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5th December 1941On this day:
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Remembering those who died this day.
- Batty Charles Cecil. 2nd Lt. (d.5th Dec 1941)
- Fearon William Milburn. Cpl. (d.5th Dec 1941)
- Harvey Robert Henry. 2nd Lt. (d.5th Dec 1941)
- Hennefer William. L/Sgt. (d.5th Dec 1941)
- Lenehan John Donald . Sgt. (d.5th Dec 1941)
- Powell Alfred James. Pte. (d.5th Dec 1941)
- Powell Alfred James. Pte. (d.5th December 1941)
- Seymour Arthur William. Gnr. (d.5th Dec 1941)
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
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Want to know more about the 5th of December 1941? There are:8 items tagged 5th of December 1941 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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Stories from 5th December 1941
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Pte. Alfred James Powell. British Army, 13 Field Bakery Royal Army Service Corps. (d.5th Dec 1941) Would love to hear any stories about my Grandfather, Alfred James Powell. All I know is he was in RASC 13th Field Bakery, and was killed 5/12/1941.C Powell
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Gnr. Arthur William Seymour. British Army, 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. (d.5th Dec 1941) Arthur Seymour was born in Biggleswade in 1918. Husband of Dorothy M Seymour (nee Woodhouse)of Jarrow. He died aged 23.
Arthur is remembered on the Alemein Memorial and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall. Vin Mullen
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Sgt. John Donald Lenehan. Royal Canadian Air Force, 55 Operational Training Unit. (d.5th Dec 1941) John Leonean was born 3rd of July 1915 and served with 55 Operational Training Unit based at RAF Usworth in Sunderland in 1941. On the 5th Dec 1941 whilst flying over Pelton Co. Durham, Don was seen steering his Hawker Hurricane Mkll away from the village and crashing into a nearby potato field to avoid civilian casualties.
Rob Beck
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L/Sgt. William Hennefer. MM. British Army, 1st Btn. Royal Leicestershire Regiment. (d.5th Dec 1941) William Hennefer enlisted on 5th of January 1929, he was in 1st Btn Leicestershire Regiment. He was a stretcher bearer in operations in Lybia, Crete and Syria. At Sidi Barrant he brought in several wounded men under heavy shell fire and dragged them. In Crete under dive bombings and aerial MG attacks his work was outstanding. In Syria he showed outstanding courage and devotion to duty. He was awarded the Military Medal whilst serving in the Western Desert.
He died on 5th December 1941 aged 31yrs, when the SS Chakdina, carrying 380 wounded soldiers and 100 German & Italian Prisoners of War, was sunk by an Italian torpedo bomber while on Convoy from Tobruk to Alexandria. He is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt. Lisa
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2nd Lt. Robert Henry Harvey. British Army, 2nd Btn. Black Watch. (d.5th Dec 1941) Bobby Harvey volunteered, imagine his mother's distress when he told her he had chosen the Black Watch as she knew they usually were on the front line.
We know he went to Syria in 1941 and then to Libya (Cyrenaica) where he was wounded on the 21st of November 1941. On the 5th of December 1941 he was embarked upon S.S. Chakdina for wounded transportation to Alexandria.
Sadly the ship was torpedoed and there is still some dubiety as to whether this was done by the Germans or the Italians. The ship sank totally within three and a half minutes, allowing only those fit enough to get off.
Bobby's family were told at the time that the Chakdina was a troop carrier that had been commandeered as a hospital ship as the hospital ships were overcrowded. They were told that it wasn't registered in time to prevent it being bombed. There is now some dubiety to this as it is known that the Chakdina also had some able troops upon it being transported. Also on board was a very prestigious prisoner of war, named General Johann Ravenstein of the German Panzers who was one of the first high profile P.O.W.s
Many New Zealand injured soldiers were also on the ship and these were New Zealand's only at sea casualties.
Bobby is mentioned on the El Alamein Memorial as well as books of remembrance in Edinburgh Castle and at the Black Watch Museum, Balhousie Castle Perth.
He worked for the Dundee Courier and Advertiser as a journalist. he had done well and been sent down to the London Office which was where he was at the time he enlisted.
He had been a clever youngster and had won a scholarship to Harris Academy in Dundee.
Amongst the effects he left behind were his beloved drumsticks, he loved the drums and played in a band, also his Boys Brigade bible presented for good attendance and his swagger stick.
Bobby died aged 22 and three months, leaving behind his grieving parents Frank and Georgina and his sister Winnie and brother Frank.
R.I.P. Bobby 16th of September 1919 to 5th of December 1941
Robert Henry Harvey Paterson
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