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F/Sgt. Joseph William Charles Pulham . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve No. 83 Squadron from Dagenham, Essex (d.10th May 1945)
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L Pulham . British Army Royal Armoured Corps L Pulham 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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WF Pullan . British Army Royal Armoured Corps WF Pullan 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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CSM. George Frederick Pullen . Royal Berkshire Regiment
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F/Sgt. Harold Brian Pullen . Royal Air Force 149 Squadron My father Brian Pullen was in 49 squadron and 149 sqd. He trained in Salisbury Rhodesia to be a pilot abut prior to that he was an air gunner with 49 Sqn. I have a large photo of the squadron dated April 1943 in front of a Lancaster.
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Harry Gordon "Pte." Pullen . British Army Royal Corps of Signals I am looking for any information on my father, Harry Gordon Pullen. I have found a snapshot of my parents' wedding which has a rubber stamp on the back which reads "25-Stalag 344-Gepru.." - the rest is illegible. Editors note: The stamp on the back means that the photo was sent by post to your father when he was held in Stalag 344, 25 is the number of the censor who checked that the letter was suitable to be delivered to him, "Geprüft" simply means checked.
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Gnr. Hugh Thomas Arthur Pullen . British Army 28th Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery
from Frome, Somerset Hugh Pullen was posted to 25th Medium and Heavy Training Regiment on 16th of December 1942. He was subsequently posted to 56th Medium Regiment on 26th of February 1943. Following a medical, he was posted to Anti Aircraft Command and joined 28th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery on 25th of December 1943.
He landed at Dieppe after D-Day and then travelled through Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
After demobilisation on 26th April 1947, he joined the Territorial Army from 15th March 1952 to 30th June 1959, again as a Gunner.
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F/Sgt. William Pullen . Royal Air Force I would love to know more about my father's time in the RAF. I know from photos that he was in Africa and the RAF.
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Pte. William Pulling . British Army 7th Btn. Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment from Hereford (d.12th October 1917)
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RH Pulsford . British Army RH Pulsford 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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F/O James Ansford Pulton . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 138 Sqdn. (d.21st April 1942) 138 Squadron flew on Special Operations duties in WWII, and lost an aircraft on 21st April 1942 over Austria. The crew were:
Wing Co W.R. Farley DFC, RAF (2nd pilot)
F/O J.A. Pulton, RAFVR (airgunner) (CWG information states "161 Sqdn")
F/O R. Zygmuntowicz, PAF (pilot)
Sgt C. Madracki, PAF (navigator)
F/Sgt B Karbowski, PAF (rear gunner)
Capt. A.H. Voellnagel, RAF
Sgt L. Wilmanski, PAF (airbomber)
Sgt M. Wojciechowski, PAF (wop/airgunner)
All the crew were buried in Durnbach War Cemetery, Collective Grave 9.H.20-24.
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Bobby Pumphrey . Royal Air Force
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Rfm. Tul Bahadur Pun VC.. British Indian Army 3rd Battalion 6th Gurkha Rifles from Nepal Tul Bahadur Pun was 21 years old, and a Rifleman in the 3rd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles when he was awarded the VC.
"War Office, 9th November, 1944
The King has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the Victoria Cross to 10119 Rifleman Tulbahadur [sic] Pun, 6th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army. In Burma on 23 June 1944, a Battalion of the 6th Gurkha Rifles was ordered to attack the Railway Bridge at Mogaung. Immediately the attack developed the enemy opened concentrated and sustained cross fire at close range from a position known as the Red House and from a strong bunker position two hundred yards to the left of it. The cross fire was so intense that both the leading platoons of 'B' Company, one of which was Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun's, were pinned to the ground and the whole of his Section was wiped out with the exception of himself, the Section commander and one other man. The Section commander immediately led the remaining two men in a charge on the Red House but was at once badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur (sic) Pun and his remaining companion continued the charge, but the latter too was immediately wounded.
Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun then seized the Bren Gun, and firing from the hip as he went, continued the charge on this heavily bunkered position alone, in the face of the most shattering concentration of automatic fire, directed straight at him. With the dawn coming up behind him, he presented a perfect target to the Japanese. He had to move for thirty yards over open ground, ankle deep in mud, through shell holes and over fallen trees.
Despite these overwhelming odds, he reached the Red House and closed with the Japanese occupants. He killed three and put five more to flight and captured two light machine guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire from the bunker to the remainder of his platoon which enabled them to reach their objective.
His outstanding courage and superb gallantry in the face of odds which meant almost certain death were most inspiring to all ranks and beyond praise."
Supplement to the London Gazette, 7 November 1944.
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Julian William Carrington Punch . Auxiliary Fire Service from Cobham, Surrey My father Julian Punch served in the Auxiliary Fire Service during WW2 in the Esher Urban Council Fire Brigade.
