|
|
|
Pvt. Henry Huey "Cheif" Chavis . US Army from We don't know too much, Dad was in the North African threat. He was wounded and captured on Anzio beach. Dad was shot in the right hand and he was taken to the German hospital where they removed his index finger on his right hand. He was held in Stalag 7b. We know he was in the Army, he was station at Fort Bragg N.C.
|
Cpl. Angelo Sam Chavos . United States Army CE Hq Co. 803rd Engr Bn (Avn) Corps Of Engineers from New York
|
F/Sgt. Adam Philip Chawanski . Royal Canadian Air Force air gunner. 419 Sqd. from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canada. (d.23rd May 1944)
|
J Chawner . British Army J Chawner served with the 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: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch 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.
|
Sgt. George Cheadle . RAF(VR) w/op 101 Sqd. (d.4th Sep 1943)
|
A. Cheal . Auxiliary Fire Service Horsham
|
Cpl. Bill Cheall . British Army Green Howard's from Middlesbrough With The Green Howard's, 50th Division at Dunkirk
I don’t know how, but we made our way to the water’s edge and looked out to sea across to the horizon and saw the ships going to Dunkirk, further along the coast. We then made our way back to the deep sand dunes in order to gain some protection from the bombing and strafing which was taking place. Many of the boys on the beach were in a sorry state; the Stukas had just been over.
One must remember that not all soldiers are hard-bitten individuals and some of the younger lads showed great emotion. I saw young soldiers just standing, crying their hearts out and others kneeling in the sand, praying. It is very easy to pass critical remarks about these lads, but we others knew the ordeal these weaker-willed boys were going through, and helped them as much as we could during their emotional and distressful ordeal as medical help was a very scarce thing on the beaches. So much had been bottled up inside these young soldiers that, at last, the bubble had burst and it was uncontrollable.
Dead soldiers, and those badly wounded, lay all over the place and many of the wounded would die. It was tragic to see life ebbing away from young, healthy lads and we could not do a thing about it - it was heartbreaking. What few stretcher-bearers there were always gave of their best - they were extraordinary. How does one quantify devotion to duty under the conditions which prevailed in those days? The folk at home could not possibly have any idea what their boys were going through.
There was no panic, just haste. We joined this mass of tired and hungry lads. Amidst all this tragedy, the Stukas would return, machine-gunning the full length of the thousands of men. They could not miss and a swathe of dead and wounded would be left behind; really it was awful. Many of us fired our rifles at the planes, but they were useless. Nobody can imagine what it is like to be bombed by a German Stuka. They came out of the sky, screaming straight down, then dropped their bombs and pulled up into the sky again. I don't know why we ran - it was just instinct, I suppose.
Near the shoreline, one boy of about twenty, not far from me, had his stomach ripped open and he was fighting to live, asking for his mum and crying. A few of us went to him but he was too bad for us to help him; blood was everywhere. That poor boy soon died, out of pain, to join his mates.It is the most dreadful experience to see a comrade killed in such a way. Some young lads who had lost their nerve went crazy and lay on the sand crying; others knelt and prayed. Mind you, I am sure we all prayed in our own way. No one, of course, could help behaving like this - it was just because of the trauma they had endured and had at last given way to their feelings.
The near impossibility of getting back to England left many of us rather stunned, as it just did not look possible. Our lads, or what was left of our Battalion, stuck together among the dunes to obtain some protection from the bombing and strafing. We had had nothing to eat except hard tack biscuits and bully beef - we hadn't had a hot meal for God knows how long and the lads who usually shaved looked really haggard.
None of us could see any sign of the 23rd Divisional assembly area and nobody seemed to know what to do for the best. Then the planes came over again, causing more deaths. Only twenty yards from me some lads had been hit by shrapnel and one of them was in a serious condition - the medics were there - but he would not live. A sleepless night was ahead of us.
This is an extract from my dad's war memoirs, published in the book Fighting Through: From Dunkirk to Hamburg- A Green Howards Wartime Memoir To read the entire chapter upon which it is based please visit www.grimdetermination.co.uk where you can also read more about the background to his service, together with many photographs and maps.
|
Hubert Ethridge Cheatham . British Army My father was a POW from 19th February 1943 to 8th May 1945 in Luckenwalde. I understand that there were two camps at Luckenwalde, but his records do not indicate which one he was interned in.
