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Ord. Seaman Jack Prescott . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from Hardy Street, Hull, Yorkshire J Prescott is recorded as being amongst those who survived the sinking of the Forfar.
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E Presland . British Army Royal Armoured Corps E Presland 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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Sgt. Victor Press DCM.. British Army Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry from Willesden, London My dad Victor Press, served with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and was shot in the leg in Normandy, he received the DCM. He was hospitalised in Scotland, he then transferred to the Army Educational Corps and dealt with National Library cataloguing in Scotland. Can anyone provide more information?
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Pte. Victor Howard Pressland . British Army from Coventry My father Vic Pressland was held as a prisoner of war. I found a photo taken at the camp with other prisoners in Stalag XX1b, Victor Pressland is in the bottom row 2nd from left.
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F/O. Elmont Gasper Prest . Royal Canadian Air Force 619 Sqdn. (d.18th Aug 1943) I am looking for pictures of Elmont Gasper Prest FO/Navigator, Group 5 EE117 619 Sqdn. Anyone who knew him, or members of family of the rest of the crew who flew on Wing Commander McGhie's Lancaster. I would like photos of the plane or anything. I have one of a stone commemorating the crew on the site where the plane crashed, but I found it on a website I can no longer access.
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Stanley Prest . Royal Marines HMS London from Nottingham My dad, Stan Prest, joined HMS London at Chatham as a 17-year-old in 1941. He was on Russian convoys to Archangel, receiving the Atlantic Star and I'm in the process of applying for the Arctic Star. He was also awarded the Burma Star for their work in the Pacific and steamed down to Perth or Freemantle for a refit. I have pictures of the Japanese surrender at Sabang and a photo of what my dad called the big four in Alexandria. He definitely got around.
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William Henry Prestage . Merchant Navy SS Cape Corso (d.2nd May 1942) William Prestage lost his life when the SS Cape Corso was sunk.
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Albert Preston . Royal Navy HMS Bedouin My father, Albert Preston, served on HMS Bedouin from 1939 until she was sunk off Malta in 1942.
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AB. Albert Walter Preston . Royal Navy HMS Moonstone My late father was Albert Preston. He served in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Moonstone in WW2.
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Albert Walter Preston . Royal Navy HMS Moonstone from Norwich, Norfolk My late father, Albert, served during WW2 on the HMS Moonstone which captured an Italian submarine on the surface in the Med. They fired on it and hit the conning tower which stopped it from diving to escape. Its possible they towed into Aden.
Perhaps somebody may have the full story.
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Able Sea. Albert Walter Preston . Royal Navy HMS Moonstone from Norwich, Norfolk My late father Albert Preston would not talk about his time in the Navy, but he did say he was on HMS Moonstone. I do have a photograph of him manning a gun on the deck of the ship but not much else.
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Albert Walter Preston . Royal Navy HMS Moonstone My father, Albert Preston was on board the HMS Moonstone in WW2 and was manning one of the guns when the Italian submarine was captured.
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Christopher Preston . British Army A 'Prison of Make Believe' - A story taken from a newspaper cutting of my cousins POW memories. "There were times when he looked through the barbed wire of the German prison camp and wondered if he would end his days there.... Moments during an incredible 800 mile forced walk through the terrible months of a Polish winter when starvation made him want to lie down and die - and stay there in the snow. Yet Christopher Preston always found the will to go on. But behind that smile, he used to have before his death, is a tale of courage and fortitude, of a man incarcerated in Stalag 20. He was captured on the beaches of Dunkirk. However his love of music and acting kept him sane. He as his fellow POW's put on shows in Bromberg and Graudenz, and his greatest wish was to once again meet up with his fellow POW's, such as Stan Ibbotson, a church organist from Leeds, Londoner's Lesley 'Monty' Banks, John Savage, Harry Stafford, Sid Steer from Kent and Eric goble. A key figure in the prison theatre group, Harry Stafford, a Saville Row tailor, made many of costumes. Many of the POW's stayed sane by playing at make believe. Many tried to escape but Chris never did. As the Russia's advanced so the POW's were forced to march from Stalag 20, 800 miles, through a Polish winter, sleeping in the open and eating pig swill to survive. Over 700 men set out, some 400 dying on route to Germany. in Triere, Germany, Chris and his friends were liberated by the Americans - Their War was Over." Please contact me if you have any info on Chris or his fellow POW's mentioned in this story.
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Pte. Dennis Percy Saunders Preston . British Army Rifle Brigade from Enfield The story begins in 1942 when my father, Dennis Preston was serving in the British Army. He had been posted to North Africa and was captured at Tobruk (along with many others) on 21st of June 1942 by the German Army led by Rommel.
The British Army had lost 80,000 men during the fruitless rear-guard action they had been fighting. The prisoners were moved to Benghazi in Libya and taken by sea to Italy, where they landed at Brindisi.
The Prisoners of War were taken to a camp in Southern Italy where they were kept for several months before being moved north to another POW camp near Ancona.
