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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945



Remembering those who died this day.

  • Hossack Ian Milne. P/O. (d.12th July 1940)
  • Judge Arthur. Spr. (d.20th Jul 1940)
  • Lawrence William Frank. L/Cpl. (d.20th July 1940 )
  • Miller Reginald Talbot. Sgt. (d.20th July 1940)
  • Nixon Percy Dryden. Sgt. (d.20th July 1940)

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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  • 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.



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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.

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 July 1940?


There are:31 items tagged 20th of July 1940 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 July 1940





Spr. Arthur Judge. British Army, 233 Field Coy Royal Engineers. (d.20th Jul 1940)

Arthur Judge who died aged 20 was born in Jarrow in 1920. He was the son of Arthur and Comrie J. Judge (nee Adams) of Jarrow.

Arthur is buried in Jarrow Cemetery and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.

Vin Mullen



Sgt. Reginald Talbot Miller. Royal Air Force, 44 Squadron. (d.20th July 1940)

Reginald Miller was the son of Talbot William and Lily Miller of Winsley, Wiltshire. He was 20 when he died and is buried in the Skagen Cemetery in Denmark, Coll. grave M. 2.

S Flynn



Sgt. Percy Dryden Nixon. Royal Air Force, 44 Squadron . (d.20th July 1940)

Percy Nixon was buried in the Skagen Cemetery in Denmark, Coll. grave M. 2.

s flynn



P/O. Ian Milne Hossack. Royal Air Force, 144 Squadron. (d.12th July 1940)

On the 11th/12th of July 1940 the first big bombing raid on a German mainland town took place. British Aircraft comprising of 19 Hampdens from the 49, 61 and 144 Squadrons together with 18 Whitleys from the 51, 58, 77 and 102 Squadrons. Their mission to bomb road and rail targets in Munchengladbach. 2 Hampdens and 1 Whitley were lost, 4 crewmen killed.

On 11th July 1940, the 144 Squadron was ordered to bomb targets in Munchengladbach. The squadron was equipped with the twin-engine Handley Page Hampden bombers. Their aircraft departed from Helmswell in Lincolnshire. One of the aircraft was the Hampden P4366 with Pilot Officer Ian M. Hossack as the pilot. After a safe crossing over the North Sea and the Netherlands, they flew on their way to their target. Over Venlo, unaware of the German night fighter who was on their heels, suddenly shots rattled through the night. Light trails flashed in the dark and bullets ripped up the narrow hull of the Hampden. A fire could not be extinguished and Hossack was no longer able to steer the aircraft properly due to the fire. After a steep dive, the lives of all 4 crewmen ended on the Steegbergheide in the neighborhood of Evertsoord Sevenumat at about 1.50 am on 12th July.

Because the aircraft ended up in a large heather field, the damage to the environment was small. A day later, German soldiers, by order of the burial officer of the Luftwaffe from Eindhoven, gathered the dead bodies and brought them to Ehrenfriedhof Venlo, where they were buried the same day. In April 1947 the bodies were transferred to Jonkerbos War Cemetery in Nijmegen. Staff of the Lufwaffebase Eindhoven, which in the meantime was also used by the Germans, took over the surveillance. The team did find unexploded bombs between the wreckage. These were made harmless a day later.

The Crew of Hampden P4366 were:

  • Pilot Officer Ian Milne Hossack from Otford, Kent. 33568. Age 19. Son of James Davidson Hossack and Eileen Inze Hossack, buried Jonkerbos Nijmegen.
  • Sergeant Air Observer Eric Basil Hartley France from Isle of Sheppey, Kent. 580739. Age 24. buried Jonkerbos Nijmegen
  • Sergeant Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Edward Dennis Leamy, from Canterbury, Kent.569067. Age 20. Son of Michael Edward Leamy of Bradford Yorkshire and Annie Louise Croucher of Frittenden Kent, buried Jonkerbos Nijmegen.
  • Sergeant Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Clarence Rose Swallownest, from South Yorkshire. 631369. Age 20, buried Jonkerbos Nijmegen.
Source: Book Mayday Mayday Hub Groeneveld.




L/Cpl. William Frank Lawrence. British Army, 10th Royal Hussars. (d.20th July 1940 )

Frank Lawrence died aged as a prisoner of war at Hadamar, Hesse in Germany. I am doing family research for a British cousin-in-law. William was her uncle who died at the age of only 20. I am searching more details. I have his German death record.

Amy Goldman










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.

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