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Robert Wands . British Army Cameron Highlanders My grandfather Robert Wands was part of the Cameron Highlanders and was taken prisoner, I believe near Tobruk, in 1940 and remained a prisoner for five years. I am looking for information.
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Cook Michael Ernest Wanklin . Royal Navy HMS Ryall from Malvern, Worcestershire
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Lt.Cmdr. Malcolm David Wanklyn VC, DSO.. Royal Navy HMS Upholder (d.14th April 1942) Malcolm Wanklyn was killed in action on the 14th of April 1942, aged 30. Commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval memorial in Portsmouth, he was the son of William Lumb Wanklyn and Marjorie Wanklyn, husband of Elspeth Wanklyn.
The Citation in the London Gazette of 16th December, 1944, gives the following details: "On 24th May, 1941, while off the coast of Sicily, Lieutenant-Commander Wanklyn, in command of H.M. Submarine Upholder, sighted an enemy troop convoy escorted by destroyers. Observation by periscope could not be relied on, owing to failing light, and a surface attack would have been easily seen. Upholder's listening gear was out of action. Despite these difficulties, Lieutenant-Commander Wanklyn, though aware of the risk of being rammed by the escorting destroyers, pressed home his attack and sank a large troopship. The destroyers at once counter-attacked, and dropped thirty-seven depthcharges. With great courage, coolness and skill, and without listening gear, Lieutenant-Commander Wanklyn brought Upholder clear and back to harbour. Before this outstanding attack and since being made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, Lieutenant-Commander Wanklyn had torpedoed a tanker and a merchant vessel. He continued to show the utmost courage in the face of the enemy, and carried out attacks on enemy vessels with skill and relentless determination, sinking one destroyer, one U-boat, two troop transports, one tanker and three supply ships. He also probably destroyed, by torpedoes, one cruiser and one destroyer, and probably hit another cruiser."
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Mjr. William James Wannell . British Army Seaforth Highlanders from 31 King Alfred St, Chippenham My father, William Wannell, joined the R.A.O.C. in 1935 as a clerk. He went with the British Expeditionary Force to Europe in September 1939 and returned to England on 30th May 1940. It appears that he served in the War Office and was transferred to the Seaforth Highlanders in 1940 and stayed there until the 23rd June 1944 when he returned to Dieppe, France. He was discharged on 19th May 1946.
Dad passed away in 2012 at the age of 96. He would never talk about his service during WW2, if I asked him about it he would change the subject.
I would very much like to find out what Dad did, as it broke his marriage to my mother which in turn had a major impact on my life, and it might help me understand things.
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Lt. Ed Wanner . United States Army Air Force 700 Bomb Sqd. Ed Wanner arrived in England as a replacement who would soon pilot B-24 Liberator Asbestos Alice, in the 700th Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, 2nd Bomb Division at Tibenham, Norfolk. He was somewhat bemused by the differences in England and noted that here they were in a "foreign land" where they drove on the "wrong" side of the road and where the great Normandy Invasion Landing was happening.
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Doreen "Renee" Warbrick . Women's Land Army I am researching my grandmother who has passed away and I understand that she was a Land Girl during the War and would like to try and find out some more information. Would love to find out what she did and if anyone may have any photos of her.
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Pte. Allan Warburton . British Army 7th Btn. Seaforth Highlanders from Frizinghall, Bradford My father Allan Warburton served as a Signaller in the 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders during the Second World War.
After initial mobilisation with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment of 1st of September 1939 and transfer to the A.A. Royal Artillery (Searchlights) Regiment he joined the Seaforth Highlanders in early 1944.
He thankfully missed D-Day due to being on compassionate leave (marriage), but immediately upon his return was put on an American infantry landing craft to Gold Beach to join the rest of the Division, who were involved in heavy fighting around the Caen area. After losing their Colonel in early fighting Lieutenant Colonel Peter took over as Commanding Officer, who went on to become Chief of the Defence Staff at Whitehall and be knighted.
My father was particularly affected by the battle for Hill 309 at the end of the Normandy campaign, where the plan was for three division to attack two large hills and hold them to enable the British to control the surrounding countryside and for General Montgomery to unleash his armour. He recalled the German's ceaseless bombardment when they reached the summit and having to go out to lay telephone lines to observation posts when he just wanted to keep his head down to survive. He also remembered the carnage wrought on the German 10th army when it was encircled at Falais.
