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Those who Served
C.Q.M.S Patrick William Nagle . British Army 1st Btn Welsh Regiment Sadly I do not know a great deal about my late father's war. Billy Nagle was a very quiet and softly spoken man. I do know that he was in Egypt during the Second World War and did receive several medals during that campaign. He also holds a medal from Palestine which I know very little about.
If anyone can add any information about his time in the army it would be most gratefully received. Many thanks. |
Fus. John Naisbitt . British Army 7th Btn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from Wingate, Co Durham) My father Jackie Nasibitt was taken prisoner at Rouen, France on 09/06/1940 and was taken to Stalag 21b on 04/07/1940 where he was held until 11/01/1941 and then transferred to Stalag 24c where he spent the rest of the war. I believe they were liberated by the Russians in January 1945 and returned home where he served for a time in the Royal Enginneers clearing mines from the beaches in the south of England. He never spoke much about the war. I know he had a very difficult time as when he came home both of his parents were dead and he came to live in Newcastle where he married my mother. I have a photo of 8 POWs taken at Stalag 4c with 7 other soldiers. Any information about any of these camps would be appreciated. |
Lt. Cdr. Lennox William Napier DSC DSO. Royal Navy HMS Rorqual For Captain Lennox Napier’s inspired and courageous captaincy of the mine laying submarine Rorqual, he was appointed DSO in 1943 and won the DSC in 1944. Napier, who had been in the submarine service since 1934, took command of Rorqual, a Porpoise class submarine in June 1941. With the capture of Crete, it was imperative that Malta did not fall into German hands. Under daily siege, Malta had to be supplied with both food and fuel for domestic purposes, as well as for its RAF Squadrons fighting for the survival of the island. A number of convoys had run the gauntlet from Gibraltar or Alexandria to Malta and all had suffered casualties.
Admiral Andrew Cunningham, Commander-in-Chief of the British Naval Forces in the Mediterranean, boldly decided to use the Rorqual and her sister submarine Cacholot to get supplies to the island. One associates a submarine with confined space, but Rorqual, launched at Barrow in 1936, was 280 feet long and had a beam width of 29 feet. On her first voyage to Malta, she carried a vital cargo of two tons of medical supplies, 62 tones of high-octane aviation spirit for the RAF’s Hurricanes, 45 tones of cooking fuel and 25 passengers, as well as a crew of 59; but perhaps most important, at least for the island’s morale, 147 bags of mail. On her return to Alexandria, amongst her somewhat lighter cargo, were 130 bags of mail.
It was fraught and nerve-wracking week before Rorqual arrived in the Grand Harbour, much to the relief of crew and islanders. A month later she arrived back in Malta with a similar cargo. An even larger cargo was carried on 31 July, but Napier was concerned when during heavy weather a number of fuel cases stored in the hull developed leaks. This resulted in the submarine’s diving almost seven tons light when these tins were empty in the morning, and slowly filling up with water and re turning Rorqual to normal trim while submerged in the daytime.
After this trip, Napier was pleased to get back to his normal route of mine lying Rorqual could carry 50 mines. Napier’s skill in laying these mines, in the often crystal-clear water of the Mediterranean, brought him a number of successes. In August 1942, his men blew up an Italian steamer. Later that month, he engaged two merchant vessels, sank one and then had his periscope rammed by the other. Although under orders not to engage enemy shipping, because he was carrying vital stores and passengers, Napier attacked a convoy and destroyed the last ship. The passengers had an interesting experience as 16 depth charges were dropped close by.
In January 1943, Rorqual laid mines off the Tunis approach, one of which caused the loss of the valuable German heavy-lift ship Ankara, loaded with tanks for Rommel’s Afrika Corps. This success was reinforced when he sank the Wilhelmsburg, carrying much-needed oil to Greece, with two torpedoes at 2,500 yards in the Dardanelles approach.
After two and a half years of successful command Napier fell ill with jaundice. On recovering, he went to the land-based HMS Dolphin to train future commanding officers for the submarine services.
