Stokenham War Memorial 1939

STOKENHAM WAR MEMORIAL 1939 - 1945

H. P. G. COX	582974 Private Harold Percy Graham Cox of the 5th Battalion, the Suffolk Regiment. Son of Joseph and Priscilla Cox. Born in Royston, Hertfordshire in the June Quarter of 1918. Died 28 July 1943 aged 25.
G. DURE	D/J 4816 Chief petty officer George Henry Dure of the Royal Navy, HMS Bideford. Husband of Alice Maud Dure of Torcross. Born in Stokenham 15 November 1891. Died 29 May 1940 aged 49 when his ship was bombed.
J. CROCKER	Not yet confirmed
W.J. MITCHELL	LT/JX 210952 Seaman William J. Mitchell of the Royal Naval Patrol Service, HM Trawler Forfeit. Son of Sarah Lynn of Hallsands (née Mitchell). Born in Kingsbridge in the September Quarter of 1913. Died 6 June 1941 aged 28 - one of 8 casualties when Forfeit was attacked from the air.
A. E. POPPLESTONE	D/JX 127625 Able Seaman Albert Edwin Popplestone of the Royal Navy, HMS Galatea. Son of Edwin and Annie Popplestone; husband of Winifred Frances Popplestone. Born in Stokenham in the march Quarter of 1910. Died 15 December 1941 aged 31 when his ship was lost.
G. PRETTEJOHN	LT/210966 Seaman George Prettyjohn (aka Prettejohn) of the Royal Naval Patrol Service, HM Trawler Bedfordshire (on loan to the US Navy). Son of Robert Henry and Elizabeth Prettyjohn of Beesands; husband of Lilian Alvina Prettyjohn of Beesands, Born in Beesands in the June Quarter of 1914. Died of illness 18 January 1942 aged 28.
E. STONE	P/JX 223336 Ordinary Seaman Eric George Stone of the Royal Navy. Son of George and Florence Stone of Hallsands. Born in Stokenham in the December Quarter of 1906. Died 11 December 1944 aged 38. Buried in the Stokenham Churchyard
P. E. STONE	LT/JX 185337 Seaman Percy Ernest Stone of the Royal Naval Patrol Service, HM Trawler Bedfordshire (on loan to the US Navy). Son of Edward and Amelia Stone of Hallsands. Born in Hallsands in the June Quarter of 1917. Died 11 May 1942 aged 25 when Bedfordhsire was sunk by a U-Boat.
P. WARTH	2069229 Aircraftwoman 2nd Class Phyllis Emma Warth of the WAAF. Daughter of Cornelius and Sarah Jane Warth (née Steer). Born in Stokenham 9 August 1922. Volunteered for the WAAF in 1942. Died in an air raid on Beesands 27 Jul 1942 aged 19. Buried in Stokenham churchyard.

NOT NAMED ON THE MEMORIAL BUT BURIED IN THE CHURCHYARD
C.E.C. COURTNEY	919465 Aircraftman 1st Class Cyril Ernest Charles Courtney of the RAF Volunteer reserve, Son of Elias and Edith Jane Courtney; husband of Mary Ellen Courtney of Beesands. Born in Devon in the June Quarter of 1913. Died 16 March 1944 aged 31. Buried in Stokenham Churchyard.
G. MITCHELL	FX 77413 Leading Airman Gordon Mitchell of the Fleet Air Arm, 700 Squadron, based on HMS Dorsetshire.* Son of James and mary Mitchell. Born in Scotland in 1916. Died 5 March 1941 aged 25. It is believed that his body was retrieved from the sea in the vicinity of Stokenham. 700 Squadron was originally formed in January 1940 to centralise the operations of the 700 series catapult units and to act as a pool and HQ for all catapult aircraft embarked on battleships and cruisers - at the time this was mainly the Supermarine Walrus Flying boat and the Fairey Seafox floatplane. HMS Dorsetshire* was a Heavy Cruiser. Crew killed with Gordon Mitchell were Lieutenant Oswald Cheeke and Lieutenant Richard Illingworth. Catapulting aircraft from the decks of ships was then a very new idea and initially there were many such accidents.

Stokenham's War Memorial