College members who died in 1944

Walter Fairfax Cameron Cassels (1920-1944)

Walter Fairfax Cameron Cassels was born in London on 6 January 1920, the son of Georgina (née Eastwood) and George Cassels, a banker. He was educated at Eton College until 1937 and entered Worcester College, Oxford on 7 October 1938 to study history. He left the College for military service before taking his degree.

Walter Cassels was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on the 27 September 1941. In 1944 he was attached to the 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry in Burma, where he took part in an attack on a Japanese position on Pyinshe Kala Ridge on 26 January 1944. The following day the Japanese launched a counterattack and the Somersets were forced to fall back, and to abandon their wounded, who were reportedly killed by the Japanese troops. Lieutenant Walter Cassels was among the wounded men known to have been left behind, and he was reported as killed in action on 27 January 1944. He was 24 years old.

Walter Cassels is commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial, and on the war memorials at Eton College and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information from 'List of Etonians who fought in the World War 1939-1945; further information from TNA - 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry war diary, WO 172/4916.

 

Francis Howard Savory (1918-1944)

Francis Howard Savory was born in Chelsea on 28 October 1918, the son of the Reverend Gerald Savory and Margaret (née Dickins). He was educated at Rugby School from 1932 to 1937 where he was a member of the School Rugby XV and excelled at singing and playing the cello.

Francis Savory entered Worcester College on 8 October 1937 on a choral exhibition, and achieved 2nd class honours in Jurisprudence in 1940. He enlisted as a Private in the Queen’s Royal Regiment, transferring to the East Surrey Regiment on 3 October 1940, before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 1 August 1942. He joined 22 Battery, 24th Field Regiment in the field on 18 August 1942.

On 8 February 1944 the 24th Field Regiment was in positions to the north of Anzio in Italy. During the morning they came under enemy artillery fire and Lieutenant Francis Savory was killed during the bombardment. He was 25 years old.

Francis Savory is buried in Anzio War Cemetery in Italy. He is commemorated on the war memorials at St John the Baptist’s Church, Cherington in Warwickshire, and at Rugby School and Worcester College, Oxford. After his death, his parents gave his books to the College Law Library.

School information courtesy of Rugby School Archives; further information from TNA - 24 Field Regiment RA war diaries, WO 170/934.

 

Harald Ivar Sylvester Bendixson (1902-1944)

Harald Ivar Sylvester Bendixson, known as Sylvester, was born in London on 8 May 1902, the younger son of Evelyn (née Johnson) and Harald Bendixson, a merchant. He was educated at Rugby School from 1915 to 1920.

Sylvester Bendixson entered Worcester College on 8 October 1920. He was a successful member of the College Boat Club, rowing in both the Torpid and the Eight in 1921 and 1922. In 1922 the Worcester College Torpid went Head of the River. Bendixson left Oxford without taking a degree and became a stockbroker. He married Evelyn Palgrave in 1931.

In 1940, the firm of stockbrokers in which Sylvester Bendixson was a partner was dissolved by mutual consent, and he was commissioned as a probationary Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was confirmed in his rank and promoted to Flying Officer on 27 December 1941.

Sylvester Bendixson was serving with Air Headquarters, Far East when he was captured by the Japanese on the 17 March 1942. Flight Lieutenant Sylvester Bendixson spent just under two years as a prisoner of war and died on 9 March 1944 of suppurative bronchitis at a camp at Medan on North Sumatra. He was 41 years old.

Sylvester Bendixson is buried at Jakarta War Cemetery and commemorated on the war memorials at Rugby School and Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph of Sylvester Bendixson in the Worcester College 1st Torpid that went Head of the River in 1922, Worcester College Archives; further information from TNA - RAF Casualties Far East, WO 361/1328; and cofepow.org.uk.

 

Christopher William Barneby (1915-1944)

Christopher William Barneby, known as Chris, was born in Herefordshire on 19 June 1915, the only son of Verena (née Turner) and William Barneby. He was educated at Harrow School from 1929 to 1934, where he was awarded the watercolour painting prize in 1933.

Chris Barneby entered Worcester College on 14 October 1934. While up at the College he was a member of the Boat Club, rowing with the 3rd Eight in 1935. He achieved 4th class honours in Physics in 1937. Following his graduation he attended the Slade School of Art.

In 1938 Chris Barneby joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force but, following the outbreak of war, he joined an Officer Training Unit for the Royal Artillery and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 21 September 1940. He served with the 96th (Royal Devon Yeomanry) Field Regiment in West Africa from 1942, and was attached to the 3rd Light Battery, West African Artillery, Royal West African Frontier Force from 1943 as commanding officer of A Troop; the regiment were posted to India for service in Burma [now Myanmar] that same year.

