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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945



Remembering those who died this day.

  • Barriskill William John. Sgt (d.7th-8th Aug 1943)
  • Benson John Robert. Gnr. (d.7th Aug 1943)
  • Bright Ernest Walter. Gnr. (d.7th August 1943)
  • Surtees John. Cpl. (d.7th Aug 1943)
  • Walkington Jackson. Pte. (d.7th August 1943)

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.

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  • 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.
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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.

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Want to know more about the 7th of August 1943?


There are:12 items tagged 7th of August 1943 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 7th August 1943





Sgt William John Barriskill. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 104 Sqdn. (d.7th-8th Aug 1943)

My uncle, Jack Barriskill was reported missing on the night of 7-8 Aug 1943. My mother and her brother were very close and she has kept a record of much of her contacts with Jack while he was in the RAF. I now have these records and they are very moving. His Wellington was piloted by a chap called Darryl Smith, whose family lived at Wellington Square, London. The records my mother kept are a personal tribute to Jack and his colleagues and are quite extensive. I have copies and originals of diaries and letters dealing with the day to day routines and a copy of the telegram he sent before his last posting.

Obviously, my grand parents were anxious for their son`s safety, so he and my mum had devised a coded message to say when he was going back overseas. This telegram was sent on 19th April 1943 and simply said "Going to London goodbye" In one of his letters to my mum he says; "Mother and you seem to worry too much about me. Please don`t. Remember, I am only one of the many, point that out to mother. You know there are thousands in the same position in life as I am in and I am only too glad to be able to say "I am one of them So don`t get downhearted. Keep your chin up!" Written by Jack on 23rd June 1943. 45 days later he was dead.

I have the telegram sent to my grandparents and the letter from Buckingham Palace and also the list of items returned to home. These consisted of:

  • 1 pair Pyjamas
  • 1 Scarf
  • 1 Pullover
  • 5 Handkerchiefs
  • 1 Razor
  • 1 Pipe
  • 1 Collar Holder
  • 1 Pr. Socks
  • 1 Pr Underpants
  • 1 Vest
  • 1 Tobacco Pouch
  • 2 New Testaments
  • 1 Book "Strength for Service"
Mum has written "This is the list that came from the Middle East. Nothing else came. We were told by one of the boys "When a crew went missing their belongings were shared out to whoever was in need." It is a truly remarkable record. If any of your readers are interested in making contact I will try to share my information.

Jack Connor



Cpl. John Surtees. British Army, 233 Field Company Royal Engineers. (d.7th Aug 1943)

John Surtees was born in Chester le Street in 1920. He was the son of George Surtees MM and Ann B W Surtees (nee Lowerson) of Hebburn and elder brother to Ronald. He died aged 22 and is buried in the Catania War Cemetery, Sicily. He is also commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.

Vin Mullen



Gnr. Ernest Walter Bright. British Army, 94th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery. (d.7th August 1943)

Ernest Bright was born on 12th of June 1922. He was the son of Walter and Alice Bright (nee Buss). At birth he was registered as Walter E Bright, along with a twin brother Kenneth W Bright. Kenneth died early in 1923 before he was a year old. Ernest's father Walter served with the 5th Battalion the Essex Regiment in World War One. Either his birth registration was wrong or Walter Junior soon became known as Ernest, and this became his official name. He was enrolled at Little Dunmow County School on 10th May 1927. The School log book rarely records the names of pupils but young Ernest gets two mentions in his first year: "22nd June 1927 The boys visited a blacksmiths demonstration. 11.20 The boys returned to school. Ernest Bright sent home with a bad cold." The log then records a summer of bad colds and whooping coughs affecting attendance figures so that when the school returned in September we read: "8th Sept 1927 Ernest Bright sent home, as he was sick in school, and was heard whooping." He remained at Little Dunmow County School until 31st July 1936 when he 14 years old.

He served as Gunner 5836371 with the 94th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. He was aged 21 when he died on 7th August 1943. He is remembered on the Rangoon Memorial, which records the names of 27,000 who died in Burma and Assam, many of whom have no known grave.

Julia Wallis



Pte. Jackson Walkington. British Army, 1st Battalion Green Howards. (d.7th August 1943)

Jackson Walkington served with the 1st Battalion, Green Howards. I found out that the Green Howards were sent into Sicily as a mopping up process during the Second World War. After a hard few days of battling where the locals were pointing out were the enemy was hiding, my uncle unfortunately was killed, he was one of the many dead. He had joined the army with three of his best friends but none made it back home.




Gnr. John Robert Benson. British Army, 3rd Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery. (d.7th Aug 1943)

John Bensons grave

On 15th of February 1942, Casualty List No. 783 reported John Benson as missing in action. On 22nd of Oct 1942 he was named on Casualty List No. 961, reported as a prisoner of war in POW Camp Malai 1. 11th September 1945 John was listed on Casualty List No. 1855, his death on 7th of August 1943 was reported.











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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.

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