Surnames/tags: WWII British_Army

Contents 1 About The QVR Project 1.1 About The QVR Project Goals 1.2 The QVRs in WWII 1.2.1 Pre-War 1.2.2 The Battle of Calais (22 May 1940 - 26 May 1940) 1.2.3 Tuesday, 21 May 1940 1.2.4 Wednesday, 22 May 1940 1.2.5 Thursday, 23 May 1940 1.2.6 Friday, May 24th 1940 1.2.7 Saturday, May 25th 1940 1.2.8 Sunday, May 26th 1940 1.3 WWII QVR Casualties

About The QVR Project

Hello and welcome to the WikiTree Project Page for The Queen Victoria's Rifles Project!

We are associated with the England Project and feature on the England Topic Page.

If you have an interest in anyone who is known or believed to have served with the QVR feel free to send a private message to David Smith or leave a comment on the project page.

Additionally, if you would like to join the QVR Project please either send a message to David Smith or leave a comment on the project page.

About The QVR Project Goals

The Queen Victoria's Rifles (usually abbreviated to QVR or Q.V.R.) were a largely London based volunteer unit that served as a part of the British Army from 1860 - 1961. This project serves to commemorate those who served with the battalion.

At the moment, the goal of this project is document as many QVR soldiers who were killed in the Second World War as is possible. To reach this objective a three-phase plan has been set out:

1) Setting out a table of QVR soldiers killed in the Second World War (Complete ^)

2) Creating individual profiles for these soldiers on WikiTree (In Progress)

3) Categorising and connecting these profiles to the WikiTree World Family Tree

Moving onwards, the project will bring forward other goals to commemorate those who served in the QVR.

^ Due to problems regarding body identification, soldiers being labelled as belonging to the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) rather than the QVR and the cataloguing of records not all QVR soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War may be listed. If you know of anyone Killed In Service that is not on this list please send a message to a project member and/or add their details in yourself.

The QVRs in WWII

Pre-War

On the breakout of war in 1939, the Queen Victoria's Rifles were a motorcycle reconnaissance battalion (converted in 1937) of part-time military volunteers from London and the home counties, trained mainly in the usage of pistols rather than rifles and assigned to home guard duty for the County of London.

With regards to training manuals, in the possession of Sergeant Samuel Buck and Sergeant Edward Neal, both Calais veterans, were the following military handbooks:

• Squad Drill Illustrated (Thirteenth Edition) by Captain C. C. Esson; Published c. 1916
  • Price: Six Pence

• Artillery Training -- Vol.I. Drill -- 1924; Published 21 Oct 1924 by His Majesty's Stationary Office
  • Price: One Shilling (Twelve Pence)

• Training Regulations -- 1934; Distributed 28 Feb 1934 by "Command of the Army Council"
  • Price: None

• Manual of Horsemastership, Equitation and Driving -- 1929; Published 11 Nov 1929 by His Majesty's Stationary Office
  • Price: Nine Pence

The Battle of Calais (22 May 1940 - 26 May 1940)

The first military action the Queen Victoria's Rifles saw in the Second World War came at Calais in May 1940. The 1st Battalion, Queen Victoria's Rifles, Kings Royal Rifle Corps (1st QVR) were deployed alongside the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3rd RTR), 229th Anti-Tank Battery and the 30th Motor Brigade as well as the main forces of the 1st Battalion, the Rifle Brigade (1st RB) and 60th Battalion, the Rifle Brigade (60th RB) and the 2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (2nd KRRC) to surmount a force in total being 4000 men and 40 tanks strong.

Afraid of counter-attack, the German High Command was set on ensuring that all Allied military presence in France was quashed (at least in the form of serving allied soldiers). Therefore, whilst the majority of British forces began their retreat to Dunkirk, the 10th Panzer Division (commanded by Ferdinand Schaal) lead the attack on Calais.

