Lords
Worship
Places
People
Contact
Prestwich Remembers
Below is a list (by date of death) of the aremed service personnel of Prestwich that died during WWII and are commemorated in St Mary's churchyard in Prestwich
For a list of Commonwealth War Graves at St Margaret's, St Mary's and Butterstile/Rainsough Cemetery see
Maps of St Mary's graveyard sections
St Mary's War Graves & Memorials :
A map of war graves and memorials
A map of WWII locations in & around Prestwich
A map of WWI locations in Heaton Park
here.
Read more about the War Memorials of Prestwich here
here
Googlemap
Read the booklet issued to new cadets when they arrived at Heaton Park during WWII.
RAF Booklet
Googlemap
Name Age Date of DeathFamily Memorial CWGC Memorial 1
Info
Info: son of Minnie & Capt. Ernest RASC (also see below) Sgt Royal Air Force 50 Sqdn. By April the Sqdn had been re-equipped with Hampden medium bombers and started bombing and mine laying operations. 13/ 14 April- GARDENING OPERATIONS, ASPARAGUS AREA
Three aircraft set off tonight to drop sea-mines in the ‘Asparagus’ area. According to the ORB’s,
this was the Squadron’s first ever operational mine-laying mission. Weather was poor with low
cloud over the target and heavy static and cloud encountered en-route. Two aircraft successfully
dropped mines but the third, L4065 failed to return. The crew were; Pilot 39456 F/Lt. Robert James
Cosgrove RAF, 563051 Sgt. Frederick William Batchelor RAF, 535553 Cpl. James Doran RAF and
580714 Sgt. Gordon William Everatt RAF. All missing presumed killed when L4065 disappeared
without trace. A report was received that an aircraft was heard crashing off Mablethorpe but a
search found no remains. Possibly they crashed “Off Skegness” but site is unknown. No bodies
were recovered hence L4065, wherever it lies, is a Listed War Grave; all are commemorated at the
memorial at Runnymede. The pilot, F/Lt. R.J. Cosgrove was the Governor of Tasmania’s son.
EVERATT, GORDON W19 14/4/1940 St Mary's RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL2
Info
Info: of 71 Fountain Street, Higher Crumpsall. Son of John Smith, of Somerset; husband of Doris M. Smith. Served Aux.Fire Service, civilian death,died at Cheetwood Road, Cheetham Hill, during Christmas Blitz 1940.SMITH, H ? 22/12/1940 St Mary's 3
Info
Info: Corporal Thomas Taylor, R.A.F., husband of Emma Taylor, 33 Ruskin Rd. died July 1941, aged 32. Serverd with 926 Sqdn. 10th Balloon Centre, Bowlee TAYLOR, T ? 01/07/1941 St Mary's 4
Info
Info: Son of James A. and Margaret A. Walkden, of Knott End, Lancashire. Pilot Officer Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 18 Sqdn.The insignia of the R.A.F. in bronze above a plaque inscribed ‘Per Ardua ad Astra’ is set into a scroll shaped granite headstone: “In loving memory of Malcolm Thomas Kershaw Walkden (Pilot Officer R.A.F. V.R.) youngest son of James A. and Margaret A. Walkden, who gave his life for his Country 12 August, 1941, aged 24 years.” When Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, 18 Squadron took part in bombing missions against German troops as well as their envisioned reconnaissance missions. After the squadron was forced to change airfields three times in three days, it was ordered to evacuate back to England on 19 May, moving to RAF Watton in Norfolk. The squadron was assigned to anti-shipping duties, during one raid over France in August 1941, one aircraft dropped a box over St Omer airfield containing an artificial leg. It was a spare for Wing Commander Douglas Bader who had been captured. Mission : Koln-Knapsack. V6437 (markings:
WV-C) Took off from RAF Horsham St Faith at 0920 hrs. Crashed in the sea off the Dutch coast, Sgt Cutler is buried in Vlissingen Northern Cemetery; his companions are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Crew: Plt Off M T K Walkden (KIA) Plt Off B F W Matthews (KIA) Sgt A C Cutler (KIA).WALKDEN, M T K24 12/08/1941 St Mary's RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL5Info
Info: served in ww1 not a WWII fatality. A plain stone cross near the old South boundary wall marks the burial place of Major Thomas Arthur Jones, V.D. 5th Bn. the Cheshire Regiment T.F., born 21st March 1854, died 13th October 1941. The British Empire awarded Colonial medals, i.e. Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers Decoration (V.D.) (1900- 13). Major Jones’ second son, Maurice Lightoller, served with the South African Heavy Artillery and was killed on active service April 22nd 1917, aged 35 years. His body was interred at the Military Cemetery, Capestown.
JONES, T A 87 13/10/1941 St Mary's 6
Info
Info: son of Minnie & Capt. Ernest RASC (see above) Sgt (Pilot) Royal Air Force 12 Sqdn. Flying Wellington Bombers upto early 1942, they transferred to Lancasters. On the night 30–31 May 1942 1,000 bombers were sent to attack Cologne in Operation Millenium perhaps George was on one of them.
