The old guard passes : April - June 2021

We mark the passing of those who have served their country. Contributions from comrade and families welcome - email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it More on page 2

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it MOUNTBATTEN Commander Philip Mountbatten 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021 Later Admiral of the Fleet HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh MiD Croix de Guerre Greek War Cross

Graduated from Dartmouth in 1940 as the best cadet in his course. Midshipman HMS Ramillies, protecting convoys of the Australian Expeditionary Force in the Indian Ocean, followed by shorter postings on HMS Kent, on HMS Shropshire, and in Ceylon.] After the invasion of Greece by Italy in October 1940, transferred from the Indian Ocean to battleship HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean Fleet.

On 1 February 1941, commissioned as a sub-lieutenant after a series of courses at Portsmouth,(top grade in four out of five sections of the qualifying examination.Battle of Crete, and was mentioned in dispatches for his service during the battle of Cape Matapan, in which he controlled the battleship's searchlights. He was also awarded the Greek War Cross. HMS WALLACE - in 1942 he became the ship's First Lieutenant at the unusually early age of 21 During the invasion of Sicily, in July 1943, as second in command of Wallace, he saved his ship from a night bomber attack. 1944 destroyer, HMS Whelp, where he saw service with the British Pacific Fleet in the 27th Destroyer Flotilla. Present in Tokyo Bay when the instrument of Japanese surrender was signed. HMS Royal Arthur, the Petty Officers' School in Corsham, Wiltshire until his marriage to Princess Elizabeth (later HM The Queen)

ATTLEE Air Vice Marshall Donald Laurence Attlee CB, LVO 2 September 1922 - 28 April 2021 Pilot Instructor Canada WWII 12 Sqn Canberra 59 Sqn Guttersloh, Cdr Queen's Flight Snr Intelligence Officer Berlin ADC to HMQ

AUSTEN-SMITH Air Marshal Sir Roy Austen-Smith KBE, CB, CVO, DFC 28 June 1924 - 27 March 2021 Hurricans, Spitfires 41 Sqn Netherlands, 1 kill approx 40 sorties. Malaya (33 Sqn, DFC). c/o 73 Sqn Cyprus (Canberras), MoD, c/o 57 Sqn Victor V-bombers, 2ndTAF German, Stn Cdr RAF Wattisham (Lightnings) Defence Attache Washington. 25 aircraft types, over 2000 flying hrs

BAILEY Wing Cdr (George) Peter Brett Bailey DFC (US award) 28 March 1922 - 14 April 2021 233Sqn towed gliders to Pegasus Bridge D Day, Arnhem KSOB 243Sqn Australia 250 missions Berlin Airlift VIP Sqn RAF Wyton

BEADLE Major Jeffrey CHarles Beadle MBE MC Royal Marines Commando 23 July 1922 - 13 April 2021 Home Guard 40 Cdo Sicily, Termoli, Anzio, Yugoslav islands, left for dead, captured Stalag Luft III escaped April 1945 Post war perm commission 40 Cdo Malta, Tripoli, Cyprus, Suez

BISSET Lt Col Alexander Galletly Bisset died 28 March 2021 aged 90

BLACK Major Sir David Black Bt died 22 May 2021 aged 92

BOYD Ken D Boyd MC died 10 April 2021 aged 83

BRAS Jan Bras 21 December 1922 - 12May 2021 Dutch Army captured in Indonesia March 1942 forced to work on Burma Railway, coalmines Kyushu island

BREAKWELL Lt Col Oliver Raven St John Breakwell LVO MBE died 25 May 2021 Coldstream Guards

BROWNE Major Geoffrey James Browne MBE RAOC died April 2021 aged 81

BURT Major (Godfrey) Gordon Rowland Burt MC 15 October 1932 - 4 March 2021 Intelligence Officer Belfast 1973 (just commissioned) REME, 3 Para Cyprus, Suez, Aden, Anguilla, Bahrain, Hong Kong (in the ranks) TA on retirement

CHETWYND Rupert Milo Talbot Chetwynd 7 Jan 1934- 26 April 2021 Grenadier Guards, Guards Independent Parachute Company, SAS Suez, Cyprus

COLLIER Gp Capt John Malcolm Collier died 8 May 2021 aged 78

COOMBS Major Jollyon Trevor Hardy died 9 May 2021 aged 75

COX Sqn Ldr Roger Cox Died June 2021 aged 76 RAF Regt Cyprus, Libya, Germany, Italy o/c 19 Sqn

CURSLEY Sydney Thomas Cursley died 22 June 2012 aged 98 D Day Veteran

DICKINSON Lt Cdr Philip Neville Dickinson 30 May 1950 - 24 May 2021 HMS Highburton, HMS Eagle, HMS Blake Sea King helicopter pilot Falklands 826 NAS (HMS Hermes and RFA Fort Austin) o/c 824 NAS Over 2000 career flying hours

DOWNIE Trooper Nicolas John Downie 17 May 1946 - 12 May 2021 2! SAS (TA) 22 SAS Oman Yemen Later combat camerman

DUNCAN Col Andrew Stuart Duncan died 22 June 21 aged 91 Queen's Own Highlanders

EVA Flt Sgt Gladys May Eva (nee Taborn) WAAF 6 December 1920 - 23 April 2021 Bentley Priory controlleer, Battle of Britain, Blitz. Bomber Command controller

FRENCH Major Maurice French MBE died 20 May 2021 aged 91

GARNETT Lt Col John Christopher Mauleverer Garnett 7 April 1939 - 4 April 2021 Welch/RRWA

