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Allenheads

Picture
The War Memorial on the green in Allenheads, Northumberland
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TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY
OF THE MEN OF THIS PARISH, WHO
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WARS
1914-1918

WILLIAM FREDERICK PEARSON
GILBERT GRAHAM
WILLIAM VICKERS
GEORGE SPARKE

“GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A
MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS”

1939 E R W MILBURN 1945

If you look carefully there are three additional names on the lowest plinth

L R ANDERSON      W PHILIPSON    J WILLIAMSON


You can see more about the memorial at:
http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=6294
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Burial record for St Peter's, 1917
The Fallen from WW1

William Frederick PEARSON
Private, A Company, 1st/6th Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers, 149 Brigade, 50th Division.  Army no. 2313
He was killed in action on 16 June 1915 at Bellewaarde Ridge during the Battle of Ypres.  He was 27.
He was the son of William and Mary Ann Pearson, The
Post Office, Allenheads
He is remembered on panel 8 and 12 of the Menin Gate
Memorial, Ypres

Gilbert GRAHAM
Private, 25th (Tyneside Irish) Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers, 103 Brigade, 34th Division.  Army no. 24301
He was killed in action on 1 July 1916 during the Battle of Albert in the Somme.  He was 20 and a native of Allendale
He was the son of Joseph and Mary Ann Graham, Sipton Shield, Sparty Lea, Allendale
He is remembered on pier and face 10B, 11B and 12B of the
Thiepval Memorial

George SPARKE
Private, 23rd (Service) Battalion (1st Sportsmans), The
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 99 Brigade, 2nd Division. Army no. 75799. He was formerly with The Northumberland Fusiliers. Army no. 316614
He was killed in action on 19 April 1918 on the Somme. He was 24 
He was the son of Jane Sparke, Intack Cottage, Allenheads
He is buried in grave IV H 36 of Bucquoy Road Cemetery, Ficheux

William VICKERS
He was 20. The Parish Records tell us that he died in University College London and that he had been invalided home from France.
His death is entered as a civilian record which implies that he had been discharged from the Services
He was buried in the churchyard St Peter's Church on 28 April 1917. This graveyard is at Sparty Lea
I have not found his military record so any help would be appreciated.

The Fallen in WW2

Robert ANDERSON
Master, MV Oilfield,  Merchant Navy. He was the Commodore of the fleet of Hunting & Son Ltd.
He died on 28 April 1941. He was 49
He was the husband of Margaret Anderson
He is remembered on panel 76 of the Tower Hill Memorial in London
Additional information
The MV Oilfield was a Motor tanker of 8,516 tons. She was
completed in 1938 by Odense Staalskibsværft ved A.P. Møller, Odense and owned by Hunting & Son Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Her homeport was Newcastle.
MV Oilfield was part of Convoy HX-121 en route from Aruba - Halifax - London carrying 11,700 tons of benzene. She was sunk by U-96 (captained by Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock) at position 60.05 N, 17 W - Grid AL 3437.
There were 47 dead and 8 survivors. Six crew members and two gunners were picked up by HMS St. Zeno (FY 280) and landed at Londonderry
German records tell us that at 19.25 hours on 28 April 1941, the submarine U-96 fired three single torpedoes at three
tankers in the convoy which was south of Iceland. They reported the sinking of two tankers of 18,000 tons and damaging another of 6,000 tons after observing three hits.
The MV Oilfield caught fire immediately and burned until she
broke in two and sank the next day. The tanker Caledonia was also sunk and the freighter Port Hardy was hit and sunk after the torpedo had missed the intended target.

Edwin Wallace MILBURN
Private, 2nd Batttalion, Durham Light Infantry. Army no. 4463232
He died on 5 May 1944. He was 30
He was the son of John and Eliza Milburn.
He is remembered on face 17 of the Rangoon Memorial
Additional information
On 1 May 1944, 2nd Batttalion Durham Light Infantry learnt that they were to attack the Japanese Army which was surrounding Kohima. The Japanese mortar fire was especially effective in countering this attack, as were the inter-locking trenches that the Japanese had dug. The hilly terrain and the weather took its toll. Rain became a major problem affected the transport and soldiers fell ill with dysentery. Sleep was a luxury yet B and C Companies supported by 3 flame throwing tanks joined other armour for the attack on the feature known as FSD.  
The ridge was cleared by mid-afternoon on 4 May 1944 but the weather had made conditions almost impossible for
transport to move. This combined with the Japanese defending fire this prevented the ambulances reaching the many wounded. olonel Jack Brown had taken the
rest of the battalion by carrier in case they were needed to assist in the FSD attack. As they drove on the road by the ruined commissioners bungalow they came under Japanese bombardment from a 75 mm mountain gun. He ordered his men out of their carriers and into cover and was himself ordered to withdraw the battalion on foot to Garrison Hill.
Colonel Brown was killed whilst doing this so his place as commanding officer was taken over by Major Robinson of The Royal Berkshire Regiment. In the next few days up until the 6 May the Durham Light Infantry lost a further 35 men killed and many more wounded. The Battalion had been in action since 19 April and had lost over 100 men killed and hundreds more wounded in some of the fiercest, bloodiest fighting in some of the worst conditions ever faced by soldiers of the British Army. On 6 May 1944, the battalion were withdrawn but they would be back.
The Rangoon Memorial stands in Taukkyan War Cemetery, which is the largest of the three war cemeteries in Burma.

