Sub-Menu
Michael Richard NORTH
Died 24 May 1940 Age 25
Buried Pihen-Les-Guines 2 F 6 FranceService Record
Lieutenant (A) Royal Navy Aircraft carrier HMS Glorious (which was sunk 8 June 1940 with the loss of over 1200 lives)
Son of Lt Col OH North DSO, FSA and Mrs ME North, husband of Joan Valerie North Yealand Conyers, Lancashire Father of Felicity North
Michael was the pilot of a Fairey Swordfish Mk1 which was shot down during a bombing mission southwest of Calais, France. He was killed along with his Air Gunner Leading Airman Cyril Arthur Chichester.
NELSON George Henry
Died 25 April 1915 Age 27
Remembered Menin Gate, Belgium
Photograph of the MemorialService Record
Private 10556 King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 2nd Battalion.
1911 census shows him living at 32 Market Street, Carnforth with his parents Samuel and Betty and his siblings Alfred, Florence, Margaret and Dinah.
The Carnforth Poppy Trail leaflet has him dying in February 1915.
NUTTALL John Alfred
Died 31 October 1919 Age 29
Buried Etaples Military Cemetery France
Photograph of his graveService Record
Corporal 108570 Machine Gun Corps 36th Company
He died in the 56th General Hospital, Etaples, France, of syncope. In his will he left £207 to his mother Elizabeth Nuttall now shown as widowed. His parents were Richard and Elizabeth of Springfield Street, Morecambe. He is remembered on the Morecambe War Memorial in Lancashire. The only assumption as to why he is on the Carnforth War Memorial is that he was employed in Carnforth prior to signing up.
PARKINSON Edwin
Died 25 July 1917 Age 23
Remembered Buried Brandhoek Military Cemetery Belgium
Photograph of his graveService Record
Private 43548 Labour Corps 73rd Company transferred from Private 66529 The King’s Liverpool Regiment 8th Battalion.
1911 Census shows living with his parents Daniel and Ann at 7 Edward Street, Carnforth with his siblings Samuel, Daniel, Sydney, Edith and Jane
PARKINSON John
Died 1923 Age 33
Buried Carnforth
Photograph of his graveService Record
John died of his wounds in 1923, he lived at 15 Preston Street, Carnforth, with his wife Mary.
PEAT John Died 20 September 1944 Age 27 Buried Utrecht (Soestbergen) General Cemetery, Netherlands
PEAT John Service Record
Corporal 3603453 Border Regiment 1st Airbourne Battalion
Son of John and Alice and husband of Annie Clarke Peat. He was born 28 February 1917 at Ellel, Lancashire. The 1921 census shows he was living with his parents and siblings Grace (12), Sarah Alice (11), William and Robert (twins) (8), Eleanor (6), Jessie (2) and Doris Mary (1). They were all living in 6,The Crescent, Galgate, Lancaster. His brother Robert died 5 December 1941 in Libya, he was in the Border Regiment, 4th Battalion and was 29 years old. His sister Grace also died in Lancaster in 1941.
In 1939 he was living in Vernon Park, Lancaster with some of his sibliings, Grace, Robert, Jessie and Doris.
John married Annie Clarke Woods during five days of leave that John had on 29 April 1944 at St Oswald’s Church, Warton. A photograph of their wedding photograph is at St Oswald’s Church, on the reverse it says that John was killed at the Battle of Arnhem.
Annie went on to remarry Mr Walker.
PEDDER William Birbeck
Died 4 August 1916 Age 24
Buried Dive Copse British Cemetery, France
Photograph of his graveService Record
Private 2786 King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 1st/5th Battalion.
