John Oswin was born in Q4 of 1925, to parents John and Lilian (née Tomlinson). He had a sister, Dorothy, who served in the ATS. At the time of John’s death the family home was in Woodhouse Lane, Nanpantan.

John worked at the Brush before joining up; he volunteered aged only 16. He also served as a part-time fireman.

He was one of 18 men from his regiment killed in Normandy between 26th and 29th June 1944. His parents were informed of his death by a friend also serving in the war.

Raymond was born in Loughborough in 1921. He was the only son of Cyril Harry Ottey and May Laurie (née James). There were two older daughters, Clarice and Ellen. In 1921 the Ottey family lived at 16 Rutland Street, Loughborough, but in 1925 moved to 174 St. Saviour's Road, Leicester. Raymond's father was a joiner and a member of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters, Cabinetmakers and Joiners. In 1925 he set up a joinery and building business in Asfordby Street, Leicester and in 1927 went into partnership with Arthur Clegg, to trade under the name Ottey and Clegg. The partnership was dissolved in 1934 and in 1937 Raymond's father went bankrupt.

Between 1932 and 1938 Raymond was educated at Gateway Grammar School, Leicester. Raymond had been named after Raymond Gascoyne Ottey, a cousin of his father, who was killed in WW1, serving with the Royal Flying Corps. The younger Raymond wanted to act, and did make some appearances on the stage, including a production at the Little Theatre, Leicester, with Richard Attenborough.

When war broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Raymond’s father, who had also been with the Royal Flying Corps in WW1, returned to the RAF as a Crown Sergeant, whose job was bringing crashed aircrews home.

In April 1941, Raymond Ottey was in Malta. He had flown from the deck of HMS Ark Royal to reinforce 261 Squadron. The island of Malta was under severe attack at this time, with only a very limited number of aircraft to defend itself. No. 261 Squadron had been reformed in August 1940 for this purpose.

Flying a Hurricane from Kalafrana air base during a enemy air raid on Malta, Raymond died when the aircraft crashed into the sea. It was thought that his oxygen supply had failed.

Peter Paget was a member of a Loughborough gentry family, born in 1909. In 1911 he, his parents William and Beatrice, and sister Joan, lived at Nanpantan Hall with eight servants to look after them. William Paget was a keen huntsman, and for several years was joint Master of the Quorn Hounds, and young Peter was taught to ride to hounds from the age of three. His father was killed in a hunting accident in 1928.

Peter Paget attended Kent House School in Eastbourne, then Eton College, where he represented the school at rugby and played polo. He followed this with Trinity College Cambridge, where, like his father, became Master of the Trinity Foot Beagles. He also continued to play polo.

There were big celebrations in 1930 when Peter turned 21, an event that was reported in local newspapers. Tenant farmers, cottagers and estate workers attended a two day party at Loughborough Town Hall. Hunting with the Quorn continued to be a passion. He later became Master of the North Atherstone.

After leaving Cambridge, Peter Paget served with the Royal Scots Greys and later, on taking up residence at Nanpantan Hall, served with the Leicestershire Yeomanry, where he was a popular officer.

When the war broke out he rejoined his old regiment. He served in the eighth Army in the North African campaign, was awarded the Military Cross, and was wounded at El Alamein.

Peter’s sister Joan, who like him remained single, served with the Red Cross during the war. She died in 1985.

Born in Huddersfield in 1910, Alfred was one of the three sons of Arthur and Clara Payne, who came from Leicester and Nottingham respectively. Arthur Payne was a factory manager.

At some point Arthur and Clara relocated to Loughborough and lived in Albert Promenade. Arthur died in 1923 and Clara later moved to 112 Station Street.

Clara Payne outlived all three of her sons, dying at the age of 100 in 1971.

Geoffrey was born on 15th July 1923 to parents Ernest and Hilda Payne. Their younger son was called Neville. Ernest Payne was assistant justices clerk in Loughborough and in 1939 Geoffrey was working as a laboratory assistant.

Serving in Bomber Command, based at Downham Market, Geoffrey Payne died when the Stirling in which he was flying was lost without trace off the French coast, en route from Brest to Biscay. The aircraft was on a mine-laying sortie. All seven crew were killed.

Edward was born in Loughborough in 1914 to Walter and Martha Peacock. Walter had been a baker but on the 1921 Census was listed as 'disabled soldier'. Edward had three older sisters and two older brothers.

Edward joined the regular army around 1931, serving in a wide range of postings including India, Jamaica, Channel Islands, Egypt and the Sudan.

After leaving the Army he worked for a short time at Wright & Sons in Loughborough, but was recalled to the army when war broke out. He took part in the Dieppe raid and had been evacuated from Dunkirk. He was well liked and was described as a typical soldier who saw no danger.

