The following members lost their lives during World War II (1939-45).
Detailed accounts for these members are not currently available. If you have a specific inquiry about one of these members, please contact the Archivist.
Information may also be available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) website.
Members who lost their lives
- Cyril Floyd Bennett
Major Cyril Floyd Bennett
Bennett was born in Plymouth on 29 June 1917. After schooling at Bristol Grammar School, he was admitted as a student member of the Inn and subsequently passed the first part of the Bar Examination. He was employed as an Assistant Examiner in the Estate Duty Office before becoming a cadet on the Royal Armoured Corps wing at Sandhurst. Cyril was selected to attend No.11 Intermediate Staff College course at Camberley during 1943. On completion of this training he was selected for appointment as Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quarter Master General to 28th Armoured Brigade but died as a result of an accident on the 7/8th January 1944, aged 26. He left a widow, Madge, whom he had married in 1942.
Admitted to the Inn: 17 November 1936
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Woodchurch All Saints Churchyard, UK. Son of Harry and Hilda Bennett of Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset; husband of Madge Bennett, of Woodchurch.
- Colin Campbell Blair
Flying Officer Colin Campbell Blair
Colin Blair was born on 19 April 1915 at East Linton in East Lothian, Scotland. He was the elder son of the Reverend Duncan Blair and his wife Ada Jane. Colin graduated with a degree in History and Economics from Glasgow University and became a cadet in the Vacuum Oil Company. He was admitted as a member of the Inn on 27 June 1938. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 19 December 1938 and commenced training as a pilot. He was commissioned on the 6th March 1940. He ultimately served with the No.1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit from May 1941. On 1 September 1941 he was reported missing as a Flying Battle Casualty and presumed killed. He was 26.
Admitted to the Inn: 27 June 1938
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial on Cooper’s Hill overlooking the Thames at Englefield Green in Surrey.
- James Gordon Campbell
Wing Commander James Gordon Campbell
James Campbell was born on 11 April 1908, and was the only son of William and Annie Campbell. He graduated from London University where he read law. James became a student member of the Inn on 26 September 1929 and was called to the Bar on 17 November 1932. He lived with this wife Florence Isabel in Worthing until the outbreak of war. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was commissioned on 9 September 1939 into the Administrative and Special Duties Branch. He served in the Air Ministry until 1940, when he was posted to Headquarters 18 Group.
He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant during his time at the Air Ministry and became an acting Squadron Leader on 8 August 1940. On 24 November 1941 he was posted again, this time to Headquarters Coastal Command. Thereafter, he embarked for the Middle East for duty at Middle East Headquarters and he was by then an acting Wing Commander. He was killed on active service in an aircraft accident on 27 January 1943 aged 35.
Admitted to the Inn: 26 September 1929
Called to the Bar: 17 November 1932
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Benghazi War Cemetery in Libya. Only son of William Gibson Campbell and Annie Haswell Campbell of Finchley. Lived with this wife Florence Isabel in Worthing.
- John Leslie Gordon Campbell
Private John Leslie Gordon Campbell
Campbell was the eldest son of John William Campbell and his wife. Having been an undergraduate at Liverpool University, he was admitted as a student member of the Inn on 11 November 1930 and was subsequently called to the Bar on 26 January 1934. He was serving in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps when he died on 4 September 1940.
Admitted to the Inn: 11 November 1930
Called to the Bar: 26 January 1934
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey. Eldest son of John William Campbell and his wife.
- Peter Alan Carter
Lieutenant Peter Alan Carter
Peter Alan Carter was born on 16 May 1921 in London, he was the second son of Leonard George and Vera Marcia Carter of Hackney. Having been educated at Framlingham College, Suffolk, he won a bursary to study at the University of London. He was admitted as a student to the Inn on 5 April 1939. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force on the outbreak of war but resigned in order to join the Royal Armoured Corps. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Welsh Guards. In November 1943 he was attached to the 2nd (Armoured Reconnaissance) Battalion, Welsh Guards. He was sent to France in July 1944 and took part in fighting at Caen and the Falaise Gap before the rapid advance across France into Belgium where his Battalion was the first to enter Brussels. On 9 March 1945 he was killed instantly by a shell shortly after accomplishing a very successful operation with the tanks under his command. He was 23. Carter was described by his Commanding Officer as “a fine young man, an excellent and enthusiastic troop leader, very popular with his squadron and fellow officers. He was one whose loss could be ill-afforded”.