After some time there my father and a few others broke out and escaped from the camp. They went on the run although some were recaptured, and some were shot. My father was wandering the mountains and was finding it hard going because he was weak before the escape as it was.
Coming down from the hills and looking for food he was taken in by an Italian family, the Familia Rafaiani. He was with them for about ten months and the local population was not very happy about it because the Germans were threatening serious reprisals against anyone found harbouring escaped prisoners.
The family had very little food, but they shared what they had with my father and two other escapees who were on the run. Sometimes they would have to run in to the hills and hide if the Germans were on patrol. Occasionally, if the enemy arrived without warning other measures were called for such as hiding in the cellars or the cornfield. During one of the cornfield episodes, the Germans sprayed the field with machine gun fire and although my father could hear the bullets hitting the ground all around him, he was untouched.
He would also wear women's clothing when working in the fields so as not to attract attention for the German pilots who were not above using Italian farm workers for target practice.
On another occasion, the men in the family took my father down to the old village. They were sat outside a pavement cafe when suddenly a group of German army officers came around the corner and sat at the next table. Everyone had to sit and sweat it out because to get up and leave too soon would have attracted unwanted attention. My father never went to the village again.
After a while the allied forces came within reach of the village and plans were made to smuggle three POWs out to the allies. They were hidden under a hay cart for the journey but when they arrived my father thought they had been betrayed when he heard guttural German sounding voices. Actually, they were Polish officers attached to the British Army and everyone was safe. Eventually, my father was repatriated and in due course came home.
Towards the end of 1945, my father received a letter from Italy asking for news but for whatever reason, the letter was never answered. I presume that the war had affected my father quite markedly. Not only had he seen many friends die but also, he had been away from home for a long time.
And that was the end of the story for nearly 45 years.
One day in 1989, my father began to reminisce about times long past and this included the events of the war years. On my next visit, he dug out his old war papers. These included such things as leaflets dropped by the air forces of both sides, army records, Geneva Convention rules etc and most interesting of all, an old faded letter and some photographs. The letter was the one from 1945 and the photos were from Italy. I had heard a very sketchy account of this Italian family but did not know until that moment the full extent of their involvement in my family history. I borrowed the necessary items and set about trying to find The Italian Connection. This proved much harder than I at first thought.
All I had to go on was the name and village, Domenico Rafaiani, San Ginesio. The village was easy to trace on the map, only it had become a big town now! I posted various letters addressed to Domenico Rafaiani of San Ginesio, but they kept being returned by the Italian Post Office. I expected the old man to have long since died but I had hoped in vain that someone may have known him. I sent letters addressed to the family in general, mentioned the war and 1945 etc but to no avail.
On further investigation I was led by a friend to an Italian just twenty miles away. He translated my message and I used a larger envelope, drew a sketch map on the back along with the message for the post office and sat back and waited. Amazingly, I received a phone call from Italy just a week later. It turned out that the area had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1952 but someone in the post office was a distant relation and knew the old story of English soldiers from the war years. The family had moved north in 1952 but my message had reached them, and I had received a phone call from a young lady, the old man's granddaughter. Well, letters and phone calls were exchanged and finally in June 1991, the two families were reunited after a gap of nearly 50 years.
The old man Domenico had died two years previously but his wife, Elvira was still alive at 85 and an exciting and emotional gathering it was. The children who were 8 and 11 when my father was in Italy were now of course middle-aged, but they still remembered the events of the war. We sat down 10 to a table to most meals (and oh! what food and drink there was laid out before us). The whole family still lives in the same town but now it is in Meldola near Forli. We stayed with them for 4 days after a hectic drive across Europe.
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Marine. Eric Sykes Preston . Royal Marines 28th Btn. from Horbury, Wakefield Eric Preston joined the Royal Marines on the 2nd of November 1943 aged 20 and was allocated the home Division of Portsmouth. He undertook his basic training at Lympstone Depot qualifying in small arms being able to proficiently use a rifle, light machine gun and Sten gun.
Eric served in various Battalions in UK and abroad notably the 22nd, 28th and Home Based Ledger Office (HBL) spending time at the Royal Marines Infantry Training Centre and the Royal Marine Holding Company preparing for deployment in mainland Europe which occurred on the 18th February 1945 when he disembarked two days later on the 20th February 1945. Eric saw active service during this time where he remained until the liberation of Europe before returning to the UK on the 28th June 1945.
After the European theatre of war ended Eric embarked on the H.M.A.S Australia on the 17th December 1945 heading for Australia, however, he had to be taken off ship on the 9th January 1946 in Durban, South Africa due to contracting Typhoid Fever and he remained at Springfield Military Hospital at HMS Kongoni Naval Base until the 25th April 1946 before resuming his duties at the said base.
Eric received the following medal during his time in the Marines,
France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal
and the War Medal.
