George Wilfred Himbury

Rank:W.O.2. 1 Engineer's Supply Base Depot Number:1866180
Died:12/03/1941Age:31
How Died:Building Collapsed - HE bomb
Incident Date:12/03/1941
Incident Address.Drill Hall, Hyde Road, Ardwick
Died Address:Drill Hall, Hyde Road, Ardwick
Grave Details:Sec. Y. Grave 258
Grave Photo:No
Cemetery or Memorial:Weston-super-Mare Cemetery
Town Memorial:Not Listed
Extra Information:
Born at Malta in 1909, the son of Sergeant Samuel
Himbury Royal Engineers and Holly Henrietta
Himbury (nee Spry).

His father had served in the Royal Engineers at
Malta from late 1905 until late 1910.

1911 Census - Gibraltar Barracks, Stanhope Lines,
Aldershot ('C' Terrace or 'C' Square, Married
Quarters).  Son - aged: 2 - born: Malta.   Head:
Samuel Himbury - Married - aged: 36 - occ:
Sergeant (Royal Engineers) - born: Plumstead,
Kent.  Also - Holly Himbury - Wife - aged: 30 -
born: Portsmouth, Hampshire.   Plus 4 siblings.  
Samuel & Holly had produced 6 children, 1 of whom
had, by then died.

He married Kathleen Lucy Clayton during the
September quarter 1936 in the Medway R.D. - ref:
2a/3203.

His father - Samuel Himbury died in 1937, aged:
61.

1939 National Registration. - No Trace of George,
indicating that he was already serving in the Army
at the outbreak of WW2.   No trace of his wife -
Kathleen Himbury either.   His mother was recorded
as residing at 107 Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth,
Hampshire.   Holly Himbury - Widow - born: 29th
December 1880 - occ: Domestic.

M.Q.M.S. Mechanist Quarter Master Sergeant at 1
Engineer, Supply Base Depot.

One of 12 Royal Engineers from 1 Engineer, Supply
Base Depot killed when a H.E. bomb landed on the
Royal Artillery Officers Mess on Hyde Road,
Ardwick where they were billeted.  Eleven of them
were killed outright, but the 12th survived, only
to be killed when he went back into the building
to search for his buddies when the remains of the
building collapsed onto him.  His body was not
recovered until the following day.  George was
that 12th man who went back into the building to
try and find his buddies.

In total only nine bodies were recovered, but the
remains of three of them were never found and, in
consequence they have no known graves - their
deaths were not registered until September 1941.

Death registered during the March quarter 1941 in
the Manchester R.D.- ref: 8d/558 - aged: 31.

CWGC - Son of Samuel and Holly Himbury, husband of
Kathleen Lucy Himbury, of Copnor, Hampshire.

His widow married George's bother - William J.
Himbury in 1943 and they emigrated to Canada.

Due to the military losses, the war-time Censors
did a fine job with this incident and it was
'hushed up' at the time.  So fine a job did the
authorities do, that until recently the local
studies libraries had no knowledge of the
incident, not even the Royal Engineers Museum at
Chatham knew anything about it.   Their names were
as follows:-

Benjamin Harry BROUGHTON
Eric John Berkley CLAYTON
Leslie DANES
William Reginald DEAKIN
George Wilfred HIMBURY
James Bird HODGSON
Charles C. HOLMAN
William Hugh MILLER
Isaiah MOSS
Henry William Abram ROBERTS
Jack Edward SHELDRAKE
Dennis Henry Wilfred THAYER

District:
Manchester (City of Manchester)
Memorials found on:
C.W.G.C.
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