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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:12 PM

John Arthur King’s mother was May Victoria Key, born in Camberwell in 1899, the daughter of Henry and Mary Ann Key. The Census Records of 1901 and 1911 show that May was one of 7 Children born to Henry and Mary Ann.

CENSUS RECORDS 1901 and 1911 of Mary Victoria Key (John Arthur’s mother):

1901 Census Lewisham, London

57 Dillwyn Road

Henry Key, head 38, gas stove fitter, born Camberwell, London
Mary Ann Key, wife 27, born Henley Nettle, Bedfordshire
Emma Key, daughter 13, born Bury, Lancashire
Lilly Key, daughter 8, born Manchester
Mary Key, daughter 3, born Camberwell, London
May V Key, daughter 2, born Camberwell, London – John Arthur’s mother
William H Key, son 1, born Sydenham, Kent

1911 Census, Sydenham

55 Dillwyn Road

Henry Key, head 50, married, gas stove cooker fitter, born Camberwell, London
Mary Key, wife 40, married 14 years, 7 children, 7 still living, born Camberwell
Lilly Key, daughter 17, born Camberwell
Mary Key, daughter 13, born Camberwell
May Key, daughter 12, born Camberwell – John Arthur’s mother
Willie Key, son 10, born Lewisham, Kent
Harry Key, son 9, born Lewisham
Robert Key, son 7, born Lewisham
Norah Key, daughter 5, born Lewisham
Rose Key, daughter 1, born Lewisham
NB. Henry Key was previously shown married to an Emma Ann Key on the 1891 census with whom he had two children both born in Lancashire, Emma and Lilly. Emma Ann Key died in 1896 age 29 and Henry married Mary Ann Wheeler in Camberwell the following year 1897.

CENSUS RECORDS 1901 and 1911 of Harold Ernest King (John Arthur’s father):

1901 Census Sheffield, Yorkshire

93 Capel Street

Joseph King, head, 44, road contractor born Thornborough, Oxfordshire
Lavinia King, wife 43, born Sheffield
Mary E King, daughter 20, born Sheffield
Leonard King, son 16, cutlery errand boy born Sheffield
Flora King, daughter 7, born Sheffield
Edith L King, daughter 7, born Sheffield
Harold E King, son 5, born Sheffield – John Arthur’s father
Wilfred King, son 3, born Sheffield
Beatrice L King, daughter 1, born Sheffield
Lilly H King, granddaughter 11 months, born Sheffield
Walter J Barron, son-in-law 32, born Sheffield
Ada F Barron, daughter 28, born Sheffield
Ethel Barron, granddaughter 12, born Sheffield
Arthur Barron, grandson 5, born Sheffield

1911 Census, Sheffield

93 Capel Street

Lavinia King, wife 56, married 34 years, 10 children, 9 still living, born Sheffield
Harold King, son 15, carrier, born Sheffield – John Arthur’s father
Wilfred King, son 13, born Sheffield
Beatrice King, daughter11, born Sheffield
Elizabeth Mills, mother 79, widow, old age pensioner born Sheffield

**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:15 PM

Harold Ernest King enlisted 16 February 1914 into the York and Lancaster Regiment and went to France 16 February 1915. He was wounded shortly after and returned to England in May. Harold remained in England until 13 September 1915 we he left to partake in the war in the Dardanelles, Suvla Bay and Egypt.

Harold returned to France where he suffered a gunshot wound, returned home and was discharged in January 1918. Harold was entitled to the 1914-15 Star along with the British War Medal and Victory Medal, however due to being absent without leave whilst at home in England in 1917 he was classed as a deserter and his medals forfeited. The medals were finally issued to him in July 1941. Harold received a Silver War Badge in 1918 due to his early discharge from his wound.

Below is his MIC:

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MM WW 2 Group of 4 - JOHN KING - KIA Cauldron 1942 - Harold King (Johns Father) - MIC.jpg (83.5 KB, 73 views)

**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:21 PM

Below is his name listed on the 1914-15 Star Medal Roll (note the comments about Forfeiture of medals):

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:22 PM

His Silver War Badge Roll:

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MM WW 2 Group of 4 - JOHN KING - KIA Cauldron 1942 - Harold King (Johns Father) - SWB.jpg (124.2 KB, 66 views)

**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:29 PM

John Arthur King was born on 15 June 1919 at 48 Vanbrugh Hill, Greenwich, the son of Harold Ernest King and May Victoria Key.