1911 Census shows him residing with his grandparents Isaac and Anne and his sister Annie. Son of James and Mary Pedder
PEDERSON (Pedersen) Walter Rendall Died 11 February 1943 Age 40 Buried Troqueer Cemetery Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
PEDERSON Walter Rendall Service Record
Sergeant 1943531 Royal Engineers 674 Artisan Works Company
Son of Conrad Parneyman born in Sydney, Australia and Pauline
The 1939 census shows that Walter was born 1 May 1902 in Liverpool and was running his own greengrocer business and is also shown as an Air Raid Warden. He is living at Millhead House with his wife Caroline Margaret May nee Hartley who was born in 1896
PENNINGTON Edward Died 14 December 1942 Age 21 Buried St Oswald’s Church, Warton, Lancashire
PENNINGTON Edward Service Record
Gunner 11052446 Royal Artillery 208 Battery
Son of Edward and Esther Blanche Pennington, he died at Worthing West Sussex. In the 1939 register for England and Wales it shows that he was born on 17 June 1921 and was living at Crag Foot Cottage with his parents Edward born 1897, Esther Blanche born 1898, his sibling John was born in 1926. His occupation was shown as agricultural worker.
PENRITH Herbert
Died 9 August 1916 Age 24
Remembered Thiepval Memorial Pier 5D, FranceService Record
Private 2403 King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 1st/5th Battalion.
1911 Census shows he lived at 129 Hall Street with his parents Thomas and Nancy and siblings Alfred, George and Kathleen. At the time of his death, his father was living at 7 Hall Street
PENSWICK Edwin
Died 27 April 1917 Age 27
Buried Etaples Military Cemetery FrancePENSWICK Edwin
Service Record Private 24496 King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 8th Battalion.1911 Census shows him living at 41 Lancaster Road, Carnforth with his wife Annie May and his child. Son of Robert and Margaret Penswick
POSTLETHWAITE Victor Holiday Died 2 June 1921 Age 30 Buried St Oswald’s Church, Warton
POSTLETHWAITE Victor Holiday Service Record
Private 241840 King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 2nd/5th Battalion
Victor was baptised 14 August 1892 in Carnforth, Lancashire.
The 1911 census shows that he lived at 128 Hewthwaite Terrace with his parents Plato and Mary and his brother Cyril. He died of his wounds in 1921 amd is buried at St Oswald’s Church, Warton.
He died at Manchester Royal Infirmary on 2 June 1921, the probate shows that he had £254 18 shillings and his father Plato was a Railway Clerk.
PROUDLOVE John Alfred Died 6 June 1942 Age 21 Buried Knights Bridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya
PROUDLOVE John Alfred Service Record
Gunner 1091966 Royal Artillery 4 Field Regiment
He was born 30 June 1920, in 1939 he lived at 1 Prince Avenue, Carnforth with his parents William and Ada. He is shown as an appretice cabinet maker as his employment.
His siblings who were living at the same address were William S. born 1916, Mary Elizabeth born 1918 and Thomas E. born 1922.
On the evening of the 1921 census he was living with his grandparents William and Maria Proudlove, his parents and siblings were in Crewe, Cheshire.
RATCLIFFE Harry Died 4 May 1917 Age 25 Buried Savona Town Cemetery, Italy
RATCLIFFE Harry Service Record
Private 36267 The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment 2nd Battalion.
Died at sea. Harry Ratcliffe was travelling on RMT Transavania formerly RMS Transalvania which was built in 1914.
On May 3, 1917, the Transylvania sailed from Marseille to Alexandria with a full complement of troops, escorted by the Japanese destroyers Matsu and Sakaki.
At 10 am on May 4 the Transylvania was struck in the port engine room by a torpedo fired by the German U-boat U-63 under the command of Otto Schultze. At the time the ship was about 2.5 miles (2.2 nmi; 4.0 km) south of Cape Vado near Savona, in the Gulf of Genoa. The Matsu came alongside the Transylvania and began to take on board troops while the Sakaki circled to force the submarine to remain submerged.
Twenty minutes later a second torpedo was seen coming straight for the Matsu, which saved herself by going astern at full speed. The torpedo hit the Transylvania instead, which sank immediately. Ten crew members, 29 army officers and 373 soldiers lost their lives.