Admitted to the Inn: 5 April 1939
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery near Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany. He was the second son of Leonard George and Vera Marcia Carter of Hackney.
- Geraint Clement-Davies
Lieutenant Geraint Clement-Davies
Clement-Davies was the second son of the Rt. Hon Clement Davies QC MP and his wife, Jane Elizabeth. Geraint was born on 21 November 1918 in London and was educated at Radley College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Whilst an undergraduate, he was admitted as a student member of the Inn. He left Cambridge in order to enlist in the Army and was commissioned into the Welsh Guards. During 1942 he was promoted to Lieutenant and joined the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards at Codford. On 4 February 1943, when returning to camp from an exercise on Salisbury Plain at Netheravon, the armoured vehicle in which he was travelling with a driver and fellow officer broke one of its tracks. The track came off the vehicle and its brakes were rendered ineffective. The armoured vehicle swerved, turned on its side and fell several feet into a field. Lieutenant Clement- Davies was killed instantly, aged 25.
Admitted to the Inn: 23 November 1940
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated in Meifod (Saints Tyssilio and Mary) Churchyard in Montgomeryshire.
- Campbell Critchton-Miller
Squadron Leader Campbell Critchton-Miller
Critchton-Miller was born on 6 August 1915 in Harrow, London, the second son of Dr Hugh Crichton-Miller MD FRCP and his wife Eleanor Jean Campbell. He was educated at Winchester College and at Balliol College, Oxford where he gained his undergraduate degree. Campbell was admitted as a student member of the Inn on 12 November 1942, having been commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 1 August 1939 as a meteorological officer. He was posted to Headquarters, 38 Wing and was promoted to acting Squadron Leader on 17 October 1942. Campbell was reported as a Flying Battle Casualty, presumed killed in action on 19 February 1943, aged 27. He was married to Sheila C.M Crichton-Miller of Oxford.
Admitted to the Inn: 12 November 1942
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Commemorated in the Saumur Communal Cemetery, Maine-et-Loire, France.
- John Michael Dalton
2nd Lieutenant John Michael Dalton
John Michael Dalton was the only son of Colonel Sir John Dalton, of Gray’s Inn, barrister, and Lady Dalton of North Holmwood, Dorking, Surrey. John was born in London and educated at Westminster School, where he was a member of the Officer Training Corps. He went up to Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge where he was a member of the Senior Training Corps and read for the Mechanical Sciences Tripos. While at Cambridge, he joined the Inn as a student member and passed Part I of the Inns of Court examinations. He joined the Army (Royal Engineers) on 4 March 1943 and was commissioned from the ranks after successfully completing 140 Officer Cadet Training Unit, Royal Engineers. His was posted to No.4 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers. He was killed in a road accident whilst on active service on 7 October 1944.
Admitted to the Inn: 28 July 1942
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Commemorated in Holmwood St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard to the North of the Church.
- David Diamond
Dr David Diamond
Diamond was the second son of Maurice Diamond of Johannesburg. He qualified as a doctor and was a Member of the Royal College of Physicians and of the Royal College of Surgeons. He also held a Diploma in Public Health. He was appointed Assistant Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hull in 1931, being promoted to Senior Assistant Medical Officer on 1 January 1934. He was admitted to the Inn as a student member on 30 October 1937. He died on 31 March 1941 as the result of enemy action: David was on duty in the Air Raid Precautions Central Control Building in Hull during an air raid when it was hit by a landmine which exploded and demolished the building. At the time of his death he was 42 years of age and the highly esteemed Deputy Medical Officer of Health in the County Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull. He was married to Nan Diamond.
Admitted to the Inn: 30 October 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Not named on any war memorial
- Frederick Anthony Porter Fausset
Lieutenant Frederick Anthony Porter Fausset
Frederick Fausset of Littlefields, Sandy Lodge Road, Moor Park, Rickmansworth, was the only son of Frederick Porter Fausset, of the Inner Temple, barrister, and his wife Jessie. He joined the Royal Navy as a Paymaster Cadet on 1 September 1936 and received his initial training on HMS Frobisher. On completion of initial training Fausset was promoted Paymaster Midshipman. On 1 May 1937 he joined HMS Rodney and became a student member of the Inn later that year. During 1938 he served in the Admiral’s Office, completing his training there and being promoted to acting Paymaster Sub-Lieutenant on 1 May 1939. He served for short periods in several ships until, having been promoted to Paymaster Lieutenant, he joined HMS Hood. He was serving on Hood when she was blown-up by enemy action in the ultimately successful battle with ‘the Bismarck’. Hood went down with the loss of the whole ship’s complement of 1419 officers and men except for three survivors. Frederick was presumed killed in action and left a widow, Joan Anne of Wotton, Surrey.
Admitted to the Inn: 16 November 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common in Hampshire.
- Basil Anthony Fleming
Leading Aircraftman Basil Anthony Fleming
Fleming was born on 7 August 1913 in Halifax, Yorkshire, the second son of William and Jessie Fleming. He was admitted as a student member of the Inn in 1934. Basil was employed as a Clerk in the office of the Wheat Commission until he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in May 1940; he was subsequently accepted for pilot training. He was serving in the UK at No. 11 Senior Flying Training School as a pilot under training when he was killed on active service on 21 March 1941, aged 27.
Admitted to the Inn: 14 May 1934
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Hatfield Woodhouse Cemetery in Yorkshire.
- Esmond Birch Graham-Little
Flying Officer Esmond Birch Graham-Little
Graham-Little was the only son of Sir Ernest Gordon Graham-Little MD FRCS MP and Lady Graham-Little of Westminster, London. He was born on 9 April 1915 in London and educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He became a student member of the Inn in 1934 and was called to the Bar on 11 May 1938. Esmond enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in July 1939. He volunteered for aircrew and became a qualified pilot just over a year later in August 1940. He was commissioned a month later, and two months later joined 22 Squadron before moving to 157 Squadron in December 1941. He was killed in action on 10 June 1942, aged 27.
Admitted to the Inn: 19 November 1934
Called to the Bar: 11 May 1938
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in Saffron Walden Cemetery in Essex.
- Maurice Walter Groves
Pilot Officer Maurice Walter Groves
Groves was born on 10 January 1920, and was the eldest son of Charles Groves of Calgary, Alberta Canada. He was an undergraduate at Manchester University and lived at Beech Mount, Langham Road, Bowden, in Greater Manchester. Maurice was admitted as a student member of the Inn on 22 November 1936. He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and died on active service on 29 July 1942 aged 22.
Admitted to the Inn: 22 November 1936
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated at the Recklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Niedersachsen, Germany.
- John Cecil Alister Hayes
Lieutenant John Cecil Alister Hayes
Hayes was the third son of Raymond Stanley Hayes JP and Mrs Hayes. He was born on 21 December 1922 at Porthcawl, South Wales. He was educated at Wycliffe College and Trinity College, Cambridge where he read Law. He became a student member of the Inn on 15 September 1941 before joining the Army on 2 July 1942. He was commissioned from the ranks in June 1943, joining the 15th/19th Hussars and being posted to the Headquarters of the 4th Armoured Brigade. Landing in France in June 1944, he served in the North West Europe campaign. Hayes was killed in a road accident on 30 December 1945 aged 23.
Admitted to the Inn: 15 September 1941
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the War Cemetery at Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein.
- Henry Graham Head
Major Henry Graham Head
Head was born on 11 December 1918 in Marylebone, the elder son of His Honour Judge Head and Mrs Head. He was educated at Eton College where he was awarded an entrance Scholarship and subsequently the Newcastle and Reynolds Scholarships in Classics in 1936 and 1937 respectively. He became Captain of School and won an Entrance Scholarship in Classics to Balliol College, Oxford and thereafter the Craven and the Hertford Scholarships. While at school he had been an officer cadet in the Junior Division of the Officers Training Corps (Infantry) and at Oxford he served in the University’s Senior Division, becoming Battery Sergeant Major (Artillery). Henry joined the Inn in November 1938, he was awarded an Entrance Scholarship which was deferred because he joined the Army later that year. Following his initial training he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in 1939 and posted to Headquarters Royal Artillery, 3rd Corps. In March 1940 he embarked with the British Expeditiary Force for France, returning after the fall of France. Head then held several appointments, ultimately becoming Adjutant of 1st East African Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, a post that took him, in December 1942, to Madagascar. He then sailed from Madagascar for Ceylon in the troopship ‘Khedive Ismail’ and was lost at sea on 12 February 1944 when the vessel was sunk by enemy action. He was 25 years old.
Admitted to the Inn: 22 November 1938
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the East Africa Memorial within the Nairobi War Cemetery, Kenya.
