Page 218 - The Rifles Bugle Autumn 2019

JOHNSON, (John) Dobie. Born on 18 March 1945 and died on 7 December 2018 aged 73 years. Dobie served in Recce Pl 1DLI and Mortar Pl 3LI in Minden
KENNEDY, (Harry) Henry. Born on 31 March 1932. Henry served in the Durham Light Infantry as well as the Royal Corp Transport.
LYONS, William. Died in April 2019. William joined the Assault Pioneers Durham Light Infantry at the age of 18. He served with them in Berlin, Hong Kong and Borneo.
MARSH, Ray. Born August 1949 and died 27 December 2018.
McDERRMOT, Michael. Died on 13 January 2019. Michael served at HQ 7LI Durham as a Pioneer C/Sjt. He also served in Gibraltar and Germany and was always well liked by his fellow comrades.
MORTIMORE, Burt. Died on 16 October 2018. Burt served with the Durham Light Infantry in Korea.
MURPHY, Ed (Spud) Sgt. Died on 7 August 2019 at the age of 75. Ed joined the DLI on the 15 August 1961, transferred to 1Bn Light Infantry in 1968, then finished his service as PTI in7LI, a total of 22 year’s service.
NOTT-BOWER, William John. Died
28 February 2019 aged 90. Bill was
born in India on 28 January 1929, the
eldest son of Sir John Knott-Bower. His
father at that time served in the Indian
Police, later to become Commissioner
of the Metropolitan Police where he
was appointed KCVO. Bill joined the
Royal Navy first but changed to the
Army attending RMA Sandhurst where
he was commissioned on 14 July 1949
into his Grandfather’s old regiment The
DLI. After service in Dortmund and
Berlin he returned to Brancepeth with
1DLI and sailed on the HMT Empire
Trooper on 29 July 1952 for Korea. He was initially appointed IO in Bn HQ but was uneasy with this appointment and requested a Rifle Coy appointment which the CO granted and became Pl Comd 6 Pl in B Coy under OC Major R G Atkinson MC. By October 1952 he was the senior Rifle Pl Comd in 1DLI. After eight months on Naechon, Pt 210 and 355 he carried out many significant patrols passing on his experiences to the more junior officers such as 2Lt Peter de-la-Billiere.
On the ever of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Bill crossed over the Chinese lines on 2 June 1953 and laid out the Royal Cipher “EIIR” in aircraft recognition panels which raised a smile throughout the 1st Commonwealth Division. Fifty years later at a Reunion in Sandhurst Her Majesty recalled the event. Bill was appointed 2i/c C Coy after the death of Major JA Trsawna DSO on 11 June 1953
in the rank of Temporary Captain. He was MID for his sterling work in Korea.
He left 1DLI six weeks prior to the Bn and took up an appointment in the Canal Zone of Egypt as ADC to Major General JHN Poett CB DSO, GOC 3 Infantry Division. He resigned his commission in August 1954 on completion of his compulsory five year’s service after leaving Sandhurst.
In September 1954 he moved to Canada and took on a post as a trainee in a stockbroking firm in Toronto. After two years he moved to a US stockbroking firm called Baker Weeks. Bill married a Canadian, Denise Johnston in 1958. In 1960 he moved to New York and almost one year later to London. He became Manager of the London Office and subsequently a Director of Baker Weeks. During a twenty year period he frequently travelled to the USA visiting a broad range of companies. In 1979 he moved to Kidder, Peabody another US firm where he stayed as a partner until 1987 when he retired following the firm’s acquisition by the US giant GEC.
Bill moved to Savernake Forest in Wiltshire where he created a fine house and garden over almost forty years. He had three sons.
POUNDER, Alan. Died 24 December 2018 aged 88. Born 06 May 1930. John served with the DLI in Korea, Egypt and Aden and attended United Services in Korea in the 70’s/80’s. Alan leaves a son Leslie who lives in Blackpool, and daughters Beverley who lives in Chester-le-Street and Allyson in Scotland.
NORTHEY. Jack. Born 9 April 1926 and died 18 January 2019. Jack joined REME on 15 October 1948. He served with them in Singapore from 1950-1953. He left REME on 14 October 1953 and joined the Reserves for seven years till 8 November 1960. He joined the DLI Association on 18 March 2002 and became a member of the Consett & Stanley Branch.
REED, Harry. Harry died on 12 May 2019 at the age of 95. During the WW2 Harry worked down the pits but also served with the Home Guard until 1944. From 1945 until 1948 he served with the RAF in Palestine and on his return continued his career in the mines and then worked for the Ambulance Service. He was a member of 8 Bn.DLI for 22years. He was a long-standing member of Durham Branch.
ROGERS, Alan (Trigger). Died on 9 May 2019. Alan joined the Durham Light Infantry in 1964. He served Hong Kong and Cyprus. He then served as a Clerk in the Signal’s Office. When the Bn disbanded in 1968 he went to the 1st Bn Light Infantry.
SANDERSON, Arnold. Died on 22nd March 2019 at the age of 87. Arnold’s funeral took place on Friday 5 April 19 at St Paul’s Church, Spennymoor.
Arnold was conscripted into the REME and saw active service in Egypt where he was promoted to Sjt. Born and raised in Spennymoor Co Durham, he set up his own business in 1962 with his first wife Elsie. They had two daughters Ann and Judith. Elsie passed away in 1983 but Arnold later shared 32 years with his second wife Margaret.
Arnold is much respected for his
dedication to the Armed Forces and
for 22 years he was parade marshal for Spennymoor’s Armistice Parades and later for the Spennymoor Drumhead Services in the Park. He was also respected by the Gurkha’s where he raised £50K for the Gurkha Benevolence to support the ex Gurkha soldiers and their families. In 2006 when asked by Sjt Major Jai Dura Gurung to help raise money to rebuild a school in Nepal, Arnold was there and
216 RIFLES OFFICES AND ASSOCIATIONS
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