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Those known to have served with 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Aldred Harry. Pte (d.30th August 1944)
- Churchill Reginald Clifford. Pte (d.9th April 1943)
- Cook Cecil Winchester. Pte. (d.3rd December 1942)
- Durey Jack.
- Gilmore Thomas. Pte. (d.2nd Dec 1942)
- Godbold MC. John Ralph Mackie. Lt.
- Keates George Henry. Pte.
- Lambert Alfred James.
- LePatourel VC. Herbert Wallace. Maj.
- Lofts Richard John. L/Sgt. (d.1st July 1944)
- Marquiss Donald Richard. Lt. (d.4th December 1944)
- Mursell Edward Herrington. Pte.
- Ryan Michael. Cpl.
- Ward Albert. Pte (d.31st May 1940)
- Yates James. Pte. (d.6th December 1944)
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment from other sources.
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Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment? There are:1339 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Jack Durey 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment My Father Jack Durey has written an account of his army service 1939 -1945
with the 2ND Battalion Hampshire Regiment
http://www.warlinks.com/memories/durey/index.htm
Mark Durey
Mark@cncrouting.co.uk
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Cpl. Michael "Paddy" Ryan 2nd Btn. Hampshire Regiment. My father, Cpl Michael Ryan, usually known as Paddy, 2nd Hampshires, was captured in Tunisia at Tebourba in December 1942 and was a prisoner in Sicily and mainland Italy until June 1943 when the Germans transported him to Stalag IVB. He was Irish and served in the Irish Army until 1939. After his enlistment ended he went to England and enlisted in the Hampshire Regiment in November 1939 in Southampton. Because he was an Irish Army reservist he was treated as a deserter when he returned to Ireland after repatriation, so he came back to England and married a Land Army girl from London.
He remebered being liberated by the Russians and walking with a large group of others until they reached the American lines. His close friend in Italy and Stalag IVB was Brian Probyn, a tank driver captured at the same time as himself and who become a well known film cameraman after the war, finishing up in Hollywood in the 1970s.
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Pte Harry Aldred 2nd Btn Hampshire Regiment
(d.30th August 1944) Harry Aldred was engaged to be married to my mother, Elizabeth Dunn Douglas of Blyth Northumberland but he was killed in action on 1st of September 1944 before they could be married. He served in WW2 with the 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. He was aged 24 years.
He is buried in Montecchio War Cemetry, Italy. I believe his father was Arthur Edward and his mother Florence Mary of Wenhaston, Suffolk.
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Pte. Cecil Winchester Cook 2nd Battalion Royal Hampshire Regiment (d.3rd December 1942) Cecil Cook was born in Ash, Surrey on 15th April 1919 the youngest son of Joshua Cook and Emily Jane Waters.
He joined the Army and served in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment and attended a camp at Corfe Castle Camp, Swanage in 1939.
He married a lady called Ivy in 1942. She was in the WAAF.
He served with his regiment in November 1942 in Terboura, Tunisia, North Africa. He was killed in action on Thursday 3rd of December 1942. His body was not recovered.
His name appears on the war memorial in Medjez-El-Bab, Beja, Tunisia and also the Ash War Memorial in Ash, Surrey.
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Pte. Edward Herrington Mursell 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment Ted Mursell joined the Expeditionary Forces in France in 1939 and was captured at Dunkirk in 1940.
Family information records him as being at Malbork in Poland in 1942 at Stalag XX-B, 123. POW No 13639.
Sadly no real information passed down, and he died in 1964 at the age of 46.
We do know that he somehow befriended a young lady whilst a POW, and correspondence in Polish is to hand, but this ceased in 1947.
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Lt. John Ralph Mackie Godbold MC. 2/4th Btn, D Coy. Hampshire Regiment John Godbold was seconded from the South African Union Defence Force and served with the 2/4th Hampshire Regiment in Italy. He commanded 18 platoon D Coy.
He commanded Y crossing of the Gari River on the night of 11/12th May 1944 in the final battle of Cassino. His task was to ferry the 2nd Btn Kings and 2 Btn Somersets across the Gari. For his gallantry that night he was awarded the Military Cross.