Many bodies of victims were recovered at Savona and buried two days later, in a special plot in the town cemetery including Harry Ratcliffe. Others are buried elsewhere in Italy, France, Monaco and Spain. Savona Town Cemetery contains 85 Commonwealth burials from the First World War, all but two of them casualties from the Transylvania. Within the cemetery is the Savona Memorial which commemorates a further 275 casualties who died when the Transylvania sank, but whose graves are unknown.
Transylvania was discovered by the Italian Carabinieri on 7 October 2011 off the coast of the island of Bergeggi at a depth of 630 metres (about).
A further journalist report of the incident is here
Son of William and late Agnes Ratcliffe of 12 Ramsden St, Carnforth. In 1901 they were living in Main Street Warton.
RAWCLIFFE William Hoult Died 26 June 1942 Age 22 Buried Beirut War Cemetery Lebanon
RAWCLIFFE William Hoult Service Record
Second Lieutenant 198522 Royal Corps of Signals
Son of Benjamin Porter and Kate Hoult Corfe Rawcliffe. The 1921 census shows he is living at 2 Hawes Hill, Warton, he was one year old with no siblings.
He signed up on 19 July 1941. His probate shows his last address as Corfe Cottage, Warton and that his father was a poultry farmer. He left £235
RAWLINSON Thomas George
Died 1 July 1918 Age 30
Buried Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery FranceService Record
Sapper 59682 Royal Engineers 70th Field Company
Son of John and Emma Rawlinson of Yealand Conyers, Lancashire. Born in 1888 in Yealand Conyers.
The 1911 census shows him still living with his parents in Yealand Conyers with his sibling Janet Elizabeth age 28. One of his siblings had died prior to 1911. His father’s occupation was coachman.
He signed up on the 30 December 1914 at Lancaster and was a joiner by trade
RICHMOND Charles Leo Died 19 Nov 1916 Age 24 Remembered Thiepval Memorial Pier 7D France
RICHMOND Charles Leo Service Record
Private 8855 Irish Guards 2nd Battalion
Killed in action by shellfire near Ginchy on the Somme.
His war record shows his name as Leo Charles Richmond
RIGG William Arthur Died 18 April 1917 Age 32 Remembered Arras Memorial, France
RIGG William Service Record
Private G/50417 Middlesex Regiment 16th Battalion
1911 Census shows him living with his grandparents John and Elizabeth at 1 Oxford Road, Carnforth
Son of William and Angus Rigg of Oxford House, Carnforth and husband of Mary Simpson Rigg of 38 Brownsville Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport
ROPER William Edward
Died 31 July 1917 Age 25
Buried Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery, BelgiumPhotograph of the grave and William Roper
Service Record
Captain King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 1st/5th Battalion.
Only son of the late William Oliver F.S.A. (formerly Town Clerk, Lancaster) and Ada Jane Roper of ‘Beechfield’ Yealand Conyers, Lancashire who was the daughter of Edward Storey of Crosslands, Lancashire (now Cumbria).
William was born at Edenbreck, Lancashire, 14 April 1892. Educated at Seascale and Rugby where he gained a scholarship and Trinity College Oxford and in 1914 passed out with Third Class Honours in Science. He joined the Kings Own Royal Lancashire Regiment in September 1914. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant 10 November 1914 and promoted to Lieutenant 17 November 1914 and Captain 23 July 1917. He served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 28 April 1915, in the following September he was appointed Machine Gun Officer to his battalion, when the machine guns were formed into separate companies, he was entrusted by the Brigadier with the task of organising and training the 166th Machine Gun Corps. He was wounded on two occasions, on the 1st occasion a few days after he joined the front in the spring of 1915. The newspaper of 13 May 1915 shows his rank as Lieutenant and that his wounds were slight. The 2nd occasion in August 1916. He was killed in action at Wieltje near Ypres. An officer wrote “His courage was proberbial and the way he exposed himself in order …. (the newspaper article cuts off at this point).
