Tag Archives: casualty

Wakefield’s Dambuster

Billy Hatton – the Wakefield Dambuster – how many of you knew we had a dambuster in our midst?

William Hatton was born in Wakefield on 24 March 1920, the son of George and Florence nee Lee.  The couple marrying in the Autumn iof 1911.

Billy attended the Holy Trinity School and later Thornes House, joining the RAFVR in 1940. He served as 1013557 and  rose to the rank of Sergeant.  Billy became a member of 617 Sqdn on 25 March 1943, as a flight engineer. His plane crashed into the sea 8 miles of Cromer and is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.

The Runnymede Memorial, cared for by the CWGC commemorates over 20,000 airmen who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the U K and North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They served in Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Transport, Flying Training and Maintenance Commands, and came from all parts of the Commonwealth. Some were from countries in continental Europe which had been overrun but whose airmen continued to fight within the ranks of the RAF.

During the month of May 1940, Billy was the Bestman at my cousins wedding – Albert Edward Binns and his wife, Evelyn Pickard at Flanshaw Congregational Chapel

Billy’s father George served in the RN in WW1, living at 8 Ingwell Street, Wakefield – just off one of the main thoroughfares in and out of the City.

So, like Nelly Spindler, you could say that they are ‘forgotten hero’s’ in their home town!

Photographs supplied by D Ross nee Binns

Crimean Casualty Rolls 1854 – 1856

‘Into the valley of death rode the 600’

Similar to the previous post but this time the Casualty Rolls of the Crimean War of 1854 – 56, mainly extracted from the London Gazette – these extracts are mainly pass on details and their accuracy is questionable.

Saying that, the information contained within the transcription is similar to the previous posts with serial no., name, regiment etc.,

Picture by Roger Fenton –
The Valley of Death – the road littered with cannonballs

The Crimean War was the first war to be photographed – Roger Fenton born in Crimble Hall, Heap, Lancashire in 1819 was the son of a banker and the grandson of a wealthy cotton manuracturer.  He went to UCL and attained a 1st Class honours degree.  He had an interest in the new art form – photography and it was this that he followed the war to Crimea on an assignment for Thomas Agnew.  Roger and his assistant, Marcus Sparling, took over 350 usable large format negatives.

The casualty Rolls for the Crimean War can be found here

The names of Officers and Troopers who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade on October 25th 1854 are here

South African Campaign of 1877-79

Casualty Rolls of the South African Campaign of 1877 – 79 (The Zulu Wars)

This Casualty Roll is not as easy to read as the previous blog entry but is still informative, especially if a member of your family served in the Zulu Wars.

If you have ever watched Zulu or Zulu Dawn, as I have many times – you can’t beat a good film, can you ? You will know of places such as Isandhlwana and Rorke’s Drift, but you may not know where they are.

It was at Rorke’s Drift where 150 soldiers defended a supply station against thousands of Zulu warriors and 11 of those very brave soldiers were awarded Britain’s most highest military decoration – The Victoria Cross, awarded for valour ‘in the face of the enemy’.

The information contained within the Roll is :- Army number (if applicable – Officers have no number) ; Rank ; Name ; Regiment ; Action i.e. KIA, Wounded, followed by place and date.

You may be familiar with such names as – 1373 Private Alfred Henry Hook, 2nd Btn 24th Foot, wounded at Rorke’s Drift on 23 January 1879, or 1362 Private Frederick Hitch, also from the 24th Foot, he was also wounded on 23 Janaury at Rorke’s Drift or even, 623 Sergeant Robert Maxfield again of the 24th Foot and KIA on 23 January.

The Casualty Rolls for the Zulu Wars can be found here

Afghan Campaign 1878-1880

The cd, Soldiers who died in The Great War is a good source for finding a soldier who was KIA or DoW in WW1.  Recently its counterpart for WW2 was also published  also on cd.  Both of these fantastic resources are now on pay per view sites and compliment the entries on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission with giving places of enlistment and cause of death i.e. Killed in Action or Died of Wounds.

But what do you do if your family member died in other conflicts.

I was recently sent a link to a very good site for the Afghan Campaign 1878-1880.  The information on the site gives the following information :-

Service number, rank, surname and christian name, regiment, how died or severity of wounds, place, date and remarks.  It is the remarks that are interesting.

For example, Captain Seymour Dun Barrow of the 10th Bengal Lancers was severely wounded at Patkao Shana on 1 July 1880, the remarks saying ‘ Incision to right forearm and left hand in a personal encounter with a nephew of Sultan Mahomed’.

Another entry for Lance Sergeant, 1583, William Cameron, 72nd Foot (Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders, KIA at Kandahar on 1st September 1880, the remarks state ‘Gunshot abdomen. ‘A grand specimen of a Highland soldier’.

Major John Cook, 5th Gurkha Regiment, Danger Wound, at Kabul on 12 December 1879, the remarks go on to say ‘Gunshot left leg. Awarded V.C. for Peiwar Kotal, 02 December 1878. Died of Wounds 19 December  1878’.

Or, 514 Colour Sergeant  Ge Jacobs, 72nd Foot (Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders), severely wounded at Kandahar on 1st September 1880.  He was awarded the DCM for Kabul, got a gunshot in the groin and was awarded bar to DCM.

Or, Private Jonathan Longworth, 32B/104, 1st Bn 12th Foot who was severely wounded at Besud on 19th May 1880.  He had a very deep knife wound, back of left shoulder with deep muscles severed.  He was awarded the DCM.

The detail about each soldier is concise but very informative and well worth a visit just to see what has been put in the remarks column, as there are a couple of V.C’s mentioned.

The information can be found here