After Normandy his Division were the only division to do what he called the hat-trick, assault crossings of the three major river obstacles The Seine, The Rhine and finally the Elbe. When the war was over the unit were sent to occupy the town of Kiel on the Baltic.
One tale he told me concerned their discovery of Hitler's private train, when various members of the regiment took it upon themselves to fill pillow cases with the silver cutlery etc.
My father was particularly in demand as a self-taught musician and carried his accordion with him throughout the war, which he put to good effect in various shows for the troops. He also played the piano and broadcast a programme called Piano Playtime on the British Forces network in Hamburg in August 1945. He went on to have his own band in later years who would become well known in the Kings Lynn area.
I have many war photos of his, though unfortunately most are not marked with the names of those pictured
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Denis Warburton . Royal Air Force 424 Squadron My Dad was based at RAF Skipton on Swale during WW2 and was in 424 Squadron. His name is Denis Warburton and he was a flight engineer, I know their plane was called Oscar and they flew 32 missions. My dad is the only survivor of his crew, I think the rest of his crew were Canadians.
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Gnr. Edwin Warburton . British Army 102 LLA Rgt. Royal Artillery from Lancashire (d.24th Oct 1944) 36 year old Gunner Ewin Warburton was married to Doris Warburton and lived in Tyldesley, Lancashire. He served with 102nd LAA Regiment, RA, and played a part in the liberation of my home town, Hoogstraten on the Dutch/Belgian border, some 20 km south of Breda. The regiment was then operating in an infantry role in an ad hoc formation called Bobforce. This was organised to help out the 49th Infantry Division in holding an extensive frontline in October 1944. The 102 LAA even lost two men during an advance through the mine-infested area of Wortel-Kolonie, just to the east of Hoogstraten. They were Lieutenant Cyril John Le Rue and Gunner Ewin Warburton. Both were buried at the Leopoldsburg War Cemetery after the war.
As I have been researching aspects of the 2nd World War for some 25 years now, I would very much appreciate learning more from your father's time in our area in the autumn of 1944 or from any other member of the regiment.
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H Warburton . British Army Royal Armoured Corps H Warburton 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: 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.
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J Warburton . British Army J Warburton 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.
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J Warburton . British Army J Warburton 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.
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J Warburton . British Army Royal Armoured Corps J Warburton 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: 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.
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Sgt. John Charles Warburton . Royal Air Force 235 Squadron from Salford, Lancashire (d.17th January 1943) Jack Warburton served with 235 Squadron.
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Sgt. John Charles Warburton . Royal Air Force 235 Squadron from Hamble (d.17th January 1943) My uncle, Jack Warburton, enlisted in October 1940. He died on the 17th of January 1943 with Navigator/Observer Edward Ewen (Teddy) Sillitoe near Kilkhampton, Cornwall. Crashed a Beaufighter in bad weather at Stowe Barton farm, trying to return to RAF Station Chivenor.
His death and burial at Heanton Punchardon Cemetery in North Devon brought my family to Braunton from the Southampton area, where my grandfather was involved in the design and building of the Spitfire. While in north Devon they both worked for Atlantic Coast Airlines, my grandfather was Chief Engineer under the CRO scheme at various locations in Braunton, and in hangars at Chivenor. My mother met and married my father there, an American soldier training for the D-Day invasion.
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S/Sgt. Roland Neville Giddens Warburton . British Army Glider Pilot Regiment from Pendlebury, Lancashire Roland Warburton joined up, somewhat reluctantly on 16th of October 1939. He had been working towards Civil Service Examinations and applied for exemption from call-up due to studies, but when all Civil Service exams were cancelled until further notice, he had to accept the call-up papers.
He was initially sent to 216th Searchlight Training Regiment R.E. On completion of the training he was posted to as a Gunner to 37th AA Battalion R.E. on 15th of January 1940.
In March of that year, he was granted leave and returned home to marry, a marriage that lasted 60 years, until his wife's death in the autumn of 2000. At that same time his Regiment came under the Royal Artillery, becoming 37th Tyne Electrical Engineers S/L Regiment, a Territorial Army unit.