Later on in September 1919 Harold Ernest King marries May Victoria Key in Lewisham (three months after John Arthur King was born in Greenwich). The address where Harold and May were living when they registered the birth, 137 Perry Rise, Forest Hill is the address shown on Harold’s discharge papers. John Arthur’s birth was registered on 5 September 1919 after Harold and May were married.

The birth certificate records John’s father Harold Ernest King as a Private in the RASC and a builder and laborer.

Below are the details in his Birth Certificate:

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MM WW 2 Group of 4 - JOHN KING - KIA Cauldron 1942 - Birth Certificate.jpg (128.3 KB, 66 views)

**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:31 PM

We fast forward to 1940. World War II stated in September 1939. Just a few days before John enlists he marries Mary Patricia Long on 3 February 1940 at St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Westminster. The marriage certificate states that John Arthur King aged 20 profession is a Hotel Hall Porter living at residence 3 Palace Gate, Kensington W.8. His father is Harold Ernest King a builder’s labourer.
Mary Patricia Long was aged 22, listed as a spinster living at residence Flat 3 Granville House, Granville Place W.1 Her father John Long (deceased) had been a General labourer. They were married in the presence of J. S. FitzGibbons and D. R. FitzGibbons by Thomas W. Anderson Priest (R.C.).

Information on Marriage Certificate:

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:35 PM

John Arthur King – Military Timeline (Pre-deployment)

Only 2 days after getting married John enlists on 5 February 1940 into the Territorial Army and was posted to 37th Signal Training Regiment Royal Artillery with the rank of gunner 5/2/1940 with Service Number 960386.

His enlistment description was:
Height: 5 ft. 3 7/8 in.
Weight: 134 lbs.
Girth when fully expanded: 34 in.
Range of expansion: 4 in.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Dark Brown
Religious Denomination: Church of England
Distinctive Marks: Scar right leg, scar on right eyebrow,
Occupation: Hall Porter

According to his service records the following timeline of postings occurred:

Service Home 5-2-1940 to 10-9-1940 = 218 days
Appointed Driver in charge 5/4/1940
Posted to 3rd Reserve Medium Regiment 5/8/1940
Posted to 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery 30/8/1940

Middle East 11-9-1940 to 2-6-1942 = 1 year 265 days
Proceeded Overseas to Middle East Gunner/Driver 10/9/1940

Below are his Service Records:

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:37 PM

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:38 PM

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:39 PM

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:44 PM

John Arthur King – Military Timeline (Deployment)

The 1st Royal Horse Artillery Regiment arrived with the Middle East Command in October 1940 and took a large part in Wavell's Campaign which opened on 9 December 1940. The most notable actions were those during the Siege of Tobruk and all the batteries fought during the fierce fighting just before El Alamein (including the Battle of Gazala in which John was later to be KIA’d).

Below is an actual transcript of the 1st Regiment RHA war service from 1940 through 1942:

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**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:46 PM

Operation Crusader – November 1941 (Battle that John’s actions led to award of his Military Medal)

It was during the final offensive of 1941 (Operation Crusader) that the British finally liberated the Tobruk garrison and pushed Rommel out of Eastern Libya.

John, then a Lance-Bombardier with the 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery was decorated for his gallantry as wireless operator in an armoured O.P. at Ed Duda during the Sidi Rezegh battles of November 1941.

