Page 117 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

Battalion Mercian Volunteers was characterised by his infectious enthusiasm and he always had a bright smile and a cheery manner for everyone with whom he served. In his later years he was Deputy Commandant of his local Army Cadet Force in the Aberystwyth area. He was a great friend of the Association and supported our Eagle Dining Club regularly. He will be sadly missed. Lt Col Len Smith’s funeral took place at 1415hrs on Tuesday 22nd February 2011 at Aberystwyth Crematorium. The Association was represented by Lt Col K H Jeavons. Mrs Mary Sayers and family also attended.
SUMMERFIELD Dennis Pte of Littleover, Derby died on 23 April 2011 aged 77. He served with the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters and was based in Celle in 1953. On completion of his Regular Service he transferred to the
Reserve in March 1955 and then enlisted into the TA as a Gunner. Dennis worked at British Celanese, Derby and then Qualcast Lawn Mowers.
SWEETING Ray ‘Blue’ LCpl of Ripley, Derbyshire died on 31 December 2010 aged 67 . He joined the Army in 1966 and served with 1st Battalion The Sherwood Foresters in Colchester, Munster and Minden as A Company
11 Platoon APC Driver and was also a member of the Battalion Football team playing as goalkeeper. Ray left the Army in 1970 and worked as a miner.
TALBOT Edward Thomas, Maj MM Major Ted Talbot died on 19th October 2010 aged 88, barely three months after the death of his beloved wife Margaret.
Ted Talbot grew up in a large family in St Helens, lied about his age and
joined the 2nd Battalion of The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment in September 1938 aged 161⁄2. He used to say that his best memory of his enlistment was that when he was issued his kit, he received his very first pair of pyjamas!
When war broke out a year later, he
went to France with the Battalion and was evacuated from Dunkirk on 30th May 1940. Back home in St Helens, his mother had been notified that he had been killed in action because the boat he was assigned to (but failed to get on) had been destroyed by enemy aircraft, only for him to appear on the doorstep a couple of weeks later, safe and sound. In 1940, he was posted
to 7th Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment and returned to France with them as Platoon Sergeant in June 1944. Two months later, he found himself with The Monmouthshire Regiment again as a Platoon Sergeant and on 18th April 1945 he took part in the attack on Rukenmoor, earning a Military Medal which was presented to him in Dusseldorf by General Montgomery on 3rd August 1945.
Ted left the army in early 1946, but after six months in civilian life, he rejoined in November and returned to The Cheshire Regiment in 1947 where he served as
a Platoon Sergeant at the Depot in The Dale, Chester. Eventually joining the 1st Battalion, he rose through the ranks before being posted to the 4th Battalion (TA) as the Regimental Sergeant Major in early 1957. He was appointed RSM of the 1st Battalion in August 1958 and held that post until he was commissioned in June 1964. Universally known (but never to
his face) as “Terrible Ted” he was a strict disciplinarian, firm but fair with everyone and held in great regard by all ranks of the Regiment. On commissioning, he was appointed as Technical Quartermaster of the 1st Battalion before being posted to 1st Bn The Mercian Volunteers in May 1967. His last appointment was to the Regimental Pay Office, Brighton as Quartermaster from where he retired in the rank of Major on
his 53rd birthday, his little white lie of 1938 finally catching up with him.
TALLIS David Alfred Russell Lt of Halesworth, Suffolk died on 10 March 2010. He joined the Army in 1956 at Warwick as a National Serviceman and was posted in October 1957 to 1st Battalion The Sherwood Foresters as
2Lt serving in Sennelager. He moved in March 1958 to The Worcester Transit rank. Promoted to Lt he served in Malaya in May 1958. He returned to Derby Depot in May 1959 and was demobilized in September 1959. He became a Drummer with the Honourable Artillery Company in London in September 1959 and achieved the rank of Lance Sergeant by May 1964, he left the Army in May 1971. David took up a career as an antique dealer and restorer.
TARGET David David Target died on Tuesday 5th July 2011 aged 38. He enlisted into the Army on the 10th July 1990 and joined 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment in Fallingbostal the following February. He spent most of his Army career in 5 Platoon, B Company, but later served in A Company and the Regimental Police. In addition to Germany he also served in Chester, Co Fermanagh, Ballykinler, Tern Hill, Belfast, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Canada, ending his career in Tidworth. He was awarded the GOC Commendation for
an incident in Northern Ireland and was
promoted to LCpl. He completed his service in June 2002. His funeral will took place at Stafford Crematorium on Thursday 14th July 2010.
TIPPER Robert F Colonel Colonel Bob Tipper died on 30 September 2010 a few days before his 94th birthday.
He was commissioned into The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment on 27 August 1936 and was posted to the 1st Battalion in India, deploying with them to Egypt shortly after the beginning of the Second World War. In February 1941 when the 1st Battalion were sent to the seemingly doomed island of Malta, Bob remained in Egypt with all the battalion’s transport. With Malta under siege and withstanding all attacks, the transport was allocated to other units in Egypt and Bob, unable to rejoin the 1st Battalion, instead became a Ground Liaison Officer with the RAF, a job he retained for most of the rest of the war.
Before the war came to an end Bob trained as a glider pilot but was too late to see action with The Glider Pilot Regiment. He went to Palestine when 6 Airborne Division was deployed there in September 1945. He returned with the Division to the UK in 1948 prior to it being disbanded. He saw service in Egypt again as OC Support Coy of the 1st Battalion in the Canal Zone and then back home in Colchester.
After attending RMCS Shrivenham he became a Technical Staff Officer working with Fighting Vehicle Development Branch where he remained until he retired on 10 July 1969 in the rank of Colonel.
TUNNICLIFF James ‘Jim’ CSgt of Belper, Derbyshire died on 26 September 2011 aged 73. After discharge from the RAF Jim worked as a bus driver with the Trent Bus Company and then moved to the Co-op and worked as a milkman
and also assisted in the family launderette in Allestree. He joined 3 WFR (V) C Company, Sinfin Lane, Derby in April 1971 as a TA Soldier and later was employed on the staff as the NRPS PSI, a position he held until the units disbandment in 1999.
VALLANCE David Pte of Clipstone Village, Nottinghamshire died on 28 September 2010 aged 66. He enlisted into the 1st Battalion The Sherwood Foresters in January 1964 and served with A Coy, he was medically discharged in 1968.
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