for me coming along the road and had run into the house saying "A man with a big bag on his back was coming down the street, do you think that is my dad ?" I had lost those early years of watching my daughter grow up, but remain grateful to this day that I was one of the lucky ones who did return home from WW2.
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Maggie Baldry . Land Army It was avery healthy life in the open air, I can remember I was always hungry. It is so long ago, and as I was only 16 and a half in 1945 when I joined, I didnt keep any records. I was in a hostel near Woodbridge,on field work.
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P/O. Bernard Oliver Baldwin . Royal Air Force 158 Squadron (d.24th May 1944) Bernard Baldwin was a Pilot Officer with 158 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was 22 years old and the son of Frank and Olive Baldwin of Boardy Locks, Apsley. Bernard was born and educated in Apsley. He flew from RAF Lissett on Wednesday 24th May 1944 in a Halifax on a mission to Aachen. Unfortunately, his aircraft never returned. He had just passed his final interview for a commission as Flying Officer and the following Saturday was due to receive this promotion. His medals were however awarded posthumously to Pilot Officer Baldwin. The local paper reports that his mother, Mrs Olive Baldwin, had sent him £7 by post to help him purchase various necessities for the occasion. "The money is in the post now", she told the Observer. "He had striven so hard to become an officer".
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L/Cpl. Charles Frederick Baldwin . British Army 8th Btn. King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) from Winchester (d.28th May 1940) Charles Baldwin was my great, great uncle. From what I know of him he was a kind and funny man who my grandad remembers fondly.
He was at Dunkirk fighting in the rearguard and I believe he was hit by either a shell or bomb and killed. His charred wallet was posted home to his mother. He was 33 and had no children.
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Sgt Conrad Thomas Frederick Baldwin . Royal Air Force 102 Squadron from Bristol (d.14th June 1941) In researching my family tree I came across a photo of a little lad sitting on his mother's knee in 1913. He was my cousin, Conrad Thomas Frederick Baldwin, about 1 year old. The next record I found is a war grave with his rank, squadron and date of death. Sgt Conrad Thomas Frederick Baldwin 14/6/1941 102 Squadron laid to rest in Riechwald War Cemetery. But there is no record of him in any of the 102 lists or flight casualties. What a shame!
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Ch.Eng.Off. David Tweedale Baldwin . Merchant Navy SS Baynain (d.23rd July 1943) Chief Engineer Officer David Baldwin was the husband of Mary Baldwin.
He was aged 70 when he died and is buried in the Kembang Kuning Netherlands Field of Honour in Java.
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Sgt. Ernest Reginald "Ike" Baldwin . British Army Royal Engineers My grandfather was held at Stalag 4b after he was captured in North Africa.H is name was Ernest Reginald Baldwin (nickname Ike). He was a Sergent in the Royal Engineers and, from the start of the war up until 1942, he was a Drill Sergent at Ashford in Kent. If anyone remembers him or has any information about him or pictures etc of Stalag 4B it would be wonderful.
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F/Lt. Jack Baldwin DFC.. Royal Air Force 10 Squadron from Guiseley, West Yorkshire Jack Baldwin's log book, with added commentary, became a small book 'Jack Baldwin's War', a copy of which was presented to the Allied Air Forces Memorial at Elvington in 2011. Jack was a bomb-aimer, navigator in a crew piloted by Canadian Ivan Scott DFC, with Syd Butler DFC as Flight Engineer, Ivan Aram DFC as, I think, radio operator and a small guy nicknamed Titch as rear gunner. One of Jack's best stories concerned Titch and a device that triggered an alarm when enemy aircraft approached from the rear. The alarm sent the skipper into immediate and dramatic evasive action. Having been hurled about several times in a short time with no sign of enemy aircraft around, Scotty sent Jack back to see if anything was amiss. Turned out that Titch was so short, he had a box to stand on to see out , but every time he stood on it, the alarm went off! On another occasion, just off the south coast, the Halifax became tough to handle, yawing away. Scotty asked Jack to look out and check the port inner engine. It was not there! 'It was there when you left' commented their mechanic when they eventually, some days later, returned to Melbourne.
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Drvr. Joseph Theodore Baldwin . British Army Royal Engineers from Heston Joey Baldwin only mentioned his captivity occasionally, so details are sparse. He spoke of having toothache, being taken out of the compound and having the tooth ripped out without anaesthesia and then being thrown back into the compound. He also said that he was taken in Greece, I believe Crete, though Crete may not be right, and that he didn't have a weapon - just a pickaxe handle.
When he returned from captivity, he was unable to sleep in a bed for quite some time, so he slept on the floor. His brother said that when Joey returned home, he was different. Instead of being quite an outgoing joker, he became more introverted, preferring his own company.
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F/Sgt. L. S. Baldwin . 97 Squadron
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Able.Sea Leonard Edward Baldwin . Royal Navy HMS Martin (d.10th Nov 1942) All I know about my Grandfather is that he died during the War. He was with my grandmother before his death, Rose Annie Gibson, and they had two daughters.
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Lt Cmdr. Murray A. Baldwin . US Navy from Fargo N.D. USA My father, Murray Baldwin, was the last XO of the Navy section base and he and the CO walked out the front gate and left all as it was at the time. Capt. Miller was the co I believe. When they left that day some of the aircraft and equipment were still there. When he returned in the 1950's some of them were still there. I have the last American flag to fly over the base and we fly it on special days. He told us many other stories about his service. He became a pilot in 1918.
