Don was born in Loughborough in 1918 to parents Eli and Mary Wain. He had an older brother, Maurice, and two older sisters, Mary and Lois. In 1921 they lived in Long Whatton at 2 Malt Cottages. He attended Sunday School at Long Whatton Baptist Church, and in 1951 an organ music book was presented to the church in his memory.

He enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment on 15th July 1939 and became a member of the Mortar Platoon, serving as a driver. Donald married Ena Palmer in 1942.

He was killed near Hilversum two days after VE Day, when a pile of mines blew up while he and his battalion were disarming men of the German Army and piling their weapons. Altogether thirteen men of the battalion died because of this.

After his death, his sergeant wrote to Ena, saying:
“Don was a grand fellow and will be greatly missed by all of us. He was an excellent driver. In fact it was a true saying, If you want to get anywhere in a hurry take Wain. He was very popular with everybody and was always willing to take any job.”

Frank Waldron was born in Shepshed on 15th August 1912. Birth records suggest that his mother was unmarried and he doesn’t seem to appear on any Census returns. We know that in 1930 he married Grace Evelyn Hunt in Loughborough. They had a large family: Sylvia (b 1931), Norman (b 1932), Raymond (b 1934), Ronald (b 1935), Harry (b 1938) and Marion (b 1940).

On the 1939 Register he was a khaki equipment worker living with Grace and at least two of their children at 28 Dovecote Street, Loughborough.

Serving in HMS Coventry, Frank was killed with many other seamen when the ship was attacked during the largely unsuccessful attack on Tobruk. She was sailing to the aid of HMS Zulu when attacked by enemy dive bombers, sustaining four direct hits.

Grace later remarried, to a man called Ambler, perhaps very fortunately with six young children to support.

Eric was born in Nottingham in 1st October 1904, to parents Ernest and Florence Walker, and by 1911 the family had moved to Rosebery Street, Loughborough. Eric signed on for 12 years’ service in the Royal Navy on 11th October 1927, when he was 23. He married Beatrice Wheaton in 1936 and their son Graham was born the following year.

In December 1939 Eric was serving in HMS Duchess, a destroyer. The ship was an hour from Greenock, after a long voyage from China. At the outbreak of war, the flotilla she belonged to had been ordered home without delay. On the way, at Malta, three of the destroyers in the flotilla, including Eric’s ship Duchess, were detailed to escort the huge battleship HMS Barham from Gibraltar to Scotland.

12th December 1939 was a pitch dark night, with thick fog, and in such poor visibility, the Barham collided with the Duchess and she capsized. Her depth charges fired as she sank. Many of her crew were trapped, and a survivor remembered the heartrending sight of their terrified faces peering through tiny portholes. 136 sailors, including Eric Walker, perished, entombed in the ship or drowned in the icy, oily waters. All are remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Cyril was born on 4th October 1914 in Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, Nottinghamshire, to parents John Thomas and Sarah Walton. In 1921 the family members were Frances, John, Ronald, Sydney, Phyllis, and 2-year-old Cyril. Another daughter, Marjorie, was born later that year. John Walton (junior) died in 1941 in Libya, serving with the Royal Artillery.

Cyril enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment on 15th September 1939. At that time his family home was 3 Woodlands Drive, Loughborough. He served in the Malaya Campaign and was unlucky enough to be taken prisoner by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore on 15th February 1942.

He survived the hell of the Japanese POW camps for nearly 18 months before dying of acute enteritis.

Ronald Weldon was born in Co Durham on 6th May 1922. His mother’s maiden name was Walton. He married Mabel Marley in Spennymoor, County Durham, in 1940, and It is not clear what his connection to Loughborough was, if any.

At the time of his death Ronald was based at RAF Great Dunmow in Essex. RAF records say he was taking part in a Special Operations Executive (SOE) mission to drop supplies to agents in Norway. SOE missions were certainly launched from this base. Recording his death as ‘lost in aircraft’ his Stirling was probably shot down into the sea by an enemy night fighter.

Albert was born on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, in 1919. His parents were Florence (née Yates) and Arthur Westacott. In 1921 he was living at 10 Alma Road Sheerness, in a household which included his maternal grandparents, his mother, an aunt, uncle and cousin, sister Marjorie and brother Arthur. His father is not on the Census return; it’s possible that he was in the Navy and away at sea.

In the Royal Artillery Albert served with 3 Medium Regiment, which at the time of his death was based in the UK. He died in Quorn, although his address was in south east London.

Quorn Museum has an extract from the history of this regiment. From October 1940 it moved to Leicestershire for winter training, with the men billeted in Quorn and Barrow upon Soar. Apparently, this was a popular posting, with an active social life based around the pubs, hunting with the Quorn (presumably just the officers), and trips to Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough. The locals were welcoming and friendly. The extract doesn’t make it clear how long the 3 Medium Regiment was based in the area, but it sheds some light on why Albert Westacott, a London man, died here. We can assume his death was due to illness or accident.  

Thomas was born in Hugglescote on 23rd November 1919, to mother Thirza and father Walter Weston, who was a painter and decorator. The 1921 Census records them as living in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

In 1939 Thomas was living at The Grove in Ashby Road, a student hostel.

