Rank: Private. Service No: 7613391. Date of Death: 15/07/1944.
Regiment/Service: Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
Grave Reference: N.W. of church.
Cemetery: CHRISTLETON (ST. JAMES) CHURCHYARD

The circumstances surrounding Private Frank Baker’s loss of life is unknown. He is buried in the churchyard with a Commonwealth Grave Commission headstone. A family called Baker lived in Durban Avenue in 1939, and a different family named Baker lived in Plough Lane in 1950, but there is no clue to his connection with the Village. The Royal Army Ordnance Corps, was a branch of the British Army responsible for the supply and repair of weapons, vehicles, military equipment, ammunition and clothing.

Rank. Sergeant (Air Gunner) Service Number 3010060
Date of Death 29/07/1944 Age 24 Killed in action.
103 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave Reference. Coll. grave 8. K 14-17
Durnback War Cemetery
Son of Eugene & Sara Collins of Freemount. Co. Cork, Irish Republic

103rd Squadron, Lancaster LM538. Loss on 28th/29th July 1944. The crash site was found on a hill in the Black Forest at Bad Rippoldsau, Germnay. Crash time was 01.45am. The Lancaster was flown by Flight Officer Arthur West, who was killed together with all six other crew. Tim Collins was flying as Air Gunner. The aircraft had taken off from RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire, joining 494 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitoes to bomb the German City of Stuttgart- the third of a series of bombing operations on the city. The Luftwaffe night fighters numbering over 200, and aided by a bright moon intercepted the bomber stream on the outward flight over France. The City was devastated with these raids. Over 1,100people killed on the ground and 16,000 injured with most of the cities buildings destroyed. 40 Lancasters were lost during the raid and 203 aircrew killed with a further 50 made POW’s. 24 men evaded capture. 103 Squadron lost 5 aircraft in this operation.

Rank: Lieutenant. Service No: 277891. Date of Death: 28/06/1944. Age: 21
Regiment/Service: Royal Armoured Corps (6th Armoured Division, 26th Armoured Brigade),   17th/21st Lancers.
Grave Reference: VIII, E, 7. Cemetery: ASSISI WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of William Henry and Margaret Crawford Campbell Evans, of Vicar's Cross, Cheshire. Batchelor of Arts, Cambridge.

RICHARD CAMPBELL EVANS (Grove, 1938-1940)
Richard Evans was at Grove from September, 1938 to July, 1940. He entered the Lower VI and during his two years at Leighton Park he worked for H.S.C. and to gain entrance to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he studied Economics and voluntarily joined the O.T.C. into the work of which he threw himself with zest.

Subsequently he went on to Sandhurst and during his time there his troop was inspected by the King and Queen at a particular parade. When he had obtained his commission, he was attached to an armoured battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers and received further training at Thoresby Hall, Worksop. Later we had cheerful letters from him describing his journey out to French North Africa and giving the news that he had travelled part of the way on a troopship with Martin Orde. And now comes the sad news that he has been killed while fighting in Italy. He held the rank of Lieutenant.

Richard Evans was not at Leighton Park very long, and unfortunately, he had a good deal of illness while he was here. But he became a very loyal Old Leightonian who used to visit the School whenever he could and wrote to us not infrequently. He enjoyed sharing his experiences with others and being in a community. He asked for friendship and in return he gave it and served his fellows unselfishly and loyally. Such a friend is one worth having and we know that the officers and men in his battalion must mourn his loss deeply, as we do. We extend our sincerest sympathy to his parents who have lost their only child. J.K.T.

His Army Career
The 17th and 21st Lancers were amalgamated in 1922 to form the 17th/21st Lancers. During the Second World War the regiment fought in North Africa and Italy. The Lancers trained in the UK with Valentine tanks before embarking for Operation Torch, North Africa, November 1942.

The Second World War: Italy 1944
The Regiment arrived in Italy during the preparation phase for the assault on the Gustav Line, a defensive line running the entire length of Italy and hinged on Monte Cassino. The assault began on 11th May 1944 with the crossing of the River Gari. The 17th/21st moved to their bridge-crossing site 'Amazon' during the night only to find that the bridges had not been laid, due to all the engineer bulldozers having been knocked out. As a result, the Regiment were forced to improvise, using their tanks to shunt a Bailey Bridge into position and thus effect a crossing.

By the 14th the Corps had achieved nineteen crossings and by the 16th the pressure on the Germans proved so great that they were forced to abandon the Gustav Line. It took the Canadians a further five days to breech the Adolf Hitler Line after which the road to Rome was effectively clear. The advance north of Rome proved itself even harder than in the south. There were only three routes capable of supporting armoured formations, with the Germans covering all of them with direct and indirect fire. The delaying action the Germans fought was so effective it took the Allies four months to reach the Gothic Line. The winter of 1944/1945 saw the 17th/21st taking their turn as infantry on the Gothic Line in The Apennine Mountains, not only manning trenches but machine guns and mortars. For the Regiment the battle of The Po Valley proved to be the final action of the war. By VE Day the 17th/21st Lancers had lost 21 officers, and 135 other ranks killed, Lieutenant Richard Campbell Evans being one of the Officers.