IN HONOURED MEMORY
OF THE MEN OF THIS
PARISH WHO FELL IN
THE WAR OF 1939 - 1945
Lt. Charles Godfrey Bird, RNVR, York-class heavy cruiser HMS Exeter (68).
On 27th. February 1942 during the First Battle of the Java Sea, Exeter was hit by Japanese shell fire that destroyed six of her boilers. The following day, at Surabaya, temporary repairs were made and after refuelling, Exeter was ordered to steam to Colombo, via the Sunda Strait. She departed on the evening of 28th. February with the destroyers HMS Encounter and USS Pope, but was intercepted by the Japanese heavy cruisers Nachi, Haguro, Myōkō, and Ashigara, and by the destroyers Akebono, Inazuma, Yamakaze, and Kawakaze on the morning of 1st. March.
At about 08:00 two of the Japanese cruisers were spotted, while two others were seen closing in. At about 09:30 the Japanese opened fire, the Allied ships laid smoke and turned away to the east with the Japanese to their north and south. Exeter was able to reach a speed of 26 knots before the first hit on her detonated in her 'A' boiler room and knocked out all power around 11:20. Now defenceless as no guns could train or traverse, and wanting to save as many lives as possible, and to avoid the ship's capture by the Japanese forces, Captain Gordon ordered the ship to be scuttled. As a result, Exeter began listing to port. Sensing a kill, the Japanese destroyers closed in and fired torpedoes, two of which, from the Inazuma, hit starboard amidships and starboard just forward of 'A' turret. As a result, Exeter rapidly righted herself, paused briefly, and then capsized to starboard. Encounter and Pope were also lost. The Japanese rescued 652 of Exeter's crew, including her captain, who became prisoners of war.
Charles died on Sunday 1st. March 1942. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 76, Column 3 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon.
5772703 Private Eric Victor Brett, 5th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Born 15th. June 1917 at Cley, the son of Earnest Albert and Gladys Brett.
Husband of Mrs. Brett of High Street, Cley.
Eric was taken prisoner by the Japanese at Singapore on 15th. February 1942 and was transferred to the mainland to work on the construction of the Burma-Siam railway. He died, aged 27, of cholera, although POW records show malaria, on Thursday 21st. May 1943 at Takanun, where he was buried. Eric was reburied on 8th. February 1946 in Grave: 2. O. 45. at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand.
5773311 Private George Earnest William Clarke, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Born 28th. December 1917, the son of William John and Susanna Jenny Clarke of Salthouse Road, Cley.
Husband of Edith Annie Clarke of Weaverham, Cheshire.
George was killed, aged 24, on Sunday 18th. January 1942 during the Japanese invasion of Singapore. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Column 49 of the Singapore Memorial, Kranji, Singapore.
5774157 Private William Nesbitt Clarke, 5th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Born in County Durham, resident of Norfolk.
William was captured by the Japanese on 15th. February 1942 and given the index card file number WO 245/10.
He died as a POW in hospital at Chungkia from avitaminosis on Tuesday 21st. September 1943. He is buried in Grave: 1. N. 10. at Chungkai War Cemetery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
14444733 Private Frank Howard Dawson, 7th. Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders).
Born 4th. March 1926, the son of Robert Charles and Mabel Jessie Dawson of Long House, High Street, Cley.
Baptised at St. Margaret's church, Cley on 29th. August 1925.
Resident of Norwich, Norfolk.
Frank was wounded on 12th. April 1945 and died from his wounds, aged 19, a week later on Thursday 19th. April in the village of Klein Henstedt, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. He is buried in Grave: 12. E. 16. at Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany with the personal inscription,
'IN LOVING MEMORY.
DAD AND MUM,
BROTHER AND SISTERS'
C/JX 142180 Acting leading signalman Francis Albert Lewis, Royal Navy, Hunt-class destroyer HMS Exmoor (L 61).
Born 15th. September 1918 at Kings Lynn, Norfolk, the son of Francis James and Elizabeth Lewis of Cley.
Baptised on 15th. October 1918 at St. Margaret's church, Kings Lynn.
