Thomas Ralph Bane
of Long Stratton on 28 May 2000, peacefully, aged
81. Born in the Broadland village of Horsey on 11 Nov
1918 he started his life with horses at a very early
age. Thomas served with The 4th Battalion, was taken
prisoner by the Japanese and worked on the Burma Railway
for 3 years. After the war he went to the Brocklesby
Hunt as a whipper-in. He was a first class nagsman and
could cross any country on a young horse and make it
look easy. He returned to Norfolk as kennel-huntsman to
the Norwich Staghounds with Henry Bothway as Master.
When they disbanded and the Norfolk and Suffolk
Foxhounds came into being, Ralph carried on as
kennel-huntsman until Henry retired as Master. Robert
Bothway and Ralph then re-formed the Dunston Harriers.
When Ralph retired from hunt service he was much in
demand judging at hound and horse shows. Ralph’s
wonderful personality, which endeared itself to
everyone, will be greatly missed in East Anglia. The
church at Long Stratton was full to overflowing with
people from all walks of life, including farmers,
masters and hunt staff past and present.
Ralph married Norma, who was a tower of strength to him,
and they had one son, Tim.
Some good men have come out of Norfolk and Ralph Bane
was one of them.
TB and JL Woodhouse |
Tom Crawford on
10 Oct 2000, aged 66, following a stroke. Born
in Selkirk, at the age of 13 Tom came to live in Holt.
Retaining his Scots accent he was known to us as Jock.
He did his National Service from 1952-54, undergoing
Basic Training at Britannia Barracks and Continuation
Training at Blenheim Camp, Bury St Edmunds. Posted to 1
Royal Norfolk in Hong Kong he joined the MMG Platoon at
Dill’s Corner Camp as a Carrier Driver and was
subsequently promoted to LCpl. In civilian life for 25
years he worked at Beaver Engineering and later for DJW
Auto Marine of Holt before retiring in 1999. Jock is
survived by his wife Alice and son Ross.
John Denny |
| James Dodds of Watlington, King’s Lynn in
2000. He served with The Royal Norfolk
Regt. G Slater |
 WO1
(RSM) WJ Gilchrist DCM JP at his home
in Alexandra Hills, Queensland, peacefully, on 7 Sep
2000 aged 85. Widely known as Gillie, though never thus
addressed, he enlisted into the Irish Guards in Jan 1934
serving with them in the UK and Egypt until 1938. He
married Betty at Chelsea Old Church on 17 Dec 1938.
Recalled to the Colours in Jun 1939, and promoted Sgt
later that year, he served with The Irish Guards, part
of the British Expeditionary Force in France, winning
the DCM at Boulogne on 23 May 1940. (Click here for the citation.)
Promoted WO2 in Jan 1943 he served through Normandy
onwards with The Guards Armoured Division as CSM until
demob in May 1946. Bill re-enlisted in The Royal Norfolk
Regt in Oct 1946 and was promoted to WO2 in Sep 1947 and
to WO1 in Sep 1950. As RSM of the 1st Bn he served with
them in BAOR, UK, Korea (where he received a Mention in
Despatches) and Hong Kong until 1953. He was GSM at York
1954-57, on attachment to 4 KAR in Uganda and GSM at HQ
MELF, Cyprus 1957-60.
He completed his service in 1961 and emigrated with his
family to Australia. For a period he ran his own
business and then worked for a major firm, heading their
accounts section. Bill was gazetted as a Justice of The
Peace in Aug 1966, retiring for health reasons in 1999.
Bill is survived by his widow Betty, daughter Rochelle
and son Malcolm. John Denny
Right, pictured in Korea in 1999.
See:
B&C 93 Dec 99 - Korean
Odyssey 1999 - by DJ Jerry Willmott CBE
QFSM
B&C 94 Jun 00 - Recalled
by Ray Segon
B&C 95 Dec 00 on the Korean
Plaque, a project initiated by Gillie
Gilchrist, and here for his DCM Citation |
| John Green of Rollesby, Great Yarmouth,
on 13 Sep 2000, aged 56. John served with 1 EA and 1 R
Anglian 1963-69. Ray Pillar |
  Maj
Gen Trevor S Hart
CB RAMC of Barford St Martin, Wilts, on 7 Sep 2000,
aged 74, after a long illness. His wife Patricia, a
nurse known as PG, to whom he was married for 45 years,
died in 1999.
He was RAMC MO to 1 Royal Norfolk in Korea in 1952 and
in Hong Kong 1952-3.