Despite a valiant four days of fighting, the Battle of Calais was a resounding German victory, with only ~200 soldiers of the 4000 strong British forces, mostly wounded soldiers escaping - ~300 British soldiers losing their lives, and ~3500 being captured.

A day to day breakdown of the QVRs' involvement can be seen below, with most of the information taken (and reworded) from an official report written by an escaped officer who was in command of a platoon of QVRs. ^

^ With the report coming from a British Officer, who had to write conforming to heavy censorship regulations, there may be inaccuracies or bias in his account. It should also be noted that this officer does not state his name with the account coming from "The Thatched House, Ascot".

Tuesday, 21 May 1940

The 1st Battalion, Queen Victoria's Rifles received orders to move without their motorcycle vehicles at 11 o'clock on the night of Tuesday, 21st May. They actually could have taken their motorcycles but due to an administrative mistake, it was thought that the ship they were to be transported on would sink.

Wednesday, 22 May 1940

The Battalion left for Dover at 5 o'clock on Wednesday morning carrying weapons and ammunition as well as packs and other equipment. The QVRs took the TSS Canterbury to Calais, arriving in the early afternoon.

Orders were that the enemy were to be expected in the town. Accordingly "C" Company took up position on the defence of the harbour whilst "B" and "D" Companies headed into the town.

During the evening, further orders were received to block the road leading northwards towards Marck and a platoon was marched to a position approximately five miles outside of Calais on said road. They arrived in this position at 10 o'clock at night, finding it filled with refugees as well as French, Belgian and Dutch soldiers. By this point the men had tired and with only an hour of daylight left, they took rest until dawn of the next day.

Thursday, 23 May 1940

From dawn onwards, the platoon worked to blockade the road which was 50 feet wide and makeshift checkpoints were set up, allowing refugees to head northwards and only allied soldiers to head into Calais. This work took most of the day and shortly after finishing a French Officer in a car reported that he had seen a German tank a few miles north of the blockade.

Immediately the makeshift checkpoints were closed up and the British soldiers took up their position on the blockade, expecting enemy action.

Nothing happened, however, until about 10 o'clock at night when a Red Verey Light (a pre-arranged signal to request urgent support) was sent from the direction of Company Headquarters in Calais.

The officer writing the report split the platoon into three, leaving one third of his soldiers defending the blockade and marching two thirds back down the road to Calais.

As they approached Company Headquarters they were suddenly fired upon, but it turned out that they were not German soldiers and instead British soldiers who had not been informed of the arrival of the QVRs and blockade of the road. When, the QVRs did get to Company Headquarters they found that the sending of the Verey Light was a false alarm and that, whilst the town was being bombarded by a heavy German artillery cannon from the northeast, they were not yet in contact with the enemy.

When the men had marched back up to the blockade, they found the entire section of soldiers left to guard the road had disappeared and then, British heavy tanks and trucks carrying troops approached from behind them. The officer was told that the soldiers and tanks had orders to go ahead and find the enemy's position so he allowed through the blockade.

He also writes that they were scarcely out of sight when they heard the sounds of heavy firing from the direction in which the men and tanks had headed. ^ With his own men tired, he retreated the soldiers to the farm used as Company Headquarters and they spent the rest of the night there.

^ This group met two German blockades just ahead of the road which they were able to get through and then a third, better equipped, German blockade which in the darkness mistook the British tanks for German ones and let them through. Eventually though the group was stopped and retreated back to Calais in the early hours of May 24th.

Friday, May 24th 1940

The QVRs remained stationed at the farm until midday on May 24th, hearing heavy firing from Calais to their south.

At this point though, orders reached the QVRs that they were to fall back to the walls of Calais Old Town in order to maintain the line of defence in the town. Additionally, in the afternoon the QVRs' "C" Company was ordered to go out and blockade some more minor roads and did so still without seeing the enemy (although they did report seeing large numbers of Belgian soldiers marching towards Dunkirk).

