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Sig. Ernest McGowan . British Army Royal Signals from Glossop, Derbyshire (d.17th June 1940) My uncle, Ernest McGowan from Glossop in Derbyshire, he was a signalman with the Royal Corps of Signals. Service Number 2587688. He was aged 26 when he died, presumed drowned aboard the SS Lancastria on 17th June 1940. I suppose it would be too much to hope that anyone reading this would have any memories of him.
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Fireman J. McGowan . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar Fireman McGowan survived the sinking of HMS Forfar.
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Pte. James Charles McGowan . British Army Cameron Highlanders (Queen's Own) from Wolverhampton
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Lt. Eng. L. C. McGowan . Royal Navy HMS Forfar Lt McGowan was one of the officers who had transferred with the ship under the T124 agreement. He survived the sinking on the 2nd of December 1940.
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Sheila Mary McGowan . Womens Land Army from Bold St, Blackburn, Lancashire My mother Sheila McGowan served with the Women's Land Army during World War Two. The government has recently recognised the immense contribution of the Women's Land Army in providing seventy per cent of Britain's food supply during wartime.
Working in all weathers in backbreaking and dangerous conditions, enduring cold and privation, and often under risk of shrapnel and enemy action, my mother was one of thousands of women who volunteered to serve their country in locations often far away from home for the duration of the war and into the years of peace immediately following the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945.
It is a saga that has been too easily taken for granted. The WLA was a service force in wartime with a defined role, to make Britain self-sufficient during the dangerous and stressful years of the war and prevent starvation and submission to the Axis Forces. Without the WLA, the U-boats would have triumphed and a consequent submission and surrender of a starving population would have occured. There is no doubt that this is so and that contribution should have been recognised in 1945, with the issue of badges, service medals and gratuities, pensions, along with those awarded to the other services. Not until 2008 were representatives of the WLA allowed at the Cenotaph to honour the fallen.
My mother is alive and well for her age. At 89 she still remembers her years in the Land Army.
As a former Land Girl, my mother is entitled to receive some accolade for her contribution in wartime. She deserves it along with thousands of other WLA members.
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F/O. Thomas Campbell McGowan . Royal Canadian Air Force 692 Squadron from British Columbia, Canada (d.27th May 1944) Flying Officer Thomas McGowan was the don of William and Sarah McGowan, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
He is buried in Heinerscheid Churchyard in Luxembourg.
He was aged 25.
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Sgt. Thomas McGowan . British Army 4th Btn. Black Watch from Shotts, Lanarkshire Thomas McGowan was born on 25 August 1908 in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on 17 December 1981 in Dover, Kent, England.
At the age of 21, on 3 February 1930, Tom joined the Highland Light Infantry. His first choice had been the Black Watch, but they did not accept him because he was too short at 5ft 2½"! Evidently the same rules did not apply throughout the military system of the day.
After basic training at Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow, he was posted to Malta. He remained there until Christmas 1931 when the Battalion left Malta for a posting in Dover, Kent. Among the officers serving in the HLI with Tom in Malta and Dover, was 2nd Lieutenant David Niven, later to find fame in Hollywood!
It was in Dover that Tom met his future wife, Gladys. They married in 1934 and their first child was born in 1936. Tom decided to try his luck in Civvy Street and left the army. He got a job as a steward on the cross-channel ferries, sailing out of Dover. Of course, this all changed on 3rd of September 1939. Tom knew he would be among the first to be called up for active service, and this proved to be the case, in fact just two days later, on September 5th.
Tom, naturally, expected to return to the HLI and his expectation proved to be correct, but owing to a reduction in personnel of The Black Watch, it was to them he was seconded. Coincidentally, the 1st Battalion of The Black Watch was stationed at the time in Dover, so it was here that Tom enlisted. From Dover he was sent to Aldershot to receive basic training with the 4th Battalion, with whom he would be permanently attached.
In January 1940, the 4th Battalion of The Black Watch, as part of the 51st Highland Division, was sent to France to assist the British Expeditionary Force. Tom was luck, because the 4th Battalion, at the time of Dunkirk, was sent ahead to hold Le Havre as a point of embarkation, so escaping much of the confrontation, and were themselves safely evacuated from Cherbourg on the 12th of June. On 20 March, Gladys had given birth to their second child, a girl. Tom, who had been notified by telegram, he didn’t see his daughter until his return from France six weeks later. However, it was a brief reunion. For Tom, along with the 4th Battalion, was sent to strengthen the Garrison at Gibraltar where they remained until 1943.
In the summer of 1943 Tom was posted to Wick, Caithness, in the remote northeast of Scotland. Here Tom rented a house for Gladys and the children so they could get away from front-line Dover, and he was able to get home every night. This domestic arrangement did not last long, as Tom was then posted to India just after Christmas 1943.