In January 1941 Exmoor was stationed at Harwich, Essex with the 16th. Destroyer Flotilla escorting coastal convoys through the North Sea. On 23rd. February was deployed with the Kingfisher-class sloop HMS Shearwater to escort a Convoy FN 417 from the Thames estuary to Methil in Fife, Scotland. The convoy was attacked on Tuesday 25th. February about 12 nautical miles east-north-east of Lowestoft by German E-boats. Exmoor suffered an explosion aft, suffering major structural damage and rupturing a fuel supply line. A fire soon broke out which spread rapidly. Exmoor capsized and sank in ten minutes in position 52º32'N 02º05'E. She had either been hit by a torpedo fired by the S-30 commanded by Klaus Feldt, as the Germans claimed, or had struck a mine as the Admiralty claimed.
The survivors were picked up by Shearwater and the trawler Commander Evans, and were taken to Great Yarmouth, but 4 officers, including her commanding officer, Lt. Cdr. Robert Tindle Lampard, and 100 men were lost with the ship
Francis died, aged 22. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 45, 2 on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.
5774919 Corp Jack Pashley Ramm, 2nd. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
The son of Edward Harry and Beatrice Minnie Ramm of Cley.
Jack was killed in action, aged 24, during 'Operation Kay', the capture of GPT Ridge overlooking Kohima on Thursday 4th. May 1944. He is buried in Grave: 2. A. 9. at Kohima War Cemetery, India with the personal inscription,
'GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM
ALL THROUGH THE YEARS'
C/JX 145275 Leading seaman Sidney George Twiddy, Royal Navy, U-class submarine HMS Usk (N 65).
Born 13th. March 1919 at Forncett, Norfolk, the son of George C. and Florence E. Twiddy.
Husband of Gwendoline Glenny Bishop of 59 Park Road, Blyth, Northumberland, married in 1940.
Usk was commissioned on 11th. October 1940 and spent most of her short career operating in the Mediterranean. She sailed from Malta, with a crew of 32, to patrol off the north west coast of Sicily on 19th. April 1941. Usk was later ordered to alter her position due to intense anti-submarine activity. Subsequent events are unknown, but she most likely struck mines in the vicinity of Cape Bon some time after 25th. April 1941. She was reported overdue on 3rd. May 1941.
Sidney was posted as lost at sea on Saturday 3rd. May 1941, he was 22 years old. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 42, 1 of the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.
906410 Sgt William Voellner, RAFVR, Air gunner, 103 Squadron.
Born 30th. July 1921, the son of William and Hannah Voellner of Sunny Nest, Newgate, Cley.
Husband of Elsie Thornton of Newton Heath, Manchester, married in 1942.
Resident of Cley.
At 20:13 on 25th. August 1944, Avro Lancaster Mk. III, serial number ND 632, coded PM-Y, of 103 Squadron took off from RAF Elsham Wolds in north Lincolnshire for a bombing raid on the Opel motor vehicle factory at Russelsheim near Frankfurt in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. The marking of the target was successfully carried out by the Pathfinders and the bombing was completed in 10 minutes.179 people were killed in the raid, and 15 of the 412 bomber that took off were lost.
During the mission ND 632 was damaged by friendly machine gun fire to the inner starboard engine, which was shut down and the bomber headed for home on three engines.
The crew decided to land at RNAS Ford in Sussex where visibility was poor with patches of mist between 50 and 100 feet deep in places. They arrived over Ford at approximately 03:15 and fired a red Verey Light and were given permission to land. After making a round circuit approach, the Lancaster missed the runway in the mist and dark, swung to port on landing and collided with two Mosquitos and two Beaufighters of the Fighter Interception unit, and finally a hanger, before finally bursting into flames and killing the seven crewmen.
William died, aged 23, on Saturday 26th. August 1944. He is buried in Section D Grave 4275 at Littlehampton
Cemetery, West Sussex with the personal inscription,
'IN MEMORY OF BILL,
A BELOVED HUSBAND AND DADDY.
LOVING WIFE ELSIE,
BABY BILLY, MAM AND BETTY'
5875680 Acting Sgt Frederick Yarham, 5th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Captured at Singapore on 15th. February 1942, Frederick was reported as a POW on Jarva before being moved to work in Japan.
He died from acute colitis and beri-beri at the Fukuoka #4 Camp (Moji) on Monday 1st. March 1943. Frederick has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 4 of the Yokohama Cremation Memorial, Japan.
His next of kin was his mother Mrs. Yarham of Cley.
Frederick is also commemorated on the memorial in Sharrington church, Norfolk where his rank is given as Company Sergeant Major.
This memorial is in St. Margaret's church, Cley-next-the-Sea.