He served in the Fleet Air Arm, based on aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable. The ship was detailed to search for the Japanese fleet, and Thomas, flying in an Albacore, was shot down by a Japanese aircraft south of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon).

Ronald Wheatley was born on 1st February 1919 to father Frederick and mother Alice Wheatley. He had two older sisters, one older brother, and their father was a carpenter and joiner. In 1921 the family home was 14 Alfred Street Loughborough.

Ronald attended Loughborough Grammar School from 1929 to 1933. He was a year younger than his classmates and this may have hampered him; ‘He is young and absence has handicapped his work…..English subjects weak’. However, his reports conceded that he had done well for his age. He was form cricket captain in his first year.

Frederick Wheatley died in 1933 and the family moved south. In 1939 Ronald, his mother and two sisters were living at 8 Eldon Avenue, Heston. He was clerk to a tyre manufacturer but had signed up to the RAF Volunteer Reserve.

Serving in Bomber Command, he was shot down off the French coast during a raid on warships at Brest.

Robert was the son of John and Mary Whitby (née Copson) and was born in Derbyshire in the summer of 1916. He had a younger brother and sister. At the time of his death his parents were living in Loughborough.

In 1932 Robert married Alice Ratcliffe in Brentford, Middlesex. By 1939 they had moved to Guildford, living in a property called Windy Ridge. Robert Whitby was agent to a textile manufacturer and also a senior ARP Warden. Alice worked as his secretary. The household also contained Alice’s widowed mother, who acted as housekeeper, her sister Marjorie and brother Edward. Another member was Robert’s widowed mother Mary (who died in 1940) and Isobel Pack, an elderly single lady.

By the time of Robert’s death his place of residence was given as Leicestershire.

He died in Libya serving in the Royal Engineers.

Robert’s parents were John and Rose Whitehead, who were living in Woodhouse Eaves at the time of his death. He was born in Quorn on 17th January 1920, and had an older sister, Dorothy. It seems they had accommodation on a farm, in Whatoff’s Barn (it’s now a campsite). John Whitehead was an estate joiner at nearby Beaumanor Hall.

In the navy, Robert Whitehead served as a stoker on the destroyer HMS Daring. He died when the ship was torpedoed and sunk by U-23, off the north coast of Scotland, on convoy escort duties from Norway. 157 men were lost, with only fifteen survivors.

Charles Whitworth was born in Loughborough on 7th June 1913 to parents Robert and Fanny (née Hudson). It was a large family; in addition to Charles there were four other boys and a girl. In 1921 their father had a café at 21 Field Street, Shepshed, where the family also lived. It was called the Charnwood Tea Rooms.

Charles attended Loughborough Grammar School from 1924 to 1929, where he worked steadily if sometimes carelessly and lacked ‘lightness of touch’. He gained his School Certificate and left to work in the hosiery industry,

Charles married Beatrice Insley in 1937 and they had two daughters, born 1940 and 1942. In 1939 he and Beatrice were living at 21 Field Street, Shepshed, and he was the proprietor of what was now called The Charnwood Café and boarding house; so he obviously took over the family business at some stage.

Charles Whitworth’s death while serving in Bomber Command was due to a flying accident during a training exercise. A very strong cross wind caused his Wellington to swing round on landing in Stratford upon Avon, overshooting the runway and colliding with another Wellington. Three other crew members were killed.

His funeral at Shepshed Parish Church and Cemetery attracted a large congregation. The bearers were members of Toc-H, a Christian charity, which provided rest and recreation for soldiers, amongst other endeavours.

The vicar said he knew ‘Paddy’ (presumably his nickname) Whitworth’s membership of Toc-H. His address suggested that Charles had gathered together a group of individuals in Shepshed to follow the Toc-H ideas of unselfish service.

The vicar continued: now he had given himself even more fully in the service of his country and they mourned him. He had fulfilled his life, had done power of unselfish service. "Let us remember him with thankfulness, as one who has gone to a fuller life.”

Fred’s parents were Fred and Clara Williams (née Matts). He was born in Hoton in 1920 and had two sisters, Thirza and Stella. A brother, Erwin, was born in 1923. By 1939 his parents had moved to 130 Bottleacre Road in Loughborough.

In the Navy, Fred Williams served as a stoker on HMS Cape Howe. She was sunk by U-28 on 21st June 1940 with heavy loss of life, on the south west approaches in the English Channel. Thirteen men survived on a raft, and were picked up six days later.

Douglas’s parents were James and Dorothy Wilson (née James) and he was born on 4th April 1921 in Loughborough. The family was then living at 15 Rutland Street and included Douglas’s older brother James. James Wilson senior worked for Loughborough Corporation Electricity Department. They later moved to 66 King Edward Road.

Douglas attended Limehurst School and then worked for cabinet makers Clemerson’s. He also took evening classes at Loughborough College. In September 1938 he joined an anti-aircraft battery and enlisted in the RAF in 1939. According to his mother, at the time of his death he was making excellent progress and was in the best of spirits. He was a popular young man with many friends.

