Willoughby Ricketts
Memorial: Winterbourne - St Michael's Archangel Church
Regiment: Devonshire Regiment
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Private 4126317
Parents: John and Ellen Ricketts
Home address: 6 Watley's End Road, Winterbourne, Bristol
Pre-war occupation: Aircraft Fitter
Date of birth: 20/02/1919
Date of death: 06/01/1941
Buried/Commemorated at: Winterbourne St Michael Churchyard and commemorated on St Michael’s Church Memorial
Age: 21
Further information:
Son of a farm carter Willoughby was one of 9 siblings with 5 older brothers, 2 younger sisters and a younger brother.
Willoughby was signed up to the Territorial Army as a Private and in the summer of 1939 in advance of the war when the Army expanded, Willoughby's Battalion the 5th Devonshires (based around Plymouth) became part of the regular army, converting to a machine gun battalion within the 43rd Wessex Division. At the time of his death Willoughby’s battalion was serving in a home defence capacity and on the day of his death he was riding in a lorry in Kings Langley Hertfordshire, when it was struck by a second lorry. Willoughby sustained significant internal injuries and died later the same day from shock and haemorrhage.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
With kind permission of Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the Second World Stories Project.
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://wartimememoriesproject.com/ww2/allied/battalion.php?pid=6197
https://www.keepmilitarymuseum.org/history/second+world+war/the+devonshire+regiment/the+firth+and+seventh+battalions
Thanks to Gill Greef for providing additional information concerning cause of death