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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

2/7th Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment



21st Feb 1944 Air Raid  location map

23rd Feb 1944 Withdrawal  location map

13th Sep 1944 On the Move


If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.



Those known to have served with

2/7th Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Apps Leslie. Pte
  • Basham Edward Joseph Inkster. Pte. (d.13th September 1944)
  • Brown Robert Barras. L/Cpl. (d.8th Sep 1943)
  • Eagle Albert William. Sgt. (d.13th Sep 1944)
  • Figg Percy Eric George. Pte. (d.18th Mar 1945)
  • Foreland George Arthur. Pte.
  • Laundy Leonard. Pte.
  • Mason Albert George. Cpl. (d.13th Sep 1944)
  • Massey Winston. L/Cpl.
  • Massey Winston. L/Cpl.
  • Rapley Ernest John. Pte (d.21st March 1945)
  • Street Ernest Herbert. Cpl. (d.13th September 1944)
  • Ward James Bede. Pte. (d.13th Sep 1944)
  • Woodhouse Albert Edward. Pte.

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

Records of 2/7th Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment from other sources.



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Want to know more about 2/7th Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment?


There are:1322 items tagged 2/7th Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment 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.


L/Cpl. Winston Massey 2/7th Btn. Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment

The International Committee of the Red Cross has received the following information:
  • Name and first name: MASSEY Winston
  • Date of birth: 12.12.1913
  • Place of birth: Weymouth
  • Father's first name: Harry
  • Mother's name: Hawkins
  • Rank: L/C
  • Unit: 2/2 Btn., Queen's Royal Regiment
  • Service number: 6084900
  • Date and place of capture: 21.05.1940, Calais
  • Prisoner of war number: 3036 stalag XXIB
Place of Detention:
  • Prisoner of war in German hands arrived at Stalag XXIB on 11.06.1940 (according to a list undated)
  • Detained in Stalag XXIB/H (according to a capture card dated 26.10.1940)
  • Arrived at Stalag XXIA on 26.01.1941 (according to a list dated 05.03.1941)
  • Transferred from Stalag XXIA to Stalag XXIC on 20.03.1941 (according to a list dated 20.03.1941)
  • Arrived at Stalag XXIC/Z on 19.03.1941, coming from Stalag XXIA (according to a list dated 08.05.1941)
  • Transferred from stalag XXIC/Z to stalag XXB on 13.06.1941 (according to a list dated 23.06.1941)
  • Arrived at Stalag XXB on 14.06.1941, coming from Stalag XXIC/Z (according to a list dated 01.07.1941)
  • Detained in Stalag XXB (according to a list dated 08.11.1943)
      Information received from: Six lists issued by the German authorities, a capture card and a list issued by the British man of confidence in Stalag XXB.

Ian Finlay



Cpl. Albert George Mason 2/7th Battalion Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment (d.13th Sep 1944)

Albert Mason is my mother-in-law's father who died during the war and is buried in Coriano Ridge War Cemetery, Italy. She remembers very little of him and would love to hear stories and she would love to know about him and would like to find out his date of birth. She is now 82 herself and was only 7 years old when he died.

Liz



Pte. George Arthur Foreland 7th Btn. Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry

My father, George Arthur Foreland, saw active service during the Italian Offensive in 1944 and 1945. He was posted to the 4th Battalion Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry in February 1944 aged 18. At the beginning of September 1944 he was transferred to the 7th Battalion Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.

As a Lance Corporal he transferred to the 2/7th (Southwark) Battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment, part of the 169th Brigade, 56th Division.

In June 1945 he transferred to the 5th Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment. He was discharged in October 1947 with the rank of sergeant.

Peter Foreland



Cpl. Ernest Herbert Street 2/7th Btn. Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (d.13th September 1944)

Ernest Street was killed in action during the attack on Fabri Ridge (Cemetery Ridge) north of Croce. He is buried in Coriano Ridge War Cemetery, Rimini, Italy.

Adam Heaysman



Pte Leslie Apps 2/7th Battalion Queens Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

My Grandad Leslie Apps fought in North Africa in the Western Desert (Tunisia) and I know he was injured in action. Trying to find information.




L/Cpl. Winston Massey 2/7th Btn. West Surrey (Queen's Royal) Regiment

1935

Marriage 1945

Winston Massey enlisted in the Territiorials joining the Queen's Royal Regiment on the 18th of April 1931. He went to Shanghai, China in 1932 with the army. From November 1933 he served in India, was stationed at Luxor (1935) and went to Quetta, Waziristan as support during Quetta earth quake on the 30th of May 1935. He returned home on the 26th of March 1940 and went to France with the BEF on the 23rd of April. On the 31st of May he was taken P.O.W. and held in Stalag XX1c-z, returning home on the 28th of April 1945. He was Discharged on the 12th of February 1946.

