Lt Col MAPS Amberton died of cancer in 1998. Universally known as MAPS, after serving with 1 RANGLIAN 1973-78, he was OC C and HQ Coys 3 R Anglian before transferring to RAMC. B&C Issue 86 Jun 1996 carried an article titled: 'A TA Officer in Bosnia' in which the Norfolk Editor related he had spotted the Royal Anglian Stable Belt of MAPS when was on the ARRC Rear MED Desk in Kiseljak, Bosnia.
An e-mail from Lt Col Jack Amberton R SIGNALS, Commanding the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team in Blandford, in Nov 01 stated:
Having surfed on my surname you may be interested to know that my brother, Lt Col MAPS Amberton, sadly died from cancer in Nov 98. I am a serving Officer, albeit Royal Signals, and have taken a print of your page and will copy it to his widow.
Micky (as we knew him at home) and I were educated at Wymondham College (along with another brother - who became an Officer in the Gunners - and my sister) and we were founder members of the College's CCF when it started as Royal Norfolk ACF. I guess this would have been around 1962 or 63.  I think he rose to the exalted rank of Cadet Colour Sergeant! MAPS (younger than me by a year a week and a day) would also have left the service in December 2003.
When we left the College, I went to Sandhurst and he to Dartmouth.  He served as a Royal Naval Officer (Sub Lt) until a 'disagreement over lifestyle aspirations' caused him to leave!  Unable to gain a de facto Army Commission he joined as a Private in our County Regiment, 1 RANGLIAN, and served in the Int Sect in Londonderry for a bit.  He went to RCB from there and was thence Commissioned into the Army on a Short Service Commission.
In 1981 he was appointed as GSO3 SD (SO3 G3(O&D) in metric) at HQ BAOR when I was serving in HQ British Forces Antwerp (HQ (BR) CommZ ) - only 2 hours away.
He gained a Special Regular Commission whilst serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment.  He sought a permanent one, however, and transferred to the RAMC as a result.
MAPS served with the Fd Amb in Aldershot and Hohne (1 Div), Commanded 251(V) General Hospital in Sunderland and served with the ARRC in 1996. Having relinquished command of the Middlesborough Fd Amb he was appointed to the Surgeon General's Department in London - from where he took ill and eventually died. His widow Joyce and 3 children Marcus (now 17), Gavin (15) and Catriona (13) are all well and living in Surrey. MAPS clearly made an impact on many people as, on discovering my surname, since his death, many serving people that I have met ask after him: from junior to very senior. Jack Amberton

(Comment from Norfolk Editor: In 1996 Maj Mike Vokes RSIGNALS and I got on very well with MAPS in Kiseljak, where he wore his R Anglian stable belt. He was one of the few - nay the only one - in ARRC Rear who understood the TA, and particularly, ancient TA Watchkeepers. Mike and I still hold the IFOR, SFOR, KFOR and YFOR record for a pair of Wkpr on one desk - 104 years!)
See Clippings from The Britannia & Castle on Bosnia in 1996

W Billings of King's Lynn in January 2001. He served with The Royal Norfolk Regt and is survived by Joy, his widow.

HG Bloomfield of Attleborough 16 Oct 2001. He served with 4 Royal Norfolk.   John Housego

Harold Borley on 26 Nov 2001 at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, aged 66. Harold served in the MMG Platoon with the 1st Bn in Hong Kong 1953-54 and Colchester 1954. He lived at 11 Cranmer Court, Fakenham, NR21 8DN and is survived by his wife Joyce, sons and daughters.    John Denny
(*A fuller obituary can be found in B&C 98 Jun 02. Ed.)