Arriving in the first week of January 1944, he was first stationed at The Black Watch, India Command, Deolali, some 170 miles northeast of Bombay. For some time, Tom had been bothered by the partial loss of sight in one eye. Forced to see a specialist during his first weeks in India, it was confirmed that a nerve in the eye was dead and that there was no chance of recovery. This did mean, however, that he would not be able to shoot a rifle, resulting in him being downgraded to a non-combatant category.
The offshoot of this decision was that in April he was posted to Itarsi, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, where he became part of the team involved in troop and supply logistics. For this purpose, the Army had control of the railway, and Tom (promoted to Sergeant in June) was appointed assistant station-master at the Itarsi station.
Tom was to remain in India for the duration of the war, not returning home until early in 1946 and being amongst the last to be demobbed.
The above was told by Tom to his son, John, in his later years.
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P/O W. L. McGowan . Royal Air Force 514 Sqd. from Glasgow, Scotland I am trying to trace P/O W.L. Mc Gowan from Glasgow who evdaded capture
when his aircraft came down at La Celle Le Bordes France on the 8th of June 1944 whilst on a bombing raid to Massy Palaiseau.
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Flying Officer William Lachlan McGown DFC and Bar. RAF 514 Squadron, 162 Squadron from Scotland Flying Officer William Lachlan McGown was pilot of Lancaster DS822 of 514 Squadron that came down at Le Celles Les Bordes in France on the night of 7th of June 1944. He parachuted down along with 3 colleagues and evaded capture. My wife's cousin flew with him on the fateful night when the Lancaster came down. He too was killed and laid to rest in Le Celles Les Bordes. France with a further two colleagues. F/O McGown returned to Britain and moved onto 162 Squadron. I understand he left the RAF in 11th April 1946 and return to his native Scotland where he passed away in 1984 aged 70 years, a true hero. I would like to hear of anything from living relatives of his second crew at 162 Squadron.
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Gdsm. Peter Patrick McGrail . British Army 4th Battalion Coldstream Guards from Salford Trying to find out about my grandad during World War 2 - he never spoke of his exploits at all.
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F/Sgt. Bernard Arthur McGrath . Royal Canadian Air Force 405 Sqdn. from Ontario (d.3rd September 1942) F/Sgt Bernard Arthur McGrath, RCAF was killed in action on 3rd September 1942. He served in 405 Squadron and was based at Topcliffe. The other members of the crew were:
Keneth Ederic Michael Mitchell, RAFVR
Sgt Edward John Cutting, RAFVR
F/Sgt George William Roberts, RCAF
Sgt Edwin Charles Alfred Coules, RCAF
F/Sgt Arthur Colin Ewing, RCAF
F/Sgt Lawrence David Hillier, RCAF
Sgt Alexander Douglas Muir, RCAF
They are all buried in Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
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Sgt. E. McGrath . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 419 Sqd.
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Sgt. E. W. McGrath . Royal Air Force 103 Squadron (d.29th Nov 1944) On the night of the 31st of October 1944, 103 Squadron Lancaster I LL964 PM-H "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", was hit by flak. The crew was ordered to bail out. My uncle, Melvin Orr hurt his ankle upon reaching the ground. Pilot F/S Cooke and F/S McCoubray (who had deployed his parachute inside the aircraft) belly landed the aircraft at St-Gerard, Namur, without causing injury to these two men.
The entire crew made it back to England within a month. Unfortunately, the crew was aboard the Lancaster III PB465 PM-F "Mudpool Maggie II" the night of 29th of November 1944. The aircraft was involved in a midair collision with a 550 Squadron Lancaster. Damage was so severe that control was lost immediately.
Crewmembers who perished: - F/S M O Orr RCAF,
- F/S J C Cooke RCAF,
- Sgt E W McGrath (Irish),
- F/S J A Goff RCAF,
- WO2 F I R B Hill RCAF,
- F/S J H C McCoubrey RCAF
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F/O G T Mortimer survived and became a POW. The men who died are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery
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Sgt. Harold T. McGrath . Royal Canadian Air Force 148 Sqdn. from Kentville, Nova Scotia (d.19th Jan 1942) I'm looking for anyone who may remember Harold T McGrath of Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada. Harold or `Tommy' as he was known, flew for 148 Squadron RAF and was shot down on 19th January 1942 over the Italian port of Salamis.
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Sgt. Harold Thomas McGrath . Royal Canadian Air Force 148 Sqdn. from Nova Scotia (d.19th January 1942) I'm hoping to locate anyone who may remember Harold Thomas McGrath from Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada. He served with 148 Squadron out of Egypt when he and his Wellington crew (Merry, Abbott, James, Carroll and Sellars) went MIA on January 19, 1942. He was 22. I have located an abridged version of his service record, but I would be very appreciative of any information or advice. Interestingly, his picture and that of his crew is posted on this website in the photographs section. Unfortunately, the individual who posted it left no contact information. The full crew of Wellington W5584 were:
Sgt H. T. McGrath, RCAF
P/O H.R. Merry, RAFVR (served as John Bertram Scard)
S/Ldr M. E. Abbott DFC, RAF
Sgt I.T. James, RAFVR
F/O W. J. Carroll, RAAF
Sgt. J.A. Sellars, RAFVR
Update
This aircraft was shot down off Greece whilst on a bombing run to Salamis. The crew are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.
