Won Commission - Rushden Airman’s Success in Canada
Mr and Mrs H Perkins, of 55, Park-avenue, Rushden, have learned that their only son, L.A.C. H E Perkins, has gained his commission while in training in Canada.

Aged 19, Pilot Officer Perkins left Wellingborough School in October 1942, and took a short preliminary course at Oxford. At the completion of this he became a member of the R.A.F., and later went to Canada, where he received his commission in February.

Rushden Airman and his Brother-in-law
Another instance of relatives meeting abroad was when Cpl Reg Tarry, R.A.F., of Rushden, met his R.A.F. brother-in-law, Geoffrey Johnson, of Market Harborough, in Cairo at the beginning of the year.

Cpl Tarry is the only son of Mr and Mrs C Tarry, of 49 Westfield-avenue, and his wife, Mrs Lily Tarry, is at present residing at Market Harborough. Prior to call-up over four years ago, he was scoutmaster to the Rushden Mission Church and carried on his own window-cleaning business in the town.

His brother-in-law, Geoffrey, is now back in this country, having returned soon after the meeting. He is the only son of Mr and the late Mrs Johnson, of Patrick-street, Market Harborough, and went overseas a little before Reg., about three years ago.

The two boys had met once before—in Cairo in 1942—but Cpl. Tarry went afterwards to South Africa and was there for 18 months before returning to Cairo.

A general good time was had by the two at their meeting, with tea, a dance and having their photograph taken.

Doing A Stretch in Hell - Rushden Soldier’s Message from Anzio Bridgehead
Still very interested in the town’s affairs, as he was before joining the Army, L/M C T Smith, R.E.M.E., of Rushden sends “all the best” to the Serving Men’s Parcel Fund and “good old Rushden” in general, adding the hope that peace bells will ring throughout the world during 1944. He is on the Anzio Bridgehead, where a comrade has supplied him with the following verses for his airgraph message.

"Anointed" After Football Game - Ex-Rushden Town Player’s Amusing Ordeal
Royal Marine Commando Ron Peacock, a popular and able member of Rushden Town F.C. for many seasons, is still going strong as a footballer under the India Command. He is captain of a Commando unit team which heads the league in which it competes, and also captained the English side which recently defeated a Scottish team by three goals to two.

This “international” was hailed by all the spectators as a tip-top game. One of the lads was dressed as an Indian chief, and when the teams lined up at the centre line after being played on by the band it was Ron’s duty to introduce the “chief” to his men. To the crowd’s amusement the great man reappeared after the game and presented the winning captain with a pewter of water, afterwards “anointing” him with the precious liquid.

The Colonel and other officers were present, and Ron was personally congratulated on the fine game he had played.

Sportsmen will remember that in his Rushden Town days Ron Peacock usually played at outside-left, but also served the club as a utility man, sometimes appearing as a half-back or full-back. His wife resides at 158, Queen-street, Rushden.

Rushden Echo & Argus & Northamptonshire Advertiser, 9th June 1944, transcribed by Kay Collins

Cpl. Wilford

Cpl. Wilford is 26 years of age and has been in the Army for four-and-a-half years. Abroad for two years, he has been to Madagascar, India, Persia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Sicily. He is a member of the Park-road Baptist Church and formerly worked for Messrs C. K. Wood, boot manufacturers.

Rushden Man is Jap Prisoner
Missing since the fall of Java, Pte. “Dick” Britten, of a Light Anti-Tank Regiment, is now known to be a prisoner of the Japs.

His father, Mr. J. Britten, baker, of Grove-road, Rushden, was informed on Monday by a postcard which told him that his youngest son was in excellent health and sent love to all.

Pte. Britten is 28, and before joining the Army assisted his father in the bakery business. He went overseas early in 1941, and this has been the first news of him since he was officially reported missing.

Rushden Rail Clerk’s Greeting – Home Guard Work Recalled

A cheery letter has been sent by Corporal Harry Langham, R.E., of Rushden, from France. He was a clerk at the goods department of the Rushden station before joining up.

