Bawtry War Memorial
The memorial is located in a recess in the wall at the roadside of the A638 (Great North Road) south out of Bawtry.
The memorial lists 36 casualties from the First World War and 3 from WW2.
The memorial lists 36 casualties from the First World War and 3 from WW2.
Additional Details
Leonard Haycock (4694414)
Private - Durham Light Infantry - 16th Bn.
22 April 1943, aged 23
Born in Doncaster in Q1 1920
Son of William Haycock, and of Esther A. Haycock, of Bawtry, Yorkshire.
Lived at 4 Hill Crest, Bawtry
Massicault War Cemetery
The gravestone carries the inscription - He bravely answered Duty's call. He gave his life For one and all. R.I.P.
Originally buried at near where he fell before being reburied in present location on 13 December 1943
Died in the final months of the North African campaign. On 22 April 1943 the 128th Infantry Brigade attacked Bou Arada, and the 16th Durham Light Infantry Battalion was added to the Brigade for the attack.
Private - Durham Light Infantry - 16th Bn.
22 April 1943, aged 23
Born in Doncaster in Q1 1920
Son of William Haycock, and of Esther A. Haycock, of Bawtry, Yorkshire.
Lived at 4 Hill Crest, Bawtry
Massicault War Cemetery
The gravestone carries the inscription - He bravely answered Duty's call. He gave his life For one and all. R.I.P.
Originally buried at near where he fell before being reburied in present location on 13 December 1943
Died in the final months of the North African campaign. On 22 April 1943 the 128th Infantry Brigade attacked Bou Arada, and the 16th Durham Light Infantry Battalion was added to the Brigade for the attack.
Ronald William Lane (994791)
Flight Sergeant - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - 272 Sqdn.
19 December 1942, aged 29
Born in Doncaster in Q2 1913
Son of Joseph Henry and Annie Lane, of Doncaster, Yorkshire.
Lived at The Lawns, High St, Bawtry
Malta Memorial
Navigator on a Beaufighter which was lost on a mission from Ta Kali Airfield, Malta, being shot down into the sea by an enemy aircraft. Pilot was a Belgian, Henri Frans Mary Pien - 1299929
Flight Sergeant - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - 272 Sqdn.
19 December 1942, aged 29
Born in Doncaster in Q2 1913
Son of Joseph Henry and Annie Lane, of Doncaster, Yorkshire.
Lived at The Lawns, High St, Bawtry
Malta Memorial
Navigator on a Beaufighter which was lost on a mission from Ta Kali Airfield, Malta, being shot down into the sea by an enemy aircraft. Pilot was a Belgian, Henri Frans Mary Pien - 1299929
Ronald William Staveley (1231263)
Flight Sergeant (Pilot) - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - 112 Sqdn.
18 September 1943, aged 21
Born in York in Q2 1922
Son of Harold and Ellen Staveley.
Lived at The George and Dragon, Highgate, Beverley
Salerno War Cemetery
The gravestone carries the inscription - In loving and undying memory Of Ron. Who gave his life For an ideal
P-40 Kittyhawk was shot down during a strafing attack, near Grottaglie, southern Italy. Kittyhawk Mk. III FR866/ GA was T became K in Sept. A/C shot down by flak near Vallata, Italy, took off at 16:55hrs as part of 10 aircraft formation on Armed recce in the Potenza-Vallata area. During this mission MT was attacked at grid O.1350 and O.1267. During this flight this aircraft was last seen strafing in grid O.0533 and was seen to be hit and crashed into the ground from approx 500 ft. pilot KIA
Flight Sergeant (Pilot) - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - 112 Sqdn.
18 September 1943, aged 21
Born in York in Q2 1922
Son of Harold and Ellen Staveley.