Over view Map of the Battle:

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MM WW 2 Group of 4 - JOHN KING - KIA Cauldron 1942 - Operation Crusader.jpg (63.1 KB, 58 views)

**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:47 PM

The action at Ed Duda, one of many notable actions fought around Sidi Rezegh in November 1941, assisted in keeping open the “Tobruk Corridor”. Specific mention of the John’s battery at work can be found in The Crucible of War, by Barrie Pitt:

“The first move in the battle began late the following morning (29 November) when 15th Panzer, which had climbed the Escarpment east of Point 175, swept down the Sidi Rezegh valley to turn north around Abiar el Amar in a move reversing the sequence with which 21st Panzer had opened their first attack on the airfield seven days before. By mid-afternoon they were facing north-east towards the defenses of Ed Duda, which consisted of the infantry of 1st Essex, 2nd/13th Australians, a company of 1st Royal Northumberland machine-gunners and twenty-six ‘I’ tanks of 4th R.T.R., all under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Walter O'Carroll of the R.T.R. In a three-hour attack, the leading Panzers rolled over two companies of the unfortunate Essex infantrymen, destroyed all the anti-tank guns in the area and knocked out fifteen tanks, but fortunately for O'Carroll, just behind his headquarters was a battery of Royal Horse Artillery. When, shortly after 1700 hours, the Panzers advanced again, they found themselves pinned down by a storm of fire which took them totally by surprise.

Moreover, the bombardment increased as darkness thickened, for Brigadier Willison arrived and decided that shock tactics alone would rectify the situation. Just before midnight, after yet another crashing barrage from the R.H.A., the eleven remaining tanks of 4th R.T.R. lined up abreast with only a foot between their horns and advanced directly forwards with every gun firing as fast as it could be reloaded and two companies of Australians charging with the bayonet immediately behind. By 0200 hours, the Essex positions were re-established, 167 German prisoners were being led back towards Tobruk and the bodies of many more littered the area. Panzer Regiment 8 had been bloodily repulsed and the Tobruk “Appendix” still existed.”

Below is some background and highlights of the Crusader operations in November 1941:

The Main Offensive

In June 1941, the Allies launched the Operation Battle Axe offensive and it failed. With a new commander at the helm, Claude Auchinleck, the Allies planned a new offensive against the Axis forces in Libya, with particular focus on relieving the siege at Tobruk. While the British planned for such an attack, an effort was launched in parallel to deceive the Axis into thinking that the British would not be able to launch any major offensive until early Dec 1941; additionally, false intelligence was shaped in a way that, to the Axis leadership, it appeared that the offensive would come from the area of Giarabub, an oasis village far to the south. The offensive was planned under the codename "Crusader", inspired by the new tanks by the same designation that were now arriving in the theater in larger numbers.

The offensive was to be conducted by two British corps. The British XXX Corps, under Lieutenant General Willoughby Norrie, was consisted of Major General William Gott's British Armoured Division, Major General George Brink's South African 1st Infantry Division (two brigades), and the independent 22nd Guards Brigade. The British XIII Corps, under Lieutenant General Reade Godwin-Austen, was consisted of Major General Frank Messervy's 4th Indian Infantry Division, Major General Bernard Freyberg's New Zealand 2nd Division and the 1st Army Tank Brigade.

On the Axis side, two formations stood in the British offensive's path. German General Erwin Rommel's force was consisted of the German 15th Panzer Division, the German 21st Panzer Division, the German 90th Light Infantry Division, the Italian 55th Infantry Division "Savona", and General Enea Navarini's Italian XXI Army Corps (4 divisions). The other formation defending Axis territory was the Italian XX Motorized Corps, which was consisted of the Italian 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" and the Italian 101st Motorized Division "Trieste". A good portion of the Axis forces were near Tobruk as Rommel was planning on launching a major offensive against Tobruk on or around 24 Nov.

Before dawn on 18 Nov, the British Eighth Army advanced southwest from Mersa Matruh, Egypt, with the British 7th Armoured Division at the spearhead; this main column of the offensive crossed the Egyptian-Libyan border near Fort Maddalena and then turned northwest. Meanwhile, the South African Division protected the southern flank, and the British XIII Corps and the British 4th Armoured Brigade held the area west of Sidi Omar to counter a potential Axis counter offensive through that area. The opening phases of the invasion was originally to be assisted by some of the 724 British and Commonwealth aircraft assigned to the operation, but all ground support missions were canceled due to the unexpected bad weather; on the other side of the token, the bad weather aided the Allied efforts by preventing Axis reconnaissance flights from being launched, which could have detected the preparations for the operations. The first day of the offensive no resistance was met. In the morning of 19 Nov, the Italian Ariete Division halted the 22nd Armoured Brigade of the British 7th Armoured Division at Bir el Gubi; however, the 7th Armoured Brigade and the 7th Support Group of the same division were able to advance near Tobruk, capturing the Sidi Rezegh airfield during the process. Meanwhile on the same day, the British 4th Armoured Brigade engaged 60 tanks, supported by 8.8-centimeter guns, of the German 21st Panzer Division on the offensive's northern flank. On 20 Nov, the British 22nd Armoured Brigade continued its fight with the Italian Ariete Division, the British 7th Armoured Brigade repulsed an infantry counter attack launched by the German 90th Light Infantry Division and the Italian Bologna Division at Sidi Rezegh, and the British 4th Armoured Brigade fought a second tank battle with the German 21st Panzer Division.

