Hello

Hello everyone,

After researching local WW1 memorials I'm now looking at the old boys of my school (Woking Grammar School for Boys in Surrey) for a future web site. 71 Old boys appear on the WW2 roll of honour who are buried/remembered from Rangoon to Runnymede. The most famous is probably Wing Cmdr. Paddy Coote, bi-plane ace and Irish rugby international shot down in Greece.

Most are RAF/RAFVR.

So far I have at least basic details on 63 of them and about 20 more who also served.

Most of my research is over the net as I'm exiled in Dubai.

Cheers,

Clive.

 

Welcome Clive

look forward to providing any assistance I can

 

Welcome to the forum Clive
:band1:

 

Hi Clive and welcome !

Lovely place - Dubai !!

Have you seen this already for your "Paddy " ?? ... might fill in some gaps !

Commonwealth biplane fighter aces – Patric ’Paddy’ Coote

Annie

 

Hi Clive and welcome to the forum!!

 

I found this young man while I was looking for something else !!

In Memory of
Pilot Officer CYRIL ERNEST HORWOOD

66538, 489 (R.N.Z.A.F.) Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
who died age 21
on 02 October 1941
Son of Arthur Anderson Horwood and Lena May Horwood; husband of Betty Horwood, of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.

Remembered with honour
THORNABY-ON-TEES CEMETERY

P/O (prob)
06.05.1941 [66538]
Education - Woking County Grammar School for Boys, Surrey.
06.05.1941 - commissioned, RAFVR (General Duties Branch) emergency commission

02.10.1941 - pilot, 489 (New Zealand) Squadron RAF (Coastal Command)
Took off 12.30 hrs from Leuchars in his Beaufort I [N1075 A] for solo training, but crashed in the mouth of the river Eden on the approach. His body was later recovered off Thornaby.

489 Squadron

Photo of his headstone is available at the Wargraves project !!

The War Graves Photographic Project

 

Thanks for that Annie, I had the info on Paddy but not on Cyril. Much appreciated.

 

Found this snippet too !

In Memory of
Flying Officer WILLIAM JAMES HART

125306, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
who died age 20
on 03 February 1943
Son of Sidney H. and Frances M. Hart, of Weybridge, Surrey.

Remembered with honour
RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Ldg.Acm. ? [1314282]
P/O (prob) 28.06.1942 [125306]
F/O (prob) 28.12.1942
Education: Woking County Grammar School for Boys, Surrey.
28.06.1942 commissioned, RAFVR (General Duties Branch) [emergency commission]

Woking Grammar School Memorial | Goldsworth Park Community Association | Window on Woking

 

Thanks Annie, that's list I've been working off. Where did you get the other non CWGC info on Hart?

 

Clive

if you give us a list of those names that you don't have any info on, we can get cracking

 

Thanks Kyt... I have absolutely nothing on these boys except they were old boys of Woking County School (as it was then known in pre-Grammar days) in Surrey and potential CWGC matches... I hope to get their first names soon though from the school records... about 80% so far have proven to be RAF/RAFVR...

H. A. M. Baker
F. G. Collins
G. L. Knight
C. J. Matthews
S. Pratt
F. Whitlock

 

And these ones are speculation from CWGC matches...

D. R. Ford - Flt. Lt. D. R. O. Ford, 254 Sqn. RAFVR.
E. J. Winton - F/O Edward Winton, 186 Sqn. RAFVR.

 

Can I ask ? .... have you found they were all casualties ? ... only I know on my Honour Roll I was tearing my hair out looking for my guys then found out they had served but were still included as those who had died !

Hart and Horwood here !

Royal Air Force (Volunteer Reserve) Officers 1939-1945 -- H

Have you been here ? ........

The National Archives | National Register of Archives | Corporate details | Archive Details

In Memory of
Captain SIDNEY GEORGE ARMSTRONG

189082, 2nd Bn., The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
formerly, Royal Army Medical Corps
who died age 35
on 07 December 1941
Son of George and Mary Ann Armstrong, of Weybridge, Surrey; husband of Helen Armstrong, of Durban, Natal, South Africa.

Remembered with honour
TOBRUK WAR CEMETERY

Cadet
?
Lt.
29.12.1940 [189082]
Education - Woking County Grammar School for Boys, Surrey.
served (in the ranks?), Royal Army Medical Corps
?
-
28.12.1940 Officer Cadet Training Unit
29.12.1940 commissioned, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) [emergency commission]
?
-
07.12.1941 2nd Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

 

Thanks Annie, yes the roll is inscribed 'in memory of the old boys of the school who gave their lives in the world war 1939-1945'. But I've already found one not listed on the roll. And yes I've been to the Surrey History Centre and have a friend currently looking for obits in the local paper but I'm exiled in Dubai.

 

Just can't find a H. A. M. Baker anywhere

 

Me neither but it won't be the first mistake on that roll of honour.

 

There is also the possibility that some died of wounds after the 1947 CWGC cutoff date. Many memorials/plaques include such names, especially after WW1

 

Heres a snippet about a flyer who came home !!

Brookwood Village Newsletter February 2006

 

Apologies if you already have but it maybe worth getting hold of:

Surrey History : Exploring Surrey's Past - Archive Record

It may actually contain the forenames, if nothing else

 

I found this Collins ... son of Francis George !! ( printing error maybe ?? )

In Memory of
Able Seaman TERENCE FRANCIS COLLINS

CH/ LDX. 5312, H.M.S. Colombo., Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
who died age 27
on 04 April 1942
Son of Francis George and Annie Marshall Collins, of Woking, Surrey.

Remembered with honour
MOMBASA (MBARAKI) CEMETERY