B Brown of Folkestone in 2000. He was in Burma with the 2nd Bn The Royal Norfolk Regt, serving 1942-46.    R Harwood-Brown

Reg Bustard of Wetherby on 16 Oct 01. He served with 2 Royal Norfolk and is survived by his widow Elizabeth and son, Maj Bustard.
Click here for an expanded obituary from B&C 98 Jun 2002

L Coleman of Oulton Broad on 12 Oct 2001. He served with 4 Royal Norfolk.    John Housego

Alfred Thomas Costello, peacefully in his sleep on 18 Aug 2001, at home in Sudbury, Suffolk, aged 87. Better known as Bill, he served in 2nd and 7th Bns The Royal Norfolk Regiment 1931-1946, rising to CSM. Bill was a member of the Dunkirk Veterans Association.
Born in Camberwell, SE London on 20 April 1914, Bill was working at a Furriers in the City in 1931 and passed a notice in a recruiting office asking: 'Do you get a fortnights leave? If not join up.' As Bill didn't get any paid holidays he felt this was too good an opportunity to miss. The one drawback was that he wasn't old enough but he was clearly determined to join up. His Attestation shows his declared date of birth as 20 April 1913! When asked his preferred Regiment he answered that he didn't mind 'as long as it was near the sea'. Hence he was posted to the Royal Norfolk Regiment and he always told me that he thoroughly enjoyed the 'Army Life'.
After Recruit Training in Norwich he was posted to Devonport, Aldershot and then to Gibraltar. Recalled to the UK in June 1939 he joined the 2nd Bn and proceeded to France and Belgium at the outbreak of War. Wounded by a mortar at Tournia he was evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940 and spent a while in hospital in Liverpool. Bill served as a Provo Sgt with the reformed 7th Bn in Nottingham in 1940, was promoted WO2 and appointed CSM of HQ Coy, serving with them at various locations in UK.
Medically downgraded in 1942 he was posted to 9(BR) Convalescent Depot as an instructor and served with them in North Africa, Italy, Southern France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.
He married my Mum, Enid, who survives him, on 8 March 1941 and celebrated their 60th Anniversary in March, receiving congratulations from HM The Queen.
For the Anniversary celebration he wanted to go back to Dunkirk, to remember all his pals that didn't make it. We also visited the cemetery where a lot of his friends were buried at Le Paradis after the terrible massacre. One poignant moment was when he showed me the graves of two of his comrades who used to sleep in beds either side of him. Dad never forgot the Norfolks and he attended many reunions. In fact his whole life was influenced by his experiences in the Regiment. After leaving the Army in 1946 I understand Dad, perhaps like many soldiers, found it very hard to adjust.  After a series of jobs until in the early 50's he was offered the post of starting a company specialising in the manufacture of plastic moulded items. The business started in a disused shed in Hackney, then as it expanded moved from Potters Bar and finally to Halstead, Essex. It was run like 'clockwork' and Dad used all the skills he had learned in the Army to ensure that the company was very successful.
He retired aged 65 although he still helped the new owners on many occasions, as and when required. His main interest, besides the Royal Norfolks, was keeping up to date with current affairs.  He read The Times most days and was delighted when digital television arrived which meant he could watch news programmes 24 hours a day! Although a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party he enjoyed visiting the local Conservative Club to discuss politics. Dad always said he belonged to the 'Cons Club' not because of his political leaning but because the beer was cheaper.    James Costello

Lt Col Reg Cousins, on 18 September 2001, in Wales. Reg served with The Royal Artillery in WW2 and then transferred to The Royal Norfolk Regt, serving with the 1st and 4th Bns. After retiring from the army Reg became a Senior Probation Officer. The Britannia No 29 Feb 1947 report included: Commanded by Lt Col FP Barclay, 1st Bn news was dominated by preparation for the Presentation of New Colours in November 1946. In A Coy Capt Reg Cousins held the fort for a while and in a 6 day exercise Lt Jimmy Perry-Warnes 'put up a splendid show'. No 30 August 1947 stated: 'In A Coy Capt Reg Cousins ran the Pay office.'
Reg also served with 4 Royal Norfolk and was a Deputy County Commandant of Norfolk Army Cadet Force. He was also the B&C 'Fishing Correspondent' in the 1980s. B&C 94 Jun 2000 reported on p N17, from an impeccable source, about 2 officers 'Camping It Up!': 'They were driving to TA Camp and it was foggy. The journey was slow and lunch beckoned so they stopped on a gently sloping patch of grass. Luckily, the Mess Silver was aboard so advantage was taken of it, candelabra as well as cutlery and wine glasses. When the fog cleared Lt Col Reg Cousins and Maj Tim Chatting found they were parked on a roundabout!'    JLR