In March 1944 Chris Barneby’s A Troop moved to support the 4th Nigeria Regiment at the village of Sabaseck, near Wanbanhla, Burma. He led a party forward to establish a forward observation post, which was attacked by the Japanese on 18 March. Captain Chris Barneby was killed in the first assault. He was 28 years old.

Chris Barneby is commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial, and on the war memorials of St Mary’s Church, Edvin Leach, Herefordshire, Harrow School, and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Harrow School Archives; further information from TNA - 3rd Light Battery, West African Artillery war diaries, WO 172/6656; and John A. L. Hamilton, War Bush - 81 (West African) Division in Burma 1943-1945 (2001).

 

Thomas Henry Maurice Roseby (1921-1944)

Thomas Henry Maurice Roseby was born in Mauritius on 16 September 1921, the only son of Alice (née Coles) and Thomas Roseby, a barrister-at-law and Judge of the Supreme Court of Mauritius. He was educated at Cheltenham College from 1932 to 1939, and entered Worcester College, Oxford on 13 October 1939, but left in 1940 to join the army.

Thomas Roseby was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 16th Punjab Regiment before being attached to the 152nd Battalion Indian Parachute Regiment where he was appointed the second in command of C Company. In March 1944 the Japanese launched a major offensive into India with the main objective being the town of Kohima. On the afternoon of the 18th of March 1944 Naga villagers arrived from the village of Pushing to report that Japanese troops had occupied their village and were advancing west towards Sangshak. Directly in the path of the Japanese advance was C Company, under the command of Major John Fuller. By 2pm on 19 March they were completely surrounded. They beat off a number of continuous attacks throughout the day and night, during which Thomas Roseby was seriously wounded. Captain Thomas Roseby died of his injuries on 20 March 1944, aged 22.

Thomas Roseby is buried at Imphal War Cemetery in India. He is commemorated on the Cheltenham Borough war memorial, and on the war memorials at Cheltenham College and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Cheltenham College Archives; further information from Harry Seaman, The Battle at Shangshak (1989).

 

Michael Granville Brown (1921-1944)

Michael Granville Brown was born in Wandsworth on 29 April 1921 to South African parents. He was adopted and raised by Ethel Pickersgill-Cunliffe and educated at Chelmsford Hall and Eastbourne College from 1935 to 1939, where he was appointed a House Captain.

In October 1939 Michael Brown matriculated at Worcester College to study history, but left the College in early 1941 for military service. He attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) on 19 July 1941. He transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry with the rank of Lieutenant on 3 April 1943 and was subsequently attached to the 1st Battalion Gambia Regiment, joining them in the field in June 1943.

On the night of the 26/27 March 1944, Lieutenant Michael Brown was killed in action while on patrol in the area of Aungya, Burma [now Myanmar]. He was 22 years old.

Michael Brown is commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial, and on the war memorials of Eastbourne College, and Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph courtesy of Eastbourne College Archives; further information from the 'Eastbourne College War Service Record 1939-1946'; TNA - War Diary 1st Gambia Regt, WO 172/6699; and John A. L. Hamilton, War Bush - 81 (West African) Division in Burma 1943-1945 (2001).

 

Peter Astley Stockton (1920-1944)

Peter Astley Stockton was born in Lincolnshire on 23 November 1920, the younger son of the Reverend Samuel Stockton and Kathleen (née Summers). He was educated at Shrewsbury School from 1932 to 1939, and entered Worcester College, Oxford on 13 October 1939 to read law. He left Oxford to join the army without taking a degree.

Peter Stockton was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the King’s Regiment (Liverpool) on 12 April 1941 and was later attached to the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry where he commanded No. 4 Platoon in A Company.

Lieutenant Peter Stockton was killed in action on 23 April 1944, leading his Platoon in a counterattack on a Japanese trench during the Battle of Kohima in India. He was 23 years old.

Peter Stockton is commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial, and on the war memorials at Shrewsbury School and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Shrewsbury School Archives; further information from TNA: 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry war diaries, WO 172/4877; Casualties 2nd Durham Light Infantry, WO 361/399; and from Leslie Edwards, Kohima - The Furthest Battle (2018).

 

Michael John St Brelade Seale (1920-1944)

Michael John St Brelade Seale was born in Berkshire on 13 August 1920, the only son of Flight Lieutenant Cedric Seale RAFVR and Dorothy (née Seanor). He was educated at Trent College, and entered Worcester College on 13 October 1939 as a scholar. He left the following year, without taking a degree, to join the army.

Michael Seale attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) on 29 March 1941. He later transferred for service with the Indian Army. In late May 1944, the 4th Battalion 12th Frontier Force were involved in fighting along the Silchar Track near the village of Nungshai in Burma [now Myanmar] where they had been involved in a number of skirmishes with the Japanese. On 20 May 1944 Lieutenant Michael Seale was killed in a failed attack on an enemy position near the village. He was 23 years old.

