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20th May 1940On this day:
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Remembering those who died this day.
- Bellew John. Pte (d.20th May 1940)
- Cairns Walter. L/Cpl. (d.20th May 1940)
- Coote Leslie William Henry George. Rfm. (d.26th May 1940)
- Dransfield Thomas. Pte (d.20th May 1940)
- Field George Arthur. (d.20th May 1940)
- Furlong William. Pte. (d.20th May 1940)
- Higgins John Crawford. (d.21st May 1940)
- Johnson John Hele. Capt. (d.20th May 1940)
- Murphy Thomas Francis. Pte. (d.20th May 1940)
- Ormston John. Fslr. (d.20/21st June 1940)
- Orr John. Pte. (d.20th May 1940)
- Rigby James William. Pte. (d.20th May 1940)
- Swindell Jesse Albert. Pte (d.20th May 1940)
- Yeates Ernest Edgar. Pte. (d.28th May 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
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Want to know more about the 20th of May 1940? There are:68 items tagged 20th of May 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. |
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Stories from 20th May 1940
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Rfm. Leslie William Henry George Coote. British Army, 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps. (d.26th May 1940) Leslie Coote is my grand father who died in action during the defence of Calais, 26th May 1940. He died of his wounds on board the trawler Botanic on his way back to England, aged 28yrs. He was buried in the St James Cemetery, Dover.Denise Fox
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Pte. William Furlong. British Army, 1st Btn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). (d.20th May 1940) William Furlong who died aged 20 was born in Jarrow in 1919. He was the son of Charles and Annie Furlong (nee Anderson) of Jarrow.
William is buried in Bucquoy Road Cemetery, Ficheux and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall. Vin Mullen
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Pte. James William Rigby. British Army, 11th Battallion Durham Light Infantry. (d.20th May 1940) James Rigby aged 21 (my uncle, my father's brother) was killed on the 20th May 1940 in the village of Wancourt, France. He was machine gunned down whilst coming out of a cafe by a German on a combination motorcycle.
He is buried in a grave No. 6 in the Communal Cemetary alongside a Private Alfred McConochie from 10th Battalion of the DLI, they were together when they were gunned down.
James was the son of John Thomas Rigby and Florence Rigby, of Sunderland,Co. Durham.
He will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace. Gods greatest gift, Remembrance. Mark Rigby
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Fslr. John Ormston. British Army, 4th Btn. Northumberland Fusiliers. (d.20/21st June 1940) My grandfather, John Ormston, was aged 32 when he died. He was born in Morpeth in 1908 and lived in Newcastle upon Tyne. He died in June 1940 and is buried in France. I have no photos of him. He left a wife Annie and three children.Catherine Wall
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L/Cpl. Walter Cairns. British Army, 1st Tyneside Scottish Btn. Black Watch. (d.20th May 1940) Walter Cairns was killed, aged 24, during the fighting in Northern France prior to the Dunkirk evacuation. He was the son of Thomas William and Mary Cairns of Gateshead. He was also the grandson of Andrew and Elizabeth Brown of Morpeth, Northumberland and is commemorated on the family gravestone in Morpeth Church graveyard. He was buried at Bucquoy CWG cemetery in Northern France.Sandra Pendlington
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Pte. Thomas Francis Murphy. British Army, 2/5 Btn. The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey). (d.20th May 1940) Private Thomas Francis Murphy was my mother's older brother. He was killed only two weeks after arriving in France, shortly after his 21st birthday. He was destined to become a priest in the Roman Catholic church but decided not to and joined the Army instead.
Myself, my brother Vincent and my Mum, finally managed to visit his grave in Northern France in 2004, which is in a small church graveyard at Eurcourt-sur-Somme. His grave is with two other comrades from his unit: - Sarjeant Geofrey Hall and
- Private Reginal Thorne
. All of the graves are kept very smart and tidy, which is only fitting. Chris Lysaght
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George Arthur Field. British Army, Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. (d.20th May 1940) George Field was my grandfather I never knew. My father said he was killed in action at Arras defending the withdrawal of troops at Dunkirk. His body was never found but he is listed on the war grave at Dunkirk.Reg Field
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Pte Thomas Dransfield. British Army, 9th Btn West Yorkshire Regiment. (d.20th May 1940) Thomas Dransfield was killed in France. I visited his grave in Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery a few years ago when My great-grandmother, (Thomas's daughter) told me she wished to visit his resting place. I later became obsessed with discovering everything I could about his history before and during the war. What little information I found, I have shared. Georgia
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Capt. John Hele Johnson. British Army, 5th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment. (d.20th May 1940) Capt. John Johnson is named on the St Ives War Memorial. I am the Poppy Appeal Organiser for St Ives (Cambs) and have come across the family grave of the Johnson family in Broad Leas Cemetery (St Ives), which gives mention to John H. Johnson. Having researched his history I am aware of his Battalion's fatal last stand at Calais in May 1940 facing the advancing German Army. Without their sacrifice many of the 338,000 that were lifted from the Dunkirk beaches may well have been captured or killed.
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John Crawford Higgins. British Army, 6th Btn. Black Watch. (d.21st May 1940) John Higgins served with the 6th Battalion, Black Watch.Ülkü Öz
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