Gillingham WW2 Servicemen
- David Lloyd
- Jul 13
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 7
The following servicemen gave their lives in WW2 and have associations with Gillingham.
IN PROGRESS - This is how the names appear on the Gillingham War Memorial plaque -
DL 13 July 2025
ALGER P A
COLLIS W
DAVIES R
DEAR D E
FOULKES J
GATEHOUSE C
GOODSHIPS J
GOULD J
HUNT A
KINGHAM H
MOORE EA
PITMAN P
READ K
SHARPE EE
SHARPE EE
SMITH EL
TUCKER FHG
WHITMARSH R
GOULD Henry Joseph
5720230 Warrant Officer Henry Joseph GOULD 1 RSM 12th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery died on either 1st or 2nd October 1942.
Henry Joseph Gould was born 15 February 1906 at Cucklington, the third son and fourth child of Robert Gould and his wife Mary Elizabeth Jane (nee Stickley). It seems that he was usually known as Joseph or Joe and on 9 May 1910 Joseph was registered at Cucklington School. However, his stay appears to have been brief as he contracted diphtheria and the family had moved by the time he recovered.
In 1911 the family lived at Shanks House, Cucklington where Joseph’s father Robert was employed as a groom to the Grant-Dalton family. By 1921 the family had moved to Culvers on the outskirts of Gillingham and Joseph had six younger siblings. Joseph, aged 15, was employed as a labourer at Gillingham brickyard along with his older brother Percy.
Joseph married Doris Mabel ARM in 1929 at Alverstoke, Hampshire and their son Henry was born there in 1932. It is likely that Joseph was by that time serving in the Royal Artillery and by 1941 he was a Warrant Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major. Joseph was serving with the 12th Coast Regiment of the Royal Artillery at a coastal defence battery at Stanley, Hong Kong and was taken prisoner by the Japanese on 25 December 1941 when British forces there surrendered after three weeks of intense fighting. According to Japanese records he was interned at Hong Kong, probably at Sham Shui Po Barracks, a British camp originally built in 1927. There was a diphtheria epidemic there in 1942 and Joseph’s previous infection may not have prevented him from being infected again.
Around one thousand British prisoners, along with over 700 Japanese troops, were being shipped to Japan on SS Lisbon Maru, an armed ship, which left Hong Kong on 27 September 1942. On 1 October, the ship was hit by a torpedo fired by US Submarine Grouper which was not aware that British POWs were aboard. Eventually, after the Japanese abandoned the ship, the British men were able to escape the sinking ship but many drowned or were shot by the Japanese and British records show Joseph missing aboard the ship and presumed dead on 1 or 2 October 1942.
Joseph is remembered on Gillingham’s War Memorial; CWGC Sai Wan War Cemetery memorial, Hong Kong; Royal Artillery Memorial, Hyde Park Corner, London and on his mother’s gravestone at Buckhorn Weston Cemetery.
Researched by Lynda Grange.
Posted 2025
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HUNT Albert Charles
999408 Gunner Albert Charles HUNT Royal Horse Artillery (later 107 (The South Notts Hussars) Regiment of the RHA died between 31st October 31st and 14th November 1942.
Albert Charles Hunt was born on 23 December 1910 to parents Thomas George Hunt and Bessie Hunt (née Gray).
The 1911 census for Rolls Bridge, Gillingham shows Thomas, a bacon factory hand, together with his wife Bessie, daughter Ivy A (b1903), and sons Harold James (b1908) and Albert Charles.
Albert is at home with his parents for the 1921 census.
The 1939 Register shows Thomas b.16 April 1873 a school porter, Bessie b.20 September 1872 and Albert a factory hand in the sausage department (presumably at Oake Woods).