Michael Seale is commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial, and on the war memorials at Bexley in Kent and at Worcester College, Oxford.

Further information from TNA - 4th/12th Frontier Force war diaries, WO 172/4979.

 

Alfred Charles Allwood Greenfield (1923-1944)

Alfred Charles Allwood Greenfield was born in Surrey on 30 July 1923, the only child of Beatrice (née Allwood) and Charles Greenfield, a civil servant in the Scottish Education Department. He was educated at Colet Court School and at St Paul’s School from 1937 to 1941, where he was Secretary of the Cycling Club and boxed as a heavyweight. He was promoted to pack leader in the Boy Scouts in 1940.

Alfred Greenfield entered Worcester College on 10 October 1941 as an RAF cadet, and completed a short course over two terms. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the RAFVR on 12 February 1943 and was promoted to Flying Officer on 12 August the same year. On the night of 6/7 June 1944 Bomber Command despatched 1,065 aircraft to attack enemy communication lines in support of the Allied invasion. Alfred Greenfield and his crew from 44 Squadron took off from RAF Dunholme Lodge at 12.39am on 7 June 1944 bound for Caen. They were forced to attack at low level due to cloud over the area and came under heavy fire from German anti-aircraft guns. Their Lancaster failed to return from the mission and its wreckage was discovered by advancing Allied units on 27 August 1944. Flying Officer Alfred Greenfield was therefore reported killed in action on 7 June 1944, aged 20.

Alfred Greenfield is buried at La Deliverande War Cemetery in France. A stained glass window was given in his memory by his father to St Mary’s Church, Cuddington, and he is commemorated on the war memorials at St Paul’s School, and at Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of St Paul's School Archives; further information from W. R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War (2005); and Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, The Bomber Command War Diaries 1939-1945 (1985).

 

Dick Henry Brewster Thornton (1907-1944)

Dick Henry Brewster Thornton was born on 21 July 1907, the elder son of Gwendoline and Thornton Benjamin Thornton, a jute merchant. He was educated at Eton College until 1926 and entered Worcester College, Oxford on 15 October 1926. He graduated with a pass degree in 1929.

Dick Thornton studied at the Inner Temple and was called to the bar in 1933. He practised as a barrister at law until 1940 and was a member of the Medico Legal Society. He married Joan Rosemary Cohen on 16 December 1937 and they honeymooned in New York. They had a son named Jeremy in December 1938.

Following the outbreak of war Dick Thornton enlisted a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards on 4 September 1940. He suffered from an old injury to his left knee which caused some pain and caused him to walk with a limp. As a result, a medical board ruled that he should not serve on active duty. He transferred to the London District Legal Aid Section on 15 July 1942 and was promoted to Captain in October that year.

On Sunday 18 June 1944 Dick Thornton attended a service at the Guards Chapel in Whitehall to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo and the recent success in the Normandy landings. The service was in progress when the Chapel was hit by a V1 ‘Doodlebug’ rocket, the explosion completely destroying the roof and supporting walls. Major Dick Thornton was among those killed. He was 36 years old.

Dick Thornton is commemorated at Golders Green Crematorium, and on the war memorials at Lord’s Cricket Ground, Eton College, the Inner Temple and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information from 'List of Etonians who fought in the World War 1939-1945'; further information from Jan Gore, Send More Shrouds (2017).

 

Ralph Henry Whitrow (1896-1944)

Ralph Henry Whitrow was born at Tunbridge Wells, Kent on 20 December 1896, the younger son of Mary (née Davey) and Benjamin Whitrow, a chemist and druggist. He was educated at Tonbridge School from 1910 to 1916, where he won the School Prize in 1916.

Ralph Whitrow enlisted in the Royal Artillery on 28 August 1916 and attended an Officer Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery (Special Reserve of Officers) on 13 January 1917. He served in France. Ralph Whitrow was demobilised on 20 June 1919 and entered Worcester College, Oxford on 10 October that year, achieving 2nd class honours in Modern History in 1922. While at the College he was a member of the Boat Club, rowing in the 2nd Torpid in 1921. He went on Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxford, and was ordained in 1923. He relinquished the rank of Lieutenant when he transferred to the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department with the rank of Chaplain 4th Class on 13 October 1928.

Ralph Whitrow married Brenda Muriel Bent on 6 July 1932, and they had three children, William in 1933, and twins John and Lucy in 1936. Following the outbreak of the Second World War he was called up for war service, promoted to Chaplain 3rd Class, and appointed as Senior Chaplain to 45 Divisional Headquarter at Exeter. On 17 May 1944 he took up an appointment as Deputy Assistant Chaplain General London District and was appointed as Chaplain to the Brigade of Guards. 