Maj Tom Styles
recalled sharing a dugout in Korea with Trevor 'a
National Service Doctor, RMO to the 1st Bn. As a result
of his service, which included going on a patrol in
which 2Lt Tony Towell was awarded an immediate MC
for his gallantry, he became a Regular and ended up as
Maj Gen Trevor Hart CB.'
Photograph 25 in the 'History of The Royal Norfolk Regt
1951-1969' by Maj Bob Godfrey MC BA, shows Trevor
Hart in the RAP, dressing a ‘wound’ on Tim Chatting's
knee. (Tom reckons Tim’s knee has never been the
same!) JLR
Pictured are Trevor
Hart and Tom
'in some dive' in 1952 and Trevor
Hart in 1952.
See the
account of an attempt to get Trevor to the Royal
Norfolk Officers’ Dinner in 2001. |
| Gilbert W Hawes of
Ipswich in Apr 2000. Gilbert served with The Royal
Norfolk Regt at the Depot in 1940. |
| Alfred William Hone
on 12 Oct 2000 aged 83, after a long illness,
bravely borne. Alf served with the 2nd Bn The Royal
Norfolk Regt in Burma during WW2. He is survived by his
wife, daughter and grandsons. |
| Drum Maj Cliff J Jessup
in Dec 1999. Cliff Jessup joined the Army on 8 Nov
1938 and was posted to Britannia Barracks to join The
Royal Norfolk Regt. On 22 Feb 1939 he boarded the troop
ship HT Dorsetshire on being posted to the 1st Bn which
was then stationed in Nicholson Lines in Delhi. Cliff
served in Delhi, Chakrata and Bangalore, by which time
war had been declared. In Jul 1940 the Bn returned to
the UK, but Cliff remained in Bangalore with the rear
party who arrived home in Oct 1940. Cliff was posted to
the Depot and then to the 70th Bn and he remained with
that unit until the Bn was disbanded in late 1943. He
returned to the 1st Bn, landing with them on D Day and
serving throughout the campaign in Europe. In 1948 he
was a Sergeant in B Coy and when the position of Drum
Major became vacant he was appointed to that rank and
proved to be an outstanding Drum Major. He remained with
the Bn serving in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Dover Castle and
Crowborough before the Bn was posted to Korea and Hong
Kong. On returning to the UK the Bn was stationed at
Colchester and it was here that Cliff decided to leave
the Army and so he retired in 1955. All of us who knew
Cliff have lost a good friend. Paul
Boxall |
Gordon Prior Keen of
East Acton, London, after a long illness, in 1998. Born
in Balham on 5 Apr 1924 Gordon enlisted in The General
Service Corps, transferring to The Royal Norfolk Regt in
Sep 1942 for service at Home and MEF Naples until 1944.
Employed as a driver he transferred to KOYLI and then to
the RASC, serving in West Africa, Korea, FARELF Malaya,
SHAPE, Cyprus and Hong Kong.
In 1955 Gordon received the GOC’s Certificate of
Appreciation for 'extreme devotion to duty during
service with the Far East Land Forces when a Cpl i/c Amb
Section'.
Discharged with the rank of Sgt in 1964 after 22 years
of service Gordon was employed by the Crown Court
Service from 1964-79 then by BAA as a Security Officer
at Heathrow until 1994.
Gordon joined the Corps of Commissionaires and it was a
proud day for him parading with them on The VJ Day
Parade. Illness then overtook him and in retirement he
pursued with enthusiasm his hobbies of the cinema,
reading, driving, visiting historic houses and, above
all, enjoying the company of his family and friends.
Gordon was a very cheerful person with a ready sense of
the comic and liked to make people laugh.
He is survived by his widow Doreen and adopted children
Alan and Tina. Sally F Keen |
| Francis Lodge of Winchester on 3 Sep 2000. Francis served as
an officer with The Royal Norfolk Regt in
WW2. Tim Lodge |
| George Long of
Gorleston on 25 May 2000. George served with
1 E Anglian and 1 Royal Anglian 1964-72 in
Aden, the Radfan and Celle. Ben
Turner |
| EJ (Ted) Long of South
Shields on 26 Dec 98. Ted served with 1 Royal
Norfolk. |
| Reggie Mutton of
Great Yarmouth on 31 Jul 2000. Reggie served with 4
Royal Norfolk. |
| Walter Platford
of Happisburgh in 2000. He served with 2nd Bn The Royal
Norfolk Regt. |
Philip Sayer of
Hoe, Dereham in 2000, aged 93. Philip served as an
officer with The 5th Battalion of The Royal Norfolk
Regt.