- Leslie Martin Herbert
Sub-Lieutenant Leslie Martin Herbert
Herbert was born on 22 November 1916, the third son of Henry Thomas Martin Herbert and his wife Annie Hilda. He was an undergraduate at the University of London and became a student member of the Inn in November 1937. He enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and became an acting Leading Airman on HMS Daedalus. He was detached from Daedalus to undergo a course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. Following that course he became a probationary Sub-Lieutenant and Air Observer. Having qualified in air wireless telegraphy, he was posted to HMS Hermes in January 1941 as an acting Air Observer with 814 Squadron which was equipped with Swordfish aircraft. On 6 May 1941, while serving with his Squadron on Hermes, he was accidentally struck by an aeroplane propeller and died, aged 24, from the injuries he received.
Admitted to the Inn: 18 November 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial in Hampshire.
- Francis Everard Hodgson
Flight Lieutenant Francis Everard Hodgson
Hodgson was born on 24 January 1906 at Benfield in Berkshire. He was the second son of Eustace Henry Tylston Hodgson and Lilian Hodgson, and the stepson of Dorothy E. Hodgson. He was educated at the University of London and admitted to the Inn as a student member on 19 April 1926, and called to the Bar in 1929. He was a barrister-at-law until he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve following the outbreak of war. He served in the Royal Air Force Police from December 1941. He was posted to 170 Squadron in October 1944 and was reported missing believed killed in action on 29 December 1944. He was 38.
Admitted to the Inn: 19 April 1926
Called to the Bar: 18 November 1929
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery at Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
- John Reginald Jones
Captain John Reginald Jones
Jones was born on 11 May 1897 in Cardiff, the only son of Mr David William Jones. He attended Cardiff High School and was commissioned in 1917 as a Lieutenant from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He went to France in November 1917 to join 106 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery and saw action in Belgium and France. He resigned his commission on 26 July 1919 but maintained his military connections through membership of the Reserve of Officers when he went up to St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar in November 1924, having been admitted two years earlier, and was awarded the Arden Prize by the Inn. Over the course of his career at the Bar he served as a member of the Bar Council. On 14 August 1939, he was attached for duty with the Ordnance Board at Woolwich and served as a Range Table Officer in the rank of Captain until 1943 when he was transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers because of ill-health. He died on 9 November 1943 in his forty-seventh year.
Admitted to the Inn: 17 August 1922
Called to the Bar: 17 November 1924
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Oxford Cemetery.
- Henry William Kearney
Driver Henry William Kearney
Kearney was the younger son of Sir Francis Kearney, a barrister member of the Inn, and Lady Kearney. He was born in Limerick on 7 February 1921. Henry was admitted as a student member of the Inn in 1941. He enlisted in the 8th Training Battalion (D) of the Royal Army Service Corps in July 1941, having previously been an undergraduate at Trinity College, Cambridge. While an undergraduate, he was a member of the Cambridge Officers Training Corps. Upon completion of his initial military training, he was posted to 27 Armoured Brigade company as a driver. He landed in Normandy on D-Day with his unit and was reported missing presumed killed in action on 8 June 1944.
Admitted to the Inn: 27 January 1941
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated in the Hermanville War Cemetery at Calvados in Normandy.
- Martin Lawrey
Paymaster Commander Martin Lawrey
Martin Lawrey was the son of WIlliam John Lawrey and his wife. He was admitted to the Inn in November 1929. He was at that time a Paymaster Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy. He was called to the Bar by the Inn on 20 April 1932. Martin was killed in action on 17 September 1939 when HMS Courageous, the aircraft carrier in which he was then serving as a Paymaster Commander, was attacked and sunk by a German U-boat off the South West coast of Ireland. HMS Courageous was hit by two torpedoes and sank within fifteen minutes. Lawrey was one of the 518 members of the ship’s crew of 1260 who were lost when it went down. His body was subsequently recovered.
Admitted to the Inn: 2 November 1929
Called to the Bar: 20 April 1932
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in St. Gluvias Church Cemetery in Cornwall between Flushing and the Penryn River.
- Geoffrey Yale Glyn Lloyd
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Yale Glyn Lloyd
Lloyd was born on 23 September 1922 at Weedon. He was the elder son of Lieutenant Colonel Glyn Lloyd DSO FRCVS, of Gray’s Inn, Barrister, of Hurlingham, London. He was educated at Wellington College and became a student member of the Inn on 25 November 1941. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and, after training and qualifying as a pilot, he became a member of 602 Squadron. He was killed in action aged 22 on 14 February 1945 when he was involved in a collision with another aircraft.
