MEB Works Club
Banks Eric Frank Sergeant/Wireless Operator 1132835
No. 3 Advanced Flying Unit.
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Eric was born on 1 August 1910 in Heath Town to Frank and Clara Edith Banks. In 1911 the family, along with Eric’s uncle Alfred, lived at 19 North Street, Wednesfield, where Frank worked as a locksmith. By 1922 they were still at the same address, and Eric now had two younger brothers, Edward John and Albert James. Their father died in February 1927.
Eric married Itala Florence Mary Lisle in July 1937 in Bilston. They had a son, Eric John, in 1938 and were living at 77 Carlton Avenue, Wednesfield, in 1939, where Eric worked as an electric meter fixer. Their daughter, Rita Mary, was born in September 1943, though Eric never had the chance to meet her.
Eric enlisted into the RAF at Padgate, Warrington between September 1939 and February 1940. He was based at Halfpenny Green Airport, Bobbington while he was training.
Eric was killed on 28 April 1943, aged 32, when his Anson I (N5379) training aircraft struck high ground at night during bad weather near Old Lodge Farm on Clee Hill, five miles east of Ludlow, Shropshire. All five crew members died in the crash.
Row 4. Grave 46. Wednesfield (St. Thomas) Churchyard Extension.
Blower William Able Seaman P/J 30874
H.M.S. Dunedin Royal Navy
William was born 11 January 1898 in Wolverhampton son of William and Ellen Blower, he was baptised at St. George's Church Wolverhampton 27 January 1898. In 1911 William and his parents were living at 13 Park Street Wolverhampton along with William's older brother Thomas and younger siblings Harry and May.
William joined the Royal Navy 5 May 1914, as a boy sailor, at the time of enlisting he was an iron worker. He served through the First World War and continued serving until his death in 1941. He served on many ships joining H.M.S. Dunedin 7 August 1939.
William married Lily Belle Home July 1922 at Dudley. Their daughter Lilian was born 15 July 1928. In 1939 the family home was 232 Bushbury Lane, Wolverhampton.
H.M.S. Dunedin was a Danae-class light cruiser, on 15 June 1941, Dunedin captured the German tanker Lothringen and gathered some highly classified Enigma cipher machines that she carried.
Dunedin was sailing in the Central Atlantic Ocean, just east of the St. Paul's Rocks, northeast of Recife, Brazil, when on 24 November 1941, at 15:26 hours, two torpedoes from the German submarine U-124 sank her. Only four officers and 63 men survived out of Dunedin's crew of 486 officers and men, sadly William was lost.
Killed in action 24 November 1941 aged 44.
Panel 47, Column 2. Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Connelly Charles Leslie Lieutenant 281994 Mentioned in Dispatches
West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) attached to the 2nd Bn. Durham Light Infantry
Charles was born 20 October 1910 in Wolverhampton to John and Ellen Connelly, he grew up at 71 Crowther Road with his brothers Cecil, Victor, and Roland. By 1939 he was living with his father and Roland at 5 Hadens Hill and working as a clerk in the Corporation electricity accounts section. He married Mary Cooper in April 1940 in Bilston, joined the Army in 1941, and was Gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant on 4 June 1943. Charles was reported dangerously ill on 7 May 1945 and died on 9 May 1945, aged 34.
3. B. 20. Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar (Burma).
Evans Noel Flying Officer 179138
254 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Noel Evans was born in 1914 in Wolverhampton, the son of Evan and Lucy Evans. By 1921 the family were living at 1 Burleigh Road, Graisley, along with Noel’s older brothers, Charlie and George.
In January 1938 Noel married Alice Maud Gough in Wolverhampton, and the couple later made their home at 52 Chetwynd Road.
No. 254 Squadron, part of Coastal Command, was originally formed to protect shipping and spent the early years of the war on defensive operations. From 1942 it became a torpedo-bomber squadron within the North Coates Strike Wing, flying Bristol Beaufighters from RAF North Coates in Lincolnshire.
On 17 January 1945, Noel was serving as navigator with pilot Frank Trautman when the North Coates Wing (236 and 254 Squadrons) carried out an attack on a convoy in the Marsdiep between Den Helder and Texel in the Netherlands. During the operation, their aircraft was lost.
Noel was killed in action 17 January 1945 aged 31.
Grave 352. Wieringerwaard General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Harris John Henry Serjeant 4851043
352 Bty., 112 H.A.A. Regt.Royal Artillery
John was born in December 1904 in Wolverhampton, the son of William and Maria Harris. In 1911 the family were living at 37 Hargreaves Street with John’s older brothers, William and Edward, and his younger sister, Maria.
By 1921 John was living with his mother and siblings at 20 Field Street and working as an iron stamper at Bayliss, Jones & Bayliss Iron Foundry.
He married Gladys May Hodgetts in September 1926 in Wolverhampton. By 1939 the couple were living at 59 Rowlands Avenue, Deans Road, and John was employed as an electrical light attendant with Wolverhampton Corporation’s Lighting Department.
John died 24 April 1944 aged 39 at the Royal Hospital Wolverhampton of anaemia and pyelonephritis (kidney infection).
Old ground. Row 51. Grave S/4. Heath Town (Holy Trinity) Churchyard.
Lawrence Richard Rudman Trooper 324766
Royal Armoured Corps, Staffordshire Yeomanry.
Richard was born in the first quarter of 1919 in Wolverhampton son of Walter James and Susanah Lawrence (née Rudman), at the time of his enlistment Richard was living with his parents at 9 Raynor Road Wolverhampton.
The Territorial Army was called out just before the outbreak of war, and the Staffordshire Yeomanry mobilised at its Wolverhampton headquarters on 1 September 1939. On 31 October, the 6th Cavalry Brigade became part of the newly reformed 1st Cavalry Division.
