Newman, John Windrush, 1901-1945

Newman, John Windrush, son of Frederick John Newman, of the Temple, barrister-at-law, by Margaret Levonia, daughter of William Stewart Mackenzie, of Killiecrankie, Perthshire: b. Oct. 23, 1901; adm. Sept. 23, 1915 (A); left March 1918; served in the R.A.F. in Great War I; in the employment of Harrisons and Crosfield, East India Merchants, Quilon, South India; Lieut. Royal Army Ordnance Corps Dec. 21, 1939; Major; served in France to the evacuation of Dunkirk, and in Egypt and Syria; mentioned in despatches (France and Flanders) L.G. Dec. 20, 1940; m. Sept. 1, 1941, Ethel Joan, daughter of Capt. James Mould, D.S.O., M.C., of Dudley, Worcestershire; d. while awaiting demobilisation July 23, 1945.

John Windrush Newman was born in London on the 23rd of October 1900 the son of Frederick John Newman KC, a merchant and barrister at law, and Margaret Levonia (nee Mackenzie) Newman of The Bungalow, Harlow in Essex. He was christened at St Andrew’s Church, Hammersmith on the 27th of July 1902. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Ashburnham from the 23rd of September 1915 to March 1918.
On leaving school he enlisted in the Royal Air Force at a Cadet Distribution Depot on the 2nd of May 1918. On leaving the Royal Air Force he joined the firm of Harrisons & Crosfield, East India Merchants of Quilon in South India. He became a company director and lived at 1, Harcourt Buildings, Temple in London and later at 2, Temple Gardens, in London. He was granted a Patent (No. 349,617) on the 1st of March 1930 for “Improvements in the signs and the like”.
He gained a Royal Aero Club Certificate (No. 18075) at Brooklands Flying Club on the 6th of May 1936 while flying a Tiger Moth aircraft.
Following the outbreak of war he was mobilised and was appointed as a Lieutenant in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on the 21st of December 1939. He served during the Battle of France in 1940 from where he was evacuated from Dunkirk. He also served in Egypt and Syria during his service.
He was married at Westminster on the 1st of September 1941 to Ethel Joan (nee Mould) of Kensington.
On the 22nd of July 1945, John Newman asked his commanding officer, Major Wilfred Sinclair, if he could borrow a Sten gun from the armoury. He was last seen on the following day by Warrant Officer Fenly Curtis, walking along a footpath towards Sileby, Leicestershire. He did not return to to his barracks and when his room was searched his suitcase was found to have been packed as he was due to be demobilised a short time later. Also found were three letters, one of which was addressed to Major Sinclair. A search party was formed which searched the area until 4am but returned without finding him. His body was later found in a field at Sileby with the Sten gun next to it and with two empty cartridges on the ground beside him.
An iquiry into his death was convened at Loughborough where the Coroner called several witnesses who testified that John Newman had been suffering from deafness which had led to him suffering from poor mental health for some time. The Coroner recorded a vedict of: - “Death from a self inflicted gunshot wound while the balance of his mind was disturbed.”
He was Mentioned in Despatches.
He is commemorated at Mortlake Crematorium, Panel 9.

Captain 110294; Royal Army Ordnance Corps

International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition

Prepared for import into AtoM by Westminster School Archive staff, 2019-2020. Updated by Bethany Duck, Archives Assistant, September 2022.

The Record of Old Westminsters: A biographical list of all those who are known to have been educated at Westminster School from Play 1883 to Election 1960, Volume 3, compiled by J.B. Whitmore, G.R.Y. Radcliffe and D.C. Simpson, Barnet, 1963.

Westminster School Second World War Memorial by John C. Hamblin, 2022.