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Sgt. George Henry "Pip" Punter . British Army Rifle Brigade from London
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Pte. Alexander Hendry Purcell . British Army 7th Btn Kings Own Scottish Borderers from Glasgow My father, Alexander Purcell was captured at Arnhem and was sent to a PoW camp in Germany. I have his war papers and it states he was a PoW in Germany for 6 months and 6 days. I was contacted by another soldier a few years ago who was with my father then and he sent me a photograph of them in Normandy.
His name was Fred Tattershall. I believe he has now passed away.
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Sgt. George Albert Purcell . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 12 Sqdn. from Plumstead (d.1st September 1943) Lancaster DV185 PH-D took off from Wickenby at 20.15 on 31st August 1943 for Berlin. The aircraft crashed near Zerbst on 1st September 1943. None of the crew survived and are buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. They were:
Sgt H. Machin (pilot)
Sgt E.F. Harris (airgunner)
Sgt P. Holloway (flight engineer)
Sgt J.G. Jones (airgunner)
Sgt F. Lennard (navigator)
F/Sgt E.V. Potter (airbomber)
Sgt G.A. Purcell (wop/airgunner)
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PFC Paul Lynn Purcell . United States Army from 3340 Gladstone, Detroit, Mi. Paul's son, Jim, just received, from his mother, the letters that were exchanged between Paul and his mother. We are now going through them. Paul would never speak to anyone of his experiences while being held.
He passed away over 10 yrs. ago. He was a loving, caring father. He suffered from dementia before his passing and is missed by all.
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Gnr. Roland Thomas Purcell . British Army 5th Maritime Regiment Royal Artillery from Ryhill near Wakefield, West Yorkshire Roland Purcell was my late father, who passed away in 1963. I was only seven years of age at that time and knew very little about my father’s WW2 service. I was looking through some tins of historic paperwork kept by my late mother, and in these tins were some documents related to his wartime service. I then obtained my father’s army records from Glasgow which gave me some detailed information about his service activities.
At age 21, he joined the Royal Artillery in January 1941, and after training volunteered for the Maritime Regiment manning guns on merchant ships. This regiment was later renamed Royal Maritime Artillery and the ships were referred to as DEMS (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships). I then had some research done from the National Archives that detailed which vessels he served on and where the vessels had been.
His first vessel was the MV Antigone. He signed on there in Hull on 12th of January 1942 and sailed on 29th of January 1942 to New York via Loch Ewe in Scotland, arriving in New York on 26th of February 1942.
He remained in New York until he joined the MV Myrtlebank, which was under repair and sailed on 25th of June 1942 calling at Trinidad and Table Bay, South Africa, where it underwent further repairs, then sailing to Port Sudan, Suez, Mombasa via Aden, then to Australia via Dar-es-Salaam, arriving in Melbourne on 15th of December 1942. The ship sailed to Sydney 5 days later and then continued around the coast, collecting wheat before sailing on 20th of January 1943 to South America. It arrived at Balboa, Panama Canal, on 3rd of March 1943, then proceeded to Guantanamo Bay en route back to the UK via New York, from whence it sailed on 20th of March 1943 to Belfast, arriving on 9th of April 1943, and finally sailing to Swansea, where Roland was discharged to shore on 15th of April 1943. There he found that he had been allocated to the newly reformed 5th Maritime Regiment whilst at sea. He was then on leave from 19th of April 1943 until 17th of May 1943.
On 16th of June 1943 he joined the SS Ranitiki in Liverpool. This was a troop ship, and the official log book shows it was to be a 3-month voyage. The ship sailed on 19th of June 1943 going to Freetown, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires before returning to Liverpool on 10th of August 1943
via Freetown, arriving back in Liverpool on 24th of September 1943, where he was paid off.
The trail goes somewhat cool in the next 12 months as the next recorded time served on a ship was on 15th of October 1944, when he signed on to the MV Antonio at Barry Island. It sailed for Bari in Italy via Augusta, Sicily and then to Bone and Algiers, where the vessel stayed until 31st of January 1945 when it called at Gibraltar before returning to the UK, arriving back on 15th of February 1945.
I was told by my late mother that Roland survived a sinking, but there are no records of this in the information I have so far. However, there are some sizable gaps in Roland’s army service. I am wondering if this sinking could have been in the large gap between 1st January 1944 and his next recorded service on a ship in October 1944. This would have included the periods of time prior and subsequent to the Normandy lanings. One of my surviving aunts told me that Roland was aboard vessels that transported troops across the Channel during D-Day.