On 18 June 1944 Ralph Whitrow was the officiating Chaplain at a service at the Guards Chapel in Whitehall to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo and the recent success in the Normandy landings. The service was in progress when the Chapel was hit by a V1 ‘Doodlebug’ rocket, the explosion completely destroying the roof and supporting walls. The Reverend Ralph Whitrow, Chaplain 2nd Class, was among those killed. He was 47 years old.

Ralph Whitrow is buried at West Hill Old Cemetery in Winchester, and is commemorated on the war memorials at Tonbridge School and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Tonbridge School; further information from: David Walsh, A Duty to Serve, Tonbridge School and the 1939-1945 War (2011); and Jan Gore, Send More Shrouds (2017).

 

Peter Roger Anson Ford (1917-1944)

Peter Roger Anson Ford was born  in Edinburgh on 8 May 1917, the eldest son of Kathleen (née Morris) and the Reverend Roger Anson Ford. He was educated first at George Watson’s College from 1925 to 1931, and then at Trinity College Glenalmond from 1931 to 1936 where he was a Lance Corporal in the Officer Training Corps.

In 1936 Peter Ford was awarded scholarships to both Keble College and Worcester College in Oxford, and chose the more valuable one at Worcester. He entered the College on 9 October 1936, but left without taking a degree, and joined the RAF in 1938. While at Worcester he was a member of the College Boat Club, rowing in the 2nd Torpid and 2nd Eight in 1937.

Peter Ford was commissioned as an Acting Pilot Officer on a short service commission in the Royal Air Force on the 4th of June 1938 and was confirmed in his rank on the 4th of April 1939.  He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 3rd of September 1940 and to Flight Lieutenant on the 3rd of September 1941. He saw service in Malta, Cairo, India and in Burma where he won the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 24th of March 1942. He was serving with 113 Squadron when he was wounded during an attack on enemy shipping off Sicily. He was promoted to Squadron Leader on the 29th of December 1942 and returned to the UK in 1943.

On 20 June 1944, Peter Ford and his crew from 180 Squadron took off from RAF Dunsfold for a mission to bomb the V1 flying bomb site at Bois Coquerelle, near Abbeville. While over the target area the aircraft was hit in the nose by a burst of flak and exploded on the ground at Liercourt. The entire crew was killed, including Squadron Leader Peter Ford, who was 27 years old.

Peter Ford is buried at St Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, and commemorated on the war memorials at George Watson’s College and Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph of Peter Ford in the Worcester College 2nd Torpid, 1937, Worcester College Archives; school and other information courtesy of George Watson's College Archives and Glenalmond College Archives; further information from TNA - RAF Casualty Report 28.9.41, AIR/9399.

 

Leslie William John King (1913-1944)

Leslie William John King, known as Bill, was born on 24 November 1913, the son of Emily and William King, a laboratory assistant. He was employed by Worcester College as a library clerk.

Bill King enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve at RAF Uxbridge in September 1939, and initially trained as an engine fitter on ground crew. By mid-1942 he had risen to the rank of Sergeant, qualified as a flight engineer, and was posted to 57 Squadron based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. He was promoted to flight sergeant and took part in the low-level raid on the factory at Le Creusot on 17 October 1942, during which he was seriously wounded when a bird strike shattered the windscreen of his aircraft. He underwent treatment in hospital until his return to operations in January 1943.

Bill King was commissioned as a Pilot Officer on 9 May 1943 and by September that year had completed 29 missions with 57 Squadron. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 22 October 1943. He was promoted to Flying Officer on 9 November 1943. On the 14 November 1943 he joined 617 (Dambusters) Squadron at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, having been personally requested by Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire.

On 24 June 1944 Bill King and his crew took off from RAF Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire for an attack on the V2 rocket launch site at Wizernes in France. During their bombing run the aircraft was hit by two flak bursts, killing Flight Lieutenant Bill King instantly. He was 30 years old.

Bill King is buried at Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery in France, and commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph courtesy of the RAF Balderton Research Group; further information from: W. R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War (2005); Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, The Bomber Command War Diaries 1939-1945 (1985); and John Nichol, Return of the Dambusters (2013).

 

Derrick James Coffee (1924-1944)

Derrick James Coffee was born at Beckenham in Kent on 28 May 1924, the son of Winifred (née Blackford) and Randall Coffee, senior charge engineer at an electric power station. He was educated at Beckenham County Boys School (now Langley Park School for Boys), and entered Worcester College as an RAF cadet on 24 April 1942.

After the conclusion of his RAF short course at Worcester, Derrick Coffee rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftsman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on 12 November 1943. He was further promoted to Flying Officer on the 12 May 1944. While training at No 4 Elementary Flying Training School based at RAF Brough Flying Officer Derrick Coffee crashed into a river during a solo flight on 30 June 1944. Although able to climb out of his aircraft, witnesses reported that he drowned before a rescue boat could reach him. He was 19 years old.

Derrick Coffee is buried at Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

Further information from TNA - No.4 Elementary Flying Training School operations diary, AIR 29/617/1.

