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Those who Served
Herbert Annesley Packer . Royal Navy HMS Manchester Herbert Packer was the captain of HMS Manchester from the 13th of April 1940 until the 31st of May 1941. |
Signal Boy Richard J. Paffett . Royal Navy HMS Cairo |
Arthur "Baba" Page . R A S C Transport from 32 Russell Road Newbury, Berkshire) My Dad, Athur Page From Newbury Berkshire, was in the RASC during the last parts of the war, he was stationed in western germany in a small town called Ebstorf in 1946. Dad was billited with a german family by the name of Buchiwald Or Budiwald, the daughters names were Gerda and Gisela, Father's name was Paul, Mother's name Lindien, I think Dad was initally stationed at Munster I have some photos of my Dad and some of his mates in unifofm with the german family, Could any body that may have any information,on the RASC during this time please help me? |
Doris Sylvia Cathrine "Dot" Page . Women's Land Army from Birmingham) I am trying to find out about my late mother's time during the Second World War. Her maiden name was Page, we knew that she served as a Land Army girl, but where or when, we just don't know! Her name was Doris, but everyone called her Dot.
She sadly passed away in 2002, followed 8 wks later my our father William Henry Tofts. They lived a full and happy life, having my sister and 4 yrs later myself. We seem to always get told what Dad did during the war years, he served on HMS Dido. But we sadly didn't get told about Mum's part, only that she was a Land Army Girl.
Even though she is no longer with us, we would dearly love to learn more about her time as a Land Girl, Where was the farm? Who she worked along side? who were her friends? |
Phillip Eric Page . Army Middlesex Regiment I'm trying to gather information about my Grandad and his time in World War II. His name was Phillip Eric Page and served in the Middlesex Regiment, He was captured in June 1940, but am unsure when he arrived at Stalag XXA. We are currently going through old papers and photos that we have, and hopefully in the near future I will be posting what we find.
If anyone has any information on the Middlesex Regiment we would love to hear from you as we are trying to find as much information as possible. Thanks for taking the time to read this
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Sgt. Phillip William "Pancho" Page . British Army Sussex Coy. Royal Engineers from Brighton) My Dad Phillip Page served with George Notcher, Knight, Tiny Rummery, Harry Draper and loads of smashing blokes in the Engineers. They travelled a lot during the War and lost a lot of the Company. When I was a kid they told me the funny stories from their travels and they all kept in contact for a long time after the war.
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Sgt. Peter "Skip" Pajich . US Army B Coy. 106th Infantry Regt. from Pittsburgh, PA) My father, Peter Pajich, died in 2002, a happy man. He felt like a king most of his life because of the suffering he had as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was a POW for 6 months in Stalag 4B. He spoke of many things but the major memories I, his daughter, have is the fact that he did not get to eat anything but bread. They tried to eat rotten apples from the ground and cockroaches even. They were given very little water. He had body lice most of the time. He said he didn't take his boots off for 6 months. He came out of boot camp at 169 lbs. and came home from POW camp at 89. He saw many die there. He was a 'lucky' one. I am very proud to say he was my father.
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Jerzy Palimaka . Polish Army from Czestochowa) My father was detained at Stalag 1B POW camp Hohenstein between 1939-1940. I am seeking anyone who might have known him or who may have photographs. |
Flying Officer Alan Cairns Palmer . RAF Lancaster ED 542 106 Squadron (d.3rd April 1943) |
Barbara Dilys Palmer . Women's Land Army from Pensford, Somerset) I was interviewed in Bath in January 1942 at the age of 19 and received a letter with the option of immediate training at an "approved" farm or in the following September at Cannington Farm Institute. I decided to go to an approved farm and was sent to Upper Farm, Brean for a month starting in February. My father took me by car to see the farm on a bleak day in January and said "You can't go there!" but I had a letter from the farmer, Mr Tucker, with a date to commence and decided to go ahead. On the appointed day I caught a train to Brent Knoll but had to wait at the tiny station for what seemed a very long time as Mrs Tucker, who was supposed to meet me, was delayed because she was playing bridge!
I was excused milking the first morning, but after that it was up at half past six every morning! Fortunately, having been living in the country I already knew how to milk a cow.
One day I remember was when I was given a bucket and told to go to a large field and pick up stones, as the field was due to be mown the next day and the stones could damage the mowing machine. I'm still not sure if this was some sort of test.
At the end of the month Mr Tucker asked me if I would like to stay on and said "Yes please!" I lived in the farmhouse with the delightful family.
I was very disappointed at the first Christmas when I was told I couldn't go home - the cows still had to be milked!
Fortunately living on a farm, food always seemed to be in good supply, including an extra ration of cheese if you were in the land army. I didn't like cheese at the time but Mr Tucker was happy to have my ration!
