Page 224 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

OBITUARIES
APPLEBY, John, better known as “Jack” was born 8 November 1938 in Grainger Terrace into a large family. Jack went to Leamside School, West Rainton, then went to work as a farm hand and then onto Sixth Pit before joining the Durham Light Infantry and did his basic training at Brancepeth and travelled to Honiton, Cyprus, Berlin and Hong Kong. He played football for the battalion in Berlin Stadium in front of 120,000 crowd, they were beaten 1 – 0 by the Berlin Police. Then Jack went onto Hong Kong and was demobbed from there.
His return to civilian life took Jack back
would remain the rest of his working days. Jack married Pauline and they had three daughters but sadly lost one. He was a family man who enjoyed a few pints, game of cards, bet on the horses and his football. He died 7 July 2017.
BARKER, Steve. Stevie enlisted into the
DLI in 1934 at the age of 15 years. He served
in Shanghai in 1937 when their job was to
stop the Japanese entering the City. April
1940 found him in Arras, France where he
was captured by the Germans and made
a POW where he was harshly treated. He
was in Stalag XXA in Poland for 3 months.
In September 1940 he was transferred to
Stalag XXB Marienburg, East Prussia where
he worked on the farms in extreme weather
conditions. By late 1942 the Geneva
Convention stated that full rank NCO’s need
not work. Stevie was returned to the main
Cross had arranged a special football match between the English and Scottish POWs. Stevie was the England team captain. He was sent to Fallingbostel POW camp in 1943 and was liberated on 6 May 1945 and taken to Luxemburgh. Stevie died 9 November 2016 shortly after his 100th Birthday.
BOSHER, Alan. Alan was born 25 June 1942. He joined the KSLI in 1962 and the LI in1968, serving in Malaya, Singapore, Mauritius, Cyprus, Germany, Northern Ireland and UK. He was a CQMS in the LIBD in the early 80’s, PSI in 7LI followed by CSM A & HQ Coy 7LI and then RQMS at Bishop Auckland. He was a member of the DLI Association and the Faithful Inkerman Dinner Club attending all annual events. He leaves Catherine and 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandsons. Alan died 01 June 2017.
BROWN, Clive. Died 16 November 2016 at the age of 82. Clive served with 2DLI and then 8DLI. He also won a medal for the All England Shoot at Bisley for the Machine-gun.
CASTELOW, Ernest. Died 1 April 2017. Ernest 22774921 Pte Ernest Castelow served with the DLI in Korea July 1952 – July 1953. He was wia on 230653 and recovered in Japan.
DAWSON, R M Dickie. Died 8 October 2016. Dickie served in the Royal Pioneer Corp and with 8th Bn DLI and was a long time member of Chester-le-Street Branch.
DELANEY, John James died September 2016, 268953 Lt J J Delaney MC served in 10DLI in Normandy. On 18 June 1944 his Platoon with another Platoon from D Coy 10DLI attacked an enemy
position in an orchard on the outskirts of St Pierre where they were subjected to very heavy machine gun re and sniping. Lt Delaney took command of the Company after the OC was wounded on the start line. Under his command they cleared the orchard after two hours of close quarter ghting. Throughout this action Lt Delaney displayed outstanding devotion to duty and complete disregard for his own personal safety. He was awarded an immediate MC.
FERRELL, Philip. Died 6 July 2017. Philip
was born in Gateshead in 1927. He served
with the DLI in Greece, also managing to
learn quite a bit of the language and develop
a taste for ouzo. He was a joiner by trade and
worked on the construction of the Baltic our
mill so one of the region’s iconic landmarks
will always remind his family of him. He
married Lily in 1951 and had one daughter,
Gillian. He later worked for the GPO at the
Orchard Street Sorting Of ce, Newcastle. He
was a member of Gateshead Harriers and a
hurdles coach for many years. He also loved
dancing and he and Lily spent many happy years of retirement going sequence dancing 5 or 6 times a week. He was a devoted husband and spent many years caring for Lily when she was seriously ill. He loved France and spent many happy holidays with his daughter and son-in-law who live there. He made a lot of friends and was tempted to move there but at the end of the day his heart was in Gateshead.
FORD, Charles Major. Charles Ford
passed away peacefully on 28th August
2016 aged 88 in the Royal Cornwall Hospital,
Truro following a short illness. Latterly he
had lived in Cornwall, prior to that he lived
in Wiltshire and Somerset. He had been
brought up in Surrey and he was educated
at Lancing College during the war. That was
followed in 1946 by National Service in the
Army. He was commissioned into 26 Field
Regiment Royal Artillery, then in the infantry
role, with whom he saw operational service
in Malaya in 1948. There he was Mentioned
in Dispatches following a violent encounter with insurgents and in 1951 he transferred to the Durham Light Infantry until his retirement from the Regular Army in 1965. During this time, he enjoyed regimental postings in Germany, Malaya, Berlin, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
On leaving the Army, he was employed by Paton and Baldwins in Darlington until 1969 and by Westland Helicopters in Weston-Su- per-Mare until 1982.
Everyone who knew Charles will remember him for his loyalty, kindness and generosity, to his friends and to his family. He was a born enthusiast, whose glass was always more than half full, he was always supportive and he was always encouraging of others, especially the young. He possessed an impish sense of humour and an enduring love of sport, especially cricket.
He had a passion for the outdoor life, for gardening, for walking, for any ball game and for generally keeping t. Those who knew him will remember him for his huge enthusiasm, his kindness, his gener- osity, his cheerfulness, his optimism and his ability to see the good in others and the good in every situation, however bleak that situation seemed. These qualities will have served the DLI well.
FORSTER, George. Died 29 April 2016. Served with 16th Battalion DLI.
FORSTER, George. Died 7 August 2016. He served in the DLI and was a long time Association member of Durham City Branch.
to the Pits where he
camp where the Red
222 REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
THE RIFLES