By Friday evening the QVRs were ordered to withdraw to the Calais harbour, despite not actually coming into contact with the enemy, and they attempted to blow up the bridges in the north and northeast of their position.

A few hours later, after a short rest, Major Simpson took a force of QVRs to help the 60th Rifles Battalion retreat into the harbour area. A White Verey Light was then left off but their was no response to it as no-one could find it or tell from whom or where it had came.

The soldiers moved onto some sand dunes on the Calais beaches and were heavily shelled by the Germans; luckily receiving few losses because many of the shells did not explode on the sand.

Saturday, May 25th 1940

After the heavy shelling in the night, and the heavy losses suffered by other forces in the south of the city, the bombardment on the QVR forces in the east became much heavier and more deadly with many more soldiers losing their lives. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Schaal asked for British Commander Claude Nicholson's surrender which Nicholson refused completely.

In the afternoon, the QVRs were able to repel a fierce German attack in the east of the old town alongside the 1st Rifle Brigade, although when their commander, Lieutenant- Colonel Chandos Hoskyns, was severely wounded by a mortar shell (and would go on to die from his wounds days later) the QVRs and 1st BR retreated back into the harbour once again.

Sunday, May 26th 1940

Shelling of the harbour by German forces began between 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock in the morning, with sources varying. Commander Schaal, had double the number of artillery guns available to him now as reinforcements had arrived from Boulogne with a great amount of the town being destroyed despite their being relatively few QVR casualties.

In the early afternoon, the Calais beaches were all the ground the British forces had left with machine gun fire being shot by the Germans from houses facing the beach.

Not long after, the Germans had overrun the harbour and whilst the QVRs did attempt to fire on them with automatic guns, the barrels had become clogged with sand and whilst trying to clean the guns most of the QVRs, practically unarmed, were taken prisoner by a second wave of German troops.

The captives were marched a church in the town that had somehow remained standing and from there they were marched off to POW camps across both Germany and Nazi-occupied Poland.

Other QVRs were rescued by British navy, shipping and passenger vessels and brought home to England. Some of these vessels, as shown by those listed as being killed 'At Sea' on the 26th - 28th May, were sunk by German forces.