In the afternoon of 20 Nov, the British 4th Armoured Brigade engaged with tanks of the German 15th Panzer Division. After losing about 40 tanks during this engagement, the British 4th Armoured Brigade was now down to about 120 tanks; it had begun the campaign with 164 tanks. On the German side, the 21st Panzer Division was temporarily withdrawn for refueling. At dusk, the British 22nd Armoured Brigade arrived on the scene, but it was too late to assist the British 4th Armoured Brigade. During the night, Rommel withdrew all his tanks northwest in order to launch a major counter attack on Sidi Rezegh.

On 21 Nov 1941, the Allied garrison at Tobruk attempted a break out, which surprised the Axis forces. By mid-afternoon, the Allied advance from Tobruk had advanced about 5.6 kilometers. It was at that time that the Tobruk garrison learned that the British 7th Armoured Brigade, which was supposed to attack in the direction of Tobruk starting at 0830 hours, had changed its plans due to the unexpected presence of 200 German tanks to the southeast. Instead of a full offensive spearheaded by armor, the tanks of the 7th Armoured Brigade turned to face the new German threat, leaving the attack to infantry. Without tanks, the advance was slow, thus by mid-afternoon the link up attempt was abandoned. Meanwhile, German Panzer troops captured the airfield at Sidi Rezegh in the early afternoon, while fighting in the immediate area continued into the next day with heavy tank losses on either side, though the British saw more tanks lost. Also on 22 Nov, heavy fighting developed between New Zealand and Italian troops near Sollum, while troops of the Indian 7th Brigade captured Sidi Omar. On 23 Nov, troops of the New Zealand 5th Brigade advanced toward Sollum, cutting off Axis supply routes from Bardia. Also on 23 Nov, Rommel gathered the remainder of his two armored divisions and launched an attack together with the Italian Ariete Division to cut off and destroy the rest of the British XXX Corps; brutal fighting led to heavy casualties on both sides.

On 23 Nov, the Italian High Command in Rome, Italy agreed to put the Italian XX Mobile Corps, which included the Ariete Division and the Trieste Division, under Rommel's direct command.

On 24 Nov, German and Italian tanks sped for Sidi Omar, splitting the British XXX Corps. Pressing on, Rommel ordered further advances on 25 Nov toward Sidi Azeiz, but the column was discovered and attacked by Allied aircraft. At Sidi Omar, the German 5th Panzer Regiment attacked positions manned by troops of the Indian 7th Brigade, which fought off the repeated assaults with the help of their 25-pounder artillery; at the end of the day, the German 5th Panzer Regiment found itself exhausted. On 26 Nov, German and Italian forces converged toward Fort Capuzzo; by dusk, they met defenses manned by the New Zealand 5th Brigade.

