Did You Know These of The Ninth? B&C 103 Dec 04

MAJ RICHARD BOTHWAY BURMA WW2
Vivienne Bothway-Jordan wrote: 'My father Maj Richard Bothway served in 2 Royal Norfolk in WW2. He was in Hull for a while and then went to Burma. If anyone remembers him or could give a little history I would appreciate it so much.
Unfortunately, my father died of lung cancer in 1985. Until then he was always at the Royal Norfolk Tent meeting old friends once a year at The Royal Norfolk Show.
I was three at the time but I do remember when the Regiment came home from Burma I was at the Norwich Railway Station. I was a month old when he left and this strange man coming up to me was a little frightening. But we had many good years together.'
If you knew Richard, who died 26 Sep 1985 (obituary in B&C 66 Feb 1986), or anything about him please contact Vivienne via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290.
[B&C 103]

5775927 PTE WILFRED ARTHUR FARRANCE
Robert Plumb wrote on behalf of a friend, J Farrance, about his grandfather Wilfred Arthur Farrance. While serving with 1 Royal Norfolk in Normandy he was killed in action on 7 Jun 1944, the day after D-Day.
If you knew Wilfred or anything about him please contact Robert via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290.
Click here for Wilfred's obituary.
[B&C 103]
Robert says: ‘He was from my village of Glemsford in Suffolk and I know he was educated at the village school because he walked my mother to school! At his time of death he had two sons and one on the way. His widow has passed on. He has 7 grandchildren who all still live locally.’
[B&C 103]

REGINALD HARPER 9 ROYAL NORFOLK 1943-4
14414925 Pte 'Yorkie / Butch' Bernard Marshall in Wakefield seeks Reginald Harper, formerly of Blofield in Norfolk, with whom he served in 9 R Norfolk 1943-4.
Reg joined the PARAS and Bernard joined the Argylls in the Netherlands. They last met at Reg's home in Norwich 1950-52.
If you know anything about Reginald please contact Bernard via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290.
B&C 103

BERNARD JAMES HUMPHREY
Malcolm Humphrey is the son of Bernard James Humphrey who, at the age of 18, landed on Sword Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944 with the 1st Bn The Royal Norfolk Regt. The year before Bernard died in 1985, aged 59, he returned to Normandy for the 40th Anniversary. Malcolm and his sons would like to hear from anyone who knew Bernard.
Please contact Malcolm via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290.
[B&C 103]

5778459 PTE ALBERT VICTOR ROBERTS 4 R NORFOLK KIA SINGAPORE
Deborah Goulding seeks any information about her grandfather Albert Victor Roberts. 'He was married to Ethel May. I have a photograph of him in India in 1942 and know that he reported being injured but never arrived at his designated place to go. A family member found his name on a War Memorial in Singapore but their camera broke and the photo they took didn't take. I am trying to trace him also for my father who never knew him as he was only a baby. I have tried several different sites but am not having a lot of luck. Any information you might be able to give me would be very gratefully received.'
Webmaster Comment: A search on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site www.cwgc.org listed a casualty at www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2142785 and answers the query, which has been passed to Deborah:
5778459 Private Albert Victor Roberts 4th Bn The Royal Norfolk Regt. Husband of Ethel May Roberts, of Norwich. Died 12 Feb 1942.
He is commemorated on Column 52 of the Singapore Memorial. The Norfolk Editor assumes there is no headstone as the CWG site states:
‘Within Kranji War Cemetery stands the Singapore Memorial, bearing the names of over 24 000 casualties of the Commonwealth land and air forces who have no known grave.’

The reason for a 1942 photograph being taken in India can be seen in the obituary for Capt John AL Barratt TD: 'In Oct 1941, the Bn left Liverpool by boat, escorted by four-funnelled destroyers. Three days out in the Atlantic the American Navy escorted the convoy to Nova Scotia. This was 2 months before Pearl Harbour and as far as John was concerned the US was in the war by 1941. The SS Wakefield, a former luxury US liner, converted into a troopship, took them via Trinidad to Cape Town from where they were due to go to the Middle East. The 7 Dec 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour changed all that. Part of 18th Division went direct to Singapore while 54 Bde disembarked at Bombay. They went by train through Poona to a Training Camp. A few weeks later they rejoined the Wakefield, which had waited at Bombay, and headed for Singapore.'
If you knew Albert or anything about him please contact Deborah via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290.

[B&C 103]

CYPRUS - FROM BRIAN CHILVERS
What are these chap’s names and what happened to them? [B&C 103]

CSgt Who? specially posed for me in Cyprus He trained me in RT at Britannia Bks before being posted to the 1st Bn at Colchester.	Another face I can’t remember, but such a pose deserves some remembrance!
Lt Col John G Jones MBE, Westlands, Weston Rhyn, nr Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7LB, 01691 772215, kindly identified the CSgt in the left hand photograph as CSgt (later RSM and Maj) Mick Fowler. [B&C 104] Afternote from Webmaster Aug 05: See Mystery photograph containing Mick Fowler from Dick Cooper [B&C 107]