With traditional cavalry having no real role in the mechanised warfare expected in Europe, the division was instead deployed to Palestine to undertake security duties and free other units for front line operations.
The brigade arrived in Palestine on 9 January 1940, followed by the rest of the division, which was fully assembled by 20 February.
Over the following year, the division carried out internal security duties, responding to unrest between Palestinian and Jewish communities, while also preparing for eventual mechanisation.
Richard died 28th February 1941 aged 22. (unable to find how he died).
D. 30. Haifa War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza).
Martin, Reginald George Lance Corporal S/110755
Royal Army Service Corps.
Reginald was born in June 1917 in Wolverhampton to Arthur and Florence Martin. By 1921 the family were at 34 Clark Road with his older sister Frances and younger siblings Arthur and Edith; his father was a police sergeant. By 1939 his parents had moved to 53 Lonsdale Road, where they lived with Frances, Edith, and a younger daughter, Mary.
Martin died 20th November 1940 of either illness or accident aged 23.
Block F. Grave 22. Durban (Stellawood) Cemetery, South Africa.
Mitton William Herbert Pilot Officer 195730
107 Sqdn. Royal Air Force.
William was born on 1 July 1921 in Sunderland to John and Edith Mitton. By 1939 the family were running The Butlers Arms on Bushbury Lane, Wolverhampton, where William lived with his parents, his older brother James, and younger siblings John and Joan. His father was the licensee, and William worked as an accounts clerk.
He was killed in action on 10 April 1945, aged 23, when his Mosquito FB.VI (RS550) crashed at Vehrte, northeast of Osnabrück, during a night intruder sortie over the Müritz Lake–Soltau area.
11. D. 23. Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
Moore Richard Supply Assistant P/MX 65553
H.M.S. Fiji Royal Navy.
Richard was born 10 December 1918 in Wolverhampton to Charles Henry and Nancy Moore. In 1921 the family were at 90 Leslie Road, Park Village, Heath Town, with his older siblings William, Harry, Wilfred, Ethel and Kathleen; his father worked as a self employed house decorator.
By 1939 Richard was still at 90 Leslie Road, living with his widowed mother and employed as a local government clerk.
Killed in action on 23 May 1941, aged 22. During the Battle of Crete, H.M.S. Fiji was struck amidships by a bomb from a Messerschmitt Bf 109, flooding her forward boiler and engine rooms and giving her a heavy list. She managed to maintain 18 knots until a second bomb hit increased the list to 30 degrees. With flooding now uncontrollable, the order to abandon ship was given, and Fiji capsized at about 19:30.
Rescue was impossible until nightfall; 241 crew were lost, and Richard was among them. A total of 523 survived.
Commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 57, Column 3.
Perks Joseph Alban Driver T/284324
Royal Army Service Corps.
Joseph was born 22 July 1921 in Wolverhampton son of Thomas and Kathleen Perks. In 1939 he was living at 157 North Street, Wolverhampton and employed as an electric wirer
Died of wounds 21 January 1943 aged 21.
5. F. 13. Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya.
Robertson Eric Nigel Riddell Flight Sergeant (wireless operator/air gunner) 943039
61 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Eric was born 16 July 1917 in Penn, Wolverhampton, the son of Lieutenant Commander Alexander William Milne Robertson, Royal Navy, and Mary Robertson. In 1921 the family were living at 'The View' Upper Penn, with Eric’s older brother George and their maternal grandmother, Anne Roden. His father died 25 December 1923, aged 46.
By 1939 Eric, his mother, and George were living at 3 Mount Alms House, Pennwood Lane, Wolverhampton, and Eric was working as a draughtsman - electrician.
Eric enlisted into the RAF at Cardington, Bedfordshire between September 1939 and August 1940.
On 8 August 1941, Eric took off at 22:25 from North Luffenham, Rutland, in a Hampden AE263 of 61 Squadron on an operational sortie over the Kiel Naval Base. The aircraft failed to return, and all four crew members were lost. Probably shot down by a night fighter.
Killed in action 9 August 1941 aged 24.
Panel 51. Runnymede Memorial
Sharratt Leonard Keith Trooper 322864
Staffordshire Yeomanry RAC.
Leonard was born January 1922 in Wolverhampton son of Ernest Edwin and Mabel Annie Sharratt. In 1921 his parents, along with his sister Rosemary and brother Ernest were living at 87 Knox Road, Blakenhall.
Unable to find Leonard in the 1939 register.
The Staffordshire Yeomanry, serving within 8th Armoured Brigade, was formed up of Sherman, Crusader, and Grant tanks. As part of Operation Supercharge II, their role on 26 March 1943 was to drive through the Axis defensive positions in the Tebaga Gap and complete the Eighth Army’s wide outflanking manoeuvre around the Mareth Line. The intention was to unhinge the German Italian position in southern Tunisia and open the route to the coastal plain.
The artillery programme opened at 16:00, after which the armoured regiments advanced from cover near the Roman Wall. Grant and Sherman tanks formed the leading wave, with Crusaders following and elements of the New Zealand infantry riding forward on the hulls. With the sun behind them, the Staffordshire Yeomanry advanced in the centre, closely supported by the 23rd New Zealand Battalion.
The regiment crossed the initial high ground without pause. Although enemy resistance stiffened at the wadi forming the second objective, the Yeomanry forced the passage and pressed on to Wadi Aisoub, reaching their final objective at the cost of six tanks. Unfortunately Leonard's tank was one of those lost.
Leonard was killed in action 26 March 1943 aged 20.
Face 5. Medjex-El-Bab Memorial, Tunisia.
