Speech day 1971

Sports day 1938

Sports day report from 1938.

Speech Day 1970

Headmaster 'Jack' Goode hits out at a sick society and parents who 'don't bother'.

Roll of Honour: Thomas Johnson

 

Pilot Officer T. F. E. Johnson

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

145822

Died on active service, 5 September 1943, Wales. Aged 22.

______________________________________________________

Thomas Johnson was never known by his first name. To his family he was ‘Boyk’, his wife called him ‘Johnnie’ and even his mother called him ‘Bill’. To his friends he was ‘Tich’ given his small size.

‘Tich’ was born on 19 April 1921, the son of Edward and Dorothy Johnson who lived in Marsh Lane, Addlestone. He arrived at the County School in 1932 and was a keen and talented football and rugby player. He played for both school teams during his time at the County School.

After leaving school in 1938 ‘Boyk’ worked as a clerk at Vickers before joining up in 1940 and training as an air bomber.

On 28 January 1943 he married Annie Cox (known as ‘Nan’). ‘Nan’ was the sister of Alfred Cox a fellow Old Wokingian who was to die in Japanese hands.

In 1943 ‘Boyk’ was awarded the DFM. At the time he was serving with 44 Sqn. based at Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire. He had already flown a large number of operations to most major targets in occupied Europe in the course of which he invariably displayed the greatest deliberation and coolness when over the target area. As air bomber his skill at target location was excellent and his results were outstanding.

On 5 September 1943 ‘Boyk’ was aboard Lancaster (W4929) when it took off from RAF Winthorpe near Nottingham on a night exercise off the Scottish coast. On the return journey the aircraft ran into a heavy storm over the Brecon Beacons and crashed at 2320 at Fan Foel near Llanddensart. All crew members were lost. To this day the 20m long scar in the moorside is still visible together with some of the wreckage.

The crew that night were as follows:

Pilot Officer Norman Duxbury (Pilot) - Aged 22 from Wigan.

Sgt. Leslie Holding (Flight Engineer) - Aged 20 from Wigan.

Pilot Officer Victor Folkersen RCAF (Navigator) - Aged 27 from Saskatchewan, Canada.

Sgt. Frank Pratt (Wireless Operator) - Aged 22 from Hemel Hempstead.

Sgt. Roy Wilson (Bomb aimer) - Aged 24 from Clitheroe.

Sgt. John Curran (Air gunner) - Aged 19 from Coldstream, Berwickshire.

Sgt. Ernest Buckby RAAF (Air gunner) - Aged 19 from Queensland, Australia.

Pilot Officer Thomas ‘Boyk’ Johnson (Instructor) - Aged 22 from Bisley.

                                                          

W4929 and five crew members

The final chapter of ‘Boyk’s’ story came in 1993 on the 50th anniversary of the crash. Nan Wareham flew in a helicopter to the crash site and unveiled a plaque in memory of the crew of Lancaster W4929. The plaque reads a line from a hymn in Welsh which translates as ‘After the tragedy, may there be peace’. 

                                          

The crash site and memorial plaque

‘Boyk’ Johnson was cremated at Woking Crematorium, St. Johns, Surrey (panel 3) and his ashes were scattered by a bomber over the North Sea. He is also remembered on the Woking County Grammar School roll of honour located in Christ Church, Woking.

______________________________________________________

Last updated 29 August 2009

Sources

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Woking News and Mail

Woking County School magazine

www.lostbombers.co.uk

A special thank you to the late Denis Walker for all his help

Upper 6 Science 1 1966/67

Gallantry medals

Old Wokingians who were awarded medals (or mentioned in dispatches) in WW2 (page in progress):

• A. F. Bathurst - BEM, MID
• E. H. Fox - DFM
• W. Fraser - MC
• W. B. Gingell - DFC, DFM
• J. L. Goode - MID
• V. G. Grylls - DFC
• H. O. F. Humphries - MID
• T. F. E. Johnson - DFM
• E. F. Nind - DFC
• J. F. Painter - DFC
• R. F. Sellers* - AFC 
• P. J. S. Shaughnessy - DFC, AFC
• H. W. Small - MID
• N. K. Turner - DSC
• P. Wade - BEM
• E. J. Ware - DFM
• R. H. Willis - DFM

*Battle of Britain pilot.

School captains

1918-19 F. J. Yeardsley
1919-20 H. Renshaw
1920-22 T. D. Threadgold
1922-23 R. W. Blaxland
1923-24 J. A. Bassett
1924-25 S. D. Threadgold
1925-27 R. H. Tann
1927-28 R. W. Westcott
1928-1930 D. P. Briant
1930-31 R. G. Hall
1931-32 E. A. Blackwell
1932-33 R. N. Coote
1933-34 H. C. Salisbury
1934-35 M. G. Church
1935-36 K. A. Carrdus
1936-37 D. G. Church
1937-39 J. Rathborn
1939- 1940 F. K. Charter
1940-42 M. Johnson
1942-43 W. J. O'Connell
1943-44 J. E. B. Mitchell
1944-45 W. J. Herrington
1945-46 E. D. Ashbee
1946-47 J. E. Simmons
1947-48 D. S. Teague
1948-49 D. G. Dedman
1949-1950 R. J. Seymour/J. L. Martin/J. L. Chaldecott
1950-51 J. A. Backhouse/A. J. Brackin
1951-52 F. B. Walter
1952-53 R. L. Turvill
1953-54 M. J. Webb
1954-56 P. T. Hammond
1956-57 L. B. Fraser
1957-58 B. L. Jones
1958-59 T. D. Hands
1959-1960 R. W. Polhill
1960-61 C. Hulse
1961-62 J, W. Bragg
1962-63 T. Hulse
1963-64 A. M. Henderson
1964-65 P. B. Rumsey
1965-66 D. Ogden
1966-67 G.J. Otter/P. J. Diaper
1967-68 M. G. Edmunds/S. F. Singleton
1968-69 S. F. Singleton
1969-1970 A. P. R. Bignall/J. A. Crittenden
1970-71 J. H. C. Morgan/I. L. Sargent
1971-72 J. P. Ladd/P. H. Attfield
1972-73 D. J. Levy/S. Gutteridge
1973-74 A. S. D. Price
1974-75 M. P. Barber/J. M. Wythe
1975-76 R. Moore
1976-77 T. Eglen

School silver jubilee

The school's silver jubilee as reported by the Woking News and Mail in 1939.

1936 Senior Football Team

1936 Senior Football Team. Photo taken in upper playground.

Horace (Philip) Black and Teddy Johnson were both killed in flying accidents while testing planes in WW2.

Roll of Honour

Incomplete list of Old Wokingians killed, decorated or captured during WW2. I'm not sure why Cyril Horwood has been scratched from the list because he was killed on a training flight at RAF Leuchers in 1941.

1938 Rugby First XV

1938 Rugby first XV. Photo taken in the upper playground.

Gordon Carden, Horace (Phil) Black, Derek Lord and Teddy Johnson were all killed in WW2.

1938 Prefects

1938 Prefects. Photo taken in the upper playground.

Horace (Phil) Black, Kenneth Noble, Montgomery Baker and Teddy Johnson were all killed in WW2.