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



Remembering those who died this day.

  • Collins Horace Arthur. Pte. (d.20th April 1944)
  • England John George. F/O (d.20th April 1944)
  • Harrison Graham William. F/Lt. (d.20th April 1944)
  • Mansbridge . Capt. (d.20th April 1944)
  • Mornement Peter Henry. Major (d.20th Apr 1944)
  • Richardson B. A.. Pte. (d.20th April 1944)
  • Unsworth Murray Wilson. Pte. (d.20th April 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 20th of April 1944?


There are:25 items tagged 20th of April 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 20th April 1944





Major Peter Henry " 'Skipper'" Mornement. , 2nd Battalion . (d.20th Apr 1944)

My father, Peter Mornement, went out to North Africa with the 1st/6th East Surrey Reg't, and was transferred across to 2nd Bn North Staffs in May 1943. He stayed with them through Tunis, Pantelleria,and into Italy. He was in charge of 'D' Company at Anzio during the defence of Carrocetto where he was wounded and taken prisoner on the night of 8/9 February on Buonriposo Ridge. He was taken up country to Mantova Ospidale Civile where he died of wounds on 28th February. He is buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery on the outskirts of Padova.

I have been able to trace and meet with many of his Bn. members, including (Cpl) James Reeder, (Pt) Stan Leese (his runner), (Pt) Bill Godfrey (stretcher bearer), (Major) Basil Crutchfield, Dr Norman Cowley (Bn. Medical Officer), (Pt) James Lee, and also one of the Italian Croce Rosa nurses who had looked after him.

Allan Mornement



F/O John George England. Royal Canadian Air Force, 428 Squadron. (d.20th April 1944)

I am trying to learn more about the death of this brave flyer on behalf of a relative of his who has contacted me for assistance. According to the information she has sent me, John George England took off from Middleton St. George on 20th or 21st April 1944 to carry out a bombing raid on German occupied France. He was flying a Halifax II, Somewhere between Middleton St George and Didcot the plane developed trouble and it was necessary for the crew to bail out. John George apparently died when his parachute failed to open due to the fact it had suffered shrapnel damage on an earlier mission. If anyone has any information that might help me build a picture of the event, or has knowledge of the man himself please contact me.

Update: Halifaz JP199 coded NA-O took off at 21:15 on the 20th of Apr 1944 from Middleton St.George to lay mines in French waters. Shortly after reaching 20,000 feet an engine caught fire and the pilot was unable to maintain control so ordered his crew to bail out. The Halifax came down about a mile north east of Dielert Ladygrove Farm near Didcot, Berkshire. Two crew men were killed, Sqd Ldr McGugan and F/O England, they are buried in Brookwood Military cemetery.

The crew were:

  • S/L F.R.McGugan RCAF
  • Sgt R.F.Ellis RAF
  • F/O T.L.Steele RCAF
  • F/O G.A.England RCAF
  • WO2 N.C.Mason RCAF
  • Sgt J.W.Eyre RAF
  • Sgt L.Lapond RCAF

Alan Marron



Capt. Mansbridge. Royal Air Force, 635 Squadron. (d.20th April 1944)

Since two years, I have been interested by the Railways Ottingies station bombing in Belgium on April 20th, 1944. I also find out the crash of the Lancaster III ND 826 F2-W with the crew of Captain Mansbridge. I succeeded to identify the crash location close to Ottignies : Bois des chauweres; we collected small aircraft fragments but not enough for a complete identification. That is why, I look for further information about the crash: Flak or nightfighter; how was the impact ?; description of the impact etc. I have contact with the niece of the pilot navigator Cruywys. Are there other family relatives of the crew members? Is it possible to collect "souvenirs" document about the crash announcement? The aim of this search is to implement a video film and to organize together with the town authorities a monument in honour of the crew pilot heroes. It is important to get fragments with real identification.

Alain Libert



F/Lt. Graham William Harrison. AEA. Royal Air Force, 235 Squadron. (d.20th April 1944)

Graham William Harrison's orignal grave

My Father, Graham Harrison went down into sea about 20 miles north of Spanish Coast, his body was recovered by Spanish fisherman and buried in Inglis Cemetery in village of Sondika (right beside Bilbao Airport) on 6th June 1944. He was re-interred into CWGC in early 50's. The body of his Navigator, Sgt Jones, was not recovered although both were seen to escape the aircraft. An International distress signal was sent out by the other aircraft in the flight of 4 Beaufighters. German Inteligence from Madrid reported to Berlin of British aircraft down. A Spanish destroyer was tasked to look for them but didn't leave until the next day. Far too late as they both were in the water in their MayWests. The dingy had popped up but had blown away from them, probably both died shortly after the crash in such cold water.

Michael G Harrison



Pte. Horace Arthur Collins. British Army, 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Rgt.. (d.20th April 1944)

Horace Collins and his brother Leonard Collins, both privates in the 4th Btn Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment were killed in action a week apart in Burma in 1944 and are buried in Rangoon Memorial Cemetery.

Cathy Read



Pte. B. A. Richardson. 1st Caribbean Regiment, Leeward Islands Bn. . (d.20th April 1944)

Private Richardson is buried in the St. John's Cemetery, Antigua in Antigua.

s flynn



Pte. Murray Wilson "Peter" Unsworth. British Army, 1st Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment. (d.20th April 1944)

During my childhood I knew my uncle, Murray Unsworth, by name only as uncle Peter, though I now know this was his nickname, and his real name was Murray. Unfortunately I never met him. Now, as my mother has told me his real name, I was able to trace his WW2 record, and can now name him on this website, to be remembered by future generations of our family. I have done this for my father, Gordon Leslie Unsworth (deceased).

Lorraine Hanson










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.