Admitted to the Inn: 25 November 1941
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Allerton, Cemetery, Liverpool.
- Richard Connell Manning
Lieutenant Richard Connell Manning
Richard Manning was born on the 26 February 1916 in British Guiana. He was the eldest son of Mr Justice Richard Joseph Manning, of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem and later of Uganda, and Mrs Ada Agnes Manning. Richard was educated at St Augustine’s Abbey School and Clongowes Wood College and was admitted as a student member of the Inn on 8 October 1935. On 12 April 1938, he was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the 90th (City of London) Field Brigade (Territorial Army) of the Royal Artillery. In September 1939 he was posted to 36th Signal Training Regiment Royal Artillery. Later he took several specialist courses and was posted to 138th Field Regiment from the 1st Parachute Battalion after some time in hospital. In 1942 he took up a posting in India with 151st Parachute Battalion, Royal Indian Army (Royal Artillery). Once in India, he became dangerously ill and died on 15 October 1942 aged 26.
Admitted to the Inn: 8 October 1935
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Karachi War Cemetery, Pakistan.
- John Mellor Marchington
Pilot Officer John Mellor Marchington
John Marchington was born on 9 April 1911, the younger son of John and Nellie Marchington. He went to the University of Manchester and was called to the Bar at the Inn on 13 June 1934. He appears to have practised as a Barrister-at-Law in Manchester from 1936 onwards and enlisted into the RAF in July 1940. He was commissioned as Pilot Officer in the Royal Airforce Volunteer Reserve in August 1941. He was the navigator of a Vickers Wellington which was lost at sea whilst en route to the Middle East on 9 January 1942. He was 30. He left a widow, Margaret Helena Marchington.
Admitted to the Inn: 12 June 1930
Called to the Bar: 13 June 1934
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated at Runnymede.
- Howard Norman Marlow
Lieutenant Howard Norman Marlow
Marlow was born on 15 April 1920 in Sydenham, London. He was the only son of George Stanley Withers Marlow, also of Gray’s Inn and a Barrister, and Blanche Mary Marlow. Howard was educated at Dulwich College and Jesus College, Cambridge where he was a Scholar. While at Cambridge, he became a student member of the Inn on 20 January 1941. He served in the ranks of the Infantry Training Centre of the East Surrey Regiment from July 1940 until January 1941. Having successfully completed his Officer Cadet Training Unit training he was granted an Emergency Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the East Surrey Regiment. He was posted to 1/6th Battalion the East Surrey Regiment on 21 May 1941. He embarked for North Africa on 11 March 1943, arriving on the 23rd of that month as a member of the 1st Army. He was killed in action on 21 April 1943, less than a week after his 23rd birthday.
Admitted to the Inn: 20 January 1941
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated in Tunisia in the War Cemetery at Medjez-el-Bab
- Michael Harrington Matthews
Sub-Lieutenant Michael Harrington Matthews
Michael Matthews was the elder son of the Very Reverend Walter Robert Matthews KCVO DD, Dean of St. Paul’s, an Honorary Bencher of, and formerly the Preacher to, Gray’s Inn. Michael joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 10 November 1939. A week later he went to HMS King Alfred for initial training. Whilst serving on HMS Greyhound, his ship was one of the fleet of vessels which was involved in the evacuation under enemy fire of troops from Dunkirk. Greyhound made several round trips in the course of that operation and brought home a total of 1360 soldiers. The ship was eventually attacked and disabled by enemy aircraft so that it had to be towed home. It was during the course of the enemy’s aerial attacks on the 29 May 1940, in the middle of Operation Dynamo, that he was killed in action. Michael was 26 years of age and left a widow who lived in Oxford.
Admitted to the Inn: 13 October 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common in Hampshire.
- John Desmond Mulholland
Lieutenant John Desmond Mulholland MC
John Mulholland was the only son of Flight Lieutenant Mulholland of St. Martin’s, Guernsey. He was born in London on 17 July 1919. He was educated at Elizabeth College in Guernsey and at the University of Caen in France. He was admitted as a student member of the Inn on 10 October 1936. When war broke out he joined the Army and was commissioned into the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry on 24 May 1940. He was a Prisoner of War, having been captured on 28 July 1940 while on a Special Operations reconnaissance patrol on Guernsey. During his time as a Prisoner of War, he was called to the Bar in absentia on the 19th May 1943. At the end of the war he returned to this country and was posted to 16 Holding Battalion of his Regiment. He died in an accident on the 3rd September 1945 aged 26. He is buried in the St. Martin’s New Cemetery Guernsey.