He participated in three battles in Tunisia between 25th January 1943 and 22nd February 1943, including the Battle of Kasserine Pass in which he was declared MIA on 20th February 1943. He was liberated by the Russians on 22nd April 1945 in Luckenwalde and made contact with American troops on 8th May 1945.
|
F/Sgt. R. H. Cheatle . Royal Australian Air Force 97 Squadron
|
Joseph Cheberenchick . United States Army 81st Combat Engineers 106th Infantry Div. I am trying to find out which POW camp my father-in-law, Joseph Cheberenchick, was sent to. He was in the 81st Combat Engineers of the 106th Infantry Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a POW somewhere in Germany. Did anyone know him as a POW?
Update
You can get his POW records from the International Red Cross, Geneva. If you find their website you can email the archives for a cost (probably around $40US). (Pete)
|
Sgt. C. J. Chedd . Royal Air Force w/op 12 Sqd
|
Pte. Arthur William Cheek . British Army
|
George Richard Cheek . British Army My Grandad Geroge Cheek was captured by the Afrika Corps and then handed over to the Italians. He escaped from them just to get to the Germans and got machine gunned for his efforts. He got better treatment with them though.
|
Stkr1. Leonard Harvey Cheek . Royal Navy HMS Golden Hind
|
W/O Alfred Charles Cheese . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Air Bomber 171 Sqn from Bethnal Green, London (d.6th Jan 1945) My great uncle Alf Cheese was an air bomber with 171 Squadron and went down with his crew on the 6th of January 1945 over Belgium where he and his crew were layed to rest in Ambly Communal Cemetery. His plane was Halifax 111 NA687 6Y-A and his crew were: - F/Lt G Cox,Sgt
- S R Fenwick,
- F/O R Maden,
- F/S A E Meekings,
- W/O F E T Davy,
- W/O2 C D Mison (RCAF) and
- F/S C D C Farlie
. W/O Davy was the specialist equipment operator and Alf was W/O A C Cheese and they flew out of North Creake but never to return. The poor crew were buried a total of three times; first after the crash then after the war as one of the crew was RCAF. They were all reburied as RCAF but then they were dug up and reburied where they are now at rest in Ambly. In May 2010 I drove and found him and the crew in Belgium in a very lovely cemetery. Not long after the war my mother went to see him. His sister (my nan) is no longer with us but now with him and he still has a sister and brother living life but are to old to go and see him.
|
Sgt. Arthur William Cheese . British Army Royal Army Service Corps from London My father, Arthur Cheese was captured at Dunkirk during the evacuation and then at some point was housed at Stalag 383 at Hohen Fels. He never talked about his time there and now has sadly passed away. As his eldest son I am very interested in piecing together what happened between Dunkirk and Stalag 383, and who may have known him during his time there. My father had a serious stomach wound which I believe was a result of a bayonet wounding around the time of the liberation of the camp. I hope this incident and his name may ring a few bells with someone.
Fingers crossed.
|
Sgt. Harold Charles "Cheddar" Cheese . Royal Air Force 15 Squadron My father Harold Cheese is still alive (age 92), he served from 1942 to until sometime in the 1950's I believe.
|
Cpl. Albert Patrick "Jumbo" Cheeseman . British Army Middlesex Regiment from Henson, Mill Hill, London Grandad, Albert Cheeseman served at Monte Casino and in North Africa and Austria during WWII.
He said that a troop ship that he was on was bombed by the Americans and he was taken to an American field hospital where he received the Purple Heart only to have it taken away when it was realised he wasn't American.
He was awarded a British medal, I think, a silver star but I don't have any other detail.
He was said to have tried to save his friend, possibly when the ammunition truck he was driving was hit at Monte Casino, but, again, I don't have further detail.
Grandad joined the Territorial Army in the 1930s and served throughout the whole of WWII.
His father was a RSM, also of the Middlesex Regiment serving in the Boar War and WWI so he had a lot to live up to but only managed a short term promotion from Private to Corporal.
I think he did more than his bit though so no shame there.
He was an Ammunition Truck Driver.
|
LC Cheeseman . British Army Rifle Brigade LC Cheeseman served with the Rifle Brigade 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: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch 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.
|
L/Cpl Cyril Tracy "Ginger" Cheesman . British Army 613 C(M)T Coy Royal Army Service Corps from Margate, Kent My dad, Cyril Tracy Cheesman, nicknamed ''Ginger'' was in 613 C(M)T Coy RASC. He was in the Eighth Army. He wrote down on the back of a photo to my mum all the places he visited during his time during the North African conflict.