One day in 1943 a German plane dropped an incendiary bomb, which contained many incendiary "bomblets"; these large bombs were dropped on a parachute and were supposed to open and spread the bomblets over the area, but this one failed to open properly. Seeing the large bomb on a parachute Mr Tucker thought it was a man parachuting down and told us to stay indoors while he and other members of the Home Guard went to investigate. After the bomb was made safe the large silk parachute was put to good use by the local ladies and we all had nice new underwear!
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Blimp Palmer . Navy HMS Nigeria I have a photo of H.M.S. Nigeria with lots of signatures on the back. It says Torpedo Division 1945 and is dated 19th September 1945.
The names are:
R G Stocker Geordie BurnsRonald J HarrisG KentP RaymentW WheatleyD ChapmanH J FisherD P Sweeney A ?? WhitheadH LockearBlimp PalmerG. KentJ Arnold ~(Sussex) A ChapmanJames Robertson(Jock)R E FisherD MercerR E RileyW L GilbertF J Fulcher (Wind Bo'sun 1st class)D Hughes TGMG L BowersE TicehurstF C WelchG W Downes |
Staff Sgt. Edward Frank Palmer . British Army Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers from Harpenden) My Father, Frank Palmer, served in REME 1941-46. He was almost sent to far east but remained in UK as he was taking his staff sergeants exams. The unit he would have been with were ultimately wiped out. Instead he was sent to France on D-day + 6. Later sent to Bergen-Belsen where he arrived less than 48 hours after the liberation. I shudder to think what he saw there as he never spoke about it. He later was billeted in Holland and Germany before being demobbed in 1946.
Prior to the war he had qualified as an Optician, a profession he resumed after the war. He married my Mother, Helen Walders, in November 1942. They were married until her death in 1990. Frank passed away in 1992.
I would be gtateful to hear from anyone who has any knowledge of him as I would like to know more of his war experiences. He was a wonderful man and a great father who will never be forgotten by his family. |
Sgt Frederick William John Palmer . Royal Air Force from Hackney, London) I am trying to find out about my father-in-law, Frederick Palmer. He was a rear gunner in the Second World War on the Lancasters. We were told that he was shot down in Holland but he survived the crash and was taken in by a family and hidden from the Germans. He was helped to return to England where he learnt that the family who had concealed him had been found out and shot by the Germans. I cannot help with the RAF unit or date. I know there is not much information to work on but that is all I know at present. |
Squadron Leader G T Palmer DFC. RAF 59 Squadron |
Iain Palmer . Royal Navy HMS Penelope from Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire) My uncle, Iain Palmer, was a survivor of the sinking of H M S Penelope off Anzio in 1944. Iain I believe was a signalman. He was born in Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. |
Pilot Officer K V Palmer . RAF |
Acting Leading Stoker Samuel Henry Palmer MID.. Royal Navy HMS Rorqual from 17 Worboys Road, Worcester) My Father was desperate to join the forces during the Second World War, his two elder brothers Walter and Harold were already serving in the Royal Navy and the Fleet Air Arm, respectively. His Father Frank was also serving with the Royal Engineers, having been called up again, because of his intimate mapping knowledge of Northern France and Belgium, experience gained from the First World War, which he somehow survived, including the dreaded Battles of the Somme and Passchendale. My Gran was left with two daughters at home, she thanked her lucky stars when they all arrived home safe at the end of the war, having lost a brother in the First World War.
Dad trained at Chatham and was assigned to HMS Rorqual, a mine-laying sub, eventually becoming Acting Leading Stoker. He was 6’3” tall, rather tall for the cramped conditions on board a sub and used to sling his hammock between the pistons to give himself a bit of extra space. He told me about one occasion when they were submerged and being hunted by a German sub, the Captain stopped the engines, absolute silence was called for, in case the sonar picked up any noise. Dad was playing cards with a few other crew members when one of them panicked and started screaming in fear, so Dad stood up and knocked him out, as it was endangering them all.
On another occasion he was berthed in Trincomalee, on the island of Ceylon, (now known as Sri Lanka) and to his delight found both his brothers were there too, the first time they had seen each other since the start of the war. As you can imagine there was a joyous celebration on board that night, all empty bottles were loaded into an empty torpedo tube and finally jettisoned into the harbour, next morning!
He was also awarded an oak leaf for bravery and mentioned in dispatches; the mine-laying rails didn’t always function efficiently, one dropped off the rear of the sub only to come floating back towards them, so Dad got hold of a boat hook and calmly pushed it out of the way, he said it was safe as long as you didn’t touch the spines! At the end of the war he joined the police force, but sadly died aged only 57. My family and I are immensely proud of him.