WWII QVR Casualties

WWII QVR Casualties

Name	Rank	Date of Birth	Place of Birth	Date of Death	Place of Death	Place of Memorial	Notes
Airey, John	Rifleman	1915	Islington, London, England, United Kingdom	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Amos, Percival Walter (Percy)	Rifleman	18 May 1917	Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "In everloving memory of our beloved son"
Austin, John Thomas	Corporal	14 Nov 1912	Holborn, London, England, United Kingdom	6 Feb 1941	Stalag XX A, Thorn, Poland	Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery, Malbork, Poland	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Time cannot dim his memory. He lives for ever in our hearts"
Baker, Harry William	Rifleman	1910	Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Nevermore will you return but God is good and gives to me sweet balm of memory"
Barker, Wilfred T	Corporal	25 Oct 1916	Edmonton, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom	29 May 1943	United Kingdom	New Southgate Cemetery, Southgate, London, England, United Kingdom	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"
Beardsell, Albert	Rifleman	1920	Edmonton, Middlesex, England United Kingdom	26 Apr 1941	Greece	Phaleron War Cemetery, Phaleron, Athens, Greece	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Greater love hath no man than this"
Blake, Albert	Rifleman	31 May 1916	Greenwich, London, England United Kingdom	21 Mar 1941	Unknown	Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, Kent, England, United Kingdom	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Dearest one we leave thee in the peaceful grave - thy memory will be cherished till we meet in heaven"
Buck, Samuel Leslie Archibald	Serjeant	2 Jan 1911	Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom	18 Sep 1944	Stalag 383, Hohenfels, Bavaria, Germany	Durnbach War Cemetery, Durnbach, Bavaria, Germany	Died in the Infirmary with a Perforated Ulcer
Buck, William Henry	Rifleman	8 Oct 1903	Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "To my dear son William, may God rest your soul and may you Rest in Peace"
Bullock, Ernest James	Rifleman	1918	Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales, United Kingdom	27 May 1940	At Sea	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Burlton, Francis Pavitt Jenks	Corporal	1912	Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	- Was Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) - Headstone Inscription Reads: "'In everloving memory.' Father, Mother, Family. 'A place in my heart always.' Violet."
Came, William Percy	Rifleman	21 July 1919	Wandsworth, London, England, united Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Gone from our home but never from our hearts. In silence we remember."
Chennells, John Stanley	Corporal	Unknown	Unknown	26 May 1940	Unknown	Hampstead Cemetery, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom	It is unclear whether Cpl. Stanley served in the Battle of Calais
Clark, William John	Corporal	1915	St Pancras, London, England, United Kingdom	24 Sep 1944	Netherlands	Nederweert War Cemetery, Limburg, Netherlands	- Also served with the 2nd Battalion, The London Rifle Brigade
Clements, James William	Rifleman	1913	Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Collier, Henry Charles	Rifleman	1918	Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom	17 Oct 1944	Netherlands	Venray War Cemetery, Limburg, Netherlands	- Headstone Inscription Reads: "Always together in memory lane. God bless you, dear, till we meet again." - Also serving with the 2nd Battalion, The London Rifle Brigade
Denchfield, Ronald Basil	Rifleman	1918	Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom	May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France	It is unclear if Rfn. Denchfield was killed on May 25th or May 26th 1940
Deverill, Fred	Rifleman	1918	Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom	3 Feb 1941	Stalag XX A, Thorn, Poland	Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery, Malbork, Poland	Headstone Inscription Reads: "No one knows the heartache for the one we loved so well. Loving mother and family."
Dodds, John Marjoribanks Kearney	Rifleman	3 Aug 1919	Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom	8 Apr 1941	Stalag XX A, Thorn, Poland	Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery, Malbork, Poland	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Not just to-day but every day we meet in memory's garden. Mother."
Dowell, George Richard	Junior Lance Corporal	1916	Wandsworth, London, England, United Kingdom	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Dumont, William F	Bugler	1920	St Pancras, London, England, United Kingdom	27 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France
Dunford, James Richard	Rifleman	1911	Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom	27 Feb 1941	Unknown	Mill Hill Cemetery, Edgware, London, England, United Kingdom	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Make him to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting"
Every, Thomas Victor	Rilfeman	1919	Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom	22 Aug 1944	Stalag 344, Krakow, Poland	Krakow Rakowicki Cemetery, Krakow, Poland
Final, Stanley Herbert W	Rifleman	1920	Mile End Old Town, London, England, United Kingdom	13 Dec 1940	Unknown	Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, Kent, England, United Kingdom (1939-1945 Memorial)	Killed in a vehicular accident near Slough with a lorry driver.