I assume due to German activity in the Med, his convoy went to Cape Town first. I'll now mention some of the places on his very comprehensive list:
- Port Taufuq,
- Port Said,
- Cairo,
- Tahag,
- Beersheba,
- Gaza,
- Jerusalem,
- Tel Aviv,
- Jaffa,
- Jericho,
- Tiberius,
- Beirut,
- Alexandria,
- El Alamein,
- El Dhba,
- Sidi Barrani,
- El Adem,
- Tobruk,
- Benghazi,
- Marble Arch,
- Sirte,
- Homs,
- Tripoli,
- Gabes,
- Sfax,
- Naples,
- Anzio,
- Pompei,
- Rome,
- Perugia,
- Florence,
- Rimini,
- Bologna,
- Ravenna,
- Venice,
- Trieste,
- Udine,
- Villache.
I've noticed on various sites that its very difficult to find details about soldiers that served in the RASC. I cannot find any reference to his company, I'm assuming that C(M)T stands for Corps of Military Transport??
|
Spr. Walter Cheesman . British Army 42 Field Coy. Royal Engineers My father served in Africa and Italy in the 8th Army.
|
Able Seaman. Elijah Cheetham . Royal Navy HMS Penelope from Longley Avenue, Sheffield My brother Elijah Cheetham, served on HMS Penelope and was onboard when she was sunk on the 18th of February 1944. I was 8 years old at that time. Recent documentarion has come to light confirming his service record. He volunteered for the Navy on the 28th of July 1943, his service is listed as comencing on 17th of December 1943, his 18th birthday. However he began his training at HMS Raleigh on the 28th of July 1943, transferring to HMS Victory on the 5th of October.
He joined HMS Penelope on the 12th of November 1943 and served onboard until she was lost in Feb 1944. He survived the sinking and sent a letter to his mother two weeks later. Here are some extracts from that letter:
From Mess 1, Ferdola Barracks, Malta.
I'm terribly sorry I haven't written to you for the last fortnight, I have been rather ill in hospital. I am a survuivor of HMS Penelope. As you know we have been doing a lot of work on the 5th Army front and our rewards was as follows:
It was Friday morning Feb 18th and we were well on our way to Anzio to give Jerry another suprise packet, but it was us that received the suprise. All of a sudden there was a terrific explosion and everyone dived for the gangway to get on the upper deck to see what was happening. We had been torpedoed but the ship was not sinking, although it had listed badly to starboard. No one was in a panic because there were too many lads injured to start worrying about ourselves, so we did the best we could to get the injured lads to sickbay. Shortly afterwards there came two more explosions (torpedoes) and the ship split in two so it was everyman for himself. I didn't hesitate because before I knew where I was I hit the water fully dressed, including sea boots, stockings and overalls.
I tried to swim for it but couldn't because my sea boots seemed to be dragging me under. I kicked these off and my overalls. Much to my relief I was able to keep my head up even though the sea was rough. I swam about for a bit but I soon got fatigued and felt myself slipping. Family came to mind and I struck out with renewed strength. After three hours I was finally picked up and dragged aboard absolutley naked apart from my waist belt and ring. Three tots of rum sent me to sleep.
We were taken to a hospital in Naples and there I have been for the last fortnight. We were then drafted to this camp once more and I was told that I should be going home. The big nobs think otherwise. I haven't done enough time out here yet, so I must stay. That's how you get treated as a survivor. All we have been issued with is toilet gear and battle dress, so it looks as if I shall have to buy new kit myself.
There were 750 in the ships company and only 200 were saved. Terrible isn't it. I am pleased to say that Stan Lake survived. I couldn't write to you seperatley. I have had to smuggle this into the country, the ship hasn't been announced as sunk yet. We are not allowed to mention that we survived. Paddy is going home so I have asked him to post this for me in England. It doesn't get sensored there, but he insists on bringing this personally. I do hope he makes it becasue I know he will get a great welcome. Please try not to worry too much about me I'm ok now and believe me I'm willing to go back and give Jerry exactly what I received and more. Even though I'm not coming home I still have that consolation of squaring things up.
Cherrio and God bless you all. Your loving son Lidge xxxx.