As part of 307th Battery of that regiment, he embarked for France 18th of May 1940 landing at and deploying to protect the port of Le Havre. They were soon cut off from the remnants of the British Expeditionary Force that were being evacuated from Dunkirk and had to make their way westwards, eventually taking a ship from St Malo, arriving back in England 19th of June 1940.
After a period of leave he was sent to a training Battery attached to 37th S/L Regiment R.A. 28th July and promoted to Bombardier the next day. He was designated as Acting War Substantive Bombardier on 1st October, the promotion being confirmed at the turn of the year. On the 15th October he transferred to 519 Battery, 222nd S/L Training Regiment R.A. in the Taunton area where he remained until 5th of March 1942 when he volunteered to serve in the recently formed Glider Pilot Regiment.
Initial training was at Tilshead, on Salisbury Plain, before moving to 16 Elementary Flying Training School at Burnaston, Derbyshire at the beginning of May, where he learned to fly on Miles Magister aircraft. He completed his first solo flight a month later and passed out from 16 E.F.T.S. by the middle of July and was promoted to Sergeant, in line with G.P.R. requirements.
From there he went to No.1 Glider Training School at Thame, Oxfordshire, to fly the Hotspur glider. He graduated to the Operational Training Unit at the end of August and then to the Heavy Glider Conversion Unit at Brize Norton in mid-October to fly the much larger Horsa glider. December had him move to the Glider Pilot Exercise Unit before being posted to the 2nd Battalion of the Glider Pilot Regiment 3rd of March 1943.
A month later they embarked at Greenock for North Africa, landing at Oran, Algeria, 23rd of April 1943. During the sea voyage, they were re-designated as 2 Squadron G.P.R. as part of the 1st Airborne Division. There was a complete lack of gliders, but U.S.A. supplied a number of crated Waco CG.4 gliders, which some of the squadron helped to assemble.
After a few training flights, they were towed eastwards on a four-and-a-half-hour flight over the Atlas Mountains to their forward base in Tunisia at the end of June.
From here, on the night of 9th July, Operation Ladroke was launched to invade Sicily. His Waco carried half a platoon of the South Staffordshire Regiment who were tasked with neutralising several Italian gun positions and then capturing Ponte Grande on the approach to Syracuse.
He was fortunate in having a committed American pilot in the C-47 Skytrain aircraft that towed him to the designated release point, despite strong winds across the Mediterranean and some flak from the shore. He therefore landed about a mile short of the planned Landing Zone and his troops were able to carry out some of their tasks. Compared to the overall statistics of this operation, it was a notable achievement. Within a few days, the Glider Pilots were all evacuated by sea back to Tunisia and then moved on to Libya.
Two months after his first operation, he was back in action again during Operation Slapstick, a seaborne landing at Taranto on the Italian mainland on 9th September.
This time, he had to take the role of an infantry soldier as per the G.P.R. total soldier concept. The landing was unopposed, so there was no real fighting.
He told a story of a motorcycle accident at which he was presumed dead and was laid out in the morgue. Much to the medical orderly's surprise, he revived in the cool and sat up!
Probably as a result of this he was suspended from flying for medical reasons. He was returned to the rank of W/Cpl, although was permitted to continue wearing the Army Flying Badge.
At his own request, he transferred back to a Royal Artillery Searchlight unit, initially joining 422nd S/L Battery as from 3rd of September 1943 and participated in the gradual northwards advance of the 8th Army through Italy.
Maybe the motor cycle accident actually occurred in March 1944, as he was posted to the X(4) List on 3rd March and there is a gap in his service records for 5 months, but he remained in Italy until he was taken on strength of 323rd Independent Searchlight Battery on 7th of August 1944.
A whole year later, after the end of the War, the next entry on his service record shows him attending a 3-week course at an Army School in Perugia on 19th of August 1945, after which he was appointed as an Education Sergeant with the Central Mediterranean Force.
He talked about working with street children in Naples and also being sent to Klagenfurt in Austria to help with the processing and release of German & Italian POWs, but his service record shows no evidence of this.
He was finally sent home across Europe by train in January 1946 where he was reunited with his wife and demobilised, having earned the Defence Medal, the Africa Star and the Italy Star.
He went on to train as a teacher at Padgate College, near Warrington and spent the rest of his life teaching or as a Tutor Youth Officer. They had two children, but sadly the first was stillborn in 1946. They moved to Hertfordshire in 1955 where he lived until his death just before Christmas 2001.
He made a hobby of photography and was well respected in amateur photographic circles.
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William Warburton . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 61 Sqn. (d.27th January 1944) William Warburton is recorded on the plaque at St Wilfrid's Church in Mobberley, Cheshire and on the CWGC site as buried at Hanover. The son of Benjamin and Amelia Warburton of Withington in Greater Manchester. Died aged 33.
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Capt. Bernard Armitage Warburton Warburton-Lee VC.. Royal Navy HMS Hardy from Wales (d.10th April 1940) Captain Bernard Armitage Warburton Warburton-Lee was 44 years old, and a captain in the Royal Navy when was awarded the VC.
"On 10th of April 1940 in Ofotfjord, Narvik, Norway, in the First Battle of Narvik, Captain Warburton-Lee of HMS Hardy commanded the British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla consisting of five destroyers, HMS Hardy, Havock, Hostile, Hotspur and Hunter, in a surprise attack on German destroyers and merchant ships in a blinding snowstorm. This was successful, and was almost immediately followed by an engagement with five more German destroyers, during which Captain Warburton-Lee was mortally wounded by a shell which hit Hardy's bridge. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumously. His citation reads as follows:
"For gallantry, enterprise and daring in command of the force engaged in the First Battle of Narvik, on 10th April, 1940. On being ordered to carry out an attack on Narvik, Captain Warburton-Lee learned that the enemy was holding the place in much greater force than had been thought. He signalled to the Admiralty that six German destroyers and one submarine were there, that the channel might be mined, and that he intended to attack at dawn. The Admiralty replied that he alone could judge whether to attack, and that whatever decision he made would have full support. Captain Warburton led his flotilla of five destroyers up the fjord in heavy snow-storms, arriving off Narvik just after daybreak. He took the enemy completely by surprise and made three successful attacks on warships and merchantmen in the harbour. As the flotilla withdrew, five enemy destroyers of superior gunpower were encountered and engaged. The captain was mortally wounded by a shell which hit the bridge of H.M.S. Hardy. His last signal was "Continue to engage the enemy"."
His was the first VC to be gazetted in the Second World War.
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A Ward . British Army A Ward 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.
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A Ward . British Army A Ward 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.
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A Ward . British Army Royal Armoured Corps A Ward 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: 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.
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A Ward . British Army Royal Artillery A Ward served with the Royal Artillery 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.
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Alan Ward . New Zealand Army Field Ambulance from Timaru, New Zealand My father served in the New Zealand Army in North Africa. Was captured at the Battle of Sidi Rezegh in Lybia, was a prisoner in P.G. 52 in Ciavari, then an orderly in P.G. 202 in Lucca, then served as an orderly in the repatriation of injured servicemen back to New Zealand in 1943.
I have lots of details as my father wrote his war experience story but it is back in my Canadian home. I can send lots of details later if desired.
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Pte Albert Ward . British Army 2nd Btn Hampshire Regiment (d.31st May 1940)
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Corporal Alfred William "Bud" Ward . Canadian Army Royal Canadian Engineers from Laurier Alfred Ward served with the Royal Canadian Engineers.
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AO Ward . British Army Royal Armoured Corps AO Ward 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: 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.
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Signalman Arthur James "Archie" Ward . British Army Royal Corps of Signals from Camberwell, London (d.24th Nov 1945) Arthur James Ward was the brother of my grandmother and died of gunshot wounds in 1945 (listed as accidental) he was 32 years old. He is buried at Heliopolis War Cemetery. If anyone has information, please contact me.
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AS Ward . British Army AS Ward 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.
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Bombardier AW Ward . British Army Royal Artillery I understand that my father, Bombardier AW Ward (Royal Artillery) Woolwich, captured at Dunkirk and marched eventually to Stalag 8B and imprisoned until end of war. He worked in coal mines where he sustained a back injury, but I cannot find any references. I would be grateful for any assistance.
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