Parents details
William Oliver died on 18th September 1908 at his home in Yealand Conyers and his wife Ada Jane (Monday March 10th 1930, Lancaster Daily Post) died in one of the leading hotels in Mentone, Nice in France. The article states that a few weeks ago a number of people at the hotel were taken ill, two have died including Mrs Roper formerly of Yealand Conyers. Further press coverage identified that she died of para poisoning.
SHAW William Died 22 October 1918 Age 28 Remembered Tyne Cot Memorial Panel 120 Belgium
SHAW William Service Record
Private 46466 Manchester Regiment 23rd Battalion
The 1901 census shows that he was living at 1 Hunter St, Carnforth as a servant aged 12 for William and Mary CAPE.
SIMPSON Robert Sidney Died 20 July 1918 Age 19 Buried Bienvillers Military Cemetery
SIMPSON Robert Service Record Private G/83621 Royal Fusiliers C Company 24th Battalion
The newspaper article of 3 August 1918, states he was the youngest son of Mr W Simpson and was a Lewis gunner. Prior to signing up he was postmaster at Carnforth. He was killed by a shell.
Another newspaper adds that a brother of Alfred Simpson of the Land Tithes Office has been killed in action. [This refers to Robert]. This sad information was received this morning. He was only 19 years and was serving in an Imperial Regiment. Two other brothers are now at the front. One of them Walter who listed here [Lancaster] in the Engineers having been awarded the D.C.M. a short time ago.
1911 Census shows he was living at 135 North Street, Carnforth with his parents William and Mary and sister Ida. This property no longer exists.
SMITH Edward Harold Died 17 November 1920 Age21 Buried St Oswald’s Church, Warton Photograph of his grave
SMITH Edward Harold Service Record
Private 65462 Welsh Regiment 3rd Battalion.
1911 Census shows 114 Hewthwaite Terrace with his parents Joseph and Agnes and siblings Benjamin Hutchinson (13), Richard Frank (9), Joseph Albert (3), Madge (7) and Bessie (7 months). He was born in Bolton-le-Sands, Lancashire.
SMITH Frank Hodgson
Died 22 May 1941 Age 20
Remembered Plymouth Naval Memorial Panel 60 Column 1Service Record
PLY/X 3432 Royal Marine HMS Gloucester
Son of Edward and Bertha Blanche Smith. He was killed in the naval battle of Crete. He was born 5 December 1920 in Morecambe. In 1921 he was living at Yealand Redmayne with his parents Edward (23) Bertha (21) and his grandparents Moses Hodgson (59) Jane (59) and his uncles Thomas Garnett (25), Harold Edward (23) and Frank Bruman (19)
SMITH Richard Albert Died 18 January 1919 Age 22 Buried St Oswald’s Church Warton
SMITH Richard Albert Service Record
Sapper 172461 Royal Engineers
1911 Census shows he lived at 47 Bank Terrace, Carnforth with his parents Richard and Mary Ann and his sister Mary Adelaide.
In his probate it shows that he lived at 47 Kellett Road, Carnforth and his father Richard was a railway employee, he left £170 3 shillings. His gravestone at St Oswald’s also shows that he is buried with Mary Ann his mother who died 11 June 1933 aged 77 and his father Richard Smith who died 16 December 1944 aged 81.
STEPHENSON Walter Edward Died 7 August 1944 Age 26 Buried Tilly-Sur-Seulles War Cemetery
Photograph of him and his grave
STEPHENSON Walter Edward Service Record
Private 156146 Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh) 4th Battalion
Son of James and Rachel Stephenson of Millhead, Carnforth and husband of Hilda nee Smith also of Millhead, Carnforth.
The 1921 census shows Edward was living at 4 Archer Hill, Millhead with his parents and was 3 years old. His father was working on the railways. In 1939 Walter was a shop assistant in an ironmongers.
He married in September 1940 and had a daughter Jean who was born in 1942.