Admitted to the Inn: 10 October 1936
Called to the Bar: 19 May 1943
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the St. Martin’s New Cemetery Guernsey.
- Chester James Parker
Lieutenant Chester James Parker
Chester Parker was born in Australia, the second son of James Athol Parker and his wife Margaret Ann. Before joining the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, he was an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford where he was Rhodes Scholar. On 30 October 1937, he was admitted to the Inn. During the second World War he served on HMS Peony, before transferring to the submarine service. He became the second Lieutenant on HMS Thorn. On 3 August 1942 whilst on patrol off Tobruk in the Mediterranean Sea, Thorn torpedoed and sank an Italian merchant ship. Later on the same patrol and about 30 miles off Crete, the submarine was sunk by an Italian torpedo boat with the loss of all 59 crew on board. According to Italian Naval records, this occurred on 8 August 1942. The crew have no known grave.
Admitted to the Inn: 30 October 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Parker was the second son of James Athol Parker and his wife Margaret Ann of Tweed Heads, New South Wales Australia. The crew have no known grave and Lieutenant Parker is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. The Memorial is an extension of the First World War Memorial and was designed by Sir Edward Maufe, who was the architect responsible for the rebuilding of Gray’s Inn during the years after World War II ended.
- Hector Garrick Pilling
Flight Lieutenant Hector Garrick Pilling DFC
Hector Pilling, the only son of Sir Henry Guy Pilling KCMG and Lady Pilling of Ngon, Nairobi, Kenya, was born on 1 February 1913. He was an undergraduate at Brasenose College Oxford and was admitted as a student member of the Inn on 1 November 1933. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was trained as a pilot. Upon completion of his training he became a member of 7 Squadron in September 1940. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 14 May 1942 and the citation stated that the award was for “gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations”. He was reported missing five days later on 19 May 1942. He was presumed killed in action the next day, aged 29.
Admitted to the Inn: 1 November 1933
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated in the Haverlee War Cemetery at Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant in Belgium, 30 kilometres from Brussels.
- Henry Derek Ripley
Flight Lieutenant Henry Derek Ripley
Ripley was born on 28 January 1914, the second son of Sir Henry William Alfred Ripley Bart, and Lady Ripley. He was educated at Repton and Christ Church, Oxford and became a student member of the Inn on 20 February 1936. He joined the Royal Air Force on 19 March 1934 and qualified as a pilot on 19 March 1935. He spent some years in the Sudan before becoming a member of 7 Squadron RAF in 1939. He was posted to 80 Squadron on 25 June 1940 and saw action with the Squadron in the Middle East. He became a Flying Battle Casualty and died of his wounds on 21 December 1940 aged 26.
Admitted to the Inn: 20 February 1936
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial in Egypt. The Memorial forms the entrance to the El Alamein War Cemetery.
- William Fotheringham Roach
Dr William Fotheringham Roach
At the outbreak of the second World War, Dr Roach lived at 10 Gray’s Inn Square, moving to the UK to study at Oxford after a childhood and adolescence in Canada. Roach was admitted to the Inn as a student member on 30 October 1919, he was also a member of the Gray’s Inn Lodge of Freemasons. At the outbreak of war he joined the Canadian Merchant Navy, with whom he served as the surgeon on board the SS Carare, a merchant ship registered in Liverpool. He was killed on 28 May 1940.
Admitted to the Inn: 30 October 1919
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated on the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia.
- George Reicher Royde
Flying Officer George Reicher Royde DFC
Royde, the second son of Henry and Clara Reicher Royde, was born on 12 January 1911 in Odessa, Russia. He was educated at University College, Oxford and joined the Inn on 1 November 1936. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1941 to train as a pilot. By July 1941 he was reclassified as an Observer and qualified as a Navigator and bomb-aimer. George was commissioned in 1942 and joined 149 Squadron on operations in September of that year. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943 and the citation describes why: his aircraft, a Stirling, was severely damaged during a bombing raid on Turin. Conditions at the target necessitated three runs and on the third attempt the aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire. It was hit twice, one shell exploding in the cockpit. The aircraft plunged from 200 Feet to 800 before the co-pilot brought it under control and the bomb load was dropped.
