THEIR NAME
LIVETH
FOR EVERMORE
In memory of the men of
REEPHAM
who gave their lives in
the war of
1939 + 1945
5781639 Private Harold George Carman, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
The son of Samuel and Mabel Alberta Carman.
Husband of Dorothy Frances Carman of Drayton, Norfolk.
Harold was captured and became a POW of the Japanese. He died while being forced to work on building the Thailand-Burma Railway, aged 30, on Easter Sunday 1st. April 1945 and was originally buried in Grave: 6 at Tarkilen 97.08 Km grave site.
On 19th. March 1946 Harold was reburied in Grave: 8. K. 26. at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand with the personal inscription,
'UNTIL THE DAY BREAK
AND THE SHADOWS FLEE AWAY'
5771680 Private Leslie Lancelot William Digby, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Leslie was killed in action in the fighting for Singapore on Thursday 22nd. January 1942, he was aged 29. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Column 50 of the Singapore Memorial, Kranji, Singapore.
5776190 Private Thomas Henry Gooch, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Thomas was made a POW by the Japanese at Singapore and was held in Changi Prison. He was then transferred to work on the building of the Thailand-Burma Railway, where he died, aged 25, on Friday 21st. April 1944.
Originally buried in Grave: A8 at Nakon Paton grave site, on 4th. February 1946 Thomas was reburied in Grave: 8. A. 21. at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand.
1898789 Sgt George Alan Hubbard, Air Gunner, RAFVR, 77 Squadron RAF.
Born on 21st. September 1914 at Swaffham, Norfolk, the son of Bertie and Annie Hubbard.
Husband of Winifred May Hubbard of Morden, Surrey.
George's aircraft, Handley Page Halifax III of 77 Sqn, serial number MZ803, coded KN-G, took off 18:45 on 13th. February from RAF Full Sutton in the East Riding of Yorkshire to bomb the Braunkohle-Benzin synthetic oil plant at Bohlen, Germany. NK-G was lost, cause unknown, and crash site was not established.
George died, aged 31, on Valentines Day, Wednesday 14th. February 1945. He is buried in Collective Grave: 5. G. 10-15. in Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany with the personal inscription,
'IN MEMORY OF A DEAREST DADDY'
T/133262 Private Walter Edward Jarvis, 1st. Armoured Division Troops Company, Royal Army Service Corps.
The son of Walter and Mary Ann Elizabeth Jarvis.
Husband of Doris Joan Jarvis of Kerdiston, Norfolk.
Walter died, aged 32, between Valentines Day Saturday 14th. and Sunday 15th. February 1942. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Column 80 of the Alamein Memorial, Maṭrūḥ, Egypt.
943287 Sgt Clifford Roy Kemp, Wireless Operator/ Air Gunner, RAFVR, 10 OTU RAF.
The son of Arthur A. and Agnes F. Kemp, of Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Clifford's aircraft, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V, serial number N1494 from 10 Operational Training Unit took off from RAF Abingdon in Oxfordshire for night bombing practice. The bomber flew into a snowstorm and crashed into Wootton Road, Abingdon at 01:31. Two of the crew managed to parachute to safety, both reporting that the pilot had lost the use of an engine due to icing.
Clifford died, aged 23, on Friday 17th. January 1941. He is buried in Row B, Grave 25 at Reepham Cemetery with the personal inscription,
'SPLENDID YOU PASSED,
THE GREAT SURRENDER MADE'
Trevor E. King.
Unable to identify this man.
5774115 Private David Samuel McCarter, 5th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
David was made a POW by the Japanese and was forced to work on the building of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
He died, aged 22, on Saturday 11th. September 1943, and is buried in Grave: 5. B. 2. at Chungkai War Cemetery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
5778241 Private George Samuel Nobes, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
The son of Herbert John and Gertrude Elza Nobes.
George was presumed killed in action, aged 21, in the fighting at Yong Peng, on Sunday 18th. January 1942. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Column 52 of the Singapore Memorial, Kranji, Singapore.
C/SSX 17513 Leading Seaman Leslie Herbert Samuel Rix, S-class destroyer HMS Thanet, Royal Navy.
Born in 1918 at Aylsham, Norfolk.
Resident of Sparham, Norfolk.
Thanet (H29) was sent to intercept an Japanese troop convoy approaching Endau, Malaysia, with the Australian destroyer Vampire. They steamed from Singapore at 4:30 pm on 26th. January, carrying only three torpedoes each. Early in the morning of 27th. January they ran into the covering force of Japanese warships, consisting of three destroyers, later joined by the Japanese cruiser Sendai. Thanet was hit in the engine room and disabled, and began to sink. Vampire attempted to lay down a smoke screen but was driven off under heavy fire, and managed to escape. Thanet sank with the loss of 12 men. Sixty-five crewmen managed to get to the coast and arrived at Singapore, but 31 were picked up by Shirayuki and handed over to the Japanese Army the next day. It is believed they were executed in retaliation for heavy Japanese losses sustained in an ambush by the Australian 2/18th. Battalion which occurred at the same time as the naval battle off Endau.
Leslie died on Tuesday 27th. January 1942. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 52, 2 of the Chatham Naval Memorial, Chatham, Kent.
John C. Thompson.
Unable to identify this man.
5774019 L/Corp Arthur James Timbers, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Arthur was made a POW by the Japanese and was forced to work on the building of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
He died, aged 25, on Thursday 14th. October 1943 and was originally buried in Grave: 238 at Tasao No.2 grave site.
On 1st. March 1946 Arthur was reburied in Grave: 4. B. 72. at Kanchanburi War Cemetery, Thailand.
14345928 L/Corp Frank Brookes Walker, H.Q. 1 Airborne Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals.
Born on 9th. January 1924 at Reepham, the only child of John Plane Walker and Laura Walker, nee Smith, of Reepham.
Frank had survived Operation Market Garden at Arnhem from 17th. to 26th. September 1944.
He was the US 6th. Airborne Division, serving as driver to a high ranking American, during Operation Varsity, attempting to cross the Rhine. He was in a glider which was shot at by German snipers as it came in to land in the wrong place and at the wrong time, the plans had been that a paratrooper regiment would land first.
Frank's glider came down in flames near Nijmegen, Holland and he was killed, aged 21, on Saturday 24th. March 1945
He was temporary buried Plot: F. 3. 52. at an allied cemetery in Margraten. Frank was reburied on 28th. April 1947 in Grave: V. G. 13. at Venray War Cemetery, Limburg, Holland with the personal inscription,
"JESUS HAS VANQUISHED DEATH AND ALL ITS POWERS"
5775663 Private Richard James Wilkin, 6th. Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Born 12th. May 1917
Lived at Railway Terrace , New Road, Reepham.
Employed by A.S. Hardiment, grocer, of Market Place, Reepham.
Richard died, aged 26, on Thursday 17th. June 1943 while building the Thailand-Burma Railway as a POW of the Japanese.
He was originally buried in Grave: 47 at Kannyu No. 1 grave site.
On 20th. March 1946 he was reburied in Grave: 8. L. 14. at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that
a man lays down his life for his friends"