During research found at Dover castle museum, in glass case, an officer's personal diary that has maps and dates regarding 1st BEF Queen's Royal Regiment. After his capture, Winston and his fellow soldiers were force marched from the French-Belgium border into Poland, he elected to work on farms, in order to steal raw cabbage and raw eggs. As a survivor of the long march of 1945, at the end of the march, he was liberated by Americans. They had nothing to feed them, so were given rotten potato peelings. My grandfather went into a coma, and didn't regain consciousness until repatriation to England and was in hospital. Unsure of the American unit that liberated them.

Ian



Pte Ernest John Rapley 2/7th Btn. Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment (d.21st March 1945)

Was anyone a POW at Stalag XIA in March 1945? My father died there on 21st March 1945 and has no known grave. He was Pte E J Rapley (known as John) of the Queens Royal Regt. Does anyone know where the POWs who died were buried? Were they transferred to the Berlin War Cemetery? I have contacted Red Cross, CWGC and National Ex-POW Assn.

Janet Savage



Pte. Percy Eric George Figg 2/7th Btn. Queens Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (d.18th Mar 1945)

Percy Eric George Figg served with the 2/7th Battalion Queens Royal Regiment during WW2 and died age 27 on the 18th March 1945. He is buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery having died on the freedom march after being held prisoner in Stalag 20a. following his capture at St. Valery after Dunkirk. He was the son of George Albert Arthur and Alice gertrude figg of Worthing, Sussex.

I have known about 3 people who had served in WWII. My uncle Percy Figg. Also my father Charles Figg who was Royal Navy and Major Bernard Wilmshurst from heavy artillery. Percy was captured at St Valery after Dunkirk where he was supposedly transported to Stalag 20a where he saw the rest of the war out. He died unfortunately on the freedom march and his final resting place was Berlin war cemetery. I have not yet been to either of these places but I hope to very soon. I am surprised Percy fell as he was always as I have been told a master sportsman who was always respected by all in his home town of Worthing in Sussex.

My father Charles Figg was on a tank landing craft all the time. He saw all five invasions during his time in the war. He described the horrors of the war blow by blow. From the smell of death as the flotilla cruised around the shores of North Africa from decaying bodies in the hot sun. To waiting of the shores of Italy waiting for the naval bombardment to start and being woken up from the splash of water from a shell landing close to the carrier. Finally the Normandy invasions where all the American troops he was carrying were hit by a wall of bullets as the ramps dropped. Most never made it off the landing craft. We may scoff at the Yanks for being many things, but one thing for sure is those boys went up that beach the same as our boys did.

Major Bernard was a great character, famous for blowing the top off of Gosport town hall during some practice drills shortly before D day. He got it a couple of clicks too low and took the dome clean off. I always chuckle to myself when I see that building. Had many stories to tell including being faced by his superior officer during the France invasion onslaught. Montgomery himself.

Paul Figg



Pte. Albert Edward Woodhouse 2/7th Btn. Queens Royal Regiment

My dad was pow no. 128512 in Stalag 7a at Moosberg. His name Albert Edward (Eddy) Woodhouse, his date of enlistment was 15 February 1940, 2/7th Queens Royal Regt. D Coy. he was in the North African campaign at Enfidaville Tunisia, from here he went to Italy, Anzio where on 5/2/44 he was transferred from D Coy. to C Coy. and was involved in the attempt to extract a US army Battalion 2/157 who were cut off and isolated about a mile ahead of the front line, they too were cut off from their supplies and suffered very heavy losses. He was reported missing (War Diaries Feb 44) 25/2/44 and I know he was taken to Stalag 7a for the remainder of the war.

Would like to hear from anyone who has any knowledge of him.

Michael Woodhouse



Pte. James Bede Ward 2/7th Btn. The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (d.13th Sep 1944)

James Bede Ward, son of Mr and Mrs Hugh Ward and husband of Florence Lilian Ward of Bermondsey, London, was fighting the Gothic Line battle in Italy as part of 169 (Queen's) Brigade when he died aged 26. He is buried at Gradara War Cemetery. He also is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance to Jarrow Town Hall, Tyne and Wear.

Vin Mullen









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