War Memorials – Wetherby Civic Society

In 2018 as part of a national project to record the condition of local war memorials, members of the Wetherby Civic Society surveyed and recorded the condition of as many of the war memorials in the old Wetherby Rural District Council area as we could find, gathering information on the location, condition and photographing each memorial.

As part of the celebrations of the 25^th anniversary of the founding of the Wetherby Civic Society we thought it would be useful if some of the information we had gathered could be published and perhaps become a work of reference for the future, as things can and do change in our area.

All the following information & pictures were included in a booklet and presented to representatives of each of the Parish Councils in December 2019

Contributors included Civic Society members Peter Catton, Andrew Gordon, Victor Hawkins, Nic Sheppard and Roger Taylor. Later research and individual information has been provided below by John Larder.

Locations and Details

Bardsey (Church Memorial)

WW1 – Pte. Ernest Clayford (41321) Age 19. 6 Bn. Leicestershire Regt., Killed in the unsuccessful defence of Epehy village (captured 1917) . Killed 21/03/1918. Buried Epehy Wood Farm Cem., Somme, France

L/Cpl. Arthur Brewerton Mitchell (39957) Age 23. 13 Bn. Yorks & Lancs. Regt. Killed 29/03/1918. Buried Bac du Sud Brit. Cem., Bailleulval, Pas de Calais, France. Died at a casualty clearing station or at the start of the German offensive. Both connected to Wike rather than Bardsey.

WW2 – F/O Philip Spencer Foxcroft (128047) Age 31 627 Sq. Pilot of Mosquito DS468 shot down 28/05/1944 on op to St. Valery. Commemorated on Runnymede Memorial. DFC 06/06/1944. Tyre Co. Rep (1939) Sailed on the ill fated Avila Star (1939).

Capt. Kenneth Austin Mallinson (204906) Age 32. East Yorks Regt. Killed 15/06/1944. Buried Imphal War Cem.

Fus. Robert Edward Newcombe (14598922) Age 23. 2^nd. Bn. Royal Scots Fus. Killed 16/02/1944. Buried Minturno War Cem., Italy

F/Lt. Charles Roy Swinney (52075) Age 26. 156 Sq. Wireless Op, Lancaster ND357. Shot down 14/01/1944 on op to Brunswick. Buried Bergen-op-Zoom War Cem. S. Holland, Netherlands

DFC 191/01/1943. Worked for the Armstrong Siddeley garage in Leeds before the war.

Sgt’ Alec Gordon Willans (1381545) Age 30. 12 Sq. Pilot, Wellington BJ606. Shot down 15/10/1942 on raid on Cologne. Buried Heverlee War Cem. Brabant, Belgium