Corporal Langham who used to be a member of the Home Guard has sent the letter to one of his G.H. friends—Mr J B Larman, manager of the Home and Colonial stores at Rushden.

He writes: “You will observe from the enclosed photograph that I am standing up to things very well and that i appear, and in fact am, very fit. This photograph was taken last week by an excitable Frenchman and I hope it will prove of interest to my many friends who still continue to devote their excellent qualities to the Home Guard.

“It is nearly a month since I paddled ashore, and, as you will have noticed, operations have gone very well to date. I am continually looking for some familiar faces but none have appeared so far.

“Enclosed you will also find a sample of “D Day” money which I thought you might like to keep as a souvenir. We came here with our pockets full but there is little opportunity of spending it.

“The ‘Echo’ has continued to arrive and, although generally out of date, it does enable me to follow the happenings at home very well.”

Corporal Langham has sent a specimen of the new five francs (to which the letter refers).
Note: there is a photograph included in the newspaper, but the copy was not good enough for reproduction here.

Injured Soldier in Hospital
Back in this country from France with burns to the hands and face, Trooper Edward Jesse Roberts, Royal Tank Regt., of Rushden, has been visited by his mother in hospital and found to be “comfortable.”

Tpr. Roberts’ home is at 7 Orchard-place. Aged 23, he has been in the Army for four years and has served in the Middle East, Sicily and Italy.

Rushden Neighbours Meet in Cairo
Next door neighbours of Oval-road, Rushden, had a meeting in Cairo on Easter Saturday. The pair were A.C.1 Gwilyn Pritchard, R.A.F., eldest son of Mr and Mrs S Pritchard, of 29 Oval-road, and Trooper Frank Mitchell, R.A.C., youngest son of Mr and Mrs Mitchell, of 31 Oval-road.

A.C.1 Pritchard joined the R.A.F. three years ago and went abroad two years ago. He served in East Africa for 18 months and the Middle East for 12 months where he met Frank for the first time in two years. He has since moved on to Aden. His brother, David, is stationed with the R.A.F. in England.

Trooper Mitchell joined the R.A.C. at 19 years of age and has been overseas for two years, first in Egypt and now in Italy. He has two brothers in the forces—the eldest, Philip, is in England and Percy who served in the M.E. from El Alamein to Tunis with the Desert Rats is now in France.

Rushden Man Praised – Led Party from Danger Spot
Sergt William George Goode, of Hall-avenue, Rushden, serving with the Warwickshire Regiment in France, has been given a special word of praise for the way he successfully led a party out of danger in an action in which his Regiment was involved.

It was a case in which the Warwickshires were strongly represented on the beach on “D Day” when a British Infantry Division was given the task of securing the left flank of the Allied force, the flank bounded by the Canal de Caen and the River Orne.

The Royal Warwickshire Regiment had an action all to themselves on Wednesday, June 7th in Lebisey Wood. Through this wood runs a road to Caen, and the point reached by the Royal Warwickshires was considerably in advance of the other troops in the British force. It was known that the wood was occupied, but the exact strength of the enemy had not been measured.

Several companies of the regiment penetrated the wood, and came under heavy fire. The enemy seemed to be all round them in strongly defended localities. Enemy tanks were there too. Many of the attacking troops spent 12 hours in the wood and were engaged in heavy fighting most of the time. The Warwicks eventually withdrew, with casualties, to Bieville, which is also on the Caen road.

Major R G Krever, of Oxford, who gave an account of the action had a special word of praise for Sergt W G Goode, of Rushden, who successfully led a party out of the danger spot.

Sergt Goode, aged 29 years, was born at Rushden but spent most of his life at Wellingborough, until his marriage in November 1939, to Miss Margaret Lord, of Earls Barton, the couple then coming to reside in Hall-avenue.

He has been in the Army over four years and the whole of that period was spent in this country until going to France. As a boy he was educated at the Victoria-road school, Wellingborough and afterwards worked for the C.W.S. Boot Works at Rushden. He is the only son of Mr and Mrs T Goode, who reside at 12 The Drive, Wellingborough.

