Drayton, in the Parish Church of St Peter
I love this church tower
The War Memorial
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS IN HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN OF DRAYTON WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919 CORL WILLIAM JOHN WEBB O&BLI SAPPER FREDERICK WILLIAM MARSHALL RE PTE THOMAS HEADING NORTH CG WILLIAM HENRY BRAIN RN And a separate plaque below it 1939 – 1945 KENNETH GEORGE KINGERLEE. RAF ROBERT FRANK JARVIS RN 
A Roll of Honour
DRAYTON St PETER ROLL OF HONOUR To commemorate the names of those who From this Parish joined H M Forces, endured hardship and rendered good service in the Second Great War for the cause of freedom 1939 – 1945 J Allington Pte CG E J Palmer Gunner RA REW Ashley Cprl RAF R H Palmer Cprl RASC S G Bagley Gun’r RA R Simms W O RAF R Capell Pte S G Taylor LAC RAF L A George B’dr RA K S Taylor Sgt GPR N F Gunn Spr RE A J Varney L Cprl RMP W F M Hunt Major MBE PC W C Varney Cprl O&BLI C Jarvis AB RN G J Varney Pte O&BLI G J E Lowe Cprl REMC L U T Webb Pte RASC P Mckinley AC RAF G D Webb LAC RAF J E Palmer Gunner RA Brenda Chrisian Allington ATS Phyllis Ruby Allington WRNS The more unusual Abbreviations CG Coldstream Guards B'dr Bombardier PC Pioneer Corps AB RN Ablebodied (Seaman) Royal Navy AC Aircraftman RMP Royal Military Police ATS Auxiliary Territorial Service |
The Fallen in WW1 named on the Memorial
William John WEBB Corporal, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry He was born in 1895 He was the son of William and Tamar Webb of Drayton I regret that I have not traced any military record for him. Frederick William MARSHALL Sapper, 483rd Field Company, Royal Engineers. Army no 522247 He was killed in action between 2 and 3 April 1918. He was 24 He is buried in grave I L 8 Varennes Military Cemetery between Albert and Amiens Additional Information He was the son of William and Mary Ann Marshall of Drayton Thomas Heading NORTH Private, 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards, 4 Guards Brigade, 1st Guards Division. Army no 17227 He was killed in action on 29 July 1917 in the fighting near Ypres. He was 42 He is buried in grave VIII C 5 Duhallow ADS Cemetery Additional Information He was the son of Thomas Nash and Elizabeth Jane North. William Henry BRAIN Boy 1st Class, HMS Indefatigable, Royal Navy. RN no J/34903 He was killed in action on 31 May 1916 at the Battle of Jutland. He was just 15 (1 July 1899) He is remembered on panel 14 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial Additional information He was the grandson of Ellen Brain of Drayton and his next of kin was his aunt Miss Albert King, (as stated in the archives) Old Belton, Nr Rugby He had served on HMS Powerful as well as HMS Indefatigable since he had enlisted in January the previous year Further information On 31 May 1916, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron was HMS New Zealand (flagship of Rear-Admiral William Pakenham) and HMS Indefatigable. It was assigned to Admiral Beatty's Battlecruiser Fleet which had put to sea to intercept a sortie into the North Sea by the German High Seas Fleet. The Germans opened fire first at 3:48. The German fire was accurate but the British overestimated the range as the German ships blended into the haze. Indefatigable aimed at Von der Tann and New Zealand targeted Moltke while remaining unengaged herself. Around 4:00, Indefatigable was hit near the rear turret by shells from Von der Tann. She fell out of formation and started sinking towards the stern and listing to port. Her magazines exploded at 4:03 after more hits, one on the forecastle and another on the forward turret. The most likely cause of her loss was an explosion in 'X' magazine that blew out her bottom and severed the steering control shafts, followed by the explosion of her forward magazines from the second volley. Von der Tann fired only fifty-two 28 cm (11 in) shells at Indefatigable before she exploded. Of her crew of 1,019, only two survived. The Fallen in WW2 Kenneth George KINGERLEE Pilot Officer, Navigator, 104 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve RAFVR no 178828 He died on active service on 2 July 1944. He was 33. He is buried in grave Coll. grave 6 D 4-8 Belgrade War Cemetery Additional Information He was the son of George and Margaret May Kingerlee of Banbury and the husband of Kathleen Marjorie R Kingerlee of Banbury Further information He was flying in Wellington X MF137 'H' of 104 Squadron which is recorded as missing on a mission to mine the Danube. The crew were: Pilot Officer Edward J HOLMES, RAAF no 420946 Flight Sergeant (Navigator) Kenneth G KINGERLEE, RAFVR no 1200951 Flight Sergeant (Air Bomber) Ernest W MORGAN, RAF no 522256 Sergeant Geoffrey Goodhand PARKER, RAAF no 427933 Flight Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Kenneth Norman WIGGINS, RAFVR no 1318337 They are all buried in Coll. Grave 6 D 4-8 Belgrade War Cemetery. Comment You may spot that the ranks for Kingerlee (Pilot Officer 178828 - 15-6-44), Morgan (Pilot Officer 55796 - 23-6-1944) and Wiggins (Pilot Officer 178693 - 11-6-1944) differ because they had all been promoted prior to their loss. Their squadron had probably not been notified of this fact, and they were recorded as above. Robert Frank JARVIS Able Seaman, SS Empire Sky, Royal Navy. RN no C/JX 336367 He died on active service when his ship was sunk on 14 November 1942. He was 19 He is remembered on panel 54 3 of the Chatham Naval Memorial Additional Information He was the son of Cecil Norman and Beatrice Eva Jarvis of Drayton Further information At 22.24 hours on 6 November 1942, the unescorted ss Empire Sky was torpedoed and sunk by U-625 south of Spitzbergen. The master and 40 crew members were lost. She was en route from Hull via Reykjavik to Archangel in Russia |