Lennox Napier was a descendant of John Napier, the inventor of logarithms. |
Able Seaman Victor Edward Narraway . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from Shepherd's Bush, London) (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
WO11(CSM) Frederick George Nash . British Army Kings Liverpool Regiment from Bootle, Liverpool) (d. 01 Dec 1942) My Uncle WO11 (CMS) Frederick George Nash ex 30th Battalion Liverpool Kings Regiment, was reported *missing* at sea 01 Dec 1942 then reported killed in action at sea on or shortly after 01 Dec 1942
Has any one any ideas or records as to what ship or action at sea for Fred to be Killed in Action
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Pte. Raymond Herbert " " Nash . 4th Btn from Reading) (d.Between 25th & 28th May 1940) |
Corporal Robert Othar Nash . Army 9th Infantry I am trying to locate details of Robert othar Nash who was stationed in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, England in 1944/5. |
Alfred Roland Naylor . British Army 8th Army from Bradford) My Granddad Alfred Naylor was a Dessert Rat but that is all my mum or auntie can tell me. Both my Granddad and Grandma are dead so I cannot ask them, I'm trying to find out which regiment he served with as I am trying to do my family tree.
Editors Note: Do you have any photos of him in uniform or any documents giving his service number? If their marriage was during the war, his regiment might be listed on the certificate. |
Sergeant B W Naylor . RAF 50 Squadron Manchester L7301, airborne 30th May 1942 from Skellingthorpe, was hit by flak over Cologne and very severely damaged. Subsequently abandoned by six of the crew, after which the Manchester crashed 0200 31st May 1942 into a dyke at Bree (Limburg), 21 km NNE of Genk, Belgium. The testimonies of the five evaders were instrumental in the posthumous award of the VC made to their skipper, P/O Manser. P/O L.T.Manser KIA P/O R.J.Barnes PoW Sgt L.H.Baveystock Evd P/O R.M.Horsley Evd Sgt S.E.King Evd Sgt A.McF Mills Evd Sgt B.W.Naylor Evd |
Sergeant B W Naylor . RAF 50 Squadron Manchester L7301, airborne 30th May 1942 from Skellingthorpe, was hit by flak over Cologne and very severely damaged. Subsequently abandoned by six of the crew, after which the Manchester crashed 0200 31st May 1942 into a dyke at Bree (Limburg), 21 km NNE of Genk, Belgium. The testimonies of the five evaders were instrumental in the posthumous award of the VC made to their skipper, P/O Manser. P/O L.T.Manser KIA P/O R.J.Barnes PoW Sgt L.H.Baveystock Evd P/O R.M.Horsley Evd Sgt S.E.King Evd Sgt A.McF Mills Evd Sgt B.W.Naylor Evd |
Pte. Frank Naylor . British Army 7th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders from Dudley) Frank Naylor was my Grandfather and was in the 7th Battalion, 15 Platoon, C Company between 1942 and 1945. Unfortunately, he died around 1954, so I never met him, but I do possess some of his wartime letters to my Grandmother, along with various bits and pieces related to the Regiment (HD and 3 stripes sleeve insignia, glengarry, TOS cap badge, webbing belt and a silver "For King & Country Services Rendered" badge, which I assume was issued when he caught malaria in Sicily?). I understand from reading the letters and photographs, that he served in North Africa, Sicily and finally Northern Europe.
I would be very interested if anyone has any further information related to him and his friends and what they would have experienced at the time. |
Seaman Roy NcLeod . Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve HMS Forfar (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
Sgt. Frederick Stephen Neal . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve flt eng. 419 Sqd. (d.14th May 1943) |
J. L. Neal . Royal Canadian Air Force 419 Sqd. |
Emily Frances "Fran" Neale . Land Army I am trying to obtain a copy of a photograph of my late mother who served in the Women's Land Army in Kent. For many years she had a photograph of a group of Land Army Girls in uniform marching over Maidstone Bridge, but sadly this went missing during a house move.
Her name was Emily Frances Neale and lived around the Maidstone area. One of most favourite memories was of delivering milk by horse and cart in the Gillingham area.
If anyone has any memories of my mum or can help me obtain a copy of the photograph I would be so pleased to hear from you
Many thanks
Maureen Barwick
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G. V. Neale . Royal Canadian Air Force 419 Sqd. |
Jill Elizabeth Bennet Neame . Land Army My mother served with the Land Army. Her name was Jill Elizabeth Bennet Neame.
I would love to hear from or of anyone that might have known her. |
Sergeant H F Neary . NFDR 59 Squadron |
Pte. B. Needham . Home Guard Signal Sect. Workington Btn. |
LACW Mary Elizabeth Needham . WAAF I would like to hear from anyone who remembers my parents or may have photographs of them or any of the ships company of HMS Formidable. |
Pte. Lionel Edward "Ginger " Neighbour . British Army Cameronians Lionel Neighbour was my father. He joined the Cameronians when he was fifteen years old and served with them for another eighteen years, culminating in his being taken prisoner in the Comines débcale and subsequently spent four years in Poland, returning to Blighty resembling a skeleton. The good news was that my mother was waiting for him, disbelieving that he had been killed in action. Thank you mother and thank you dad.