Lived at The George and Dragon, Highgate, Beverley
Salerno War Cemetery
The gravestone carries the inscription - In loving and undying memory Of Ron. Who gave his life For an ideal
P-40 Kittyhawk was shot down during a strafing attack, near Grottaglie, southern Italy. Kittyhawk Mk. III FR866/ GA was T became K in Sept. A/C shot down by flak near Vallata, Italy, took off at 16:55hrs as part of 10 aircraft formation on Armed recce in the Potenza-Vallata area. During this mission MT was attacked at grid O.1350 and O.1267. During this flight this aircraft was last seen strafing in grid O.0533 and was seen to be hit and crashed into the ground from approx 500 ft. pilot KIA
Note
Ronald Staveley joined the 112 Squadron on 14th March 1943, six months after El Alamein. For the first two months, 112 squadron was on continuous air support for ground forces in North Africa (Tunisia) and pushing Rommel’s Afrika Corps westwards and back out of Africa when they finally surrendered on May 13th.
Ronald was active all this period and on the very final day of the North African campaign he was on a sortie over Cape Bon on the coast of Tunisia to attack a flak position, when he was hit and forced to pancake land his aircraft near Hammamet. He was, however, unhurt and rejoined his squadron the same day.
There followed a brief respite during which King George V1 made an inspection but in the third quarter of the year they were again in action having moved to an airfield in Malta from where they supported ground troops during the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky, July 9th and 10th). After some six weeks of sorties, on the 30th July, Ronald was part of a formation attacking railway marshalling yards at Giordini when he was forced to crash land his aircraft yet again (maybe hit by flak). He landed near the front line but yet again was unhurt and returned to his squadron the very next day. The next month involved sundry sorties attacking enemy shipping in the Straits of Messina and forays over the Italian coast.
The invasion of Italy was less than two months later on 8th/9th September, after the landings by British and American forces at Taranto and Salerno respectively. Over the next few days the squadron had to uproot from Sicily to Italy and found itself (from 16th-20th September 1943) at a place called Grottaglie near Taranto on the main road to Brindisi in the ‘heal’ of Southern Italy.
It was during this fateful week, on just the second day of operations, the 18th September 1943, that Ronald Staveley was shot down for the third time and sadly his luck ran out. There were two operations that day, one took off at 11.45am and the other at 4.55pm The first, which lasted for an hour and twenty minutes, was an armed reconnaissance of the Potenza roads near Vallata and the second was in the same area. Ten enemy motorized transport vehicles were left burning and 23 damaged, including a tank. It was an hour into this second sortie that they encountered intense anti aircraft fire at Calabritto and Ronald was hit by flak at 500ft after a strafing run and seen to crash.
Ronald Staveley joined the 112 Squadron on 14th March 1943, six months after El Alamein. For the first two months, 112 squadron was on continuous air support for ground forces in North Africa (Tunisia) and pushing Rommel’s Afrika Corps westwards and back out of Africa when they finally surrendered on May 13th.
Ronald was active all this period and on the very final day of the North African campaign he was on a sortie over Cape Bon on the coast of Tunisia to attack a flak position, when he was hit and forced to pancake land his aircraft near Hammamet. He was, however, unhurt and rejoined his squadron the same day.
There followed a brief respite during which King George V1 made an inspection but in the third quarter of the year they were again in action having moved to an airfield in Malta from where they supported ground troops during the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky, July 9th and 10th). After some six weeks of sorties, on the 30th July, Ronald was part of a formation attacking railway marshalling yards at Giordini when he was forced to crash land his aircraft yet again (maybe hit by flak). He landed near the front line but yet again was unhurt and returned to his squadron the very next day. The next month involved sundry sorties attacking enemy shipping in the Straits of Messina and forays over the Italian coast.
The invasion of Italy was less than two months later on 8th/9th September, after the landings by British and American forces at Taranto and Salerno respectively. Over the next few days the squadron had to uproot from Sicily to Italy and found itself (from 16th-20th September 1943) at a place called Grottaglie near Taranto on the main road to Brindisi in the ‘heal’ of Southern Italy.
It was during this fateful week, on just the second day of operations, the 18th September 1943, that Ronald Staveley was shot down for the third time and sadly his luck ran out. There were two operations that day, one took off at 11.45am and the other at 4.55pm The first, which lasted for an hour and twenty minutes, was an armed reconnaissance of the Potenza roads near Vallata and the second was in the same area. Ten enemy motorized transport vehicles were left burning and 23 damaged, including a tank. It was an hour into this second sortie that they encountered intense anti aircraft fire at Calabritto and Ronald was hit by flak at 500ft after a strafing run and seen to crash.