 

Cyril Minton-Senhouse (1909-1944)

Cyril Minton-Senhouse was born in Wolstanton on 18 November 1909, the elder son of Emily (née Meakin) and Herbert Minton-Senhouse, the manager of a pottery works. He was educated at Sedbergh School from 1923 to1928, and entered Worcester College, Oxford on 12 October 1928. Cyril Minton-Senhouse graduated with a pass degree in 1932 and after leaving the University he was ordained in the Church of England.

In 1939, the Reverend Minton-Senhouse was vicar of Newtown, near Basingstoke in Hampshire. Following the outbreak of war he served as an ARP Warden in the village. He was commissioned as a Chaplain 4th Class in the Royal Army Chaplains Department on 17 June 1940. Cyril Minton-Senhouse married Rebe Kathleen Clarke of Haslemere in 1944.

Cyril Minton-Senhouse was posted as Padre to 151 (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery on 31 January 1944; they arrived in Normandy on 13 June of that year. On 29 June 1944 the Regimental Headquarters came under attack from the German artillery and several enemy shells landed in the area, wounding two gunners and severely wounding Cyril Minton-Senhouse to the head. He was evacuated to a field hospital, but on 30 June 1944 the Reverend Chaplain Cyril Minton-Senhouse died of his wounds, he was 35. 

Cyril Minton-Senhouse is buried at Ryes War Cemetery in France. He is commemorated on the war memorials at Newtown, Haslemere, Sedbergh School, and at Worcester College, Oxford.

School information from the Sedbergh School Register; further information from TNA -151 Field Regiment war diaries, WO 171/997.

 

Ian David Henry Clarson (1924-1944)

Ian David Henry Clarson was born in Shropshire on 6 December 1924, the son of Winifred (née Gradidge) and Major Joseph Henry Clarson. He was educated at Gosden House School near Guildford, and then at Lord Wandsworth College, Long Sutton from 1934 to 1941 where he was a member of the Football XI and the school swimming team, and Captain of the Cricket XI in 1941. On leaving school he went to work as a clerk at the offices of Messrs Heinz & Co at Bristol.

Ian Clarson was called up for military service in 1942 and selected for a Royal Air Force University Short Course. He entered Worcester College, Oxford on 9 October 1942 to study modern history and geography. He was a member of the College Football XI and was selected for the University team against the RAF.

On leaving the College at the conclusion of his short course, Ian Clarson underwent further training in Northern Ireland. He rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftsman before being commissioned in the RAFVR on 1 February 1944, and trained as a navigator. In June 1944 he survived the crash of his aircraft during training. He and his crew joined 78 Squadron on 7 July 1944 and completed 3 bombing operations, but on the fourth were shot down by a German fighter on the night of the 18/19 July. The aircraft crashed in northern France killing the entire crew including Flying Officer Ian Clarson. He was 19 years old.

Ian Clarson is buried at Neufmoulin Communal Cemetery, France. He is commemorated on the war memorials at Lord Wandsworth College, and at Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph courtesy of aircrewremembered.com; school information courtesy of Lord Wandsworth College Archives; further information from: yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk; W. R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War (2005); and Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, The Bomber Command War Diaries 1939-1945 (1985).

 

Gordon Lawrence Revnell (1916-1944)

Gordon Lawrence Revnell was born in Dover on 28 January 1916, the fourth and youngest son of the Reverend Arthur Revnell OBE and Lily (née Barker). He was educated at Kingswood School, Bath from 1929 to 1933, where he was a member of the Cricket XI and a keen actor in the school’s productions. After leaving school he was prevented from going to university by ill-health and initially worked as a school master.

Gordon Revnell entered Worcester College on 13 October 1939, aged 23, but left in the summer of 1940 to join the army. He subsequently qualified for a pass degree (wartime) and his BA was conferred on 24 July 1943.

Gordon Revnell was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on 31 May 1941. On 5 July 1944 he was attached to the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment and joined them at Bas de Mouen in Normandy, where he was appointed as a platoon commander with A Company. Lieutenant Gordon Revnell was killed in action on the night of 23 July 1944 after A Company ran into an ambush of German Panzer Grenadiers. He was 28 years old.

Gordon Revnell is commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial and on the war memorials at Kingswood School and Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph and school information courtesy of Kingsdown School archives; further information from TNA - 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment war diaries, WO 171/1396.

 

Peter Munro Sutherland (1924-1944)

Peter Munro Sutherland was born in Northumberland on 17 August 1924, the only son of Nina (née Wimble) and Arthur Sutherland. He was educated at Loretto Junior School from 1934 to 1935 and then at Stowe School from 1936 to 1940. After a period of farm work he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He entered Worcester College, Oxford, on 24 April 1942, as an RAF Cadet on a short course. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer and was promoted to Flying Officer on 17 March 1944 . He was posted to No. 14 (Pilot) Advanced Training Unit.

