Page 84 - Mercian Eagle Year of 2023

HUXLEY
Martin HUXLEY died on 18th May 2023. He served with the 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment.
JACKSON
LCpl Peter Leslie JACKSON died on 7 July 2023 aged 68. Peter enlisted as a junior soldier in September 1970 at Derby and joined the 1st Bn The Sherwood Foresters in Berlin. He served in HQ (Drums Pl) Coy as a Pte and was a drummer for most of his career but was also employed as Ram Major, in the PRI shop and as
a Mess Steward for the Sgts Mess. He held the GSM NI, UN Cyprus, LSGC, Gulf Medals. He was discharged on 31 October 1993.
JEAVONS
Lt Col Keith H JEAVONS TD, of Kingswinford, died on 8 August 2023 aged 86. He joined The WORC R for his National Service training at Norton Bks on 14 September 1954 before joining 1 WORC
R in Bulford and then Iserlohn. He left after 2 years, in 1956 as a Pl Sgt in D Coy. On returning to civilian life, he immediately joined 7th (TA) WORC Bn. He attended Mons OCS and gained his TA Commission in July 1959. Between 1959-67 he served
in 7 WORC R as a Pl Comd, Mortar Officer and Coy 2IC in Kidderminster and Dudley. On the disbandment of the Bn, he was promoted to Maj and re-engaged in the
1st Bn The Mercian Volunteers as a Coy Comd in Kidderminster and Wolverhampton from 1967-72, prior to becoming Bn 2IC
from 1972-75. From 1975–80 he was a Brevet Lt Col on the RARO before taking over as Chief Instructor of the Western District Territorial Army Specialist Training Team, from which he retired in 1987. Keith was instrumental in starting the MVRA
and played an active part throughout as Secretary and Treasurer. He was the Acting Chair of the WFRA, taking on the mantle temporarily in 2018. For many years he was a very active volunteer at the Regimental Museum in Worcester.
JONES
Thomas JONES BEM died on 14th January 2023. He served with the 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment
KING
Lt Col Bryan KING TD died on 12th March 2023. He served with the 4th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment & the 2nd Battalion Mercian Volunteers.
Lane
Anthony ‘Bronco’ Lane died on 21st November 2023. He served with The Staffordshire Regiment.
LAWRENCE
Ethel LAWRENCE died on 26 April 2023. Ethel was a stalwart to the military and Regt
and was an active member of Chesterfield branch until her ill health. Ethel received an MBE from the HM The Queen along with her husband Peter for their selfless efforts, of posting over 5000 shoeboxes of items to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
LAYTON
Clifford LAYTON died on 20 April 2023, aged 98. We know he served in the South Staffordshire Regiment and was later in
the Black Watch. These details, plus his
age suggest that he served in one of the four South Stafford battalions which were part of 59 Division in Normandy. They
took part in the capture of Caen and the crossing of the River Orne in July 1944, which included some of the heaviest fighting experienced by the western allies in WW2. 59 Division was disbanded and Field Marshal Montgomery explained that this was due to infantry manpower shortages and the division was selected because it was the junior division and not for any other reason. It is known that some of the soldiers subsequently served with the Black Watch.
LEIGH
WO1 (RSM) Ricky LEIGH died on 5th August 2023. He served with the 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment.
LLOYD
Major Roy William LLOYD was born on 12 October 1928 in Hawarden in Flintshire. He volunteered to enlist
into the Army, so he could get into the regiment he wanted. He attended the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into 1st Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment in 1948 and served with them in Lichfield, Hong Kong and the Canal Zone from 1954-56. His early career included a posting to a Junior Leaders Regiment, instructor to the Divisional Battle School in the Far East and a staff tour in Cyprus during the EOKA Campaign. He was Brigade Adjutant of Headquarters Mercian Brigade, then did a second staff job in HQ Far East Land Forces. He was mentioned
in Despatches for his work as a GSO 3
Ops in HQ 99 Infantry Brigade, during the Borneo Confrontation and then served with 1st Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters as
a mechanised company commander, from 1964-66. He served twice with the Territorial Army. The first was with 5th Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment as Adjutant and Training Major and later as Training Major with the Mercian Volunteers. He took young officers on study days, without the hierarchy and was tolerant, patient and thoroughly professional. He died on 22 October 2023.
LOVE
Lt Col CP ‘Pat’ LOVE TD, of Cheltenham, died on 16 June 2023 aged 94. Following
in his father’s footsteps
(he served in 2 WORCS in WWI), Pat joined the Army and served his National
Service with the RASC 1953-55 and was commissioned in 1954. He then became a schoolmaster while serving a year in the Army Emergency Reserve. Having decided to join the TA, he went along to join the Yeomanry but joined 7 WORC R and was posted to A Coy in Dudley and Halesowen. He later transferred to D Coy in Evesham. Pat assumed Command of D Coy on 14 February 1964. In 1967, when the Bn was disbanded, Pat transferred to the RCT and commanded a Movement Control Staff Increment. He was promoted to Lt Col in April 1977. On retirement from the TAVR, he transferred to the RARO on 20th November 1978 having earned the TD and bar. Pat was the longest serving researcher in the Worcester museum volunteer team, giving 35 years.
MASON
Frederick ‘Fred’ MASON was born on
18 June 1924 and died on 17 April 2023.
He served with 2nd Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment in Anzio and the remainder of the Italian Campaign. Many years later he was interviewed by Gary Lineker as part of a BBC series, called
‘My Grandad’s War.’ The landings at Anzio started on 22 January 1944. An Anglo- American force was landed and were able to land the bulk of their forces without much opposition. Unfortunately, the commander delayed advancing inland until sufficient armour and other heavy weapons were landed. This delay meant that the Alban Hills, the vital ground, were not captured, allowing Field Marshal Kesselring the opportunity to bring reinforcements and seal the beachhead. The whole beachhead came under fire and air attacks added to the misery of the battle, which dragged
on for five months. Fred was an active member of Walsall & Bloxwich Branch of The Staffordshire Regiment association over decades and was a most welcome person to meet in regimental events. He began as
a member, but was eventually promoted to Branch President. Fred played a most active role in both the branch and the regiment
as a whole and attended parades involving both The Staffordshire and The Mercian Regiments.
MCKECHNIE
Ronald MCKECHNIE died on 17th November 2023. He served with the Staffordshire Regiment for 16 years between 1968-83, where he made Sergeant. His funeral took place on 20th December at Fradley Crematorium.
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