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Stoker 1st Class. Harry Edward Pamplett . Royal Navy HMS Prunella (d.21st Jun 1940) |
Kathleen Parfitt . Land Army My mother was in the land army stationed at Redworth House, Totnes, South Devon till around 1949
Her name was Kathleen Parfitt. She would love to hear from anyone who was billeted their around that time especially Sally Marriot who she lost touch with some years ago all she can remember is Sally moved back to Matlock in Derbyshire were she married and seems to think she ran a post office.
If you can help me find my mothers friend please email me, I would be so grateful to you as my mother is getting on in years and she would dearly like to know what became of Sally
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Seaman James William Park . Royal Navy HMS Prunella (d.21st Jun 1940) |
Pte. R. Park . Home Guard A Coy. Workington Btn. |
Thomas Duncan Park . Air Raid Protection from 90 Seymour Ave, Tottenham) |
LAC. Arthur William Henry Parker . Royal Air Force 40 Sqd. from London) Arthur Parker served overseas in Egypt and Italy from 11/2/42 until 30/12/45 with MEF and CMF. He was an Armourer. He died in 1995 and did not speak a lot about his experiences. We have his Service & Release Book, his Medals and an album of old photographs from his service period.
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Edward George Lancelot Parker . Royal Air Force mid upper gunner 106 Sqd. (d.30th Aug 1944) |
Sgt. George Frank "Gert" Parker . South African Army from Durban, South Africa) I always knew that my father had been in a prisoner of war camp in Germany, and heard a few stories but didn't know a great deal. I had a childhood friend who lived a few blocks away from us, and for some reason throughout our childhood our parents never met. We'd known each other for years, and when I was about 15, I was visiting her and there was a great thunderstorm. I usually walked home, but I rang my Dad and asked him to come and fetch me. We heard the doorbell ring, and heard my friend's father answer the door. We heard a shout and then strange scuffling sounds and were terribly alarmed to see our fathers in each others' arms and crying.
Our fathers had both served in Stalag 8a. My father, Gert (or possibly known as George) Frank Parker, was with the South African Forces, and I think he was a sargent. My friend's father was Horace Lee, and was with the British Army. They had been best friends during their time in the camp. They both had photographs of each other, and Horace had done drawings of all his friends including my father.
When the war was over, Horace went back to England and my father returned to Durban in South Africa. They completely lost touch with each other. Both married, and Horace came to live in Johannesbury, South Africa with his wife, not knowing where to even look for my father, knowing my father lived somewhere in Durban. However, by that time, my father and his family had moved to Cape Town, and then South Africa, not knowing that they were both living a few blocks apart! As you can imagine, they made up for lost time and saw each other each week until my father died in 1979. Horace died a few years later. |
Glyn James Parker . Army Royal Engineers My father, Glyn James Parker, was at Teschen, Stalag 8B, POW No 6811.
He was a driver with the Royal Engineers, captured at Dunkirk, and was held until March 1945. I would be very grateful for any information from anyone, as he did not talk a lot about his imprisonment at Stalag 8B.
Alan Parker |
Driver James Parker . British Army 384/909 Company Royal Army Service Corps from London) My father Jim Parker was RASC. he served in North Africa and did a stint in the LRDG.Palestine 1940/1943 then BNAF Sept/43 to Oct/44. I tried to get him to the Tobruck cementary to no avail. Just before he died in 1994 I promised to visit the cementary at the Sangro River for him.... quote ' I left a lot of my mates there ' at last I am going June 2009, to say thanks to all those men that were my dads mates but didn't come back as he did He wasnt one for reunions but often wondered what happened to certain people, I dont know where he met up with them or what nationality ,as many sons and daughters like myself know Dads didnt talk much about the war. In the desert he drove a large lorry painted yellow known as the Yellow Peril. I was very close to my father and cannot equate war doings with the gentle man that I knew. I doubt there is anyone alive now that knew him but if anyone has mementos that include my father's name please contact me. |
Joan Parker . Land Army Is there any one out there that remembers my Auntie, Joan Parker who served with the WLA? She worked at Williamsons Farm at Keythorpe Lodge in Leicestershire.
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Mjr. Nigel Parker . Army 5th Btn. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders |
Pte. Randolph Parker . British Army 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment from Leicester) (d.14th June 1944) I am trying to find as much information as I can on my Uncle Randolph Parker.
He was killed in action in Burma on 14th June 1944. My Dad tells me that they were notified he had been injured, however the information I have been given so far is that there was no known body, therefore no grave. However he is remembered at the Rangoon war memorial. Also I only have one photo of my Uncle, is there by chance anyone out there got any photos that they could share with me? |
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