Horace Stanley

The youngest child of the Samuel John Stanley and Sarah Selina Denver was my grandfather, Horace Stanley. He joined the Salvation Army in Aston, Birmingham, it was there that he met my grandmother Edith Willmott. This was shortly before he joined the British Army, 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He was only seventeen at the time, but was creative about his age to enable him to enlist early. With the regiment he travelled widely to Cyprus & India and finally to Belgium & France.

It was while “on leave” in 1932 that he married Edith Willmott. They had two children:

  • Hazel (1933)
    She married Leonard Nash. One child Jason.
  • Howard John (1934)
    He married Shirley Powers these being my parents.
    Three children, Ian, Alison & Tracy.

     

Willmott

For more on the Willmott family see details on ...

familyhistory
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This was just a few years before he was tragically part of the rearguard at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940.

 

 

Grandad has no known grave and so his commemoration is limited to the Dunkirk Memorial

 

According to the letter from the War Office that we have it seems that he died in action on 28th May 1940 in either Wormhoudt or nearby Heerzele. This is the same day that some of the same battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were massacred by no.7 company, 2nd battalion of the SS Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler. See here for more of a description of the attrocities.

 

It is not clear to us whether grandad was one of the victims of this attrocity or whether he died nearby in some unconnected incident.

The next news we have is that he was missing and then a letter from the Red Cross indicating that he had died in action.

Shortly afterwards we have the following letter from the King.
 

 

Commemoration, 1990

Together with my father I was able to attend the 50th commemoration of these historic events in Dukirk in May 1990 and able to see Wormhoudt first hand. During a walk around a local cemetery in the town we came across a grave dated 28th May 1940 for a British soldier, name unknown. A very emotional time, for us this was the nearest we will get to finding grandad’s finding resting place. A chance finding that enables us to put some sort of closure on the terrible events that took place 50 years previously.

 

 

During our trip to Wormhoudt in 1990 we came across this plan of Wormhoudt showing the last positions of the various companies of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Granddad was in “D” Company.
 

 

 

 
Horace Stanley & Dunkirk
Stanley Origins

stanleyorigins.org.uk

Argent,
on a bend azure,
three Stags’ Heads cabossed, Or.

 

 

 

 

 

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