Elijah joined the Black Prince in July 1944 and served onboard for the remainer of the war, he was discharged on the 8th of December 1946 as having served with very good character.
|
Pte Charles Albert Cheffers . British Army 8th Btn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
|
F/S L. H. Chell . Royal Air Force 10 Sqd. (d. 3rd Feb 1945 )
|
Lt. Antoine Chemin. . Free French Airforce 347 Squadron (d.15th Mar 1945) Antoine Chemin served as an Air Gunner with 347 Tunisie Sdq Free French he was killed on 15th of Mar 1945 when his aircraft crashed near Scawton.
|
L/Cpl. James Michael Cheney . British Army 1st Btn. Middlesex Regiment from Marylebone, London My father, Jimmy Cheney, served as a machine gunner with the Middlesex Regiment defending Hong Kong in WW2. Very little of this story is from him. He never spoke about within my hearing when I was young (I was born in 1947), although I did overhear a little when he spoke about it occasionally with his two brothers who served in Europe during the war. The eldest brother was killed in North Africa. He did speak more freely when I got older but, unfortunately, he died at an early age which meant that much of his experiences were left un-said. I did get some of his stories from my mother and some of the other older members of the family but as always with family stories, they are embellished or parts forgotten.
He claimed he was captured by the Japanese on 25th December 1941 although his record shows it was 26th December. He was incarcerated in Hong Kong for nearly a year and then embarked on the Lisbon Maru for transport to Japan. The ship was torpedoed by USS Grouper on 1st October 1942 and my father was one of the lucky ones to escape from the holds and spent some time (he said more than a day) until he was picked up by a Japanese warship and transported to Osaka. He was put into a POW camp and was forced to work in the docks. I still have to find out which of the camps he was in. During his time as a POW he contracted various diseases including malaria and beriberi. The camp was bombed a number of times by the US Air Force, which my father said was because they mistook it for a troop camp. I suspect it was no more than some saturation bombing of the dock area which meant the camp was likely to be hit by mistake rather than design.
He spent some time in a sweat box for stealing sugar and claimed that probably saved his life because one night the camp was hit by bombs and some of his friends were killed.
He was finally liberated by the Americans following the Japanese surrender and, according to my mother, was transported home via Canada and he arrived at Londons Waterloo station. My father was 6ft 2in tall and a well-built man with a full head of hair. When he went to Hong Kong he weighed almost 15 stones. When he arrived home he was almost bald and weighed about 8 stones. For much of the fifties he suffered from the effects of his time as a POW including malaria. He finally died in 1972 aged 54. He never bore any ill will towards the Japanese and said that although the officers were cruel and brutal, the ordinary soldiers were just doing what they were told. If they were ordered to punish someone they knew if they didn't, they would be punished and the person would get punished anyway by someone else. He always wanted to go back to Japan and see the country but never made it. I have been lucky; I have lived in Singapore for four years and have had the opportunity to visit Osaka. It felt a little like a pilgrimage for the old man.
|
L/Cpl. Frank Albert "Nobble" Cherries . British Army 9th Btn. Parachute Regt from Southampton, Hants. (d.18th Apr 1945) Frank Cherries was my sister in law's cousin and at the beginning of the war as youngsters we all hung out together, spending time with our parents. He was a pow at Stalag 4B having been captured at Arnhem. We understand that when released by allied forces that during some kind of fracas, shots were exchange between the American and Russian forces. It was during the exchange of fire that he was killed.
|
Sgt. A. Cherrington . Royal Air Force 57 Sqdn. Lancaster W4948, DX-S was shot down by an intruder on 23/9/1943. Two escaped by parachute, the others died. The members of the crew were:
Sgt H.R. Ellmer - commemorated at Haywards Heath Cemetery
F/O P.N. Rolfe - buried in Nottingham Cemetery
P/O G.A. Duff - buried in Cambridge City Cemetery
Sgt R.P. Smith - buried in Cambridge City Cemetery
F/Sgt W. Pryde - buried in Cambridge City Cemetery
Sgt A. Cherrington - bailed out
Sgt R.C. Brown - bailed out
|
Pte Bernard Cherry . British Army Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light infantry from 27 West St, Osney, Oxford
|
Pte. Dennis Frank Cherry . British Army 5th Battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment from Steeple Claydon, Buckingham (d.20th July 1945) Frank Cherry served with 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment.
|
|
