Reginald Williams
Memorial: Kingswood - Holy Trinity Church
Regiment: South Staffordshire Regiment
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Private 5510041
Parents: Arthur James and May Elizabeth Williams
Home address: Kingswood, Bristol
Date of birth: 1922
Place of birth: Keynsham, Bristol
Date of death: 09/07/1943
Buried/Commemorated at: No known burial site but commemorated at Cassino Memorial, Italy
Age: 21
Further information:
Reginald's birth was registered in Keynsham. In 1941 his battalion (the 2nd, Airborne) was selected to convert to an Airlanding unit in the newly formed 1st Airlanding Brigade and in early 1943 they were stationed in North Africa. In July 1943 the regiment joined the Italian Campaign beginning with the invasion of Sicily by air. Reginald’s regiment landed behind enemy lines in gliders, and as a consequence suffered heavy casualties as they were fired on by Axis Forces. Reginald was killed on the first day of the Sicily Invasion (9 July – 17 August 1943) and he was one of 4,500 allied fatalities from this operation. His body was never identified and the Cassino Memorial on which he is remembered, commemorates over 3,100 Commonwealth servicemen who took part in the Italian campaign and whose graves are not known.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/