On 29 July 1944 Peter Sutherland took off from RAF Fraserburgh in Scotland for a night navigational exercise in an Airspeed Oxford aircraft. The aircraft was descending in cloud when it struck high ground near Bucksburn in Aberdeenshire at 2am. Due to fog, the wreck was not discovered until 7am that morning, when Peter Sutherland was found alive and conscious hanging from the wreckage with his leg trapped. He was taken to the Royal Naval Hospital at Kingseat suffering from fractures of the skull and legs and was placed on the dangerously ill list. Flying Officer Peter Sutherland died of his wounds two days later, on 31 July 1944, aged 19.

Peter Sutherland is buried Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (West Road) Crematorium, and commemorated on the war memorials at Foulden in Berwickshire, Loretto School, Stowe School, and Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph and school information courtesy of Loretto School Archives; school information courtesy of Stowe School Archives; Further information from TNA - No.14 Advanced Pilot Training Unit operations book, AIR 29/561/2; and RAFCommands.com.

 

Eduardo Henry de Renier Copé di Valromita (1906-1944)

Eduardo Henry de Renier Copé di Valromita was born at Paignton in Devon on 9 September 1906, the son of Baron James Biddle Copé di Valromita, an author, and Marie (née Saunders), of Rome. He was educated at Begbroke School, and entered Worcester College on 13 October 1923.

Eduardo Copé was unable to return to Worcester College for his second year due to a lack of funds, and completed his education in Italy, including a PhD on Samuel Johnson. In 1938 he had been working as a professor of Italian literature at University College Cork in Ireland for three months when he made an attempt to commit suicide, having become severely depressed. As a result he was asked to leave the country or face prosecution.

During the Second World War Eduardo Copé was living in Italy. As the German Army retreated from southern Italy in the summer of 1944 they came under an increasing number of attacks from local Italian partisans who ambushed their convoys. In retaliation the Germans routinely rounded up groups of local men and announced that they would be shot unless the perpetrators of the attack gave themselves up. According to a letter received by the College in 1945, Eduardo Copé offered himself in place of an older man with several children, and this offer was accepted. Eduardo Copé di Valromita was shot by German forces on 11 August 1944, at Viareggio in Tuscany. He was 37.

Eduardo Copé di Valromita is commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

 

Franz Herbert Koretz (1920-1944)

Franz Herbert Koretz was born at Vienna on 9 October 1920, the only son of Andula (née Pollack) and Paul Koretz, a lawyer working for MGM. He was educated at Ellesmere College, in Shropshire, until 1938, where he was Captain of Tennis and a member of the ‘Seven Club’.

Franz Koretz entered Worcester College on 7 October 1938 and passed his first year examinations in Law in June 1939, followed by a special ‘war group’ examination in Law in March 1940. He was unable to return to the College for Trinity Term 1940 as he was interned in the UK for four months in 1940, and only released on the condition he would leave the country for the USA. Koretz tried to enlist in the British Army but his request was refused as an alien from an enemy country. On 28 October 1940 he boarded the SS Cameronia and travelled to New York. He enlisted as a Private in the United States Army on 10 December 1943 and served with the 60th Infantry Regiment .

Private Franz Koretz was killed in action in France on 11 August 1944, aged 23.

Franz Koretz is buried in Brittany American Cemetery in France, and commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Ellesmere College Archives.

 

John Garnet Sutherin (1923-1944)

John Garnet Sutherin was born in Brentford on 5 June 1924, the son of Ruby (née Greenop) and Vivian Sutherin, a printer. He was educated at Shrewsbury School from 1937 to 1941, where he played football for his House and ran cross country. He entered Worcester College, Oxford, on 24 April 1942 as an RAF Cadet on a short course.

John Sutherin rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftsman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on probation on 13 November 1943. He was confirmed in his rank and promoted to Flying Officer on 13 May 1944.

On 26 August 1944 John Sutherin and his crew from No. 83 Operational Training Unit took off from RAF Peplow in a Wellington aircraft for a “Bullseye” exercise, involving a cross country flight with other aircraft and a dummy bombing run. At 1.25am they were over the village of Prestwood in Buckinghamshire when they collided with another aircraft. Flying Officer John Sutherin was killed in the crash, aged 21.

John Sutherin is buried at St Dunstan’s Church, Cheam in Surrey. He is commemorated with the other members of both crews on a memorial plaque at Prestwood, and on the war memorials at Shrewsbury School and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Shrewsbury School Archives; further information from W. R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War (2005).

 

Kenneth Michael Garton Durrant (1923-1944)

Kenneth Michael Garton Durrant (known as Michael) was born in Surrey on 17 September 1923, the only son of Catherine (née Wainwright) and Kenneth Garton Durrant, the director of a brewery. He was educated at Charterhouse School from 1937 to 1941 where he was a member of the Maniacs Cricket XI and the Harpies Football XI, and he won his school colours for cross country running.