On 14th May he was wounded in the battalion attack on Massa Vertechi, an action for which the Regiment won a Battle Honour.
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Pte. George Henry Keates 2nd Btn. Hampshire Regiment My father's uncle was George Keates from Southampton. He was in 2nd Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment. I have a PoW War Report for him from the National Archives. He was captured in Tunisia on 3rd December 1942. He goes on to say:
"We were surrounded by German tanks and infantry. My Co. commander asked 2 others and myself to make an attempt with him to get behind the infantry to do any good that might have been done. On spending all our ammunition we crossed a river in the hopes of getting back to our own lines but we ran into a German patrol and were taken prisoner"
He was sent to Capua PG Campo 66 which was a Quarantine and Transit camp. George was here until 28th February 1943.
He was then transported, probably by train, to Campo PG 59 in Serigliano which was near the town of Ascoli Piceno, Italy where he arrived on 1st March 1943. George was transferred from here on 21st May 1943 to Chignolo Po, Italy to Campo PG 146/25.
The PoW Camp at Chignolo Po was called PG Campo 146/25 which was typically only used for the ranks of privates and non-commissioned officers below the rank of sergeant. The number 146 refers to the main camp which was based in the Italian town of Mortara. The second number (25) refers to the working camp. Working camp 26 is in Torre d'Arese, Italy (146/26). These are all hard labour camps and George was listed as a farm labourer at both 146/25 and 146/26 camps. He was here until 9th of September 1943.
George goes on to say that he and two others were helped by two Italian families. These families helped to hide them.
He gives the names and last known addresses of the families but what is interesting is that fact that he names Giovanni Agnelli as helping him.
Giovanni Agnelli was the founder of Fiat, the Italian car company. What isn't clear is what role Giovanni played in helping George. Giovanni would have been in his 70s at this time. Giovanni's grandson was also called Giovanni. He went on to take over the Fiat business after his grandfather's death in 1945 so I am not certain if it was Giovanni the older or Giovanni the grandson who helped George and the others escape to Switzerland. He mentions that they are part of the Italian Partisans organisation. Gerorge arrived in Switzerland in January 1944.
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L/Sgt. Richard John Lofts 2/4th Btn. Royal Hampshire Regiment (d.1st July 1944) I know very little about Dick Lofts. He was my uncle on my father's side of the family. I know he was wounded by a grenade or shell. They were unable to stop the bleeding or get him to a hospital in time.
He is buried in Assisi in Italy, where I have visited the war graves which are in the most beautiful setting.
My father, Robert Lofts before he died, wished to have his ashes interred with his brother.
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Pte. Thomas Gilmore 2nd Btn. Royal Hampshire Regiment (d.2nd Dec 1942) Thomas Gilmore was a real teaser and when he took me to visit a friend he was always told 'Stop your blithering Tommy, gan oot and tak the little humbug wi you'. He had a great sense of humour which I have inherited and have kept it to this day. I shall always remember my dad! His ginger hair and blue eyes and great sense of humour.
I am only sorry that I am thick using modern technology and so cannot post a photograph. I have one which he had taken with my brother and sister before sailing from Scotland and, sadly my brother, was killed 10 years later in Egypt. He also had a great sense of humour but now I find that having a sense of humour can get one into trouble!
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Maj. Herbert Wallace LePatourel VC. 2nd Battalion Royal Hampshire Regiment Herbert Wallace Le Patourel was born in Guernsey and took up a career in banking. He joined the Hampshire Regiment at Lieutenant in 1938, and was promoted to Captain in 1941. Le Patourel was 26 years old, and a temporary major in the 2nd Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment when he was awarded the VC.
"On 3 December 1942 at Tebourba, Tunisia, enemy forces were holding high ground and resisting all efforts in dislodge them. Major Le Patourel called for four volunteers to go with him and they attacked and silenced several of the machine-gun posts. When all his men became casualties, he went on alone to engage the enemy, using his pistol and hurling hand grenades."
Initial reports from other wounded soldiers suggested that he had been killed in action, and he was awarded the VC posthumously. He was later discovered to have survived, been taken prisoner and was in hospital in Italy. He was repatriated in 1943, and awarded his VC at a ceremony in Cairo.
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