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Neal, Kenneth Guthrie, son of Lawrence Edward Neal, chairman and man. dir. Daniel Neal & Sons, and Jean Frances Guthrie-Smith, poetess, d. of John Guthrie-Smith, solicitor, of Kelvinside, Glasgow; b. 13 Nov. 1919; adm. Sept. 1932 (H); left July 1938; Magd. Coll. Oxf., matric. 1938; RA in WW2 (Lieut.); killed in action (France) Aug. 1944.

Kenneth Guthrie Neal was born at Glasgow on the 13th of November 1919 the elder son of Lawrence Edgar Neal, chairman and managing director of Daniel Neal & Sons, and Jean Frances (nee Guthrie-Smith) Neal, a poet, of 5, Holland Villas Road, Kensington in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1932 to July 1938. He boxed for the school in 1933. He was a member of the Cricket XI and of the Football XI in 1936, 1937 and 1938 where he played at half back. He was appointed as Captain of the Football XI in 1937. He won the Neale History Prize in June 1938. While at the school he was a keen sportsman, enjoying cricket and middle distance running and was a keen fly fisherman.
On leaving school he and four friends bought an old Sunbeam limousine and drove to Yugoslavia for the summer. He matriculated for Magdalen College, Oxford in 1938 where he was a member of the College Football XI and passed exams for History and Constitutional Law in 1939 and in English in 1940. He did not graduate as he left the College for military service after six terms. He was a poet and a book of his poems, “Poems of This War by Younger Poets” edited by P. Leward was published in 1942.
He attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on the 2nd of August 1941. He joined 68 Anti Tank Regiment on the 8th of October 1941 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of October 1942. The Regiment trained in Northern Ireland until the spring of 1944 when it moved to England in preparation for the invasion of France.
On the 24th of June 1944 68 Anti Tank Regiment embarked on board the MT7 “Samuel” at the Royal Prince Albert Dock and disembarked at Le Hamel in Normandy on the 28th of June. They were soon involved in heavy fighting in the Caen area and took part in Operation Charnwood and Operation Pomegranate.
On the 25th of July, the Regiment arrived at Les Saullets where they were to support on an attack towards Landelle and Noyers-Bocage and were then to support the crossing of the River Orne by 176 Brigade, codenamed Operation Bluecoat. A bridgehead was established across the Orne on the 6th of August 1944 with Kenneth Neal and E Troop, 270 Battery crossing the river into it. 271 Battery was positioned on the western slope of the near bank with support from 269 Battery covering their flank. A German counterattack later in the day caused E Troop to fall back to the bridge and further counterattacks over the next two days prevented their comrades from joining them. On the 7th of August E Troop reported that they were making a reconnaissance to find suitable positions for the other two batteries and there was no contact from them on the 8th of August. Kenneth Neal’s commanding officer ordered him, a Sergeant and two other ranks to take a carrier and to see if they could capture an enemy prisoner for interrogation and on the 9th of August 1944 E Troop reported that Kenneth Neal had been captured by the enemy. The following day the Regiment advanced to Ronde Fontaine where they found his body and those of three of his men. His carrier had received a direct hit from a German tank.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Magdalen College, Oxford.
He is buried at Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XXII, Row D, Grave 11.

Newman, Charles Edward, son of Kenneth Edward Newman (qv); b. 7 Sept. 1921; adm. Sept. 1935 (G); left July 1938; Sgt RAFVR, killed in action (Libya) 7 Dec. 1941.

Charles Edward Newman was born at Shanghai, China on the 7th of September 1921 the son of Kenneth Edward Newman, a solicitor, and Phyllis Louise (nee Budd) Newman of 593-11, Amherst Avenue, Shanghai, China and of 9, Maxwell Road, Northwood in Middlesex. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Grant’s from September 1935 to July 1938.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as a wireless operator/air gunner and rose to the rank of Sergeant.
Charles Newman and his crew took off from Kabrit on the 9th of December 1941 in Wellington Mk II Z8333 to bomb enemy motor transport at Derna Landing Ground in Libya. The aircraft failed to return from the raid.
The crew was: -
Sergeant Hyman Freeman (Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Derek Lahee Skinner DFC (Pilot)
Sergeant Norman Maddox (Observer)
Sergeant James Marsland (2nd Pilot)
Sergeant Charles Edward Newman (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant Richard Malcolm Douglas McLeod (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Hyman Freeman’s body was found on a beach between Derna and Mrassa Wells, some seven miles from Tobruk in February 1942. He was buried there but the grave site was subsequently lost.
He is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial Column 243.