Just before Christmas 1942 he married Kathleen Grace Palmer.

Edward Peacock took part in the Tunisian campaign of 1943. At the end of April, fighting was fierce as the Allies struggled to break through the Axis line. Edward Peacock was just one of 37 men from his regiment alone who were killed on 24th April.

Sydney was born on 19th June 1912 in Loughborough, to parents John and Millicent Peat. He married Florence Busby in 1939, they lived at 164 Eltham Road in Nottingham, and Sydney was a newspaper reporter.

He served in the Royal Corps of Signals but died in Ransom Sanatorium in Mansfield at the age of 30. This was a hospital for treating those with tuberculosis so it’s almost certain this was the cause of Sydney Peat’s early death.

Born on 27th February 1914, in Loughborough, John’s parents were Charlie and Annie Peaty It was a big family with nine children. Aged 21, John Peaty incurred the wrath of the Lord Mayor, when he and three others were fined £1 for speeding on their motorcycles; doing more than 30 mph.

He married Kathleen Pearl Brookes in 1936, their daughter Marion was born later that year, and son John in 1943. By 1939 the couple were living in St Albans, John employed as a hosiery machinist.

Little is known about John’s service in the 56th ‘Recce’ Corps, but a war diary of the regiment posted on a forum on ww2talk.com shows that during the last days of November 1944 the men were in billets carrying out maintenance work. Therefore, it could be that Trooper Peaty’s death was due to accident or illness.

John was born in Loughborough in 1926 to parents Howard and Lucy Peberdy. He was their only son, but they had daughters Peggy and Sheila. Howard Peberdy was a bus driver.

John attended Loughborough Grammar School from 1937 to 1942. He had come from Cobden Street School on a Government scholarship. His Grammar School record was described as ‘solid’. After school he immediately joined the army, serving with The King’s Royal Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps.

After the war ended, he remained in Egypt where his regiment was protecting the Suez Canal. John Peberdy was killed there during riots when anti-British resentment escalated on 16th March 1946.

Born in Loughborough on 30th September 1920, James's parents were William and Winifred Pegg. His older sister was Minnie May, his younger sister Frances, and in 1921 the family lived at 6 Railway Terrace. William Pegg worked at the gas works.

By 1939 James Pegg was working as a switch trolley fitter at Herbert Morris. The family had moved to 41 Falcon Street.

James joined the army in 1941 and served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. In 1944 he was in the Tank Brigade Workshops, which had just moved from Worksop to Lenham in Kent. The men were preparing tanks for service in Europe and had high levels of technical skill.

In June 1944 the Germans unleashed the first of the V1 flying bombs, or ‘doodlebugs’ over the south east of England. The Tank Brigade Workshop was directly in their flight path. Around 6am on 24th June, a V1 was shot down by the RAF over nearby Charing Heath. It landed on the Tank Workshop, immediately killing 46 men, fatally injuring six more and injuring many others.

This ’incident’ was handled in secrecy to avoid damaging public morale. A mass burial was carried out the following day and took place in darkness, lit only by lanterns. The dead were put into a mass grave in Lenham village cemetery, but the positions of the bodies were noted. The bomb killed about a third of the unit, many of them skilled and experienced craftsmen, such as James Pegg would have been. A permanent memorial to the dead men was constructed in 1963.

Born on 13th December 1913, Kenneth's parents were Frederick and Beatrice Pepper. He had sisters Muriel and Marjorie. In 1921 the family were living in Barnsley in Yorkshire, where Kenneth was born. Father Frederick, a colliery manager, had been born in Coalville, while Beatrice came from Hampstead, London.

By 1939 the Peppers had moved to 6 Garton Road, Loughborough. Frederick was described as a chronic invalid, and died that year, aged 52. Kenneth was by now working as an assistant at MacFisheries in Loughborough High Street.

In the army, Kenneth Pepper took part in the invasion of Sicily and the landings at Salerno. After that he served in the Italian campaign with the Fifth Army and then in the Middle East. He was killed in the Battle of Argenta Gap in northern Italy, one of ten men from his regiment who died on 6th or 7th April 1945.

Samuel, born 2nd November 1910 to Frederick and Eliza Pepper, was one of a family of seven. He was born in Loughborough but by 1921 the family had moved to Hoton.

He married Fanny Freeman in 1934 and they lived at 9 Regent Street, Samuel working as a lorry driver for a fruit supplier.

It was ironic that his death while serving in the RASC was due to an accident involving a lorry. Samuel was not driving, but the circumstances of the accident do point to personal negligence on his part.