Roland was at sea again in March 1945, joining the SS Empire Archer at Hartlepool on 17th of March 1945, sailing to the Thames and then on to New York, arriving there on 14th of April 1945 and putting into a shipyard for repairs to a propeller. The ship sailed on 13th of May 1945 to Gibraltar, arriving on 28th of May 1945, then proceeded to Augusta and Oran. It then sailed to Rio de Janeiro, arriving on 2nd of July 1945, then returning to the UK 5 days later with a load of iron ore. The ship arrived back at Dover on 1st of August 1945, where he was discharged. That was his last recorded shipboard service as a gunner.
In October of 1945, he was posted to Germany as part of the BAOR, where he served in the 26th Light AA Regiment, later transferring to the 124th Light AA Regiment, which was re-organized first as the 29th Field Regiment of the RA and then later as the 19th Field Regiment.
On 19th of June 1947, Roland transferred to "A" Class army reserve. On 13th of January 1948, he transferred to "B" Class army reserve at the end of 7 years Colour Service. On 13th of January 1953, he was discharged at the expiry of his 12 years of army service. He was awarded the following wartime campaign medals: Pacific Star, Atlantic Star, Italy Star and 1939-1945 war medals. He was also given a signed memento from the Maritime Royal Artillery as an ‘appreciation of the valuable services you personally rendered’.
Whilst in New York on shore leave during the war, he visited the famous Jack Dempsey’s Restaurant, and in one of his old documents I found a piece of yellow card which read ‘Good luck boys’ and was signed by Jack Dempsey. I have checked the signature, and it is genuine.
It beggars belief that, starting at the age of 21, my father sailed the oceans throughout the Second World War with all the dangers they encompassed, that he travelled the world over and survived where so many thousands did not. It’s ironic, really, that he died of lung cancer at the age of 42 but saw more in his 42 years than most do in a normal lifetime. It is important to his descendants that his wartime story be told, and it was with a sense of pride that my father served his country with distinction as did all his comrades both in the armed services and in the merchant navy. God bless every single one of them.
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Naval Airman 1st Class Arthur Richard Purchase . Royal Navy from Sidmouth, Devon My dad Arthur Purchase didn't talk much about his time in the POW camp. One story he did tell me was how they used to feed the guard dogs so they wouldn't attack them. My dad also contracted TB while in the camp. This meant that after the war he had to leave the Navy which he found difficult. He had been in it since he was 11. He attended Naval School instead of secondary school. So if any one has any information about my dad,would love to hear about it. He died in 1974 due to complications from another bout of TB.
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Pte. George Purchase . British Army D Section Royal Army Service Corps from Wolverhampton My maternal grandfather, George Purchase, was born in Wolverhampton to William Purchase and Harriet Terry. He survived his service in the Royal Army Service Corps, delivering supplies to the front line in Sicily and possibly Italy. He is pictured with two army friends (or perhaps his brothers). Due to trauma, he never talked about his war experiences.
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Major William Harry Purchase-Rathbone . British Army Royal Artillery
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Able Sea. Edward Purdue . Royal Navy HMS Penelope from Bisley, Surrey (d.7th Oct 1943) Edward Purdue is my grandfather's younger brother who served on the HMS Penelope. I had always assumed he died when the ship sank however it appears he died a year earlier.
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AH Purdy . British Army Royal Armoured Corps AH Purdy 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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TA Purdy . British Army 2nd Btn. Royal Tank Regiment TA Purdy served with the 2nd Btn. Royal Tank 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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Fus. Thomas Purdy . British Army Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Thomas Purdy was wounded in 1941,
reported missing August 1942 (Western Desert) and reported as a Prisoner of war October in 1942. He was held in Italy in 1943 and was in Poland in 1945
Any further information would be very much appreciated.
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P/O Vincent Robert Purmal . RAF 12sqd
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Pte. Edward Purnell . British Army Royal Army Service Corps from Tiverton The Tiverton Gazette of 25th of September 1945 reported that Mr & Mrs Purnell of Council Gardens, Tiverton, had received a letter from their son Ted Purnell who had been a prisoner of war in Japanese hands in Siam since 1942, telling them that he had arrived in India. It went on to report that Ted, a Private in the Royal Army Service Corps was fit and well and hoping to be home soon.
Before being called up from his job with John Heathcoat & Co. he had been a prominent member of Tiverton R.F.C. and would go on to be so again, being elected Club Captain for the 1946/47 season.
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Gilford Charles "Gil" Purr . Royal Navy HMS Royal Arthur from Skegness Gilford Purr, known as George in later life, was a Radio Operator at HMS Royal Arthur having joined up from the Merchant Navy in 1942 when he witnessed the scuttling of the Graf Spee in Montivideo Harbour on one of his trips. He met his wife Joan Foy, who was a telephonist on the main switchboard at HMS Royal Arthur and it was whilst he was chatting her up during one night shift that the base was bombed and the switchboard room ceiling was blown in and he left his post to go and rescue his wife to be.
Any other information from this time on either of them would be great
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BC Purser . British Army BC Purser 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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