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Phillip Andrew Baldwin . Philip was a POW in WWII and died on the long march.
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Sgt. Stanley Michael Baldwin . Royal Canadian Air Force Bomb aimer. 428 Squadron from If anyone is looking for information on aircrew (living or dead) who flew
from Middleton St George between 25 July and 5 October 1943, I have all names of aircrew who took part, and details of the raids they flew on. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are researching for your loved ones.
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Pte Alan Balfour . British Army 1st Btn Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) (d.28th December 1942) Alan Balfour died aged 38 whist serving with the Green Howards. He is buried in Teheran War Cemetery.
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David Balfour . Royal Navy from Kirkcaldy David Balfour served from 5th of October 1942 to 18th of December 1942-.
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TL Balfour . British Army Reconnaissance Corps TL Balfour served with the Reconnaissance 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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W/Cmdr. A. H. W. Ball DSO, DFC.. Royal Air Force
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Sgt. Alvra Ball . Royal Air Force 9 Squadron from 17 Archer St, Castleford. Yorks My father Alvra Ball joined the RAF circa 1939 as an aircraftman. By Dec 1943 he had volunteered for aircrew with 9 Squadron Barney in Lincolnshire flying Lancasters. As a 22 year old Sergent Flight Engineer, Al completed 32 missions with 9 Squadron from Dec 43 until Jul 44 including 9 missions to Berlin and the 1000 bomber Nuremberg raid in Mar 44 in which 99 aircraft were lost. His crew Captain throughout this time was F/O. Mathers excepting one mission to Frankfurt on 16th Mar 44 when he flew with the crew captained by P/O. Jubb. Jubb and his crew we shot down and killed 6 days later on another attack on Frankfurt on the 22nd of March. From August 1944 he continued to fly as Flight Engineer with 463 Squadron RAAF from Waddington where he completed a further 7 missions including two very long range attacks on Konigsberg in late Aug 44. My father was demobbed in March 1946 with the rank of Flying Officer. He continued as a RAFVR officer until the late 60's and as C/O re-established 2388 Castleford ATC Squadron in 1962.
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ARP Warden. David William Ball . Civil Defence Service from Worthing David Ball was stationed at Gravesend as an ARP Warden.
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Sgt. Edward lawrence Ball CdeG.. Royal Air Force 1663 Conversion Unit from London My father Edward Ball served at at Pocklington and in Algiers (S.O.E.).
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Fred Charles Arthur Ball . Royal Navy HMS Dorsetshire
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Frederick Ball . British Army 5th Btn. Wiltshire Regiment from Birmingham
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Gnr. George Lloyd Ball . British Army 3.H.A.A. Rgt. Royal Artillery (d.15th Dec 1943) George Ball died aged 30 whilst serving with the Royal Artillery. He was the son of Phyllis Forman. O. Ball (nee Hayton) and the late Alexander Foster Ball of Jarrow. He was born in Jarrow in 1913.
His father Alexander Foster Ball served as Private 20/159 Northumberland Fusiliers and was killed on the 1st of July 1916
George is buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. His name was missing off the old plaque in the Town Hall, Jarrow.
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George Ball . British Army 1st Btn. Black Watch Looking for anyone who knew George Ball,1st Battalion Black Watch, 2753149, POW No. 5505, Stalag 8b.
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S/Sgt. James Ball . United States Army Coast Artillery Corps from New York, USA POW Camp Fukuoka 17 in Japan
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Joan Gertrude Ball . Womans Timber Corp from (d. ) I first tried to join the Woman’s Land Army when I was 16 years old but had to wait until I was 17, I finally joined up in April of 1943, they asked me if I wanted to catch rats, I told them I was afraid of mice and rats and would rather join the Timber Corps. I had to report to Culford training camp at Bury St. Edmunds for 6 weeks, 2 weeks felling, 2 weeks sawmill and 2 weeks measuring, we had to get up at 5:30am to be ready for exercises at 6:00am.
My first posting was at Little Sandhurst, Crowthorne.
A year later I was transferred to Hertford in Hertfordshire and worked at Bramfield with Italian prisoners of war felling, lopping, cutting and loading timber ready for shipping, after which a truck would pick us up and take us back to Hertford. While I was in Crowthorne I met a Canadian soldier at the Aldershot army base, during this time I got married, went on a honeymoon to Scotland and returned to Hertford where I served until Feb. 1946. I joined up as Joan Ball and left as Joan Prentice.
Some of the girls I remember are Thelma Hope, Myrtle Bishop (nickname Lawry), Ruby Hedge (married name Morris), Irene Kelly, Peggy Brown (married name Castonguay, deceased), Francis MacLean (nickname Mac, deceased) Marjorie Millman, Della Smith & Daphne Smith (sisters)
Joan Bell
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Joe Ball . RAF 149 Squadron My Great Uncle is John Alfred Keates (Sergeant) 940033 Wireless Operator / Gunner who died 9th May 1941 aged 20.
His friend, pictured here, is Joe Ball, who he grew up with and also served in Squadron 149
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Stkr1. John Ball . Royal Navy HMS Narborough from Wakefield, Yorkshire John Ball, my grandfather, joined the Royal Navy from a reserved occupation in February 1944, towards the end of World War 2. He served as a stoker 2nd class, and in November 1944 he became stoker 1st class. His main ship was HMS Narborough, a captain-class lend-lease frigate that saw plenty of action before the war's end.
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