Page 151 - Mercian Eagle 2014

the Canal Zone and EOKA Campaign. Afterwards he served with the Regiment’s 5th Battalion, as a member of the Drums Platoon and rose to the rank of Sergeant. The Battalion became part of The Mercian Volunteers in 1967 and he was still with them when this happened. He was an HGV driver for many years and then worked
for British Rail as a Railway Safety Officer. When he retired he joined The Staffordshire Regiment Association and was a member of both Walsall and Hednesford Branches. Alf was an excellent bugler and in this capacity, attended dozens of funerals, playing the Last Post, which for many people is how they will remember him. One of his Branch colleagues wrote Alf was a good member of the Branch, someone who always wanting things done correctly.
He was a first class Secretary, a Stafford through and through, and proud to have been part of the Regimental family. His funeral took place at St. John’s Methodist Church, Bloxwich and Streetly Crematorium on Friday 10th January 2014. It was not a surprise to anyone, to find that the church was packed and a very large number of Staffordshire Regiment Association and Mercian Volunteers Association members present. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Glenda, son Andrew, daughter Debbie and the rest of the Cooper family.
Captain Terry Ellison
Captain Terry Ellison died unexpectedly on Monday 31st March 2014, aged 67. He collapsed whilst walking his dog, was taken to hospital, but had already passed away. Many people saw Terry at his father’s funeral in
2013 where he looked very well, so this
was completely unexpected. Terry was born on 14th June 1947 and was the son of
the late Major Jim Ellison and was brought up in The North Staffordshire Regiment.
He enlisted into The Royal Signals and
later joined Staffordshire Police. In 1975
he joined The Staffordshire Regiment and served in B Company in the Clonard in Belfast in 1976 as a Platoon Sergeant.
After this he was an Instructor at the NCOs Tactics Wing in Brecon, an environment in which he thrived. He was promoted to WO2 in 1979 and became CSM of A Company and served with them in the 18 month tour of Londonderry. In 1982 he became RSM
of the Battalion in Gibraltar and was in
post at The Presentation of New Colours in Colchester in May 1983. This was one of his proudest days as his father was RSM when the Battalion received new Colours in 1959. He was also RSM when the Battalion did the south Armagh Tour in 1984. He was a robust and straight forward type of RSM, probably the last of his type, as more soldier friendly discipline policies were applied
into the Army in the mid 1980s. He was commissioned and served in Fallingbostel as 21C A Company and Tayforth UOTC,
first as Quartermaster then as NRPS before he retired. He then worked for the RFCA
in Edinburgh and settled with his wife and family in Newburgh. His funeral took place in Perth Crematorium where he lived. A minibus full of Staffords made the long trek to Perth to be there. Our condolences go to his wife Angela and their two sons Cameron and Fraser at Perth.
WO1 Jack Dutton
Jack Dutton died on Tuesday 19th November 2013. Jack was taken ill at
work and collapsed and passed away before reaching the Hospital in Nuneaton, he was 55 years old. He enlisted into the Staffordshire Regiment at Wolverhampton on the 7th July 1975; however he was transferred to The Royal Hampshire Regiment and deployed immediately to Northern Ireland on completion of basic training. He rose up the ranks and served with 3rd Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment from 1990–2 as SPSI of the
HQ Coy in Fallings Park TA Centre. He returned to his regiment which became The Princess of Wales’s Regiment and reached WO1 before retiring after twenty four years service. He settled in Tamworth and was an immensely proud family man and is survived by his wife Karen, his children Craig and Gemma, his daughter-in-law Charlotte
and his grandchildren Evie and Sophie.
His nephew, Mark joined the Staffordshire Regiment. His funeral took place in Streetly Crematorium on Friday 6th December 2013.
WO2 Grenville Easterbrook
Grenville Easterbrook died in hospital on Monday 15th September 2014. He did his national service in the Royal Engineers from 1952–1954 and after a deferment to
take his exams became
a Draughtsman. He was then called back into the Army during the Suez Crisis. After his demobilisation, he returned to being
a Draughtsman and worked at James Gibbons. He married Nancy 59 years ago and they had four children, three boys & one girl. His Territorial Army service began in 1965 when he joined 444 LAD Regiment Royal Artillery and then The Mercian Volunteers and its successor 3rd Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment until 1991.
Music played a large part in his life, he played the clarinet and over the years was
a member of several bands including; The West Midlands Concert Band, The RAF Cosford Band & Walsall Senior Citizens Orchestra, who he referred to as ‘The Wrinklies’. He will mainly be remembered
for his time with the Volunteer Band of The Mercian Volunteers and 3rd Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment in Wolseley House
in Wolverhampton. This still exists as the Volunteer Band of 4th Battalion, The Mercian Regiment. He was a much liked Bandmaster and preferred to delegate difficult disciplinary
decisions to his Senior NCOs; he was too gentle to do it himself. After he retired he served as President of Wolverhampton Branch of the Staffordshire Regiment Association for many, many years and was much respected and loved by the members. He was very sociable and had his own relaxed and unique way of dealing with both people and social situations. His funeral took place in Bushbury Crematorium on Tuesday 30th September 2014 and there was a very large turn out of people who had served with him and ten Branch Standard Bearers (Staffords, Mercian Volunteers and Royal British Legion) paraded. Our condolences go to his wife Tina and her family.
Lieutenant Colonel CMB Howard OBE
Cyril Meredith Battye Howard died peacefully on 13th February 2014, aged 97. His obituary featured in the Daily Telegraph on 18th March. He was known as Bill and was born in Walton-on-Thames and educated at Canford School He was commissioned into The South Staffordshire Regiment in 1937 and joined the 1st Battalion. Soon afterwards he was posted to the 2nd Battalion in India and served with them as Adjutant in Oxford and Company Commander until 1943, when he became Brigade Major of 1st Air Landing Brigade. He took part on Op Husky and was in one of the many gliders which ditched into the sea, but he swam ashore and carried
out his duties calmly, quietly and with his usual efficiency. He was posted as GSO2
at Headquarters 1st Airborne Corps and assisted with the planning of the Normandy Invasion and then served with 1st Allied Airborne Army in Sunninghill and later Paris; where as a Lieutenant Colonel, he assisted in planning the Maas and Neder-Rijn operations in 1944 and the air supply to combat troops cut off in the Battle of the Ardennes. He was awarded the OBE for his work. He served with 2nd South Staffords in Ballykinler
and held other staff appointments until his retirement in 1959. He then worked for the MoD as a civilian for eighteen years and ran the officer entry to Sandhurst and the Army Scholarship Scheme. He and his wife Jean settled in Walton-on-Thames and his funeral took place on the 20th February in Eaglefield Green. He was described as lovable and fun and this is born out by his career summary that he sent to Regimental Headquarters in 2008, where he described his occupation as ‘senile (almost)’.
Ernest Bennett Jones
Ernest Jones was born on 27th July 1926 in Balsall Heath. He was called up in 1945 and was in training on VJ Day, so went out to India just after the war and served with 1st Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment. According to family records, he also served with 1st Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment and was with them in 1948. He also served in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force until 1957. He died on 12th February 2014 after a fall, aged 87. His funeral took place 21st March at Robin Hood Crematorium on Friday 26th March.
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