EVERATT, GEORGE H22 30/5/1942 St Mary's 7Info
Info: son of Fanny Rollings and husband of Emily. Able seaman Jenkins was attached to H.M.S. President III, established on 28 August 1939 in Bristol to train those allocated for service on the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships. Arthur was aboard Dutch merchant vessel Aagtekerk,as part of a convoy sent from Alexandria to relieve the beseiged island of Malta. The convoy met massive enemy resistance both above and below the waves, and was forced to turn back due to lack of ammunition. Arthur's ship was bombed by German Junkers 87 & 88 bombers as it headed back, stopping just North of Tobruk. Of the crew, and the 102 service personnel of the Army, Navy and RAF that were on board, 41 were lost along with Arthur.
JENKINS, A 26 14/06/1942 St Mary's 8Info
Info: Son of Henry and Martha Harris; husband of Gladys Mabel Harris Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) RAF 114 Sqdn.The squadron flew Blenheim aircraft on night attacks through March and April 1942,[25] and on the night of 30/31 May, flew attacks against German night-fighter bases in support of Operation Millenium, the RAF's "1000 bomber" raid against Cologne.7 aircraft from the Sqn were sortied on the night of the 21/22nd July to attack four airfields, 2 aircraft to Vechta, 2 to Venlo, 1 to St Trond and 2 to Twente.
After the attack, Albert's Blenheim bomber crashed in the North Sea, his body washed up and he is buried in Denmark.
HARRIS, A 31 22/07/1942 St Mary's LEMVIG CEMETERY 9
Info
Info: Son of Ada & Fred, killed in action at El Hama, Tunisia interred at Sfax The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) 1st Bn. served with the BEF in France 1940. The battalion was transferred to the island of Malta in 1941 and served throughout the siege.They then served in the North Africa Campaign,. On 23 March, Montgomery ordered the 1st Armoured Division (Major-General Raymond Briggs) of X Corps to reinforce the New Zealand Corps from reserve,and on the 29th March 1943, New Zealand and British forced defeated the Germans at the Battle of the Mareth Line and entered El Hamma.
MARSH, H G 21 24/03/1943 St Mary's 10 
Info
Info: Son of Hiriam and Sarah Isobel Borthwick; husband of Phyllis Maud Borthwick, of Londonderry Able Seaman Royal Navy H.M.S. Asphodel, hit by U-boat (U-575).At 01.54 hours on 10 March 1944, U-575 attacked convoy SL-150, which was combined with convoy MKS-41 and sank HMS Asphodel (K 56) (Lt M.A. Halliday, RNZNR) with a Gnat west-northwest of Cape Finisterre (Spain). The commander, four officers and 87 ratings were lost. Only five survivors were picked up by HMS Clover (K 134) (Lt T.E. Fanshawe, RNR). After the attack the U-boat was hunted by escorts for 18 hours but managed to escape.
BORTHWICK, A 23 09/03/1944 St Mary's 11
Info
Info: Son of Alec Stuart Brierley, and of Adeline Louise Brierley, of Prestwich, Lancashire. Sgt Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 213 Sqdn.Flying Hurricane aircraft, the Sqdn flew at Dunkirk, Battle of Britain and switched to Mustang III in the Middle East.Sgt Brierley is thought to have been hit by return fire when he and his wingmates, Smith (Trindad) and Rorvik (South Africa) shot down a Ju 52 and a He-111 in Greek Macedonia.
BRIERLEY, L W 24 10/09/1944 St Mary's PHALERON WAR CEMETERY12Info
Info:Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Cunliffe served with the RAFVR in 65 Maintenance Unit, based at Balby, Leicestershire, but he is buried in Brussels, the city had been liberated by allied (Brittish & Belgian) troops on Sunday 3 September 1944, and 65MU must have been deployed to forward positions maintaining Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V and Mk.IX aircraft. The Luftwaffe launched Operation Bodenplatte (Baseplate), an attempt by to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries, on 1 January 1945. The goal was to gain air superiority during the Battle of the Bulge so that the German Army and Waffen-SS forces could resume their advance. The operation was planned for 16 December 1944, but was delayed repeatedly due to bad weather until New Year's Day. The suprise attack caught the allies unaware and targetted the RAF and USAF base at Evere, Brussels (and 16 other air bases) with 81 Fw 190D-9 and 29 Me109 aircraft. Aircraft were lost to German as well as allied AAA fire, and the attack was intercepted by Spitfires, but they still struck the airfield a serious blow, knocking out the flak towers and destroyed anything combustible: hangars, trucks, fuel dumps and about 60 aircraft on the ground.
CUNLIFFE, C ? 01/01/1945 St Mary's BRUSSELS TOWN CEMETERY13Info
Info: Son of Richard Edward and Gertrude Mary Shearman, of Whitefield, Lancashire. Warrant Officer Class II QMS(Quartermaster Sergeant)Royal Corps of Signals 1 Air Formation Sigs.AFS Regiments were Army resources deployed in support of the RAF and were usually jointly manned by Army and RAF signallers. A regiment comprised a number of specialist sub-units (troops) for operating (wireless and line), line construction, maintenance, and despatch riders.
SHEARMAN, B S28 20/11/1945 St Mary's BASRA WAR CEMETERY14Info
Info: Son of Emma & Sidney, died through war service Royal Air Force (Halton)
BALLARD, Ernest25 02/03/1947 St Mary's
Read the booklet issued to new cadets when they arrived at Heaton Park during WWII.
RAF Booklet