Michael Durrant enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and entered Worcester College, Oxford as an RAF cadet on a short course on 24 April 1942. He trained as a navigator and rose to the rank of Sergeant. On leaving Worcester College he was posted to 582 Squadron. On the night of the 15/16 September 1944 Bomber Command ordered an operation on Kiel, and Michael Durrant was the navigator in a Lancaster bomber which took off from RAF Little Staughton at 10.28pm on the 15th. The aircraft crashed into the North Sea with the loss of the entire crew, including Sergeant Michael Durrant. He was 20 years old.

Michael Durrant is buried at Kiel War Cemetery and commemorated on the war memorials at Charterhouse School, at Weybridge, on a stained-glass window at St Mary’s Church, Christon, Bristol, and on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph and school information courtesy of Charterhouse School Archives; further information from W. R. Chorley, Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War (2005); and Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, The Bomber Command War Diaries 1939-1945 (1985).

 

Geoffrey Joseph Shaw (1913-1944)

Geoffrey Joseph Shaw was born on 3 January 1913, the son of Max Shaw (formerly Schwabacher), a stockbroker, and Amy (née Politzer). His father Lieutenant Max Shaw of the 16th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was killed in action on 15 September 1916. Geoffrey Shaw was educated at Rugby School from 1926 to 1930 and entered Worcester College, Oxford, on 9 October 1931. He was a member of the College Boat Club and rowed in the 2nd Eight in 1933. He achieved 2nd class honours in PPE in 1934. On leaving University he worked as a fur merchant.

Following the outbreak of war Geoffrey Shaw attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) on 2 November 1940. He was later attached to the 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, joining them at L'Eponniere in France on 6 August 1944 where he was placed in command of No. 4 Platoon in SP Company.

At 8pm on 25 September 1944 the 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were just to the north of the Wilhelmina Canal in Holland, having been involved in an attack that day, when they received orders for another attack the following day. They were to clear the open country to the north of the village of Liempde and the woods to its south. It was during this attack on the 26 September 1944 that Captain Geoffrey Shaw was killed in action, aged 31.

Geoffrey Shaw is buried in Mierlo War Cemetery in The Netherlands, and is commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Rugby School Archives; further information from TNA - 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders war diaries, WO 171/1262.

 

Edward Everard Henry Gerald Dawson (1910-1944)

Edward Everard Henry Gerald Dawson, known as Bertie, was born at Lincoln on 8 January 1910, the son of Blanche (née Wilson) and Herbert Dawson, an army officer. He was educated at The Oratory School, Caversham. Bertie Dawson entered Worcester College on 12 October 1928, but left before he could start his second year due to a lack of funds. After leaving Oxford he worked as a stockbroker.

Following the outbreak of war Bertie Dawson served as an ambulance driver before attending an Officer Training Unit from where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment on 29 April 1940. He was one of several officers who joined the battalion at their base at Castle Cary in Somerset, on its return from the fighting in France and Belgium.

In January 1944 the battalion underwent combined operations training in northern Scotland, in preparation for the invasion of Europe. Bertie Dawson was appointed to the command of S Company. On 6 June 1944, D-Day, the battalion landed on Sword Beach and Dawson was tasked with establishing a signal station at the beach exit at Hermanville-sur-Mer to co-ordinate the arrival of the rest of the battalion and its transport. During the next month the battalion was heavily engaged in the fighting around Caen and Bertie Dawson was wounded at Cambes Wood, after which he was evacuated for treatment.

Bertie Dawson re-joined his battalion in Holland on 10 October 1944, when he was appointed to the command of D Company. He took part in Operation Aintree the following day, which captured the town of Overloon, and then advanced to the Laag Heide Woods. Major Edward Dawson was killed during the attack that captured the woods, on 14 October 1944, aged 34.

Bertie Dawson is buried at Overloon War Cemetery, and commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.

Further information from Gary J. Weight, Mettle and Pasture (History of the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment 1939-1945), (2015).

 

Norman Travers Hankin (1910-1944)

Norman Travers Hankin was born at Whitley Bay in Northumberland on 28 April 1910, the younger son of Ethel (née Thompson) and Seymer Hankin, company secretary to an assurance company. He was educated at Bedford Modern School and then at St Paul’s School from 1923 to 1929 where he played water polo and won the Whittaker Cup for swimming. He later rowed for the 2nd Rowing Eight and served in the Officer Training Corps.

Norman Hankin entered Worcester College on 11 October 1929, where he was a member of the College Boat Club and rowed in several crews, including the 1st Torpid who went Head of the River in 1930. He achieved 2nd class honours in Jurisprudence in 1932. In February 1932 he won a scholarship to the Inner Temple and was called to the bar in 1934. He was also employed as a director of Messrs. R. Greg & Co Cotton Spinners of Stockport.

