14631208, Private, 4^th Battalion, Dorset Regiment

Killed In Action on the 2^nd August 1944 aged 28.

Owen was born on the 2nd December 1915, the son of Charles and Ellen Abbiss who lived at 105 Letchmore Road, Stevenage. Before the war he worked as an assembly hand at the ESA Educational Supplies factory and was the captain of the Stevenage Town football club. He had been a member of the Home Guard and joined the Army in June 1943. In September of that year he married local girl, Winifred Clarke.

Owen was killed in action during on the 2nd August 1944, during the Normandy campaign, when the 4th Battalion, Dorset Regiment, led the 130th Brigade in a breakout along the Caumont to Ondefontaine road. It’s objective was the capture of the villages of Jurques, La Bigne and Ondefontaine. At 0115 hours the Battalion moved off at a steady pace heading South-westwards. The summer days were blisteringly hot and many of the troops, mounted on tanks, kept dropping off to sleep. The Battalion was involved in many small actions during their advance and it was during one of these that Owen Abbiss was killed.

He is buried in the Hottot-Les-Bagues War Cemetery, Tilly-Sur-Seuilles, France.

127192, Flying Officer (Pilot), 161 Squadron (Special Operations). Royal Air Force

Killed In Action on the 4^th August 1944 aged 30.

Flying Officer John Perry Alcock

John Alcock initially served in a Guards regiment during the early stages of the Second World War. He was eager to get into action and was disappointed and somewhat frustrated when his unit was held at home. Eventually he decided to join the RAF and after completing his transfer began to train as a pilot. Ironically, after his transfer the Guards regiment he was originally serving with was sent into action in North Africa.

On the 19^th January 1944, after completing his training, John was posted to 631 Squadron, which performed the rather inglorious task of target towing, and he was soon looking to move to a Squadron where he could see some action. In March 1944 John was to get his hearts desire when he joined 161 Squadron. This was a special operations unit, which had been flying secret agents and SOE operatives in and out of occupied Europe since it’s formation in February 1942.

In the months leading up to the D-Day invasion the SOE activity from the little airfield at Tempsford in Bedfordshire was intense and on 30th April 1944 John Alcock flew his first operation. This was known as a " Double" mission with John and Flight Lieutenant Bob Large both landing at the same secret airfield to recover some SOE agents. Operation " Organist" , as it was known, was detailed to send two Lysander aircraft to Chateauroux in order to drop three agents and pick up two who had been performing a reconnaissance of the Rouen area. There had been a high number of arrests in the region due to intense Gestapo activity.

The agents to be collected were Philippe Liewer and Violette Szabo, two of the SOE's most famous operators. Liewer, whose face was on many  " Wanted" posters and had left Rouen for his own safety, flew with John Alcock whilst Szabo flew with Bob Large. John was said to be absolutely delighted that he had managed to find the landing ground by his own navigation and could hardly contain his excitement.

Tragedy struck John Alcock and his wife, Dosie, on the 17th July 1944 when their four-month-old baby daughter, Carolyn, died suddenly.  In August 1944 the Lysander flight of 161 Squadron continued it’s dangerous work from Tempsford airfield. The night of the 4th/5th August was to be John Alcock's second and, tragically, last operation. He was, once again, on a " Doubles" flight, code named Operation " Pirouge" , this time with Flying Officer Peter Arkell who was on his first operation. They were destined for Vallon, south of the Loire. The flight was a long and lonely one and John may have had time to reflect on the loss of his Daughter. The mission was made even more dangerous by the fact that the Allies, now strengthening their position in Normandy, were performing Intruder flights into the area to harass the enemy and destroy any opportune targets. Peter Arkell saw his companions Lysander, V948, go down in flames ahead of him having blown up in mid-air after being attacked by what was thought to be a night fighter. The Canadian pilot of a Mosquito intruder of 410 squadron later reported the destruction of a Henschel HS126, which has similar characteristics to the Lysander, and it is now known that this was in fact John Alcock’s aircraft.

His grave, the only British serviceman to be buried in the cemetery, lays 20 miles Southwest of Rennes in Messsac, France.

Although John Alcock is not remembered on the Stevenage War Memorial his Daughter is buried in St.Nicholas Church and he is commemorated on her headstone, a double blow for a young wife and mother.

948874, Bombardier, 499 Battery.  135th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.

Died Of Wounds on the 11^th February 1942 aged 22.

The grave of Bombardier Jack Stanley Allen in Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore

Jack was born on 18 April 1919, the son of Charles & Alice Allen of 69 Letchmore Road, Stevenage. He was a member of the Territorial Army and had worked at the Shelford and Crowe garage in Stevenage, and was later employed as an aircraft fitter at the De Havillands factory in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. At the outbreak of war the men of the Territorial forces were called to arms and Jack’s unit spent the early war years serving in various locations around the UK.

The Regiment sailed from Liverpool on the 28th October 1941, it’s original destination being the Middle East. On route orders were received diverting the Regiment to the Far East. After a long, arduous, eight-week journey that had taken them via Halifax, Cape Town & Bombay the Regiment arrived in Ahmednagar on the 27th December. After three weeks of intensive acclimatisation and training the Regiment embarked on the USS West Point for Singapore where they arrived at dawn on the 29th January 1942, just two weeks before the island fortress would capitulate to the forces of the Japanese Imperial Army.