RV Curson on 12 May 2001 at home in Australia. He was a Bandsman with 1 Royal Norfolk when the Colours were laid up at Sandringham. He is survived by daughter Mrs Heather Jeffries in Para Hills, S Australia.    A Merry, Craigmore, S Australia

EC 'Jack' Cutting of Leicester on 21 Sep 1999. Jack was born on 15 Feb 1914 and served with The Royal Norfolk Regiment in India before WW2 where he was a member of the Band, a relation of CBOTB.
Jack was wounded at Sword Beach, Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944.
He is mentioned in 'Thank God and The Infantry' by Capt John Lincoln but it omits to mention something Jack was reluctant to mention - concerning him shooting a German sniper in a French belfry!
With his family he re-visited Sword Beach in June 1994, 50 years on from his first sight of that triumphant if notorious start-point. While there he was presented with the special French-issued Normandy medal at Caen. Promising that his memory would live on, Jack's daughter Sue is planning a family visit to Sword Beach 1-8 Jun 2002.
Click here to read of an appeal by Sue for the names of anyone also going to Normandy at that time.

Harry Franklin of Wisbech in King’s Lynn Hospital on 13 June 2001. A member of the King’s Lynn Branch, he served with The Royal Norfolk Regt and is survived by his widow.

Capt David Glass of Leighton Buzzard on 29 Jan 2000, aged 85, in a Nursing Home. With 7 Royal Norfolk he was wounded in Holland. For his work as a Liaison Officer in Belgium he was awarded the Order of Leopold.
Joe Pinder, the batman of Capt David Glass, died suddenly a few weeks after attending David’s funeral.    Eunice Glass (sister-in-law) and Arthur Hammond

Maj Mike Gunton on 4 Nov 2001. Click here for the obituary

Mick Hall in 2001. He served in C Coy and the MT Section with The Royal Anglians. Good at sport, especially cricket, his funeral in Little Paxton was well attended by Old Comrades. He will be missed, especially at Minden Day in Bury St Edmunds.     L Davison

H Hambling 5776348 of Hadleigh. He served with 1 Royal Norfolk.

Colin Jex who served with the Band in Colchester and Germany. CBOTB

John Lee of Sprowston on 8 Jul 01. He served with the 1st and 7th Bns, The Royal Norfolk Regt, 1940-1945.

David Nicholls who served with the Band in the late 1950s.CBOTB

Fred Pearman of King's Lynn on 25 August 2001 after an illness. While serving with The Royal Norfolk Regiment in France he was captured on 13 Jun 1940 and spent the rest of WW2 being trans-shipped around Europe until his release in May 1945. Fred was very proud of his army career and had many a tale to tell to those who wished to listen, especially about the things he and his fellow PoWs 'got up to'. Fred was an active member of the King's Lynn Branch and attended most functions until the last 2 years when health and fitness caught up with him. He is survived by his wife, son David, daughter Rosemarie, their respective spouses Jane and Alan, and his pride and joy, grand-daughter Frances.    Rosemarie and Alan Buck

David Powley, of King's Lynn, aged 65 in June 2001. He served with 1 Royal Norfolk in Cyprus. A number of Association members attended his funeral on 4 July.    Mike Green

J Quadling of Toftwood in 2000. He served with The Royal Norfolk Regt.

Edward Waters, suddenly, on 15 March 2001, aged 67. An Association Member, he served with 1 Royal Norfolk in Korea.    Ann Waters

WO2 (RQMS) Bert White of Horley, Surrey, on 17 Jun 2001, aged 86. Enlisting in Aldershot in April 1936 he served first with the Signal Pl, 2nd Bn The Royal Norfolk Regt, until 1938. Posted from Gibraltar to the 1st Bn in India as a Signaller he returned to the UK on Home Duties. As a Signals Sgt he landed on D-Day with 1 Royal Norfolk and served with them until demob in Nov 1945. He re-enlisted and joined 1 Essex as a Signals Sgt. Promoted CSgt he volunteered for service with The Royal West African Rifles where he concluded his service as RQMS in 1955.

EGG Williams of County Cork on 30 Jan 2001. An officer who served with 1 Royal Norfolk, he was a Dunkirk Veteran.