He always wore his medals with pride, and I am sad to see that he isn't mentioned anywhere. There is no mention of him in anything that I can find to do with the Cameronians. He spoke rarely about his war years. He was a sniper and not particularly proud of what he did, but without blokes like him I would be speaking German. Actually, I do, as did he, but we both spoke the language out of choice.
I just want him remembered. All I have are photos and medals. I am not best pleased that he's been forgotten by everyone else, but here, on Christmas Day 2010 there is a place for him at the family table right next to my mother's. They aren't here any more of course, but he's here right now with me. |
P/O Stanley William George Neighbour . Royal Air Force 156 Sqd from Lincolnshire) (d.12th May 1944) My mother is now 87 and she was reminiscing about her wartime experiences recently. She was 23, then called Muriel (Peggy) Siddall, and in nursing training. Her father, Frank Siddall, was the station master at Beverley in Lincolnshire and the family lived at the station. Mum was engaged to Stanley Neighbour, a pilot in the Pathfinders. He flew his plane low over the station on his way to a mission and spooked the horses in the station yard causing some pretty ripe language from Granddad! Nearly took the chimney pots off, Mum said. She was out in the yard waving a duster on the end of a broom so Stanley could see her. That was the last she saw of him as he didn't return from that mission. If anyone has any knowledge of him or where he might be laid to rest I'd be grateful for the opportunity to tell her.
UPDATE: P/O Stanley William George Neighbour, was the pilot of Lancaster ND454, coded GT-L, of 156 Sqd, he took off from RAF Warboys on the 24th Feb 1944 on a mission to Schweinfurt and crashed between Schalbach and Hirschland,
north east of Sarrebourg, France. However, there is a report that this aircraft was lost 11/12th May 1944 on a mission to Bourg-Leopld, so there is some doubt as to which date is correct, Peggy's recollection would suggest it was May as it would have been dark at 18.34 on a February evening when they are listed as having taken off from Warboys.
The Crew were:
- P/O S.W.G.Neighbour
- Sgt H.Eaton
- Sgt G.W.Rugg
- F/S L.C.Pillinger
- Sgt S.Hopkinson
- R.E.Whitebeard
- Sgt F.R.Morton
Sgt Morton is buried in Hirschland Church Yard and the other six lie together in Schalbach Roman Catholic Cemetery.
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Pte. H. G. Neill . Home Guard C Coy. Workington Btn. |
Leroy A Neill . US Army 991st Field Artillery Battalion Just wanted to honor my father, Leroy Neill, who is still alive today, and is 87 years old. My father talks about his life in the war all the time to me. Leroy was a cannon air and machine gunner during his time in the service. He used a 155 millimetre self-propelled gun M12. Served August 5th, 1941 to October 28th 1945. Was in England, France, Belgium and Germany. Listening to my father not only do I honor him, but he represents all the soldiers of war. God bless them all. |
Flying Officer A R Neilson . RAF 59 Squadron |
Pilot Officer Roy J Neilson . RAAF 59 Squadron |
F/O A. N. Nelligan . Royal Canadian Air Force pilot 419 Sqd. (d.28th Oct 1944) |
2nd Lt. Walter John Marchmont Nelson . Royal Navy HMS Mccaw My Dad, Walter Nelson served at HMS Mccaw at Silecroft near Millom in Cumbria during the Second World War and met my mother Doris Plant while he was there and married her. I would be very grateful for any details photos etc. from anyone who knew either or both of them. Thank you. |
Spr. Stanley Hedley Nesfield . British Army Royal Engineers from Murton, Co. Durham) I have just recently discovered that a great uncle of mine, Stanley Nesfield, was a POW at Stalag VIIIb (Lamsdorf), and I was searching the web for more info when I found this great site.
Uncle Stan served pre-war in India with DWR, but was a sapper with the Royal Engineers when captured at or near Dunkirk 1940. His army number was 4609648, and POW number 11416. The only information I have is that he was in camp 344, Labinowice (Lamsdorf/Stalag VIIIb). Uncle Stan died in 1982, and I am told he never spoke about his time in Lamsdorf, but I am trying to piece together this informaton as a record for our family. I would really like to find out more about his time at Lamsdorf, and how he came to get back to the UK.
Hope someone can help and offer some advice on where to look for more information.
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Ron Nethercote . Ron Nethercote was an artist and an inmate of stalag 383. I have a painting of my father painted by him in camp, does anyone have any information about him? |
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