The crew managed to bring the aircraft back over the English Channel thanks to Royde’s skillful navigation. T hey had insufficient fuel to make a landfall and the captain ordered the crew to bail out while he attempted to ditch the aircraft in the sea. Several members of the crew bailed out successfully but the captain and two members of the crew who remained to help him were killed in the ditching operation. Royde survived, but soon afterwards Royde was reported missing as a Flying Battle Casualty. He left a widow Wendy Royde LL.B.
Admitted to the Inn: 1 November 1936
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Schoonselhof Cemetery which is located in the Wilrijk suburb of Antwerp in Belgium.
- Henry Neville Dashwood Russell
2nd Lieutenant Henry Neville Dashwood Russell
Russell was born in London on 7 November 1906, the only son of Henry Alexander Russell of Gray’s Inn, barrister. Following education at Westminster School he worked for a year with a Chartered Accountant, at the same time running a London Working Boys’ Club. During the same year – 1924/1925 – he served as a trooper in the Inns of Court Officers Training Corps. Four years later, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on the Supplementary Reserve of Officers of the East Surrey Regiment. From October 1925 until November 1928, he acquired experience of farming in New Zealand. He subsequently was appointed Assistant Controller of the Government Monopolies Department in Singapore. He worked in the Excise Department of the Straits Settlements Government, initially in Singapore and subsequently in Penang. Following this chequered career, Henry was admitted as a member of the Inn on 2 May 1934. After the outbreak of war, he was posted to the Malay Regiment on 18 January 1942 and was reported missing presumed killed in action on 13 February 1942, aged 36. He left a widow, Evelyn Millicent Violet Russell, who was living in Ealing at this time.
Admitted to the Inn: 2 May 1934
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. He left a widow, Evelyn Millicent Violet Russell.
- Michael Campbell Shawcross
Lieutenant Michael Campbell Shawcross
Shawcross was the only son of Roger Davies Shawcross and his wife Iris Delmira. He was born on 31 March 1916 in Southport and was educated at Downside and Christ Church Oxford where he was a Scholar. Michael graduated with a second class honours degree in Modern Languages and he entered the Inn on 19 November 1937. He married Friedel Marie on 15 September 1939; they had a son who was born on 27 March 1941, named Roger Michael. Michael enlisted in the Army and, after completing officer training during 1940, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and posted to the Devonshire Regiment. Following a number of movements between Army units, he was posted to the 114 Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment with which he embarked for duty in the Falkland Islands on 16 June 1942. He was also posted twice to Northwest Europe during early 1945. He was finally seconded to the 1st Battalion the Worcestershire Regiment with which he was serving when he was killed in action in Germany on 27 March 1945, also his son’s fourth birthday. Michael was 28.
Admitted to the Inn: 19 November 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery near Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen.
- Martin Tyringham Stephens
Squadron Leader Martin Tyringham Stephens DFC
Martin was born on 29 January 1901 at Croxdale, County Durham. He was the only son of Percy Somers Tyringham Stephens and his wife Rachel. He became a student member of the Inn on 9 October 1935 and was at that time the Assistant Editor of “The Field’. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 1 November 1939 and was initially in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch. He transferred to the General Duties Branch and became an air gunner with effect from 11 March 1940. Subsequently he was attached to 214 Squadron and was mentioned in despatches on the 1st January 1942. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on the 30th January 1942. The citation stated that the award was for gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations. He became a Flying Battle Casualty, and his body was recovered and is buried in Flushing (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery, Zeeland.
Admitted to the Inn: 9 October 1935
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Buried in Flushing (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery, Zeeland, on the South coast of the island of Walcheren, Netherlands.
- Howard Barrett Tanner
Captain Howard Barrett Tanner
Tanner was born on 16 February 1907 at Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, the third son of Percy Barrett Tanner and his wife Annie May Tanner of Parkstone in Dorset. Following his education at Hereford Cathedral School, he went up to St. John’s College Cambridge where he read History and Law and achieved a second class Honours degree. He was admitted to the Inn on 11 May 1928 and was called to the Bar on 17 November 1937. He practised as a barrister on the North Eastern Circuit and also worked as a journalist. Immediately after the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Army. Howard was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the Dorsetshire Regiment on 15 October 1939 and was attached to the 4th Battalion of that Regiment. In 1941 he was posted, in the rank of acting Captain, to 130 Infantry Brigade where he performed the duties of Staff Captain until he died as the result of an accident on 13 June 1943 at the age of 36.
Admitted to the Inn: 11 May 1928
Called to the Bar: 17 November 1937
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is commemorated in Bournemouth Crematorium, Hampshire.
