Did You Know These of The Ninth? B&C 99 Dec 02

ARTHUR RICHARD JOHNSON 5 R NORFOLK KIA 27 APR 1942
Norman Faircloth NRFaircloth@aol.com wrote: I am assisting in the building of a website (walsingham-memories.co.uk) and have come across a mystery which you may be able to solve. It concerns Arthur Richard Johnson, Pte 5776677, 5 Royal Norfolk, who died on Mon 27 April 1942, aged 23. He was the foster-son of Horace Bertie and Alice Elizabeth Moore, of Walsingham, Norfolk.
We are trying to find out how Arthur Johnson died. My father and uncle both remember him, and I have spoken to his foster mother’s niece (a very old lady in her 90s). The only information we have is he died trying to escape. Can anyone fill in more details about this. (I also knew Maj Barham Savory (d 24 Nov 1994) very well, as he was our neighbour for many years.)
And see: www.cwgc.org.uk/detailed.asp?casualty=2134974
www.cwgc.org.uk/commemoration.asp?casualty=2134974

If you can help, write to him direct, copied to the Norfolk Section Editor.

This appeal is repeated on the 'e-mails' page.
B&C 99

MARTIN CHRISTENSEN 5770839 PTE 2 ROYAL NORFOLK KIA 27 MAY 1940
Sue Christensen asks about her uncle Martin Christensen and wonders if he was among the 97 murdered at Le Paradis as not all of the bodies were identified.
The Commonwealth War Graves site at www.cwgc.org.uk/detailed.asp?casualty=2771065 lists him as named on the Dunkirk Memorial, Nord, France, on Column 43
Martin Christensen Private 5770839 2nd Bn Royal Norfolk Regiment who died on Monday 27 May 1940. Age 27.
Webmaster comment: The date of 27 May 1940 as the day Martin died does indeed point to Le Paradis, where a namesake, Pte JW Raybould was murdered.
It was suggested Sue write to Bill Holden MBE who has made a personal study involving photographing the graves of all 372 Royal Norfolk Regiment soldiers buried in the 32 War Cemeteries in North West Europe. He has a list of all the Le Paradis victims.
The Dunkirk Memorial stands at the entrance to the Commonwealth War Graves section of Dunkirk Town Cemetery. It commemorates more than 4,500 casualties of the British Expeditionary Force who died in the campaign of 1939-40 and who have no known grave.
See Le Paradis photographs and Bill Holden's reply, below.

If you can help Sue further, write to her via the Norfolk Section Editor.
B&C 99

BILL HOLDEN MBE REPLIES TO SUE ABOUT MARTIN CHRISTENSEN
Bill thinks it unlikely that Uncle Martin was one of the men killed at Le Paradis as his name appears on the Dunkirk War Memorial, so he was probably one of the men killed by artillery fire and, like many, could not be identified.
Sue added:
13 Jun 02: I think I've cleared the street of all the neighbours by singing along to Rule Britannia - if only I had a voice to go with the music!
Responding to the B&C Webmaster’s assertion on his e-mail: ‘Checked by Rentokil, this message should be free from vermin and trojans (3 wheeler type bubble car) when sent!’' Sue responded: 'By the way, what was a bubble-like three wheeler car doing jumping out of my PC, driving across the floor and out of the cat flap?'
18 Jun 02: 'I notice that the neighbours are creeping back in so I'll be off to give them another rendition of Rule Britannia!'
B&C 99

Editorial Rule
To qualify for inclusion in the B&C there is only one rule - something described must have been said to have happened.
The authority is the Editor, British Army Review No 114 Dec 96, `If the facts don`t fit the legend, print the legend’.

However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied.