Sergeant Ernest Bailey was born around 1904, the son of William Henry and Mary Bailey. He was married to Eva and lived at Waleswood. He served with the Royal Artilelry. A Worksop Guardian report of 13th August 1943 details his service and death:
It is with deep regret that we record the death, which took place at Whalley, near Blackburn on Tuesday week, of Sgt. Ernest Bailey (R.A.), husband of Mrs. Eva Bailey, New Cottages, Waleswood. At the outbreak of war, Sgt. Bailey was a reservist and joined up immediately. He was with the first Forces in France and took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk. Since then he has been stationed in many parts of this country as a gun inspector. He has two brothers and two sisters serving in the Forces. He died as a result of a motor accident whilst on duty. He leaves a widow and three children with whom much sympathy is felt. The internment took place on Monday in Wales Cemetery after a service in the Parish Church; the Vicar (the Rev. A.M. Selle) officiated. A guard of honour was provided by the Waleswood and Kiveton Park Home Guard under Commanding Officers Antcliffe and Timberlake. The bearers were six sergeants accompanied by the officer and Sgt. Major of Sgt. Bailey’s unit. The mourners were Mrs. Bailey widow, Mr. H. Bailey Father, John and Henry, Sons, Mr. and Mrs. J. Griggs, Mr. Willis and Mrs. Parsons, Cpl. M. Bailey (A.T.S.),A.C., Nellie Bailey (WAAF), Mr. and Mrs. J. Cooper, brothers and sisters, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, (two serving brothers were unable attend), Mrs. Morton, Mr. G. A. Morton, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. and Mrs. H. Carrington, Mrs. S. Milner, Mrs. T. Green, brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. G. Clarke, Mr. and Mrs. Scholfield, Mrs. Howson, uncles and aunts, Mrs. Senior, Mrs. D. Hewitt, Sgt. W. Bailey and Mrs. Bailey cousins.
He is remembered on the Wales Square memorial.
Gunner Maurice Banks, Royal Artillery, Bn 1919
Maurice carried the Royal British Legion Standartd every Remembrance Sunday parade until the Kiveton Park branch was disbanded.
Sergeant George Alfred Bateman was born in 1912 the third child of Arthur and Millicent Bateman of 10 Railway Terrace, Kiveton. The family later lived at 1 Station Road.
George joined the army and became a Sergeant in the 23rd Hussars, Royal Armoured Command (service number 406551). The Hussars landed in Normandy on 15/16th June 1944 and were involved with Operation Epson, then Operation Goodwood which had the objective to attack areas around Bourguebus Ridge, east of Caen. Operation Goodwood was preceded by a massive air raid of over 1000 bombers of Bomber Command flying at just 3000 feet, when they dropped 4800 tons of high explosive bombs around Colombelles and the steelworks, on the positions of 21st Panzer Division.
The Worksop Guardian of 11th August 1944 reported his death.
We regret to record the death in action in Normandy of Sgt. George Bateman (Hussars), which took place on July 18th. Sgt. Bateman is the son of Mrs. Langton and the late Mr. Arthur Bateman, but made his home with his grandfather and grandmother Mr. and Mrs. T. Newbold, Carrington Terrace, Kiveton Park. He was 32 years of age and has been in the Army for 12 years. He had seen service in many theatres of war.
He is remembered on the Wales Square memorial.
4857673 Sergeant Ronald Mons Bateman, Leicestershire Regiment.
Bn 20th Sep 1914 died 2nd July 1972.
Flight Lieutenant Norman Lee Baugh, M.C. was born in 1914, the eldest son of Herbert and Gladys Baugh of Highfield Avenue, Kiveton. He attended Wales school and Woodhouse Grammar and joined the RAF at the age of 16. He was granted a commission for the duration of hostilities as a Pilot Officer in April 1940, and promoted to Flying Officer in February 1941. He worked as Equipment Officer in 31 Squadron ensuring supplies were maintained and was based in Hong Kong in late 1941 when it fell to the advancing Japanese forces. The allies were heavily outnumbered and Norman was captured and became a prisoner of war. He managed to escape on a makeshift raft and made his way overland some 1,200 miles to Bombay (now Mumbai), arriving 7 months after his capture. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry for his escape and promoted to Flight Lieutenant in April 1942. After a period of recovery, he went back to the far east to Burma.
Norman was here involved in the protection of cargo aircraft flying over ‘The Hump’ (the Himalayas). On 31st January 1943, he was a passenger in a DC-3 which took off from Dinjan but it failed to reach its destination of Fort Hertz in northern Burma.
He is commemorated on Singapore Memorial in the Kranji War Cemetery which bears the names of over 24,000 casualties of the Commonwealth land and air forces who have no known graves. He is also remembered on the Wales Square memorial.
Lance Sergeant Jim Beresford was born in 1916, the son of Henry and Harriet Beresford of Netherthorpe, Aston. He married Iris Jenkins of Railway Cottages, Kiveton Park in 1939 and they had one son. He was called up in 1940 and served with 17th/21st Lancers, Royal Armoured Corps. He took part in the North African and Tunisian campaigns and later stationed in Italy. It was during one of the final actions of the war during the battle of the Argenta Gap that Jim was killed on 22nd April 1945.
The Worksop Guardian of 18TH May 1945 notified of his death:
Mrs. Beresford, of 35 Railway Terrace, Kiveton Park, has received official notification that her husband Sgt. James Beresford, 17/21st Lancers, has been killed in action in Italy, a day or two before the surrender. Sgt. Beresford enlisted in February 1940 and has been in the Central Mediterranean Forces for two and a half years. He was 28 years of age and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Beresford, 11 Main Street, Anston. He has one son aged six.
