80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings
Thursday 6th June 2024 marked 80 years since the D-Day landings. D-Day, or Operation Overlord, played a pivotal role in liberating northern France and moving towards the eventual defeat of Germany.
The School community came together on the morning of 6th June 2024 to commemorate the fallen and honour their sacrifice. At 6.30am a piper played a lament to a small gathering at the Cloisters. Later in the morning, the full School community came together at the Cloisters in a special assembly led by history master Rupert Follett, formerly a Major in HM Armed Forces, to mark the poignant anniversary.
Many Old Sedberghians were involved in the Normandy campaign both on D-Day itself and in the weeks that followed. This article features some of the OS who are known to have given their lives during those challenging weeks.
Lance Corporal Edward A H Jobes (P 1939 – 41) of the East Yorkshire Regiment died on 6th June 1944 during the D-Day landings aged 21. The East Yorkshire Regiment had previously been involved in action in France in 1940 before being evacuated from the beaches of La Panne. His Battalion spent time working on defences on the south coast of England in preparation for the anticipated invasion. Having been chosen to take part in an “Assault Operation” the Battalion went to Scotland to undergo intense training for a beach invasion and battle. The men did not know at the time, but they were preparing to take part in the largest seaborne invasion in history. The exact details of Jobes’ death on D-Day are not known. The East Yorks lost 5 officers and 60 men that day, with a further 4 officers and 137 men wounded.
Lieutenant Sydney Evelyn Frost (SH 1936 – 41) was killed in action, aged 21, while serving with the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Ulster Rifles on the 27th June 1944; he was killed by an anti-personnel mine in Cambes Wood, Normandy. His regimental history records: ‘Sydney (sic) Frost joined the Battalion when we were at Hythe, and in the arduous training that followed at Rushven and Inverary soon infected 10 Platoon with his own enthusiasm and keenness. When the Battalion moved back to Hawick, he took part in all the sports, and in particular I remember him in “B” Company’s cricket team and his regular appearance every week as wing forward in the Battalion Rugby team, where his speed and initiative were of great value. Both in the arduous training exercises that took place in bitter weather in Scotland, and under the more serious strain of active service he was always able to pull out the extra bit of physical endurance and determination of spirit that brought him and his men through many tough times. He landed with the Battalion in Normandy on D-Day, took part in the assault on Cambes Wood. His cheerfulness, leadership and courage were outstanding, even among the fine examples of such that were seen during those trying days. It was a great shock and a grievous loss when the news that he had been killed by a mine was announced; but the spirit of cheerful comradeship, determination and disciplined initiative that he had passed from himself to 10 Platoon, during the 16 months he was their leader, survived his death and has been the finest tribute to his memory his men were able to pay.’
Chaplain Cyril Minton-Stenhouse (SH 1923 – 28) died of wounds aged 35. He was injured near Grainville, Odon Bridgehead, Cheux while serving as Chaplain with the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department attached to the 151st (the Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment Royal Artillery on 30th June 1944. The regimental history includes the following account of his death: ‘The Regiment’s first fatal casualty in action was sustained, the Padre, the Rev. C. Minton-Senhouse. He was walking round on a visit to the guns when a shell fell close, wounding him in the head. He died two days later. Although he had been with the Yeomanry for only four months, he was much respected and well liked, and his death was deeply felt.’ The history goes on to say, ‘The quiet courage of many Padres who served with units on active service perhaps receives too little attention in regimental histories and other works whose aim is to deal principally with the progress of battles and the deeds of the participants.’
In total 14 OS are known to have died following their involvement in the Normandy campaign. Sadly, due to paper shortages during the war the School magazines were much more brief than had been the case immediately before the war. As a result, the rich obituaries featured for WW1 casualties were not repeated when lives were lost during WW2.
The School seeks to commemorate every OS casualty and hopes to build on the School records to give a full and vivid account of the lives of each of our casualties. If you can contribute information about these men, relating to their School or military careers, or their home life then please get in touch with the School Archivist Katy de la Rivière kdlr@sedberghschool.org who would be delighted to hear from you.
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