The Royal Signals casualties whose surnames begin with ‘D’ have now been included on the War Dead page on this website (completed letters are hyperlinked; the documents open as pdfs). They amount to 255 all ranks who died on operations in the inter-war years, in the Second World War and in the campaigns of the post-Second World War period. Included on this list are three members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service who served with Royal Signals, and a Lady Teleprinter Operator of Malaya Command Signals who died in a Japanese internment camp.

The graves of Corporal E. C. Turner and Signalman N. Davies at Manzai Fort cemetery showing their original construction.

The very weathered concrete grave marker for Signalman Norman Davies as it is now at Manzai Fort Cemetery.

The casualties include:

• Seventy-five men were killed in action or died of wounds or were killed as a result of terrorist action, including:

On the early morning of 9 April 1937, a convoy set out from Manzai Fort destined for the garrison at Wana carrying supplies and some officers and men returning to their units. At about 7.40a.m. it was ambushed at the western end of the Shahur Tangi, a narrow, steep-sided, three-mile long gorge, eight miles west of Jandola. Raiders hidden in the rocks close to the road attacked the convoy along its length causing very heavy casualties but the armoured cars, the infantry escort from 4/16^th Punjab Regiment and the other troops with the convoy fought most gallantly and prevented the convoy from being overrun. In the convoy was a detachment from Waziristan District Signals commanded by Corporal E. C. Turner. Corporal Turner and Signalman N. Davies were killed in action, the Indian driver (Signalman Joseph) and Signalman T. Bowkett were wounded,^[1] the latter severely, but three other men, Signalmen Bartlett and McKenna and an Indian soldier, escaped unscathed. In total, the attack claimed six British officers and two other ranks (Turner and Davies) killed, five British officers and one other rank (Bowkett) wounded, one Indian medical officer and 20 Indian other ranks killed, and 39 Indian all ranks wounded. You can read about the ambush in the Shahur Tangi here and about Manzai Fort Cemetery here (as casualties outwith the World Wars, their remains were not reinterred in a C.W.G.C. cemetery and Manzai Fort Cemetery is not maintained by the C.W.G.C.).

Signalman J. G. Dart, 2^nd Air Formation Signals, was killed on 20 November 1942 during an air raid at Maison Blanche Airfield, Algiers just after the landings in North Africa during Operation Torch. The raid on the harbour and the airfield resulted in the death of 35 all ranks of the Army, Royal Air Force and Merchant Navy. Others from 2^nd Air Formation Signals killed at Maison Blanche were Company Quartermaster Serjeant R. Turner and Lance Serjeant J. R. Humpries. Lance Corporal N. F. Alderman, 45^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery Signal Section and Signalman L. J. Wallington, 1^st Parachute Brigade Signal Section were also killed in the attack.

Driver J. H. Davies, 4^th Army Group Royal Artillery Signal Section, was killed in action on 14 July 1944 when a line maintenance party was attacked by enemy aircraft. Lance Corporal G. G. Hoy, Signalman A. W. Clayton, Signalman S. Radley, and Signalman H. Salad were wounded; for his bravery in Normandy and the aftermath Lance Corporal Hoy was awarded a Military Medal.^[2]

During the Aden Emergency in the Federation of South Arabia in operations against dissident tribesmen astride the Lahej-Dhala road in the Thumier area, following a report that four hand grenades had been found hidden under rocks which were placed to block the road, Corporal M. R. Davies, Federal Regular Army Signal Squadron attached to 4^th Battalion, Federal Regular Army, volunteered to go out with a Land Rover to assist in road clearing operations. He was killed in action on 3 April 1964 when his vehicle hit a land mine. Continue reading →

The Royal Signals casualties whose surnames begin with ‘M’ have now been included on the War Dead page on this website (completed letters are hyperlinked; the documents open as pdfs).

Of the first letter for surnames in England, ‘M’ accounts for about 7% but this rises to over 20% in Scotland. Notwithstanding the large number of Scottish soldiers who have served with Royal Signals, surnames beginning with ‘M’ tend to the former, making up a little over 8% of Royal Signals casualties (446 all ranks).

Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery in the north of Poland. Buried here is Signalman Cecil McCormack of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade Signal Section who was captured in the latter stages of the Battle of France and held at Stalag XX-A in Thorn (Toruń) in Poland, where he died as a prisoner of war on 25 December 1940. (Photo: C.W.G.C.)

The casualties include:

• One hundred and seventeen who were killed in action or died of wounds or were killed as a result of terrorist action, including:

In the early stages of the Malayan Campaign, in the Battle of Jitra fought by 11^th Indian Division, Captain J. L. Mainprize, Officer Commanding 28^th Indian Infantry Brigade Signal Section was killed in action on 12 December 1941 with Captain A. S. Hargreaves, 15^th Indian Infantry Brigade Signal Section, when they were caught by crossfire while travelling in a vehicle near Gurun. On 15 December Captain K. Mole was posted from 9^th Indian Divisional Signals to 15^th Indian Infantry Brigade Signal Section with Second Lieutenant R. D. G. Meek to replace Captain Hargreaves and Second Lieutenant A. J. Aitken, the latter having been killed in action on 13 December. Both Captain Mole and Second Lieutenant Meek were killed in action on 11 February 1942 in an ambush in the Battle of Bukit Timah. Continue reading →

The Royal Signals casualties whose surnames begin with ‘B’ have now been included on the War Dead page on this website (the document opens as a pdf).

‘B’ is the most common initial letter for surnames in England, accounting for about 11% of the population, and slightly less common in Wales and Scotland. Not surprisingly, therefore, surnames beginning with ‘B’ account for the same proportion of Royal Signals casualties (568 all ranks).

The grave of Signalman H. Brown of Eastern Command Signals, who was crushed by a falling building at about 11.00pm on 23 October 1943 during a powerful earthquake in northern Assam, India. He died of his injuries on 24 October 1943, aged 30.

The casualties include:

• One hundred and eighty-five who were killed in action or died of wounds, including:

Sapper W. H. Bunning of ‘F’ Divisional Signals, who was killed in action in Waziristan on 19 January 1921, the first Indian Signal Corps casualty of that campaign. Also killed in this action were Signalman Hanuman Singh of ‘F’ Divisional Signals and Signalman Suwaru Ram of 23^rd Infantry Brigade Signal Section.
Signalman P. Bannerman, ‘F’ Squadron, General Headquarters Liaison Regiment (Phantom) attached to 2^nd Special Air Service Regiment, who was killed in action on or shortly after 20 October 1944 while exfiltrating to Allied lines after Operation Loyton during the North-West Europe Campaign. In the same incident, Signalman G. G. Johnston was murdered after being captured.
Corporal R. Barnes of No. 70 Construction Section, No. 5 Railway Telegraph Company, who was  wounded on 16 December 1944 (the first day of the Ardennes offensive) when a V2 rocket destroyed the Cinema Rex in Antwerp during the North-West Europe Campaign. He died of wounds on 17 December 1944. The audience were watching the 1936 Western film The Plainsman when the rocket hit—a little under 600 civilians and military personnel killed or died as a result of their injuries including eight Royal Signals soldiers from various units; a significant number of Royal Signals soldiers were wounded.
Staff Sergeant J. I. Baker and Lieutenant J. A. Barry who were killed in action during the Falklands War and Signaller W. N. E. Bland of 16^th Signal Regiment who died of wounds on 11 August 2008 during the Afghanistan War.

Cinem Rex, Antwerp

• In addition, eight men were killed in action at sea, including:

Continue reading →