- Thomas Francis Todd
Major Thomas Francis Todd
Todd was the eldest son of Frank Ernest Todd and his wife, Margaret Mary Shearman. He was born on 22 September 1908 at Crouch End, North London and was educated at Prior Park School, Bath and Guy’s Hospital Medical School. Having qualified with Honours in the London MB examination, with a distinction in midwifery, he served as House Surgeon and Obstetrics Resident at Guy’s and was appointed Assistant Demonstrator of Anatomy whilst in the medical school. In 1938, he was the Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons. He was gazetted as a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps in September 1939 and subsequently promoted to Major. Shortly before he was killed on active service in France on 1 December 1939 as the result of a motor accident, he had been admitted to the Inn as a student member. He was 31. He was the first Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons to lose his life in the Second World War and clearly had a brilliant career in medicine before joining the Army.
Admitted to the Inn: Between April – November 1938
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport near Dieppe.
- Edward Roger Wakefield
Captain Edward Roger Wakefield
Wakefield was the only son of Captain Edward Marcus Wakefield and his wife Edith Miriam. He was born on 13 July 1910 at Badsworth in Yorkshire. He was educated at Bedford School and went up to Christ Church, Oxford before joining the Inn as a student member on the 19th October 1933. He was called to the Bar by the Inn on 26 January 1937 and established a Chancery practice in Chambers at 11 New Court in Carey Street, W.C.2. He also lectured in Commercial Law in London. He enlisted in the 86th (Honourable Artillery Company) Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment of the Royal Artillery (Territorial Army) on 15 May 1939 and was posted to the 168 Officer Cadet Training Unit at Aldershot in March 1940. Subsequently, in September 1940, he was appointed to command Western Command’s Field Security Section. He carried out those duties until he was appointed Field Security Officer for HQ Special Service Brigade in March 1941. During 1943 he was posted as Staff Captain General Staff Officer III to No.2 Special Service Brigade.
Edward was posted overseas in January 1944 and in the course of his active service he was Mentioned in Despatches. He was killed in action on 3 June 1944, aged 33, having previously been reported missing.
Admitted to the Inn: 19 October 1933
Called to the Bar: 26 January 1937
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in the Belgrade War Cemetery in the Uliga Baju Sekulica district of the City.
- Reginald George Weighill
Squadron Leader Reginald George Weighill RAF
Weighill, the only son of Reginald Henry and Martha Weighill, was born on 12 December 1912 in London. He was admitted to the Inn as a student member on 15 November 1938, when he was a Flying Officer in the Royal Air Force Reserve. He was a flying instructor before the war and was recalled to the Royal Air Force on 1 September 1939. He served initially at No.7 Elementary Flying School and then went to Headquarters, Flying Training Command and No. 15 Operational Training Unit in May 1941. He joined 40 Squadron at Alconbury in June 1941 and became a Flying Battle Casualty on 16 July 1941 aged 29. He left a widow, Kathleen Weighill of Rowdy Park, Staffordshire.
Admitted to the Inn: 15 November 1938
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in Scottow Cemetery in Norfolk.
- Stanley Reginald Welson MC
Lieutenant Stanley Reginald Welson MC
Welson was born at Wanstead in Essex on 4 June 1918. He was the second son of James Beavon Welson, a barrister member of the Inn. Stanley was educated at Birkenhead School, and there he became involved with the School’s Junior Division of the Officer Training Corps. He was a member of the Haberdashers Livery Company and a Freeman of the City of London. He read Law at Jesus College, Oxford for two years before leaving to join the Army. While at Oxford, in 1937, he became a student member of the Inn. He held the rank of Corporal in the Engineer Section of the University’s Senior Division of the Officer Training Corps. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in October 1939. He was initially posted No. 1 MT Depot RE but was transferred to 42nd Divisional Engineers immediately before his embarkation leave. He landed with the British Expeditionary Force in France as a member of 201st Field Company RE of the 42nd Division on the 12th April 1940. He was involved in the fighting in Flanders and his courage and leadership in getting his men safely back to Dunkirk for evacuation was described by his Commanding Officer as a ‘very fine show’ for which he was awarded the Military Cross. The award was gazetted in the King’s Birthday Honours List for 1940. He died on 6 July 1940 as the result of an accident sustained on active service after his evacuation from France. He is buried in Birkenhead (Flaybrick Hill) Cemetery.
Admitted to the Inn: 9 November 1937
Called to the Bar: Not Called
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: He is buried in Birkenhead (Flaybrick Hill) Cemetery.