Norman Hankin married Rachel Spedding on 16 July 1938 in Chelsea. Following the outbreak of war, he attended an Officer Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Cheshire Regiment on 18 May 1940. Hankin was posted to the Middle East Supply Centres at Baghdad and at Tripoli, and was on the “Q” Staff in Cairo under Lieutenant Colonel R. H. Quinnell, Director of Civilian Transport for the Middle East. He was mentioned in despatches for “distinguished service in Persia-Iraq”, announced by the War Office on 3 August 1943.

It was while stationed in Cairo that Lieutenant Colonel Norman Hankin was killed in an accident on a houseboat on 15 October 1944, aged 34.

Norman Hankin is buried at Heliopolis War Cemetery in Egypt, and is commemorated on the war memorials at St Peter’s Church, Prestbury, Cheshire; St Paul’s School; and Worcester College, Oxford.

Photograph and further information from Arthur Crookenden, The History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Second World War 1939-1945 (1949); school information courtesy of St Paul's School Archives.

 

Duke William Moreau de Bellaing (1912-1944)

Duke William Moreau de Bellaing, known as William or Guillaume, was born at St Pancras in London on 29 March 1912, the son of Marguerite Clot, who was working as a nursery governess in the city. She later married the writer and poet Edouard Jacques Marie Joseph Moreau de Bellaing, who adopted William.

William de Bellaing entered Worcester College on 9 October 1936 and achieved a BLitt. At the beginning of 1944 he was living in Paris, where he worked as a lawyer and senior auditor. He was also a member of the French Resistance and was arrested and taken to Compiegne on 22 January 1944. Two days later William de Bellaing was transported to Buchenwald concentration camp, before being transferred to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria on 25 February 1933, where he was forced to work in the Flugmotorenwerke Ostmark aircraft engine factory. On 28 July 1944 he was transferred to the camp at Leibnitz-Graz where work was mostly carried out in tunnels on “miracle” weapons and other sensitive projects. William de Bellaing was transferred once more, to Peggau, on 9 September 1944, and died there on 4 November 1944, aged 32.

William de Bellaing is commemorated on the memorial to the Resistance at the Town Hall in Paris.  He does not appear on the Worcester College memorial as the College did not learn of his death until 2012.

Further information from monument-mauthausen.org.

 

Charles John Monro (1916-1944)

Charles John Monro was born in Kensington on 26 February 1916, the son of Colonel John Monro of the Royal Engineers, and Helen (née Middleton). He was educated at Harrow School from 1929 to 1934, where he served as a Cadet Sergeant in the School Officer Training Corps and was a member of the School Shooting VIII.

Charles Monro entered Worcester College on 14 October 1934, and achieved 4th class honours in Jurisprudence in 1937. After leaving the University he entered the Middle Temple to study Law.

Charles Monro was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (Supplementary Reserve of Officers) in the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) on 2 September 1939. During 1943 he was instructor at the 163rd Officer Cadet Unit from where he joined the 5th Battalion of his regiment at Little Marlow on 2 January 1944 as the second in command of B Company. He landed with the battalion at Fray-sur-Mer on Sword Beach at 8.30pm on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Due to heavy casualties in the days following the invasion the battalion was reduced to three companies with Charles Monro promoted to Company Commander. Major Charles Monro was killed by a V2 rocket in the city of Antwerp on 27 November 1944, aged 28.

He is buried at Schoonselhof Cemetery in Belgium and commemorated on the war memorials at Harrow School, the Middle Temple and Worcester College, Oxford.

School information courtesy of Harrow School Archives; further information from TNA: Flying bomb attacks on Antwerp, WO 205/813; and 5th Battalion Black Watch war diaries, WO 171/1266.

 

Charles Douglas Coldstream (1909-1944)

Charles Douglas Coldstream, known as Douglas, was born in London on 9 September 1909, the third son of Carlotta (née Young) and Francis Menzies Coldstream, a stockbroker. He was educated at Rugby School where he was a cadet sergeant in the Officer Training Corps.

Douglas Coldstream entered Worcester College on 14 October 1927 and achieved a pass degree in 1930. During his time at the College he was a member of the 1930 2nd Torpid crew and also held a commission with the 13th Battalion London Regiment. He resigned his commission on 9 July 1931.

With the outbreak of war looking ever more likely, Douglas Coldstream re-joined the service and was commissioned as a temporary Captain in the Army Educational Corps on 25 February 1938; he was confirmed in his rank on 29 January 1941. He was subsequently posted to India.

Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Coldstream died of pneumonia near Yatung in Tibet, on 9 December 1944, aged 35. He is buried in Gauhati War Cemetery, India and commemorated on the war memorial at Worcester College, Oxford.