Hampreston

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Burials in Hampreston (All Saints and Staplehill Abbey Churchyards)
Research by Richard Smith into the lives and deaths of the CWGC War Casualties buried in Hampreston.

CWGC Burials at Hampreston (All Saints) Churchyard

BARRETT George Frederick Sergeant No. 5488134 6th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment

Born in Croydon, Surrey on 4th January 1904 son of George Frederick Barrett, a bricklayer’s labourer, and his wife
Elizabeth (Eliza) Belfield. He married Alice Downton at Bournemouth on 15th February 1926. He joined the Dorset Regt.
Territorials in May 1939 and later that year was called up but a newspaper report suggests he was declared physically unfit
for further War service in 1941, and found employment at the R.N. Cordite factory. He died of tuberculosis of the larynx and
lung at home 1 Leno Villas, Staplehill, Wimborne on 12th November 1942. He was then buried in grave No. 380.

BULL Alfred Volunteer 6th Dorset Battalion (Wimborne) Home Guard

Born in Doncaster, Yorkshire on 3rd February 1884 son of Alfred Bull, a brass finisher, and his wife Annie Elizabeth
Shepherd. He married Eveline Rands at Rotherham, Yorkshire on 11th April 1904, and in 1911 was working as a tramway motorman
in that town. They were still in Rotherham in 1921 when Alfred was then a building contractor, but at some later point moved
to Dorset. In 1939 they were living at Sunny Cottage, Clayford Avenue, Ferndown. Alfred died on 17th August 1941, aged 57,
registered at Blandford, and he was buried in grave No. 354, but cause of his death not found.

HART Norman John Sergeant No. 1194214 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve based at RAF Rufforth, Yorkshire
attached to 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit

Born in Wimborne in January 1921 son of Alfred Hart, a house painter, and his wife Elizabeth Maud Stroud. In 1939 the
family were living at Ringwood Road, Longham. On 19th August 1943 he was the flight engineer on a Handley Page Halifax on a
cross country exercise which collided with H/P Halifax No. R9497 of 1658 H C U and crashed near York. He was aged 22 and was
buried in grave No. 398.

ROBSON Clifford Allan Flying Officer No. 52699 156 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Bomber Command
based at RAF Warboys, Huntingdonshire, but attached to Pathfinder Navigational Training Unit

Born in Dorchester about February 1921 son of Allan Robson, a head foreman at a flax factory who died in 1937, and his
wife Florence Blanche Atherton, formerly Atkins. Clifford was appointed a Flight Sergeant on 30th May 1943. He was the wireless operator on a
pathfinder training exercise when their Avro Lancaster dived into the ground at Old Weston, one mile from Molesworth,
Northamptonshire. He was buried in grave No. 439. His probate to his mother on 28th June 1945 for £147 13s. 9d gave
the family address as Pennys Hill, Ringwood Road, Ferndown.

SMITH Leslie Norman Fl. Sergeant No. 1320175 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve based at RAF Westcott, Buckinghamshire
attached to No. 11 Operational Training Unit

Born in Wimborne in October 1923 son of Frederick Smith, a railway worker, and his wife Ellen Mary Bennett. On 28th August
1945, Leslie was the Navigator on a Vickers Wellington on a night navigational exercise when, after entering cloud, it
encountered icing and turbulence. The pilot lost control and it crashed into the sea at Lyme Bay. Leslie was buried in grave
No. 450. His probate on 13th July 1945 for £138. 18s. 9d. gave the family address as Purlieu, Staplehill, Wimborne.

SQUIRE William Henry Noel Pioneer No. 366923 Royal Engineers serving with Tyne Electrical Engineers

Born in Chard, Somerset son of Wallace Thomas Squire, a market gardener who died in 1918, and his wife Jane Wreyford
who died on 15th March 1906. On 9th November 1907 Wallace then married Elizabeth Louisa Richards at Hampreston . William was
aged 19 when he died at Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, Portsmouth on 30th October 1918 but I did not find a cause of his death.
He was buried in a grave south west of the church. His father was then living at Park View, Longham, Wimborne.

CWGC Burials at Staplehill Abbey Roman Catholic Churchyard

PLATT Francis Cuthbert Commander D.S.O. Royal Navy (Retired)

Born in Whitkirk, Yorkshire in August 1885 son of the Rev’d George Morton Platt who died in 1898, and his wife Emma
Sedgwick Matthews who died in 1896. Francis enlisted in the Royal Navy at Britannia Royal Naval College in January 1901,
promoted to Lieutenant in July 1907 and Lt. Commander in July 1915. He was given command of the anti-submarine sloop HMS
Wallflower, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for the sinking of German U-boat U-32 in the Mediterranean in
May 1918. On 28th July 1926 he married Frances Helen Heron-Watson whilst serving as a Lt. Commander on HMS Agamemnon.
Advanced to Commander when placed on the Naval Retired List, he offered his services in 1939, and it seems served in Norway,
but suffered ill health, and was admitted to Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, Gosport, Hampshire in July 1940. He died from a
coronary thrombosis on 15th February 1941 at Ferndown Nursing Home, Carroll Avenue, Ferndown, and was buried near the east
boundary of the cemetery. His probate to his widow Frances on 15th July 1941 for £1,684 19s. 11d. gave his address as
Penny Cottage, Hinton Martell, Wimborne.

June 2025

Richard Smith

orchidgrower@btinternet.com

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