He was buried at the Faenza War Cemetery in Italy and is remembered on the Wales Square memorial.
14317456 Sapper Royce Milton Betteridge. Royal Engineers. Born 21st December 1922 to Albert and May (nee Froggatt) of 23 Chestnut Avenue, Kiveton Park.Pre-war Royce worked at the Regal Cinema in Kiveton as a projectionist.His dream was to be a jazz drummer, however the war got in the way and he was called up into the Army in October 1942, he would rather have gone into the RAF – he rather like the idea of the silk scarf and twirly moustache.
He did his General Service Training at Bordon Camp, Hampshire and met up there with his cousin from Kiveton, George Henry (Harry) Atkinson. As was the usual policy he was inoculated on a Friday, given a 48 hour pass, and spent the week-end with the other recruits recovering in their beds! When he was able to take leave away from camp he enjoyed going to London to eat at the American Services Club where he discovered the delights of pancakes with maple syrup – a tale which was related every Pancake Day after, I don’t remember Mum ever finding any locally. He went to Ronnie Scott’s club to hear jazz music and saw Humphrey Lyttelton play there. While in the Army he met, and made great friends, with a chap called Ralph Cook. He was a Londoner and a married man with four children. Royce was welcomed into his home to be fed and entertained, and gained the nick-name of ‘Hobbis’, which was one of Ralph’s children’s approximation of his name. After the army the two corresponded at Christmas time and when possible by telephone, right up until Royce’s death in 2003.
Royce’s training consisted of ‘square bashing’, ‘spit and polish’, rifle practise, bridge/pontoon building and getting up early. One morning he found himself alone in the hut as all the others had gone to breakfast. When he asked what the rush was he was told ‘it’s egg morning’, he wasn’t late again!
He told stories about learning how to cross water with improvised bridges. One bridge was made of sacks filled with straw and the object was to run across these sacks by only putting one foot on each so they remained buoyant. The Sergeant instructing nearly tore out his hair when one man stopped to pick up the rifle he’d dropped and all the men behind him came to a stop and began to sink. It must have looked like something from ‘Dad’s Army’. Royce learned a lot of phrases he’d never heard at Chapel and became used to being shouted at, something which had never happened at home. As he said ‘the army made a man of me’. He learned how to construct ‘Bailey’ bridges and to break step when crossing them to reduce vibration and he excelled at rifle shooting. Unfortunately for his army career, but fortunately for his future family, he had poor sight in one eye and was a dead shot with his glasses on and one eye closed. Wearing glasses meant that he could not be deployed as a sniper for fear of light reflecting off the lenses and giving away his position.
So when he had finished his training he became what he was in civvy street – a projectionist - showing training films in the day and entertainment features at week-ends and in the evenings. He was posted to various locations and by 1945 had ended up at Leuchars in Fife, Scotland, the furthest he got during army service.
By 1946 many service personnel had been de-mobbed but Royce was still in Scotland. When the bad winter of 1946/7 came and everywhere was snowed up no-one could get home so the army had to retain the soldiers who should have been de-mobbed. To keep all these men entertained until they could go home Royce showed films and had to stay there too, he should have been released in February 1947.
He was eventually de-mobbed in April of that year, with the usual army issue of a suit or overcoat, shoes which didn’t fit and a trilby hat. He wore his army great coat over the suit and the leather jerkin issued to sappers came in very useful as an extra layer when cycling home from work in the winter and for digging in the garden. He was quite sorry to part with it in the 1970’s when the wool lining fell apart.
Royce went to work at Kiveton Park Steel and Wire Works in August 1947 as a wire drawer. Later he joined the clerical office and became Chief Wages Clerk. He took early retirement in 1986 to spend time with his family which now included a new grandson, and eventually applied for his medals in 1997 to give to this grandson.
He married Jean Holroyd in 1951 and they had one daughter, Susan, in 1954.
Derrick B Baugh Bn 1925 enlisted 1944 son of John and Ivy (nee Gollick) Baugh
Leslie Bennett HMS Chameleon (Minesweeper) Enlisted 1939 discharged 1946
Major Hubert (Hugh) Betteridge Bn 1915 enlisted Sept 1939. Served with Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry and West Yorkshire and Royal Warwickshire Regiments. Son of Ernest and Maria (nee Ogden) Betteridge, 82 Wales Road, Kiveton Park.
Raymond Betteridge Bn 21st March 1924. Parents Wilfred & Annie (nee Atkin) Betteridge of Wales Road, Kiveton Park.
1036839 Corporal Roger John Betteridge R.A.F. Bn 19th July 1920 brother to Hubert Betteridge above.
Served overseas 1941 - 46 three years of that at No 6 Air Training School, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Private Stan Betteridge Bn 24th Sept 1924. Brother to Hugh and Roger Betteridge above. Stan served in the Far East and witnessed some of the bloodiest fighting. One of 3 brothers that served.
George Birkin Royal Navy Bn 27th Dec 1920. George served in the submarine service and at 6ft tall wouldn't have been the most comfortable place to be. Parents were George and Thurza (nee Beighton) Birkin, Station Rd, Kiveton Park.
Ronald Bradley. Parents Mr & Mrs Thomas F Bradley, 67 Station Road, Kiveton Park
Leading Airman Telegraphist H K Bridon. Fleet Air Arm. Bn c1925. Son of Mr & Mrs H Bridon, 14 Manor Road, Wales.
Sapper Frederick Button, Royal Engineers. Bn 1913 Married to Edith Mansell. Served in Nijmegan and Maastrich.