Box Hill, Surrey, War Memorial

image: Haslam 15 Mar 09

IN MEMORY OF
THE BRAVE
OF BOX HILL

1914-1918

FH BARTLE W COLLINS

1939-1945

AG BUTCHER D KEENAN

DA LEAGE KE LEAGE

Where a name is hyperlinked this is to what appears to be the relevant record in the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) database or to a page about the person.
# see Notes for more detail or comment on the person.

Pte FRANCIS HAROLD BARTLE
7th Bn, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Age 33
Died 03/05/1917
Husband of Elsie K Mitchell (formerly Bartle), of Keepers Cottage, Box Hill Rd, Tadworth, Surrey
ARRAS MEMORIAL/F

Pte WILLIAM COLLINS #
6th Bn, The Queen's
(Royal West Surrey Regiment)
Age 41
Died 12/04/1917
Son of George and Ann Collins; husband of Laura Collins, of Upper Farm, Box Hill, Dorking.
ARRAS MEMORIAL/F

Sgt ARTHUR GORDON BUTCHER # Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 40 Squadron Age 22 Died 12/10/1944 Son of Arthur John and Ethel Mary Charlton Butcher, of Box Hill, Tadworth, Surrey. MALTA MEMORIAL	Sgt DAVID KEENAN # Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 166 Squadron Died 29/03/1943 Husband of Elizabeth Gibb Fisher Keenan, of Box Hill, Tadworth, Surrey. ARNHEM (MOSCOWA) GENERAL CEMY/NL
Lt DONALD ALFRED LEAGE # Royal Marines HM Landing Craft Flak 37 Age 20 Died 01/11/1944 Son of Edward Albert and Constance Leage, of Box Hill, Surrey. Captain of the School and Captain of Shooting Eight, Dulwich College. CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL	Sub-Lt (A) KENNETH EDWARD LEAGE # Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve HMS Blackcap Age 21 Died 06/02/1943 Son of Edward Albert and Constance Leage, of Box Hill, Surrey, England. DIEPPE CANADIAN WAR CEMY, HAUTOT-SUR-MER/F

Arthur Butcher
From May 1943-March 1945 the squadron operated with the Vickers Wellington Mk X. Following the capture of airfields in Tunisia it moved further forward and in December 1943 crossed to Italy, from where it added the Balkans and Northern Italy to its target list. From 30 December 1943-21 October 1945 it was based at Foggia Main airfield.

Sgt Arthur Gordon Butcher was a Wireleass Operator/Air Gunner flying with W/O RWF Bodley, captain of Wellington X LP464/D. Their target was the key marshalling yards of Porto Nuovo at Verona which was on the line from the Brenner Pass and were of crucial importance in directing supplies destined for the German front.

24 hours previously, 40 Squadron had visited the yards, without loss, but the bombing had been pretty ineffectual. However, the attack on October 11th/12th, 1944, was well concentrated and much useful damage was inflicted, albeit at the cost of two Wellingtons missing - LP464/D and MF630/S - possibly shot down by the ground defences which are described as fierce and accurate.

From these bombers, not a single airman survived and all are commemorated on the Malta Memorial:

LP464/D
W/O R W F Bodley
F/S L R Johnston RAAF
Sgt G Coyle
Sgt A G Butcher
F/S E C Fitgerald RAAF

Source: David Gunby's Sweeping the Skies, the History of No.40 Squadron, published by Pentland Press in 1995, via Bill Chorley.

David Keenan
Night of 29/30 March 1943 - source RAF Bomber Command Losses of WWII - 1943 (WR Chorley)
166 Sqn RAF Kirmington Wellington mkX HE545 AS-H Op: Bochum
take off 2004. Shot down by a night-fighter (Oblt Werner Streib, /NJG1), crashing at Schaarsbergen (Gelderland), 7km NNW of Arnhem. Three lie in Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery, while both Canadians rest at Groesbeek War Cemetery.
Pilot: Sgt JRA Hodgson
Navigator: F/S SR Farley
Air Bomber: P/O FLE Dupre RCAF
Wireless Operator: Sgt D Keenan
Air Gunner: Sgt RA Weese RCAF

Donald Leage
LCF.37, ex-LCT.725, Walcheren landings, operation Infatuate, ship loss
LCF.37 image and report of loss

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page created 17 Feb 2009: last updated 15 Mar 2009