The Wartime Memories Project
The Second World War - Day by Day.

Home>Date Index


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site

please consider making a donation.




    Site Home

    WW2 Home

    Add Stories

    WW2 Search

    Library

    Help & FAQs


 WW2 Features

    Airfields

    Allied Army

    Allied Air Forces

    Allied Navy

    Axis Forces

    Home Front

    Battles

    Prisoners of War

    Allied Ships

    Women at War

    Those Who Served

    Day-by-Day

    Library

    The Great War

 Submissions

    Add Stories

    Time Capsule

    TWMP on Facebook



    Childrens Bookshop

 FAQ's

    Help & FAQs

    Glossary

    Volunteering

    Contact us

    News

    Bookshop

    About


Advertisements











World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

4th July 1944

On this day:





If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.




Remembering those who died this day.

  • Connolly Alfred. Pte. (d.4th July 1944)
  • Glen Thomas Graham. Pte. (d.4th July 1944)
  • Lofthouse Raymond. Gnr. (d.4th July 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



The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements



  • The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
  • 28th March 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263784 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
  • Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's
  • The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
    If you enjoy this site

    please consider making a donation.


Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.



We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.

If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.


Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.

If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.



Want to know more about the 4th of July 1944?


There are:51 items tagged 4th of July 1944 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.




Stories from 4th July 1944





LAC James Christopher Kershaw. MID Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, RAF Honeybourne.

As a young man who applied for service during World War II, James Kershaw found himself in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve under the Officer Commanding RAF Station Honeybourne, Worcester as a member of the fire crew. He was born on 20th October 1920, which puts him in his twenties during his service years.

As far as I know, their job was to prepare the aircraft for its outward journey and its somewhat precarious return after a sortie. I remember James (my dad) telling me about how the planes had often been shot to pieces and it was miraculous that some of them got back. Some that did make it thus far would have damaged landing gear and it was the job of the fire crew to get the pilot and other airmen out of the plane on landing as soon as possible.

An account of what happened is written by Air Chief Marshall A.T. Harris KCB, OBE, AFC and I have a framed copy of this letter:

Air Chief Marshall A.T. Harris KCB, OBE, AFC

A.124

The Commander-in-Chief wishes to bring to the notice of all ranks in the Command, the courage and devotion to duty displayed by the under mentioned airmen of R.A.F. Station, Honeybourne:

  • 1669210 LAC Leighs, W.S.
  • 1313399 AC1 Herritage, S.G.
  • 1161330 LAC Hancock, A.
  • 1505750 AC1 Fennell, J.A.
  • 1143912 LAC Kershaw, J.
  • 1689333 AC1 Hodgson, S.W.
  • 3011580 AC2 Ealeson, R.
  • 1421278 LAC Taylor, L.F.E.
  • On the night of 3rd/4th July 1944, an aircraft apparently stalled on coming into land, crashed into the bomb dump and burst into flames. The fire which started ignited a large number of explosive incendiary bombs. The above mentioned airmen, who together constituted the duty and stand-by fire tender crews, proceeded immediately to the scene of the crash and under the direction of the Fire Officer and of the NCO in charge of the fire party, tackled the fire which by then had assumed serious proportions. Despite the intense heat arising from the combination of blazing petrol and explosive phosphorus bombs, and the serious risk of explosion from the presence of high explosive bombs in the dump, the crew continued to fight the fire from close range without any form of protection and with complete disregard for their own personal safety. So successful were their efforts, that within one and a half hours the fire was completely extinguished and all danger of the remainder of the dump becoming ignited was removed; had the fire not been so promptly and thoroughly checked, there would not only have been extensive loss of government property, but also a possibility of loss of life.

    Although the crew of the aircraft were killed almost instantaneously, and it was not possible to recover any of the bodies, it is considered that all members of the Fire Tender crew displayed a high standard of courage and devotion to duty as well as a complete disregard for their own safety in circumstances of great difficulty and danger.

    BC/23054/P.

  • I also have in a frame which reads:

    By the Kings Order the name of Leading Aircraftman J. Kershaw, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve,was published in the London Gazette on 1st January 1945 as mentioned in a Despatch for distinguished service. I am charged to record His Majestys high appreciation.

    Signed by Secretary of State for Air.

    In addition I have in a frame an embossed letter from RAF Station Honeybourne:

    Royal air Force Station, Honeybourne, Evesham, Worcs

    Ref: HB/C.70010.

    Dear Kershaw,

    I am attaching a copy of a Command Routing Order which has been received on the unit.

    It is the Commander-in Chiefs wish that you should have a copy of this Order as a record of your courage and devotion to duty.

    My heartiest congratulations to you as well as my sincere thanks for your valiant efforts.

    Yours sincerely,

    Group Captain, Commanding,

    RAF Station Honeybourne

    No.1143912 LAC. Kershaw, J, RAF Station Honeybourne, Worcs.

    And here is the copy of the above mentioned letter:

    From: Officer Commanding, RAF Station, Honeybourne, Worcs.

    To: LAC J. Kershaw, RAF Honeybourne.

    Date: 8th January 1945

    Ref: HB/C.70010/3.

    Honours and Awards.

    Your name appeared in the New Years Honours List as having been Mentioned in Despatches by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Bomber Command.

    The Air Officer Commanding No. 91 Group wishes his best congratulations conveyed to you, on this well deserved recognition of your service.

    I would like to associate myself with the remarks of the AOC No. 91 Group.

    Signed Group Captain, Commanding, RAF Station, Honeybourne.

    My dad, James, seldom spoke about the duties he performed during the war years but he did occasionally mention the horrendous injuries of airmen returning from their sorties as we gathered around the TV watching war films. I remember dad, watching the parades of servicemen and women passing the Cenotaph in London in November on the TV remarking on how the uniform of the Air Force personnel was always the smartest.

    I am very proud of my dad.

    Sheila Dearden



    Pte. Alfred Connolly. British Army, 1st Btn. King's Own Royal Rgt.. (d.4th July 1944)

    Pte Connolly was killed in action on 4th July 1944 whilst serving with the 1st Btn. King's Own Royal Regiment. He is buried in Assisi War Cemetery, Italy.




    Pte. Thomas Graham Glen. British Army, 1st Btn. Royal Norfolk Regiment. (d.4th July 1944)

    Thomas Glen served with the 1st Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment in WW2. He died 4th of July 1944 at the Battle of Caen age 35 years and is buried La Delivrande War Cemetery at Douvres in France. Son of Thomas Glen and of Isabell Glen (nee McKenzie) of Glasgow.











    Can you help us to add to our records?

    The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them


    Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area?

    If so please let us know.

    Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.




    Celebrate your own Family History

    Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.

    Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.














    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

    The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

    If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.



    Hosted by:

    The Wartime Memories Project Website

    is archived for preservation by the British Library





    Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
    - All Rights Reserved

    We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.