On the 9th February the Japanese landed on the northwestern side of the island and began what was to be the greatest defeat the British army had ever suffered. The Battery, with no combat experience, was called to defend the British colony and was involved in a series of bitter engagements with a tough and experienced enemy. Although no official records have survived it is believed that Jack was wounded during one of these actions and was amongst the many casualties taken to the Singapore Hospital where he later died.

He is buried in the Kranji War Cemetery although his original grave has been lost. His headstone is marked, " buried near this spot" .

2560483, Trooper, 11th Battalion, The Hussars.

Died 5^th November 1939 aged 32.

The grave of Trooper Richard Avis in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.

Richard was born on the 5th November 1907, in Aldrington St Leonard, East Sussex, the son of George William & Helen Avis, and one of nine children. His father served in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War.

A professional soldier, he enlisted in the Royal Tank Corps on the 14th February 1927 and had served his entire military career with the 11th Hussars. In 1928, the 11th Hussars became one of the first British cavalry units to mechanise. The regiment then deployed to Egypt and Palestine for much of the 1930's, manning the border with Italian Cyrenaica during the Abyssinian crisis and suppressing the Arab Revolt.

He married Olive Brown in 1933.

Richard died on his 32nd birthday whilst his Regiment was serving in Egypt but the circumstances are currently unknown. He is buried in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. (H.7.)

Headstone Inscription: “In Loving Memory Of A Dear Husband And Father. Brief Life Is Here Our Portion”

759009, Flight Sergeant (Air Gunner), 69 Squadron. Royal Air Force.

Missing In Action on the 24^th November 1941 aged 32.

Flight Sergeant Harold Bernard Batchelor

Dick Batchelor, as he was known, spent a short time at Alleynes School after having moved to the town from Watford. He still managed, however, to make a considerable name for himself by becoming part of the school cricket and football teams. After leaving school he joined the St. Albans police force as a cadet but this was not for very long as he soon joined W. Saunders Motors in Hemel Hempstead. In July 1939 Dick joined the RAF and was posted to Cheltenham for aircrew training. He joined 69 Squadron as a Sergeant Observer flying Sunderland Flying Boats and in 1940 the Squadron was posted to Malta. On the 24th November 1941, whilst operating from Luqa airfield, Harold Batchelor was aboard a Martin Maryland, BJ427, which was performing a reconnaissance flight southeast of Messina. It is not apparent what happened to the aircraft but it failed to return from this operation and two subsequent searches failed to find any sign of it.

Crew of MARYLAND Mk1 BJ427

Harold has no known grave and his name is recorded on the Malta Memorial. (Panel 1 Column 1.)

1294682, Sergeant (Wireless Operator), 106 Squadron. Royal Air Force.

Killed In Action on the 26^th June 1943 aged 22.

John Bates was the eldest son of Thomas and Florence Bates of " Regalwood" , Church Lane. He was educated at Stevenage Boys School and was later employed for four years at the Stevenage Printing Works.  John joined the RAF in January 1941 and after completing his training as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner was posted to 106 Squadron.

John was the Wireless Operator on a Lancaster Mk.1, W4256, which left Syerston airfield on the 26th June 1943 as part a force of 473 aircraft sent to attack the Synthetic Oil plants in Gelsenkirchen, by this time he had been on operational duties for over six months. This was the first raid on Gelsenkirchen since 1941 and the target was obscured by cloud. The Pathfinding Mosquitoes were unable to mark the target accurately as five of them found their " OBOE" equipment to be unserviceable. The raid was not a success and thirty aircraft were lost of which thirteen were Lancaster's, one being W4256. The aircraft had crashed at Hippolytushoef some 14 Kilometres East-South-East of Den Helder in Holland, probably as the result of a night-fighter attack.

John is buried with thirteen other Airmen, including his crewmates, in the Wieringen (Hippolytushoef) General Cemetery, Holland. It was not until November 1946 that the War Graves Unit in the care of the local residents discovered his grave.

Crew Of LANCASTER MK1 W4256 ZN-V

1259149, Aircraftsman, 518 Air Ministry Experimental Station (Radar). Royal Air Force.

Missing on the 14^th February 1942 aged 21

Donald was the son of George & Jessie Blow who ran a bakery in the High Street. He joined the RAF in 1940 and was engaged on Radio and Radar work. 518 AMES was set up at Koto Tinggi airfield in October 1941 to help improve the defences of the area in the event of a war.

Life at the Radar station was fairly routine until the forces of Imperial Japan attacked Malaya on the 8th December 1941. It was not until the 14th February 1942 that Donald was reported as " Missing - Believed to be a POW". He was amongst the thousands of British servicemen who were caught up in the invasion of Singapore and is believed to have been killed in action but due to the nature of his work the invading forces may have murdered him.

Donald has no known grave and his name is recorded on the Singapore Memorial. (Column 417)