He apparently liked to keep his khaki army blouse clean, and on the fatal journey attempted to stow it safely under his seat in the driver’s cab. To do this, he climbed out onto the running board of the moving 50-ton, fully laden tank transporter, lost his balance and fell under the wheels of the huge vehicle. He was killed instantly.

There was an inquest at Hatfield, where the accident happened. The transporter driver, Leonard Sharp, said that he did not pay much attention as he was intent on driving, and “the next time I looked at him he was disappearing as he fell back out of the door.”

John Pollard was born in Q4 of 1918. His mother was also called Pollard, so she was not married to her son’s father at the time.

In 1921 little John (Jack) Pollard was living in the home of his grandparents John and Clara Pollard at 72 Albert Promenade, Loughborough. Their daughter Annie, aged 28, was another member of the household and she was John’s mother.

Annie married Charles Joliffe in 1925, and they had a daughter, Phyllis, born in 1930. At the time of John’s death a newspaper report named Mrs. Joliffe as living at Rectory Place. He was her only son.

Jack served in the Leicestershire Yeomanry and may also have been in the Territorials. In 1940 he married Mabel Sharpe.

He died in Aldershot Hospital; a newspaper report said that he had been ill for some time, and that Mabel had been at his bedside for five weeks.

His parents were William and Florence Powell, and young William was born in Loughborough on 4th November 1920. In 1921 the family were living as boarders with the Marshalls at 60 Queens Road. William Powell senior worked as an iron turner at Brush. By 1939 they had moved to 17 Judges Street, and William junior was an assistant production manager.

William first went to Cobden Street School but earned a Government scholarship to Loughborough Grammar School, where he showed considerable improvement, moving from the bottom ten in his class to the top ten. He left to become a cabinet manufacturer with Clemersons in the town.  

In Bomber Command William was based at RAF Scampton. On 1st November 1941 he took off in a Handley Page Hampden, on a night raid over Keil. The aircraft, and its four crew, were lost without trace.  

Born in 1919 to parents Harry and Dorothy Price in Hathern, Alexander had an older sister, Margaret. Harry Price worked for the Board of Guardians, and later became a solicitor’s clerk.

Alexander attended Loughborough Grammar School from 1930 to 1934, where he was a valued member of the school’s 1st X1 soccer team. His academic record however left something to be desired. ‘Too talkative’….not good enough….must improve’ were some of the comments on his reports.

He joined the RAF in 1937, when he was 19. Unlike his school years, his career with the air force was marked with great success, and he qualified in various examinations and tests for his responsible duties. He continued his sporting activities and was successful in long distance running in RAF competitions.

He was engaged in operational flying from the beginning of the war, first on leaflet raids and reconnaissance. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for gallantry, when his plane received serious engine damage from gun fire when only 500 feet from the ground. He and his crew managed to bring the plane across the North Sea and landed safely on the coast.

He was reported missing on 6th August 1942 after leaving RAF Coningsby. His aircraft, a Handley Page Hampden, had been shot down by a night fighter near Arnhem during a raid on Mannheim. It crashed onto a house and two Dutch civilians were killed.

His father received a letter from the Officer Commanding the Squadron to which Sergeant Price was attached, saying: "Your son was one of the outstanding members of my Squadron, which, in the capacity of wireless instructor, he had served well for the past nine months and his loss leaves a space not easily filled. He only recently returned to flying duties and I have no doubt that he would have again displayed the characteristics of efficiency and courage which marked his first tour of operational flying and deservedly earned him the Distinguished Flying Medal. He was a most popular member of the Sergeants' Mess and had many friends everywhere who were all deeply sorry to hear of his loss and all hope that there will soon be some good news concerning him".

Sadly, his parents and friends did not receive any good news; Alexander Price was killed on 6th August 1941

Albert was born on 16th November 1926 in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. His parents were John Priestley and Harriet (née Johnson).

In 1939 he was a college student, aged 13, living with his widowed mother at 20 Palmer Avenue Loughborough.

At some point he also worked at the Brush, where he continued with his sports by playing in their cricket and bowling teams.

He died after the war ended but it is not known when he joined up. He wouldn’t have been conscripted for National Service as it was not compulsory until 1949. The 2nd East Lancashires were certainly in India in 1947 during Partition. There was much violence and bloodshed and we can assume that Private Priestley was caught up in this.

Frank's parents were Frank and Julia Priestley, and he was born on 31st January 1919 in Loughborough. He had two sisters and two brothers. The family home was 36 Meadow Lane. From the age of 14 to 17 he was employed as a panel beater at Willowbrook on Derby Road.

He joined the Navy as a Marine in 1936, on his 17th birthday. After his training he was in HMS Warspite until 1941, when he was wounded and came home on leave after four years away. He arrived on August 9th, the day his sister Olive married Sapper Frederick Purdy (who is also commemorated on the Carillon Roll of Honour) and there was great rejoicing, as they had not seen him at home for almost four years. In October 1942 he was promoted to Corporal.

In 1942 HMS Delhi, a light cruiser, was providing bombardment and anti-aircraft support for Allied landings in the Mediterranean. On 20th November she was damaged by enemy action in Algiers Bay when her stern was blown open by a bomb dropped by an Italian aircraft. Two crewmen were killed in the attack; one was Frank Priestley and the other, Robert Chester. The ship continued in service and was scrapped in 1948.

John was born in Loughborough in 1919 to parents John and Nellie Priestley. His father was a compositor and in 1921 they lived at 137 Derby Road. Young John went to Rosebery School and Loughborough College School of Art. Later the family moved to 84a Knightthorpe Road.

He enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment in July 1939 and served in Norway. He was reported as missing but managed to escape into Sweden, where he was interned for several months. Later he served in India and Malaya, and was reported as missing, presumed dead, after the fall of Singapore.

John Priestley was known as Jack to family and friends. He was born on 17th July 1920. This date is from the 1939 Register which records a John Peter Priestley living at 53 Cobden Street, Loughborough, with a Mr and Mrs Birkin. He was listed as a draughtsman at a bricks tiles and chemical manufacturers. This would have been Hathernware, where he was known to have worked.

Nothing definitive can be found about his parents, but it is known he attended Loughborough Grammar School from 1931 to 1934. Here, he seems to have been a likeable boy but perhaps struggled academically. His reports described him as lively and active, but ’too careless and talkative’…‘needs constant supervision….can be much higher with more care.’ He was a keen member of the Scout troop and a fine bowler in the junior cricket team. However, his school career was cut short when he left at 14 on ‘income grounds’. Presumably his family needed him to start contributing to the household finances, and he went to work at Hathernware. At some point he also worked at the Brush, and played cricket for their team. He continued with his sports by playing in the Brush cricket and bowling teams.

He was said to have got married just ten days before he died; again there seems to be no record of this.

More is known about his death and its aftermath. He took off from RAF Kirmington in a Wellington bomber heading for a night raid on Gelsenkirchen. It was shot down by a night fighter near the village of Holwerd on the north coast of Holland. The Wellington was seen on fire over the water, losing height and turning back towards the coast. It plunged into a dike wall, and next morning all that could be seen was a crater full of mud. A local resident however, found a glove with the name Sgt Priestley written inside. It’s not known what became of it.

In 1977 a few aircraft fragments were unearthed near Holwerd by workmen. Further digging revealed more aircraft parts and some human remains. However, the bulk of the aircraft was found to be too deep to reach and was left in-situ.

The few remains recovered were reburied in grave 22. E. 10. in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in 1978 after it was confirmed they were from a British WW2 aircraft, but it was not known which one.

A more dramatic discovery took place in 1991 when a Dutch metal dectectorist found a signet ring on the crash site, engraved ‘JP’, which was later identified as belonging to Sgt. J.P. Priestley by his widow. Forty-eight years after her young husband’s death, this must have been a deeply emotional event.

As a result of this, the RAF was able to confirm that this was the crash site of Jack Priestley’s Wellington HE 346, and in 1992 the headstone was changed to reflect that grave 22. E. 10. is now known to contain the remains of at least one unidentified member of the five crew of the aircraft. Possibly Jack Priestley’s.

A memorial was erected to the crew at the crash site on 24 June 1992. It reads: This stone marks the last resting place of the crew of Wellington HE346 of 166 Squadron RAF which crashed here at 0241 hours on the 26th June 1943.

In 1921, Fred Purdy, aged 1 year 5 months, was living in Shepshed with parents James and Elsie and older sisters Elise and Florence. His father was a millwright and Fred was later employed by William Moss.

Fred joined the Army around 1941, serving with the Royal Engineers. At the tail end of the war he was serving in Italy with 626 Field Squadron. A fellow soldier from the squadron remembered the upbeat mood amongst the men on VE Day, “everybody thinking that there would be no more trouble and looking forward to peacetime again.”

However, the following day some of them were put to work repairing a bridge near the village of Pontebba, northern Italy, which had been damaged by enemy action. Part of the bridge collapsed as they worked, killing Frederick Purdy and 22 others.

Diary entries from another sapper in the squadron record the events in stark detail.
“9 May 1945. The main transom slipped and fell killing and injuring the sappers constructing the bridge.
10 May 1945. Cemetery to bury mates.”

Fred Purdy and his fellow Royal Engineers who perished in this accident are buried in Udine War Cemetery, Italy.