The bridge, shown right, leads to Rolls Bridge Farm (since demolished). Walking away from the bridge towards the cemetery were two cottages, far left on the map by 'Messrs', and the nearest one is that occupied by the Hunt family. See below
Rolls Bridge Lane continues to the right, to join with Cemetery Road, where there is another pair of cottages (by the word 'Bell', later occupied by Laurence King and family). This is just before the entrance to the ‘new cemetery’. These cottages have since been demolished and replaced by bungalows.
Records show that Albert enlisted in August 1940. He is photographed left, in uniform, with his sweetheart, Winifred Lawrence at Castle Hill, Mere in 1940.
Winifred was a laundry worker of Water Street, Mere.
The Western Gazette of 20 December 1940 reported the marriage of Miss W Lawrence, third daughter of Mrs B Lawrence and the late Mr Lawrence, of Castle Street, Mere, and Gunner A C Hunt, youngest son of Mr and Mrs G Hunt of Rolls Bridge, Gillingham. The Rev. L E Johnson officiated.
Winifred’s sisters were Dorothy Kathleen (who married Leslie Martin), and Eileen (who married Mr Paul).
(above right: Laurence King, Albert, Winifred, Wilfred Lawrence)
The bride, who was given away by her brother, Mr W Lawrence, was attired in a navy and white ensemble, Mr L King (brother-in-law of the bride) was ‘best man’. On leaving the church, the bride was presented with a horseshoe.
The reception was held at the home of the bride’s brother, and later the bride and bridegroom left for a honeymoon in Devon. Many presents were received.
During WW2 Albert served with the Royal Horse Artillery. According to a family story he sailed to Egypt stopping off at Port Elizabeth or Durban.
Whilst on this journey he purchased a special walking stick for Winifred and sent it home. That stick came into possession of Colin Martin, a nephew of Albert. The stick is decorated by spiral bands of orange and black beads – the beads are probably seeds typically used by African tribes in decoration.
(The stick is now in possession of Gillingham museum courtesy of Colin Martin)
Later records show that he was part of 107 Royal Horse Artillery (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) which served in Palestine (Jan 1940), Mersa Matruh, Egypt (Jun 1940), Suez Canal, Egypt (Feb 1941), Tobruk, Libya (Apr 1941), Tmini, Egypt (Dec1941), Nile Delta, Egypt ( Jan 1942), in Egypt and Libya (1942) and finally The Cauldron, Libya, as part of 22 Armoured Brigade. The Regiment was over run and destroyed fighting a rearguard action – Battle of Gazala. Probably this was when Albert was captured.
The Western Gazette 21 August 1942 reported the following, “It was learned last week that Albert Hunt son of Mr & Mrs George Hunt of Rolls Bridge who was serving in the Middle East is a prisoner in Italian hands”. On 9 November 1942 the following Memorium appeared, “In loving memory of my dear husband, Gnr. Albert Hunt, presumed to have died while P.O.W in Italian hands, October 31st- November 14th 1942 – Sadly missed by his loving wife Win; also Mum, Dad, Sister and Brothers, and Mrs Lawrence and Eileen.”
It was assumed that Albert had died in a prisoner of war camp. However, a different story is revealed on the website https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?31791 as below.
On November 13th, 1942, at Tripoli, 814 Allied POWs were ordered into the Italian SCILLIN's cargo hold, which was only suitable for around 300. The result was severe overcrowding and insanitary conditions. More prisoners would have been loaded, but the British military doctor (Capt. Gilbert, RAMC) made vehement and repeated protests. Some reports state that a further 195 POWs were disembarked before SCILLIN sailed and that there were some 200 Italian troops on board; others dispute these points saying that the only Italian troops on board were guards and gun crews and the surplus POWs were never actually boarded.
On the night of 14 November off the Tunisian coast SCILLIN was ordered to stop with gunfire by the British submarine HMS SAHIB. She did not respond, so her Captain decided to torpedo SCILLIN. Those in the hold had little chance of survival as the torpedo had hit the hold itself and the ship sank rapidly.
