THIS week in Down Memory Lane I reflect on a chance discovery of a Thurrock soldier in “some corner of a foreign field” (Rubert Brooke – The Soldier).
I have just returned from Malta on a military historical tour to follow the 124th Royal Artillery Regiment movements during the Second World War.
This included a day trip to Sicily to see where the regiment landed on July 10, 1943, and saw intense action.
I visited the Catania British War Cemetery to pay respects to several Gunners of the regiment.
However, on inspecting the War Graves Commission book listing the dead here, I was somewhat surprised to find an entry to “Private William Harold Richardson 6017681, 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, who died on August 2, 1943, aged 20 years” – he was the son of Mr & Mrs F Richardson of West Thurrock.
His parents had engraved at the bottom of his headstone “in loving memory of a beloved William gone but not forgotten”. I have not been able to find out any more about him.
However, the Dorsetshire Regiment was raised in 1702 winning its first battle honour in India in 1757, thus the motto Primus In Indus – First in India!
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Dorset’s regulars were overseas, but in order to defend the west country coast, nine battalions of Dorset’s TA were mobilised.
The lst Battalion were sent to Malta, in the middle of Rommel’s Africa Corps supply route.
They endured the bombing by the Luftwaffe on the besieged island and shared the suffering of the Maltese people (later to be awarded the George Cross by the King) until the Allies gained superiority in the Mediterranean in 1943.
When the Allies invaded Sicily on July 10, 1943, the Dorsets and the Devons took part in their first amphibious assault, landing under XXX Corps, 231 Infantry Brigade.
The Italians, who would shortly make peace and re-enter the war on our side, offered little resistance, but German opposition was vigorous.
The campaign came to an end on August 17. Catania War Cemetery contains 2,135 Commonwealth war dead from the latter part of the campaign, especially the fierce fire fights around Catania and the battle of the Simeto river bridgehead.
The cemetery is immaculately maintained under the direction of the War Graves Commission and I was pleased to reflect on 20-year-old William and others who have fought and fallen on our behalf.
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