German, Harry Dumills	Rifleman	1918	Bath, Somerset, England, United Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "To know him was to love him"
Glass, Leslie Roland	Rifleman	abt 1915	London, England, United Kingdom	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "He gave his life that others might live"
Gutteridge, Harold Ernest	Serjeant	1917	Fulham, London, England, United Kingdom	20 Apr 1945	Unknown	Becklingen War Cemetery, Becklingen, Niedersachsen, Germany	Headstone Inscription Reads: "You left us, your thoughts unknown but you left a memory we are proud to know"
Hadden, Alfred	Rifleman	abt 1919	London, England, United Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais Cemetery	Headstone Inscription Reads: "In loving memory of my dearly loved son. Sadly missed by mother and family."
Horan, Clifford Ernest	Corporal	abt 1916	London, England, United Kingdom	12 July 1944	Italy	Arezzo War Cemetery, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy	Headstone Inscription Reads: "In memory of Cliff beloved son of James and Frances Adelaide Horan - 'Greater love hath no man'"
Hunter, John Swain	Rifleman	1920	Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom	27 May 1940	At Sea	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Illingworth, Norman Richard	Lieutenant	1915	Woking, Surrey, England, United Kingdom	29 Mar 1944	Woking, Surrey, England, United Kingdom	Woking Crematorium, Woking, Surrey, England, United Kingdom	Died serving at home after being injured whilst serving with the Reconnaisance Corps. However, he was a Calais veteran who went missing and returned to England in July 1941, full year after going missing in Calais.
Jakob, Leslie Frank	Rifleman	1915	West Ham, Essex, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Jennings, Alfred Charles	Rifleman	1902	Poplar, London, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Johnson, Arthur Henry	Rifleman	Unknown	Unknown	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Lait, Charles Norman	Rifleman	1918	Uxbridge, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom	15 Feb 1941	Stalag XX A, Thorn, Poland	Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery, Malbork, Poland	Also Known As: Lait, Norman Charles
Maloney, Daniel	Corporal	Unknown	Ireland	15 Jan 1941	Unknown	Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Mayer, Michael	Rifleman	abt 1907	Charlton, London, England, United Kingdom	23 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Mollett, Roger Pridham	Rifleman	1917	Kingston, Surrey, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Moore, Duncan Patrick	Rifleman	1909	Farnham, Surrey, England, United Kingdom	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "In the peace of God which passeth all understanding"
Putland, Ernest Alfred	Colour Serjeant	1905	Wandsworth, London, England, United Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Raikes, Richard Anthony	Second Lieutenant	1909	Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Robinson, John Reginald	Rifleman	1919	West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom	27 May 1940	At Sea	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Rose, Percy Norman Ernest	Rifleman	1917	Islington, London, England, United Kingdom	26 Aug 1944	Italy	Arezzo War Cemetery, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy
Skilton, Thomas Charles	Rifleman	1911	Camberwell, London, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Smith, Ronald Walter	Rifleman	1920	West Ham, Essex, England, United Kingdom	18 Aug 1944	Normandy, France	Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery, Caen, Normandy, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Loved and remembered always"
Stoner, Victor Charles	Rifleman	abt 1920	Camberwell, London, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France
Streek, Roger William	Rifleman	1916	Fulham, London, England, United Kingdom	26 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Until we meet again, our hero. Mother and sister."
Swirsky, Max	Rifleman	1914	Mile End Old Town, London, England, United Kingdom	15 May 1941	Unknown	Phaleron War Cemetery, Phaleron, Athens, Greece	- Headstone Inscription Reads: "Dearly beloved youngest son of Abraham and Udice Swirsky" - Of Jewish Faith
Thorn, Peter G	Serjeant	1920	Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom	7 Sep 1944	Belgium	Leopoldsburg War Cemetery, Leopoldsburg, Limburg, Flanders, Belgium	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"
Thornton, Phillip Eric	Rifleman	1921	Islington, London, England, United Kingdom	21 Feb 1941	Stalag VIIIB, Krakow, Poland	Krakow Rakowicki Cemetery, Krakow, Poland	Headstone Inscription Reads: "To live in the hearts of those we love is not to die"
Trendall, Frederick	Lieutenant	abt 1890	Bangor, Caernarvonshire	25 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "To the world he was only one, to one he was all the world"
Walker, Charles Edgar	Rilfeman	1917	West Ham, Essex, England, United Kingdom	May 1940	At Sea	Dunkirk Memorial, Dunkirk, France	It is unclear whether Rfn. Walker died on May 27 or May 28
Wells, Ernest Arthur	Rifleman	abt 1915	London, England, United Kingdom	8 Apr 1943	Unknown	Berlin War Cemetery, Berlin, Germany	Headstone Inscription Reads: "In a far-off land he lies asleep, fond memories of him we keep. Mother and all."
Williamson, Henry Edward	Corporal	1906	Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom	24 May 1940	Calais, France	Calais Southern Cemetery, Calais, France	Headstone Inscription Reads: "Not gone from memory nor love but gone to our Father's home above. Wife & Children."