In the morning of 27 Nov, Rommel withdrew the weakened German 21st Panzer Division from the fighting at the Egyptian-Libyan border, redeployment it at Tobruk to help counter the Tobruk garrison's attempts to break out; en route west, the 21st Panzer Division was harassed by troops of the New Zealand 22nd Battalion, delaying their arrival at Tobruk for a day. The German 15th Panzer Division, however, remained on the offensive. At Sidi Azeiz, the German 15th Panzer Division engaged in combat in the morning against outnumbered New Zealand troops, and captured the position with 700 prisoners captured; Rommel personally oversaw this attack from the front. At this point, the Axis forces were within four miles of the British Eighth Army's main supply base, but this fact was not known to Rommel until later. At noon, the German 15th Panzer Division reached Bir el Chleta, but was halted by the British 22nd Armoured Brigade and Allied aircraft. By the early afternoon of 27 Nov, it was clear to Allied leaders that the Axis offensive was beginning to lose steam. During that night, however, Rommel knew his tanks could still press on. For the most of the day on 28 Nov, the German 15th Panzer Division engaged British tanks, succeeding in pushing them back toward the west despite being outnumbered. Elsewhere, an Italian attack of two motorized battalions near Tobruk saw the capture of a New Zealand field hospital, which resulted in the capture of 1,000 troops and 700 medical staff members.

**Darrell** · 04-15-2015, 03:48 PM

On 29 Nov, the German 15th Panzer Division started westward south of Sidi Rezegh in the morning. In the afternoon, the Italian Ariete Division overran the New Zealand 21st Battalion at Point 175. In the evening, the South African 1st Brigade was placed under the command of the New Zealand 2nd Division, which launched an attack in attempt to recapture Point 175. On 30 Nov, New Zealand 24th and 26th Battalions were battered by Axis attacked at Sidi Rezegh. At 0615 hours on 1 Dec, the German 15th Panzer Division began an assault on Belhamed, supported by large numbers of artillery pieces. The British 7th Armoured Division was ordered to counterattack at Belhamed, and they might had been able to do so successfully given they outnumbered the German tanks, but miscommunications resulted in the British tanks moving into rear positions to cover a potential retreat by the Allied troops. By the end of the day, the New Zealand 20th Battalion was practically wiped out.

Between 4 and 6 Dec, fighting took place across the front without decisive outcomes. The Allied reserves began to be committed as attrition began to take a toll, but the Allied leadership saw the situation as favorable to them. On 7 Dec, Rommel began to pull back by 10 miles toward Gazala, abandoning the Tobruk front. On 10 Dec, the siege at Tobruk was lifted.

The British Eighth Army launched an attack on the Gazala Line on 13 Dec. During the attack, the New Zealand 5th Brigade and Indian 5th Brigade attacked Alem Hamza, which was repulsed by the defending Italian Trieste Division, losing only Point 204 to the west. The Germans attempted a counterattack with 39 tanks followed by 300 trucks full of infantry, but the attack was stalled, albeit at a high cost for the Allies. On 14 Dec, the Polish Independent Brigade was moved to the front in preparation for a new offensive beside the New Zealand troops, which began at 0300 hours on 15 Dec; the attack surprised the Axis defenders, but it failed to breach the line. Later on that day, the Axis forces attacked and recaptured Point 204, causing high casualties among the Indian units defending that position. At the end of the day, Rommel decided to fall back from the Gazala Line during the night. Over the following ten days, the Axis forces fell back to the line between Ajedabia and El Haseia.

Epilogue

On 27 Dec, after the Axis forces were able to replenish, an attack was launched that resulted in a tank battle of El Haseia; the British 22nd Armoured Brigade suffered heavy casualties. Nevertheless, this would prove to be the last attack during this period, and Rommel's forces were now unable to return to the border area between Libya and Egypt. On 2 Jan 1942, the last Axis garrison on the Egyptian-Libyan border, Bardia, surrendered to the South African 2nd Division, resulting in 7,000 men captured. Sollum was captured by South African troops on 12 Jan. Halfaya Pass, with a 5,000-strong garrison, surrendered on 17 Jan after running out of supplies. On 21 Jan, Rommel tried one last major counterattack, capturing Benghazi by the first week of Feb, but the offensive was halted at the Gazala Line. Rommel would find himself not able to regain the offensive momentum for the months to come.

With Tobruk relieved, Operation Crusader was considered an overwhelming success, and it was the first major victory over German forces in North Africa. At the end of the operation, the Allies suffered 17,700 casualties and lost 278 tanks and 300 aircraft; the Axis suffered 38,300 casualties and lost 300 tanks and 600 aircraft.

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WW2 MM KIA Group of 4 to JOHN KING - 1st Regiment RHA

WW2 MM KIA Group of 4 to JOHN KING - 1st Regiment RHA

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