Rushden Scouts’ Happy Meeting
News has been received from L.A.C. Jones, of 2 York-road, Rushden and L.A.C. L Rootham, of Newton-road, Rushden, of a surprise meeting in the Malcolm Club at Naples.

These two R.A.F. men were former scoutmasters at St Mary’s, Rushden. L.A.C. Rootham, who was the former scoutmaster, went overseas in July 1943, first to North Africa and then to Italy.

L.A.C. Jones was the assistant scoutmaster and he went abroad in March 1943, to North Africa and then Italy. His former scouting colleague is the first local man he has met out there.

It is understood from their letters that they had a very enjoyable day together on June 30th at the Malcolm Club and the Royal Palace and talked of their many mutual friends and scouts. They send greetings to all their old fellow scouts, wherever they may be, and hope soon to have a happy reunion.

A picture was taken to commemorate the occasion. [We could not get a good enough copy to reproduce here]

Killed in Burma - Rushden Worker in Fatal Accident
Mr and Mrs A Safford, of 1 Upper Queen-street, Rushden, have been informed that Pte Dai Pickton, R.A., has been accidentally killed in Burma.

Pte Pickton had lived with them for five years previous to joining the Army just before the outbreak of war, and worked for Messrs Bignells, Ltd., in Crabb-street. He was 24 years of age and his parents live in Rhondda, Glamorgan, Wales. He had been abroad for about four years.
[Not found on CWGC]

Rushden Youth’s Serious Wounds - Injured in India
Mr and Mrs F Lawson (sic), of 23 Wentworth-road, Rushden, have been informed that their youngest son, Pte Denis Lawman, Northamptonshire Regt., has been wounded in the Indian theatre of war.

Pte Lawman has been wounded through the neck, has a fractured jaw and facial injuries. He is 20 years of age and has been in the Army for 20 months, and abroad since last October. Formerly he was employed by Mrs E Thompson, butcher, of Higham Ferrers and was educated at the Alfred-street school.

His elder brother is with the Army in France and the only sister is in the W.A.A.F.

Rushden Man on Ferry Control – Promoted to Warrant Officer
For the past twelve months on ferry control from this country to Algiers and Gibraltar and back the active R.A.F. career of Warrant Officer Horace Roberts, elder son of Mrs F Roberts, of 20 Irchester-road, Rushden, has been interesting.

Joining the R.A.F. in 1939, he went to the Middle East in 1941, and returned here from one tour of bombing operations in 1942. Another tour, bringing his total operations up to about 58, was done out there, and he came back again early in 1943. The airmen encountered one stoke of bad luck in November 1942, when he was badly wounded, accidentally, by a hand grenade. In addition he has been mentioned in dispatches.

During this period he held the rank of Flight Sergeant and was promoted to Warrant Officer two months ago. Before service, he was employed by Messrs John White’s Newton-road factory. He used to attend Rushden Adult School. He was educated at the Alfred-street school and is now 23 years of age.

His younger brother, Pte E L Roberts, R.A.S.C., is serving in France.

Private William Tew - Not Heard of Since Battle of the Dunes
We are deeply sorry to report that Mrs Clayton, of Harborough-road, Rushden, has received official news that her son, 18060 Pte William Tew of the Northants Regiment, has been missing from his unit since July 10th. Much sympathy will be felt with Mrs Clayton in her anxiety, as she has lost two other sons in the war—Sergt Charles Tew, who was killed on March 5th this year, and Pte Harry Tew, who was killed on August 9th last year.

Pte W Tew enlisted two years ago last April, and at the time he met his end had been in France just over 18 months. Prior to enlistment he had worked for Messrs James Hyde Ltd., for 13 years.

Mrs Clayton will be grateful for any further information concerning her son, as in a recent letter, dated July 7th, he wrote that he had been moved from his original unit, and had been attached to an Australian Tunnelling Company. On the official document which reports him as missing, his number is given correctly, but the name of the regiment stated is the Northants, to which he belonged before becoming attached to the Australian contingent above mentioned. Pte Tew is 39 years of age and unmarried.