Born at Lenwade on 2 Mar 1906, he was educated at
Bracondale and Aldenham Schools before joining his
father Robert to run the family’s two flour mills at
Lenwade and Dereham and farms at Sparham.
In 1936 he married Doreen and moved to a house they
built at Hoe.
At the outbreak of WW2 Philip was running the mill for
HC Stammers and Co in Dereham before volunteering to
join the Army. He was Commissioned in 1940 into 5 Royal
Norfolk, promoted to Lt and as a Pl Comd was taken
prisoner on 15 Feb 1942 at the fall of Singapore. Philip
was sent with H Force to work on the notorious Burma
Railway.
After the war he rejoined the family business and took
over sole control of the mill at Dereham and the farms
at Sparham. Here he worked with sons David and James,
retiring in 1990.
A keen conservationist, Philip allowed the Norfolk
Naturalist Trust to take over the stewardship of the 25
acres of wild meadow and woodlands, now known as Hoe
Meadow, so that orchids and other species could be
protected. The land was also made available for public
access.
Philip was an active member of the local RBL branch and
the 18th Division Association of FEPOW, of which he was
the oldest surviving commissioned member.
He also regularly attended St Andrew’s Church, Hoe,
where he was churchwarden for 40 years.
Philip’s wife Doreen died in 1992 and he leaves two
sons and four grandchildren. James
Sayer |
 John A Plackett of
Northampton on 5 Apr 2000, aged 67. John was a Regular
soldier 1950-55 who served with D Coy 1 Royal Norfolk in
Korea and Hong Kong. Before volunteering to join The
Regt he served on the Permanent Staff with The
Northamptonshire Regt at Colchester Training Depot.
He was an active member of the Wellingborough BKVA whose
members formed a Guard of Honour at his funeral.
John will be sadly missed by his widow Beryl and his
many friends. Keith Nutter
(See
B&C
95 Dec 00 for a piece about Korea by Keith. Ed. The
text below and the photograph right appeared in B&C
97 Dec 01. And just to prove that large oaks do grow from
little acorns here is Tom
Latham’s 10 Pl D Coy in 2000 at the
BKVA Reunion Wellingborough.
Left to right: Ron Horrex,
Jerry Willmott,
Alan Edgeley,
Reg Griggs,
Tom Latham,
John Plackett (deceased Apr 00),
Bill Robinson and Brian Bandy |
DATES
UNKNOWN
A trawl through our database revealed 21 deaths for
which no date is known. Any details which could be added
to the scant information below would be gratefully
received.
Peter Baker of Newbury, Officer with 1
Royal Norfolk.
VJ Barber of Beccles, 1 & 4 Royal
Norfolk.
Mr Casey of Norwich, 4 Royal Norfolk.
J Chapman of Radwinter Essex, 4 Royal
Norfolk.
J Chesterman of Fairford Gloucs, 4
Royal Norfolk.
P Coleman of Tibenham Norfolk, 4 Royal
Norfolk.
William Walter Evans of Hadleigh Essex,
Royal Norfolk 1942-46.
RC Fenner of Gt Yarmouth, 1 Royal
Norfolk.
George Fulcher of Attleborough, 4 Royal
Norfolk.
Ted Gamble of Shipdham Norfolk, 4 Royal
Norfolk and 6 Royal Anglian..
J Hurry of Bournemouth, 1 Royal
Norfolk.
S Joicey of
Hayes Middx, 4 Royal Norfolk. (Died 29 Nov 1988. See below.)
A Main of King's Lynn, Royal Norfolk.
Maj AP McArthur of London, Royal
Norfolk.
M Newton of Thetford, 4 Royal Norfolk.
William Redfern of Exeter, 4 Royal
Norfolk.
J Reeder of Harleston Norfolk, 4 Royal
Norfolk.
O Sell of West Earlham Norwich, 70th
Bn.
Fred J Smith of Old Catton Norwich,
Royal Norfolk.
J Woodrow of
RBL Halsey House Cromer, Royal Norfolk. (Died 1993/4. See below.) After Note:
In B&C 96 Jun 01 was:
OBITUARIES B&C 95 Dec 00
Bill Seymour kindly provided some missing details
from the list of Obituaries in B&C 95 Dec 00 (see
above) for two London Branch Members: S
Joicey on 29 Nov 1988 and J Woodrow
in 1993/4. |
|
B&C Norfolk Editor