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.

Noble, Archibald Francis, only son of Joseph Horace Noble, of Ham, Surrey, solicitor, by Sarah, daughter of Thomas Sturgess, of Penshurst Park, Kent; b. July 4, 1886; adm. Sept. 22, 1898 (G); left July 1904; adm. a solicitor Oct. 1908, firm, Bayley, Adams, Hawker, and Noble, Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey; 2nd Lieut. 10th (Serv.) Batt. Cheshire Regt. Sept. 12, 1914; Adjt. Sept. 28, 1914; temp. Capt. Dec. 9, 1914; went out to the western front Sept. 1915; mentioned in despatches; killed in action at Vimy Ridge, in France, May 21, 1916: unm.

Northcott, Richard Henry, son of Walter Wynne Northcott of Edinburgh and Maude Elsie, d. of Maj.-Gen. Arthur Hill; b. 26 Apr. 1910; adm. Sept. 1923 (R); left Dec. 1927; 2nd Lieut. The Welsh Regt Jan. 1932, Lieut. Jan. 1935, Capt. Jan. 1940, temp. Maj.; m. 7 Apr. 1941 Elizabeth Hope, d. of George Douglas Budge and sister-in-law of George Edric Nee (qv); killed in action (Nor­mandy) July 1944.

Richard Henry Northcott was born at Paddington, London on the 26th of April 1910 the only son of Walter Wynne Northcott and Maude Elsie (nee Hill) Northcott of 27, Craven Road, Paddington, later of Rochester House School, Edinburgh. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from September 1923 to December 1927. He was a member of the 1st Rowing VIII in 1927 where he rowed at stroke. The Elizabethan wrote the following on his 1927 season: - “Rather short in the swing, but otherwise an excellent stroke, showing good judgement and an ability to rally his crew.” He served as a member of the Officer Training Corps and was promoted to Lance Corporal in September 1927.
He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in the Territorial Army on the 29th of March 1930 before being commissioned with the same rank in the 1st Battalion, Welch Regiment in the regular army on 30th of January 1932. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 30th of January 1935 and to Captain in January 1940. He was married at Kensington on the 7th of April 1941 to Elizabeth Hope (nee Budge).
He was promoted to temporary Major on the 5th of February 1943 and joined the 1/5th Battalion of his Regiment as a company commander on the 29th of July 1943.
On the 16th of June 1944, an advance party from the Battalion left their base at Herne Bay and travelled by road to Canning Town. They were joined there by the main party and entrained for their marshalling area at Lingfield in Surrey. The main group began embarking at Newhaven at 2pm on the 24th of June and landed at the Jig Beach section of Gold Beach in Normandy at 1.30pm on the 26th of June 1944.
By the morning of the 21st of July 1944, the 1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment was at the town of Baron. At 3pm that afternoon, enemy smoke and high explosive shells began landing in the Battalion positions with A Company, on the right of the line, soon reporting that they were under attack by four tanks accompanied by infantry. At 4pm a Platoon from B Company, which was positioned on the left of the Battalion and was on a line which ran along the Croie de Filandriers to Le Bon Repos road, was overrun by four enemy tanks supported by infantry. At 7pm two Squadrons of British tanks moved along the Battalion’s left flank in an attempt to bring the Germans under enfilade fire but this failed. At 8pm, A Company reported that the enemy tanks were now within 50 yards of their positions and by 9.30pm they were reported to be within 10 yards, after which there was no further communication from them. At 9.30pm C Company reported that the enemy force attacking them consisted of four Mk IV tanks with infantry and that they had knocked out two of the tanks, one with a PIAT and one with a six pounder anti tank gun. The Company was engaged in heavy fighting throughout the night, during which they were cut off and, with the enemy force within 50 yards of their position, they were ordered to withdraw at 6.30am the following morning.
C Company had suffered casualties of 25 men during the fighting while A Company was assumed to have been wiped out. Richard Northcott was among the dead.
He is commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial Panel 15, Column 3.

Nowell, Wilfrid James, only son of Arthur Trevethin Nowell, of Kensington, by Lucy Helen, daughter of James Daniel, of Biggleswade, Beds; b. Oct. 28, 1896; adm. April 28, 1910 (G); left Dec. 1912; enlisted in the Artists' Rifles Sept. 10, 1914; 2nd Lieut. R.F.A. (Spec. Res.) July 1, 1915; went out to Egypt Nov. 1915, was transferred to the western front March 1916; killed in action at Arras, France, April 9, 1917; unm.

O'Brien, Michael William, son of Capt. George William O'Brien MC, The Border Regt, of Grange-over-Sands, Lancs; b. 13 Nov. 1921; adm. Jan. 1935 (KS); Capt. of the school 1939; left July 1940; elected to Ch. Ch. Oxf., but did not matriculate; RAFVR 1941-5 (Sqdn Ldr), DFC Oct. 1944; killed in action 22 Mar. 1945.

Michael William O’Brien was born at Hyderabad, India on the 13th of November 1921 the eldest son of Lieutenant George William O’Brien MC, 1st Battalion, Border Regiment, and Enid Mary (nee Perry) O’Brien of 31, Mayfield Road, Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire. He was educated at St Dunstan’s School, Burnham-on-Sea and at Westminster School where he was admitted as a King’s Scholar from January 1935 to July 1940. He was elected as Captain of Chess and was appointed as an Assistant Librarian in 1938. He represented the School at Squash in 1938 and 1939 and at Lawn Tennis in 1939. He was appointed as Captain of School in 1939 and was appointed as Joint Editor of the Elizabethan from September 1939 to July 1940. He won a Scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford in 1940 but did not matriculate, instead he volunteered for military service.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on the 12th of August 1940 where he rose to the rank of Leading Aircraftman before being commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 26th of June 1941. He was posted to No. 14 Service Flying Training School based at RAF Twinwood Farm on the 26th June. 1941 and was posted to No. 2 School of Air Navigation based at RAF Cranage on the 5th of July. The following month he was posted to No. 9 Service Flying Training School based at RAF Hullavington and he was posted to No. 2 Advanced Flying Unit based at Brize Norton on the 30th of March 1942. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 26th of June 1942. On the 21st of July 1942 he transferred to No. 3 Glider Training School based at RAF Stoke Orchard and in November 1942 he was posted to No. 1 Glider Training School based at RAF Croughton.
From the 18th of February 1943, he was based at HQ No. 51 Group based at Moorfield House, Leeds and at the end of June he moved to the Headquarters of Flight Training Command at Shinfield Park, Reading. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant on the 26th of June 1943. By late in October 1943, he was flying Mosquitoes with 139 Squadron based at RAF Wyton.
He joined 192 Squadron, based at RAF Foulsham in January 1944 and while he was serving with them he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 13th of October 1944. In August 1944 he transferred to 1692 Bomber Support Training Unit, based at RAF Great Massingham, as an instructor. He returned to operations when he joined 23 Squadron based at RAF Little Snoring on the 5th of February 1945 and was appointed as the commanding officer of B Flight.
Michael O’Brien took off from RAF Little Snoring at 7.35pm on the 22nd of March 1945 with his navigator, Flight Lieutenant Philip Allan Disney, in Mosquito FB Mk VI RS577 YP-T for an intruder operation over the enemy airfield at Handorf and Münster. During the operation the aircraft crashed onto the airfield and both men were killed.
They were buried in the Waldfriedhof Lauheide at Handorf but were later exhumed and moved to their present location.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Christ Church, Oxford.
He is buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery Plot 18, Row E, Grave 17.