William PHILIPSON
Able Seaman, HMS Kelly, Royal Navy. RN no C/SSX
15331
He died on 23 May 1941. He was 26
He was the son of John and Sarah Philipson and the husband of Florence C Philipson of Ramsgate
He is remembered on panel 43, 2 Chatham Naval Memorial
Additional Information
HMS Kelly was a Destroyer, commissioned on 23 August 1939 with Captain Lord Louis F A V N Mountbatten, DSO, RN in command
A glance at HMS Kelly’s diary for May 1941 shows the intensity and stress of this warship
1 May  Deployed with Flotilla for interception patrol.
2 May  After entry into Grand Harbour leading HM Destroyers Jersey, Jackal & Kelvin, HMS Jersey detonated a mine laid earlier by aircraft and sank.
8 May  Sailed with the three other ships of the Flotilla after obstruction by wreck of HMS Jersey had been cleared. Took passage with these ships to join HM Cruisers Ajax, Dido, Orion & Perth (RAN) of the Mediterranean Fleet and proceeded westward together to join escort for military convoy carrying tanks and essential stores to Egypt and Greece
9 May  Joined Tiger convoy.
10 May Detached from Tiger convoy screen with HM Destroyers Jackal, Kashmir, Kelvin & Kipling to carry out
bombardment at Benghazi before return to Malta. Resumed Force strike duties as Force K.
11 May Arrived at Malta with HM Destroyers Jackal, Kashmir,
Kelvin & Kipling.
21 May Despatched with HM Destroyers Kashmir & Kipling to assist in defence of Crete against invasion by German forces. Took passage from Malta to join Mediterranean Fleet ships already deployed.
22 May Deployed with HMS Kashmir & HMS Kipling to carry out patrol north of Crete to intercept invasion craft. Carried out bombardment of Maleme airfield
23 May Under heavy and sustained air attacks by Stuka dive
bombers during which she was hit and sank within two minutes south of Gavo, Crete. HMS Kashmir was also sunk in these attacks. HMS Kipling, which had become detached earlier, rescued survivors from both ships including 159 from this destroyer.

J WILLIAMSON
No information has been found to identify this man.
But there are options!

JOHN  WILLIAMSON
Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) 70 Squadron, Royal Air Force. RAFVR no. 1093296 
He died on 25 November 1943. He was 22
He was the son of John and Ida Williamson of Sherburn Hill, Co. Durham 
He is buried in Coll. grave III. B. 16-20. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa 

JOHN  WILLIAMSON
Private 1st Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Army no. 19060770
He died on 26 May 1947. He was 19  
He was the son of Mary Williamson of South Shields, Co. Durham. 
He is buried in grave 1 B 3 Munster Heath War Cemetery

JAMES ASHCROFT  WILLIAMSON
Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) 189 Squadron,
Royal Air Force  RAFVR No. 1084486  
He died on 4 December 1944. He was 22
He was the son of John and of Ethel May Williamson, of Murton Colliery, Co. Durham and the stepson of William Muncaster of Murton Colliery. 
He is buried in grave 1 C 7 Choloy War Cemetery  

JAMES BROWN WILLIAMSON
Chief Engineer Officer.  SS Ashworth (Newcastle-on-Tyne) Merchant Navy 
He died on 13 October 1942. He was 57
He was the husband of Lydia E Williamson of Sunderland, Co. Durham. 
He is remembered on panel 11 of the Tower Hill Memorial, London  

JAMES NELSON  WILLIAMSON
Aircraftman 2nd Class,  Royal Air Force. RAFVR no. 1504974 
He died on 3 October 1942. He was 22 
He was the son of John and Maude Williamson of Jarrow, Co. Durham. 
He is buried in grave 2 H 24 Heliopolis War Cemetery
 
The Fallen in WW2 who are not on the Memorial

Charles Mcallister BATEMAN
Trooper, 53rd Regiment Reconnaissance Corps, Royal Armoured Corps, Army no. 3450143
He died on active service on 29 November 1944. It is probable that he died from his wounds as this was a hospital site. He was 24 
He is buried in grave III E 12 Leopoldsburg War Cemetery
He was the husband of Rhoda Bateman of Allenheads
Additional Information
A newspaper article states that de was killed by shellfire

Fred Hall WOOD
Pilot Officer, 103 Squadron, Royal Air Force RAFVR no 120643
He died on active service on 24 June 1942. He was 32
He was the husband of Elizabeth Alfreda Wood of Allenheads.
He is remembered on panel 72 of the Runnymede Memorial
Additional Information
Wellington IC T2921 PM-T took off at 23.31 from RAF Elsham Wolds on a Gardening Operation and was presumed lost over the sea. 2 Sergeants A F Bissell and A Jones are buried on the Dutch Island of Ameland. Sergeant Scanlan is buried in Sage War Cemetery.
The bodies of Sergeant T W B Emmott and Pilot Officer Fred Wood were not recovered
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