GALE Richard Gale died 4 April 2021 aged 84 RAF

HANDS Lt William Henry 'Harry' Hands RN 24 Jan 1924 - 6 February 2021 Joined RAF 1943, transferred to 881 NAS S Africa Rejoined Fleet Air Arm 1951 807 NAS HMS Ocean Korea 98 missions mainly ground attack, downed Mig-15 1634 flying hours. As civilian worked on Harrier

HAZELHURST Capt Charles Patrick Hazelhurst 60th Rifles died 14 April 2021 aged 97

HEWITT Cdr Edward Michael George 22 Dec 1928-26 March 2021

HODGKINS Cgr Jonathan Mark Hodgkins died 12 June 21 aged 59

HUTLEY Pte Horace 'Lyle' Hutley 19 June 1912 - 17 May 2021 RASC Dunkirk, Singapore, Changi River Kwai bridge

HUNTER Lt Col Jane Fiona Hunter (nee Brothwell) died 11 March 2021 aged 53

IRVING Caotain Robert Alec Snow Irving RN died 17 Feb 2021 aged 90

KEMBALL Air Marshal Sir (Richard) John Kemball KCB, CBE 31 January 1939 13 June 2021 8 Sqn Aden (43 ground attack missions) First RAF pilot to 1000 flying hours, Phantom. c/o 54 Sqn Jaguar. Stn cdr RAF Laarbruch Buccaneers & Jaguars. Cdt Central Flying School. Cdr Falklands. CoS & Dep Cdr Strike Command Planning Desert Storm

LE GASSICK Lt Col Cyril Norman (Sandy) Le Gassick MBE Died 26 May 2021 aged 96 Royal Signals . Bletchley Park Signals Intelligence

LE GASSICK Jean (Stve) (nee Stephenson) died 23rd May 2021 ATS and WRAC

MAXSE Col Martin William Frederick Maxse LVO died 20 April 2021

MAYHEW Major Kenneth George Mayhew 18 January 1917 - 14 May 2021  D-Day Ist Suffolks Sword beach Caen, wounded after Op Market Garden & again in Germany (when comany cdr)

MCMILLAN (Norman) Hamilton McMillan OBE, CMG 28 October 1946 - 20 April 2021 Intelligence Officer Rome, Bangladesh, Cairo, CT, i/c European opns

MIELNICZEK L Cpl Jozef Mielniczek died 7 June 2021 aged 95. 12th Podolian (Ulan) Lancers Italy (Monte Cassino?)

NEWBOULD Col Christopher Newbould died June 2021 aged 79 Glosters. Malaysia/Borneo, Belize, Northern Irelnd

NICOLL Flt Lt John Frederick Freddie' Nicoll DFC 5 November 1920 -14 May 2021 Hurricane pilot, 55 combat sorties WW2.Syria 208 Sqn over El Alamein, 6Sqn Vis off Yugoslavia

POLLACK Col Dr Thomas Pollack died June 2021 aged 74 4 Para (TA) ; 22 SAS ; RAMC Oman, NATO, Kosovo, Kabul, Basra Longest servig para, most jumps

QUICK Sqn Ldr George Holland Quick died 28 March 2021 aged 98

REICH Flt Lt Douglas Gordon Reich 28 May 1922 - 5 April 2021 " (AC) Sqn reonnaisance shot down post D-Day near Rouen PoW Stalag Luft III

ROTHERY Brig Richard Campbell Rothery OBE died 20 June 21 Royal Irish Fusiliers/Royal Irish Rangers

SEARBY CBE TD died 3 April 2021 aged 77 KOYLI

STEVENSON Air Cdre James Mackerith Stevenson CBE died 28 March 2021 aged 94

SWINBURN Brig David Henry Amyatt Swinburn CBE died 11 June 2021 aged 86

THWAITES Brig Donald Ernest Thwaites RAEC died 4 May 2021 aged 87

WALMSLEY Gp Capt Harold Edward Walmsley DFC and bar, Belgian Croix de Guerre with palm 14 December 1922 - 2 April 2021 Wartime Spitfire pilot 11 kills, 2 ground destrpyed. Flight training in Southern Rhodesia (editor's father kept him in the air) Sgt pilot 611 Sqn.Biggin Hill Commissioned. Flight cdr 130 Sqn Normandy, shot down during Battle of the Bulge. 130 (Punjab) Sqn,, CO 350 (Belgian) Sqn.. Post war CO *) Sqn. Instructor during Korean War. Stn Cdr RAF Boulmer. Singapore

WARD Lt Col Simon Andrew Buxton Ward died 20 April 2021 QDG

WHITE Cpl Grahame White 17 December 1934 - 4 April 2021 Royal Signals Nat Service. Later firefighter

WILKES Col Richard Geoffrey Wilkes CBE TD DL Died 21 June 21 aged 93 Royal Leicestershires

YORTSON Malcolm Yortson 1924 - 2021 Royal Artillery (engineer) Imphal Observation officer later doctor

 

later added

HORRELL Roger Horrell CMG OBE 9 July 1935 – 21 May 2021 National Service Devonshire Regt Kenya MI6 officer Gulf, Africa, London
McLEOD Kathlen McLeod (Poole) 19 December 1922 – 6 May 2021 WAAF Air defences radar operator – long range surveillance (inc D-Day, V1, V2, Arado 234)
MARR Flt Lt (later Sir) Leslie Lyn Marr 14 August 1922 – 4 May 2021 Ground radar. Egypt later artist and racing driver