Roll of Honour: John Harding

Lieutenant J. A. L. Harding

HMLCG(L) 11 Royal Marines

Killed in action, 2 November 1944, Belgium.

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John Allan Leap Harding was the eldest son of Francis Joseph Harding BEM and Mary Alice Harding of Gosport, Hampshire. Francis was Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy. Mary died some time in the mid thirties and John went to live with his aunt, Mrs Bouvard at the Bleak House Inn in Horsell. John attended Woking County school 1934-1939.

Before joining up in 1941 John was a clerk with the L.M.S. He was also a member of the Woking Electric Supply Co. Home Guard.

After enlisting he took part in the D-Day landings in June 1944.

From the time of its capture by the allies on September 4 1944 the Belgian inland port of Antwerp assumed immediate strategic importance while the Germans still held the channel ports. Heavily fortified German positions on the Dutch island of Walcheren at the mouth of the River Scheldt, blocked allied access to Antwerp some 50 miles inland. Access to Antwerp would complete allied supply lines for their advancing armies. 

Following the surrender of Zeebrugge on 2 November Montgomery activated Operation Infatuate, the assault on Walcheren.

RAF Bomber Command had bombed Walcheren during October breaching many of the dykes and turning the island into a vast lagoon. A three pronged attack on the island was planned with Canadians attacking from the east and commandos attacking Flushing (in the south) and Westkapelle (in the west).

John was with 4th Special Service Brigade in the attack on Westkappelle. The force of landing crafts and support ships left Oostende at 0315. As dawn broke conditions were clear and they were positioned off their objective by 0930. However heavy mists hung over the Belgian and Dutch airfields and limited the amount of air cover that could be provided.

The ships bombarded the German defences with everything at their disposal including the 15 inch guns of HMS Warspite, the guns of LCGs, the rockets of rocket LCTs and a squadron of rocket-firing Typhoons. The German defences held fire until the assault craft made for the shore.

                                                  

Landing craft approach Walcheren

John was killed when his landing craft was hit by a shell. 30 Craft and over 300 men were lost in the action.

John Harding is buried in Oostende New Communal Cemetery, Belgium (plot 9, row 6, grave 26). He is also remembered on the Woking County Grammar School roll of honour located in Christ Church, Woking and the Woking library World War Two book of remembrance.

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Last updated 21 December 2009

Sources

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Woking News and Mail

Woking County School magazine