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Kathleen McGrath . National Fire Service from Salford, Lancashire My grandmother, Kathleen McGrath served in the NFS in Salford during the Second World War. I know she married in 1945.
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Patricia Myrtle "Paddy" McGrath . Women's Land Army My mother Patricia McGrath was a member of the Women's Land Army. During the war she lived and worked in London, but decided to leave the bombing behind and go to Nottinghamshire where a friend of her aunt had a farm, Fen Farm, just off the A1 near Newark. A city girl, Mum soon adapted to farm life with Mrs Knowles. She learnt all aspects of farming, but closest to her heart was looking after livestock, a love that stayed with her for the rest of her life. Fen Farm was near Balderton Aerodrome. I remember Mum telling me that one night there was bombing that caused a big fire on the airfield and Mum had to help move some cattle that were pastured near the fire.
Mum met my Dad, Tom Cook, whilst she was in the Land Army; they were married and set up home with a farm of their own. That farm is still in the family although Mum & Dad have both died. As a small child I remember Mum wearing bits of her Land Girl uniform, the trousers and the great coat. I regret not having any photos of her in it.
Mum rarely spoke of her life at Fen Farm and the small amount of information we did have was gleaned over a great length of time.
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Pte. Patrick J. McGrath . British Army 5th Btn. Queens Own Royal Royal West Kent Regiment from Clone, Kilmoganny Co.kilkenny (d.27th Jul 1942) Patrick McGrath was killed in the battle of El Alamein on the last day, the 27th of July 1942 aged only 19. I believe he lied about his age when enlisting. He is buried in Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo, Egypt.
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S/Sgt. Thomas M McGraw . USAAF 716th Bomb Sqn. 449th Bomb Group from Lakewood Ohio (d.28th Feb 1945) Staff Sergeant Thomas M McGraw served with 716th Bomber Squadron part of 449th Bomber Group during WW2. His B24 was downed near Grado, Italy and he was positively identified from human remains recovered from the underwater site. My uncles B-24 has been positively identified and contains human remains in 40' of water near Grado Italy. B-24#42-51642/ Hanson crew is a popular diving site and has been pillaged and vandalized for years. This site is unprotected and has been reported on Italian newscasts and newspapers alike. The coordinates are well known and it is crucial that these brave men's remains be recovered ASAP. The Grado government along with historians, archeologists and professional divers are trying their best to preserve this historical grave site from rogue divers wanting to plunder these men's personal items. Please see
My Facebook Page
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LT C. W. McGreggor . SAAF 97 Squadron
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Pte. Cyril Howard Griffiths "Sandy" McGregor . Australian Army 2/7th Field Ambulance Australian Medical Corps from Perth, Western Australia
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D Mcgregor . British Army Royal Armoured Corps D Mcgregor served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Div Officer. George William McGregor . N.F.S. (d.14th Sep 1941) George William McGregor was injured on the 31 August 1941 onboard SS Anglo Norse at Black Jetty Buoys Jarrow and died age 41 at South Shields General Hospital. He was born in Northumberland 1901 and was the husband of Florence McGregor. He is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall and is buried in South Shields Cemetery.
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Bmdr. Hugh Archibald "Mac" McGregor . British Army Royal Artillery My Granddad Hugh McGregor was a POW in Stalag 383 and we were always told that whilst there he bred rabbits for the Germans - now I am older I realise that the rabbits don't need much help! Apparently, he lied about his age, he was born in 1914, to enter WW2. He obviously enjoyed it or it was a welcome diversion to home life. When I was at school the local paper ran a story about him but being young I was more embarrassed then impressed, oh how I wish I had that cutting now.
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Cpl. Hugh "Scottie" McGregor . British Army 3rd Btn from Scotland Hugh McGregor served with the British Expeditionary Force.
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Pte. James Alexander Mcgregor . British Army Royal Signals from Banff (d.11th January 1943) As far as I know my uncle was a driver in the Royal Signals and was blown up in a jeep attack and killed.
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F/O. John Allan McGregor . Royal Canadian Air Force 428 Ghost Sqaudron from Ottawa, Canada
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Richard Fewkes McGregor . Royal Navy HMS Implacable from Glasgow Dick McGregor served in HMS Implacable.
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P/O Ronald Angus McGregor . Royal Australian Air Force 98 Sqdn. from Australia (d.25th July 1944) P/O R. A. McGregor, known as Mac, was stationed at RAF Colerne but later transferred to Scotland. He was an airgunner in a flying fortress. He was buried in St Philbert-sur-Risle Cemetery, Eure, France. Some other members of the crew were:
P/O Jack Dodd, RAF, navigator
S/Ldr Hugh Paynter, RAF, pilot
F/Sgt Thomas Francis Riley, RAFVR, Wop.
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Walter Leishman McGregor .
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