His conduct was considered to be very good, although he did have one minor infraction for presenting with a dirty bayonet on the 14th February 1944.
Eric was discharged from the Marines on the 3rd October 1946. He received a sum of 40 pounds 16shillings for war gratuity and post war credit of wages. He returned to Horbury, Wakefield, W. Yorkshire where he lived with his parents until getting married to Nora Cassidy in September 1949.
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Marine. Eric Sykes Preston . Royal Navy Royal Marines from Horbury, Wakefield Eric Preston joined the Royal Marines on the 2nd of November 1943 aged 20 and was allocated the Home Division of Portsmouth. He undertook his basic training at Lympstone Depot qualifying in small arms being able to proficiently use a rifle, light machine gun and Sten gun.
Eric served in various Battalions in UK and abroad notably the 22nd, 28th and Home Based Ledger Office, spending time at the Royal Marines Infantry Training Centre and the Royal Marine Holding Company preparing for deployment in mainland Europe which occurred on the 18th of February 1945 when he disembarked two days later. Eric saw active service during this time where he remained until the liberation of Europe before returning to the UK on the 28th of June 1945.
After the European theatre of war ended Eric embarked on the H.M.A.S Australia on the 17th of December 1945 heading for Australia, however, he had to be taken off ship on the 9th of January 1946 in Durban, South Africa due to contracting Typhoid Fever and he remained at Springfield Military Hospital at HMS Kongoni Naval Base until the 25th of April 1946 before resuming his duties at the said base.
Eric received the following medal during his time in the Marines,
the France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Medal
His conduct was considered to be very good, although he did have one minor infraction for presenting with a dirty bayonet on the 14th of February 1944.
Eric was discharged from the Marines on the 3rd of October 1946.
He received a sum of forty pounds, 1 s and 6d for war gratuity and post war credit of wages.
He returned to Horbury, Wakefield, West Yorkshire where he lived with his parents until getting married to Nora Cassidy in September 1949.
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G Preston . British Army 17/21st Lancers G Preston served with the 17/21st Lancers 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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Henry Preston . British Army
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P/O. J. A. Preston . RCAF
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JD Preston . British Army JD Preston 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: 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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Able Seaman. John William Preston . Royal Navy HMS Cairo (d.28th May 1940)
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Sgt. Kenneth Stoddart Preston . Royal Air Force 150 Squadron (d.5th June 1942) Sergeant (Observer) Kenneth Preston was killed on 5th June 1942.
He is buried in the Killumerland (Kollum) General Cemetery, Friesland, Netherland.
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Nancy Rebecca "Ann" Preston . Womens Land Army from Harbourne, Birmingham My mother Nancy Preston was in the WLA and was stationed at a farm in Bradley Green near Feckenham, Worcestershire, she was known as Ann. She met my father who was in the RAF and was stationed nearby. They used to go to dances in Feckenham and Redditch. Sadly she is no longer with us and I struggle to remember her stories but I know she loved her time in the WLA. She learnt to drive while on the farm. At one time she was living in a caravan with another girl who apparently used to 'borrow' her clothes - much to my mother's annoyance. She said the caravan was bitterly cold during the winter.
She loved feeding the calves. She also worked in greenhouses growing tomatoes. I now live not far from where she was stationed and dearly wish I had asked her more, particularly the name of the farm.
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Cpl. Percy "Pat" Preston . British Army 2nd Btn. Norfolk Regiment from Bungay, Suffolk My grandfather Corporal Percy "Pat" Preston from the 2nd Battalion Norfolk Regiment, was captured at Dunkirk and taken to the POW camp Stalag 8B.
The photograph was taken around 1940 when he was first captured (at Dunkirk) and taken to Stalag 8B in Lamsdorf.
Percy survived the camps and was repatriated back to the United Kingdom in 1943.
He passed away in 1966 in Kelling Army Hospital in Norfolk. He lived all his life in Bungay, Suffolk, married in 1945 and had four children.
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Lt. Robert Preston . British Army att. 2nd Airborne Ox and Bucks LI King's Liverpool Regiment (d.24th March 1945) My uncle, Lt Robert Preston, was killed on 24 March 1945 during the glider assault on Hammenkein. He was attached to the 2nd Airborne, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry from the King's Liverpool Regiment. I would be keen to hear from anyone who knew him or anything about his army service prior to Operation Varsity.
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Ord Mech. Ronald Aubrey Preston . Royal Navy HMS Albrighton from Hinckley, Nuneaton My grandfather Ron Preston served on HMS Albrighton from 12th June 1944 to 13th February 1945.
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T Preston . British Army T Preston 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: 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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Porucznik Marian Wacklaw Pretkiewicz . Polish Air Force from Poland (d.30th August 1944) Marian Pretkiewicz was buried in the Collective Grave 961-966 in the Aalestrup Churchyard in Denmark.
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W Pretsell . British Army Royal Armoured Corps W Pretsell 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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Augustin Preucil. . Royal Air Force 55 OTU.
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