Tag Archives: 1939

Leading Aircraftsman Gregory James Ash

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He was born 16th November 1904 and baptised on 15th January 1905 at St Crispin’s, Bermondsey. His parents were James Richard and Ellen Ash.

At 22, he married Elizabeth Harriett Burnett, 22, on the 23rd July 1927 at Christ Church, Bermondsey, Southwark. His father was a compositor.

It is likely that they then moved to Mitcham, as his name is shown on the electoral register in 1928 at 199 Manor Road, not far from its junction with Rowan Road and Wide Way.

In the 1939 Register, Gregory James Ash, born 16th November 1904, was a printing clerk, and lived at 199 Manor Road, Mitcham, with his wife Elizabeth Harriet Ash, housewife, born 28th December 1904, and their daughter Margaret, born 19th March 1931.

He served in the Base Signals Repair Unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 1249162.

On 7th November 1944, he was onboard the ship HM Landing Ship Tank (LST) 420, with around 230 RAF personnel, when it was sunk by a mine outside Ostend, Belgium.

From the ww2Talk forum:

LST-420 left Dover on 7 November with a party of airmen, trucks and supplies for RAF personnel in Belgium. It was unable to enter the port of Ostend because of a severe storm and the captain decided to return to England. The ship was still within sight of Ostend when it hit a mine, split in two, and sank. Fourteen officers and 224 other ranks were lost. Only 31 were saved. It was the greatest loss of lives on a British landing craft during the war. Many of the casualties were buried at Ostend and at Blankenberge cemeteries in Belgium. Above the wreck today is a marker buoy “LST 420.”

He is buried in the Blankenberge Town Cemetery, West Flanders, Belgium. A photo of his grave can be seen on the Find A Grave website.

Commonwealth War Grave Commission casualty record.

Gunner Douglas Harold Allaway

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In the 1939 Register, Douglas Harold Allaway, born 4th December 1918, was a sign fixer’s mate and lived at 67 Fleming Mead in Mitcham. Living with him was his mother Florence, born in 1893, and his sisters Margaret, born 6th February 1938; Winifred, born 25th January 1916, confectionary packer; Ellen, born 28th May 1920, a novelty cardboard box maker Joan, born 16th January 1925, a cardboard box maker.

Douglas Harold Allaway served as a gunner with the Royal Artillery, service number 1524793, with the Anti-Tank Regiment.

In 1940, as part of the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) he was wounded and captured. He was a Prisoner of War at Stalag 20A. This camp, also called Stalag XX-A, was in Torun, Poland.

British film actor Sam Kydd was also captured while in the B.E.F. and also was a POW at this camp.

His daughter said in October 2019:

My dad was captured 3 months into WW2, and was POW in Torun, Poland, Stalag XXA. He survived the war and had a shrapnel wound in shoulder.

He lived in Western Road with his mum and sisters & brothers.

He passed away 1981 in Chichester.