SAHIB was able to rescue 27 POWs (26 British and one South African), the SCILLIN's captain and 45 Italian crew members, before the arrival of an Italian warship forced her to leave. Only when survivors were heard speaking English, did SAHIB's captain realize that the SCILLIN was carrying POWs. Albert was confirmed as being on board.
The Ministry of Defence kept this incident a closely guarded secret for fifty-four years, telling relatives that the victims had died while prisoner-of-war in Italian camps or lost at sea. It was not until 1996, after repeated requests for information from the families of the drowned men that the truth came out.
Albert is remembered on the Gillingham WW2 Roll of Honour at the War Memorial and on the Alamein Memorial (below) which is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission war memorial in the El Alamein War Cemetery, El Alamein, Egypt. The memorial commemorates 11,866 Commonwealth forces members who died during World War II.
Albert's widow, Winifred, died aged 94 on 23 July 2010. She was living at the Orders of St. John Care Trust, Five Courts, Mere.
Researched by David Lloyd 2022.
Posted 2025
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READ Kenneth Norman
1410481 Sergeant Air Bomber Kenneth Norman READ of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve died on 4th May 1944.
Kenneth was the son of Harry A Read, cycle and radio dealer of Newbury, Gillingham and Florence June Read (née Murch). He was born on 3 January 1922 and was educated locally, leaving Gillingham Grammar School when he was 15/16. He was employed by the Electricity Company and enjoyed his work. His last job before joining the R.A.F. was the electrification of Silton Church. He attended courses in Newquay, Isle of Man and possibly other places before being posted to Wickenby, and Anson and Blenheim bombers.
While training he passed all the tests including navigator and Air Bomber tests in August 1943. In December 1943 he moved to a Lancaster. Then in January 1944 operations to Danzig, Aachen and his final night-op to Mailly-le-Camp, France from which he did not return. Many planes were lost that night and his Lancaster and Ken came down in a field at Beauchery St Martin, Seine-et-Maine Department of France. All but the rear-gunner in Ken’s plane were killed. The rear gunner was captured by the Germans and returned to England after the war. The airmen were buried in the Beauchery St Martin cemetery.
About Mailly-le-Camp 1944 On the night of 3/4th May 1944, the Royal Air Force dispatched 332 bomber aircraft from 28 squadrons, manned by crews drawn from all over the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, to destroy the German 21st Panzer Division at Mailly-le-Camp, 85 miles east of Paris. The raid was planned at 5 Group headquarters at St Vincent's in Grantham, and more than half of the force flew from airfields in "Bomber County" In the target area, in the space of little more than one hour, forty-two Lancasters, one ECM Halifax and a Mosquito were shot down. In later years survivors described the raid as the most terrifying night of their life. More than 300 airmen failed to return that night, of whom 258 were killed; most of those killed are buried in the cemeteries of villages surrounding Mailly-le-camp.
Some years later, Kenneth’s sister Estelle, and her husband Roy, belonged to the Midsomer Norton Twinning Association. During their journeys to France they made several visits to the cemetery. In 1994 being the 50th anniversary of the air crash, Estelle wrote to the Mayor of Beauchery asking if she could be present at the Victory in Europe ceremony. An invitation was sent to Estelle and Roy and accommodation was arranged with a local farmer’s family.
The ceremony was attended by several local officials and Military Attachés who laid wreaths at the cemetery, as did all the local school children who laid bouquets of flowers with the airman’s name on a wide blue ribbon on each. A troop of soldiers were present, also a band who played the national anthem, men with banners and a large number of local people. After the proceedings everyone was invited to the ‘vin d’honneur’ ceremony to partake of champagne, savouries and sweet cakes. The English guests were most hospitably entertained and found new friendships. Estelle was able to obtain a copy of the 4th May 1944 report, by the then Mayor of Beauchery, of how the bodies and fragments of bodies of the English airmen were collected and buried.
Kenneth is remembered at the Gillingham War Memorial.
Researched by David Lloyd (with thanks to Estelle Bath for family material)
Posted 7 November 2025
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