These details make his death even more poignant, as it was the result of an accident. Returning to camp (in Scotland) at 10.30pm, he was knocked down by a motorcycle, sustaining serious head injuries, and died in hospital three days later.

He was given a funeral with full military honours at Holy Trinity Church.

Fred was born in Loughborough in the summer of 1921, the only child of Thomas E. Wilson and Hilda Wilson (née Bennett). In 1921 the young couple (aged 20 and 19) and baby Fred were living with Thomas’s parents and siblings at 23 Freehold Street, Loughborough.

In 1939 Fred's parents had moved to 100 Burder Street, Loughborough, and his mother was a hosiery mender.

Details of Fred’s RAF service are lacking. RAF records say he was ‘lost in aircraft’ (a Wellington). After the invasion of France, 172 Squadron moved to Limavady in Northern Ireland to counter the U-boat threat in the North Atlantic, so it’s possible this is where Fred Wilson met his death.

Born on 9th March 1917 in Loughborough to parents Mary (née Selby) and John Witherbed, George was one of nine children, two of whom died in infancy. His father was a labourer at the gas works. In 1921 the family lived at no. 1 Buckhorn Square in Loughborough.

By 1939 they had moved to 12 Manor Drive and George was working as a brickyard labourer at Tucker’s. In 1941 he married Doreen Tebbutt and their son John was born in the summer of 1942.

George enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment on 15th February 1940, following his brother Arthur who had enlisted the previous year. (Arthur was taken prisoner in Norway but escaped into Sweden and returned to Britain where he served in the Military Police).

George served with the infantry in North Africa and after being reported as dangerously wounded on 9th March (his birthday) and in hospital, died of his wounds on 17th April.

Jack was born in Derby on 23rd February 1913, to Samuel Wolffe Henshaw and Bathsheba (née Underwood). He had three sisters and a brother.

Jack Wolffe joined the Merchant Navy, but it is not clear when. In 1942 he was a dairy steward/hairdresser in S S Ceramic, a steam passenger liner built in 1912 and operated by the White Star Line, travelling mainly between Britain and Australia. In 1940 she was commissioned as a troop ship.

On 3 November 1942 Ceramic left Liverpool for Australia carrying 377 passengers, 264 crew, and 14 merchant ship gunners. 244 of the passengers were military or naval, including military nurses. There were also 133 fare-paying civilians, which is likely to be why Jack Wolffe was part of the crew, to serve their requirements on the long voyage. On 5th December she became detached from her convoy, and at midnight of 6th/7th December was torpedoed by U-515 420 miles north west of the Azores. Many on board managed to get into eight lifeboats. A few hours later U-515 hit the ship with two more torpedoes, sinking her immediately.

The weather was very rough, swamping and capsizing some of the lifeboats. The commander of U-515, which had returned to the scene, was reportedly distressed by the sight of so many people – and bodies – in the water and the lifeboats, which included women and children. He had been under the impression that Ceramic had been carrying troops only, which would have made her, in wartime, a legitimate target.

U-515 picked up just one survivor out of 655 people, Sapper Eric Munday. He was later interned as a German POW and was persuaded to make a radio broadcast from Berlin in early 1943. This was the first time news had been heard in Britain about the fate of the ship, which had received little publicity until then.

Stanley was born on 23rd April 1921 Normanton on Soar to parents Samuel and Beatrice Woods; his older brothers were Arthur, Cyril and Dennis. Their father worked in a railway factory in Derby.

In 1939 Stanley was the only son still living at home, working as a joiner.

In wartime he served as a mechanic on the US-built aircraft carrier HMS Avenger. She was escorting a convoy 120 miles north west of Gibraltar, when torpedoed by U-589. The attack ignited her bomb load and blew out the centre section of the ship. She sank within two minutes. Some of the crew survived and were rescued by HMS Glaisdale, but Stanley Woods was not one of them.

Another man commemorated on the Carillon’s WW2 Roll of Honour, John Bregazzi, was killed during this attack.

Reginald was born on 9th March 1920 in Shepshed to Edwin and Elizabeth Wortley (née Fox). Edwin Wortley was a grazier and his family was large; in addition to Reginald there were (in 1921) five boys and two girls. By 1939 Reginald was working as a brickmaker and living at home with some of his siblings.

Reginald joined the Army Air Corps and served in the Special Air Services (SAS). It is not known when he enlisted.

IIn early 1944 the 1st and 2nd SAS Regiments returned to the UK from North Africa and Italy, and joined a newly formed SAS Brigade of the Army Air Corps. This was Reginald Wortley’s unit. It was in the thick of the action during the Normandy landings of June 1944, assisting the French resistance as well as supporting the Allied forces. During these operations, Reginald Wortley was killed in action.

James’s parents were William Wylie and Elizabeth (née Armstrong) and he was born in in Culleybackey, Northern Ireland on 5th May 1913. He had a younger brother and sister.

He married Margaret Payne and their daughter, Noreena Heather was born in 1938 on 29th October, in Chippenham.

His army record states that at the time of his death his parents were living in Loughborough.