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18th April 1945On this day:
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Remembering those who died this day.
- Cherries Frank Albert. L/Cpl. (d.18th Apr 1945)
- Egan James Brian. Sgt. (d.18th Apr 1945)
- Evans Herbert Leslie. Pte. (d.18th Apr 1945)
- Gruss Edward William. Tech4 (d.18th Apr 1945)
- Hemsley Ernest Nathaniel. A/Sea. (d.18th Apr 1945)
- Honeysett Herbert George. Pte. (d.18th April 1945)
- Jaques Ronald Thornley. Flt Sgt. (d.18 Apr 1945)
- Jones Arthur Henry. Gnr. (d.18th Apr 1945)
- Walters Glyn. Pte. (d.18th April 1945)
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 18th of April 1945? There are:25 items tagged 18th of April 1945 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 18th April 1945
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Sgt. George William Currie Hendry. MM. British army, Highland Light Infantry. Written on citation:
During the approach to Bremen on 18th April 1945 the btn was leading the advance from Verden to Achim the bn comd ordered Sgt Hendry to go forward to the advanced guard comand and obtain information of the battle in progress. On reaching a point on the axis previously cleared, he encountered a force of about 25 Germans who had penetrated from the north on the open flank and were lining the ditch on the right of the road. These opened fire on him with spandaus and rifles at very close range but he continued on his mission with great coolness until finally the last of the enemy and gained cover in a ditch by crawling forward along the ditch and shouting to some of his own troops to give covering fire, he managed to join them he then organised the defense of the rear of the advanced guard and by means of tank wireless passed situation reports to the advanced guard command and to battalion command. Sgt Hendry then continued his journey forward on foot and ultimately he reached the carrier platoon by this time the advanced guard company had suffered many casulaties and as one of those was losing a lot of blood, volunteers were called for to evacuate him. Fully aware of the situation Sgt Hendry volunteered to take back this casualty in a carrier, he did so running the gauntlet under heavy fire, he then once more ked forwad in a carrier and with the aid of covering fire from some tanks he joined his platoon at Langwedel. Throughout this day Sgt Hendry showed energy initiative and resource of a very high order and carried out his tasks with a complete disregard for personal safty his conduct set the highest example and was an inspiration to all who saw him. John Hendry
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Flt Sgt. Ronald Thornley " " Jaques. , Wireless Operator . (d.18 Apr 1945) Ronald Thornley Jaques was my cousin and I am trying to find out more information about him as I have only a vague recollection of him, being only 5 when war broke out. I have found his memorial at Runnymede via the Internet whilst researching family history. I can still recall seeing him in his RAF uniform with his Wireless Operator "flash" over his left pocket. I do not know date of his enlistment but he volunteered before his time due to the sad ending of his relationship with his girlfriend. He was the only child of Joseph and Millicent Jaques and his father in particular never recovered from his loss. Alan Thornley Jaques
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Tech4 Edward William Gruss. United States Army, 46th Tank Battalion. (d.18th Apr 1945) This is the story of my great uncle Edward W. Gruss who died of wounds and is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten. He served with the 46th Tank Battalion, 13th Armored Division
I've spent the past few weeks honoring both his sacrifice and memory by telling his story to historians and people dedicated to making certain, the soldiers lost will never be forgotten. If we forget our mistakes, history is bound to repeat itself.
Edward lost his father at a very early age, 6 years old. Edward had an older brother, James. They were very close. James died at 14 of complications due to rheumatic fever, Edward was about 10. This was about 4 years after losing his father. His mother tried to give him extra attention during this time and because of this, she became extremely close to him.
Edward was dating a woman named, Betty, before he joined the service in 1941 and would most likely have married after his discharge.
When Edward was killed, Betty was pregnant with his child. Upon learning of his death, she lost the child.
To quote from my family history:
"He lost his father when he was 6 years old, his big brother when he was 10, fathers a child, who he may not even have known about, serves heroically in the was which goes unnoticed, his child is miscarried, he is killed in battle in Germany, his body remains buried in Holland and his family members cannot mention his name."
It further mentions that the family should recognize his sacrifice for his country and his rightful place in our family. He died for me and for America. He doesn't deserve to have given his life without at least some acknowledgement. Please, if you can help me I would be most appreciative. Thank you.
Julie Aschenbrenner
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L/Cpl. Frank Albert "Nobble" Cherries. British Army, 9th Btn. Parachute Regt. (d.18th Apr 1945) Frank Cherries was my sister in law's cousin and at the beginning of the war as youngsters we all hung out together, spending time with our parents. He was a pow at Stalag 4B having been captured at Arnhem. We understand that when released by allied forces that during some kind of fracas, shots were exchange between the American and Russian forces. It was during the exchange of fire that he was killed.
Ron Brook
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Sgt. James Brian Egan. Royal Air Force, 12 OTU.. (d.18th Apr 1945) I was talking to my mother, Edna Harris about her war experiences during the anniversary of the end of world war two. She told me about the time she spent working at Park Farm Bishopsteignton Devon. One day she said she was in the top field working horses and could see a German plane staffing a passenger train on the Teign estuary, the plane then turned towards her , she drove the horses under the trees and froze she clearly saw the pilots face and swastika as the plane turned over the farm. Her brother Edward Perkin working in the lower field jumped into a scrub full of stinging nettles. (Edward later served in the RAF as a ground engineer) The raider then carried out the next attack dropped its bomb and missed. The enemy plane was shot down by anti aircraft fire over Torbay. The pilot was seen to parachute into the sea . By coincidence Edna's sister Sylvia was coming home on leave from nursing duties, and waiting for a connection at Exeter St Davids saw the train come in to the station many carriages all shot up. I don't know of casualties. I work as a Train Driver based at Exeter I often drive between Teignmouth and Newton Abbot luckily no enemy aircraft over head but I picture the scene everytime I run the route. Mum went on to say her saddest memories are of the deaths of three relatives: Harold Vivian Perkin Hms Heckla 1942 Cape Agulas, Arthur Ernest Steel 1944 North Western Europe and James Brian Egan 1945 Chipping Warden. I realised the family had lost someone from each of the three services. Having served in the RAF from 1978 to 2000 I was interested to find out more about James Egan my mum's first cousin who used his second name Brian. Before the war mum said Brain would come down on holiday and they would often go rowing on the river Teign. She can remember how Brain would stroke on the oars and fly forward in the boat because he had not immersed them sufficiently enough into the water to get some resistance and would end up on his back with his feet in the air and the ores adrift much to the annoyance of Edward.
  Sgt James Brian Egan.
Mum attended Brians funeral just before the war ended, an extremely sad day. Brian joined the RAF in the later stages of the war. He was training as a Wireless Operator / Air Gunner. During a training sortie 18 April 1945 on Wellington Bomber mk x LP286 the plane returned to Chipping warden following engine problems. Following an overshoot and go around the plane stalled and crashed at 14.03 into Egcote park south east of the airfield killing all but one.
- Flight Sergeant WJ Hillier -Pilot
- Sergeant H Mairs -navigator
- Sergeant AG Grant- Air Bomber
- Sergeant JB Egan - Wireless Operator
- Sergeant P McGowen- Air gunner
- Sergeant PV Birch- Air gunner (only survivor)
The crew were all aged early to mid twenties and remembered with honour.
 Sgt Grant.
Via the web administrator at www. aviationresearch.co.uk I made contact with a gentleman who witnessed the crash of LP 286. At the time he was a primary school boy at Chipping Warden and recalls the plane flying over with smoke trailing from the starboard engine. Following the crash the children were sent home, the crash site was near to the school boys path home. The gentleman remembers the excitement of planes flying, and at the time as a small child having no awareness to the true horror of the crash. I understand that LP286 was the last major incident at Chipping warden. I intend to try and make contact with the only survivor Sgt Birch or any relatives of him and that of the other crew members. Ultimately to place a memorial plaque at the crash site. Anyone with further information please get in touch. Nigel Harris
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Gnr. Arthur Henry Jones. Royal Navy, SS Empire Gold. (d.18th Apr 1945) Arthur Jones was a crew member at HMS President III and was a Gunner on SS Empire Gold, part of Convoy HX348, which was 70 miles west of Brest when it was sunk by a U-boat U1107. 47 people were on board, 4 survived, but all the gunners were lost.
Arthur is my late Uncle, who I never met.
David Jones
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Pte. Glyn Walters. British Army , 8th Btn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders . (d.18th April 1945) Glyn Walters was killed in action at 26 years of age during the Battle of the Argenta Gap.Nia Jenkins
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A/Sea. Ernest Nathaniel Hemsley. Royal Navy, H.M. Minesweeper Reed. (d.18th Apr 1945) Ernest Hemsley was aboard H.M. Minesweeper Reed during the war when it was bombed. He was classified as lost at sea and declared dead. He was my granddad's uncle. Kirsty
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