ATS Casualty on 18/19 March 1945

Hello,

I am attempting to find out some information on a young (19) ATS casualty in East London which occurred during the night of 18/19 March 1945.

She was engaged to be married to a family member who was due to leave for Europe with the Army that same month.

The very slight details available to us is her Christian name only - Rita - and that she was 19 and came from the Dundee area.
The story only came to light with the recent death of the intended husband (Alfred).
Other details divulged in a letter written shortly before his death were that there had been an explosion at an East End of London school where Rita was stationed during the night in question and there had been many injuries. Rita was one of these and she was very badly injured and taken to somewhere to be treated. However, it was obvious there was little hope for her recovery. She died some 57 hours later and Alfred was present at her bedside during the whole of this time. This episode had a traumatic effect on him for the subject was never subsequently mentioned until shortly before his death. Alfred remained unmarried for the rest of his life.

Despite efforts to trace this young ATS she remains stubbornly beyond identification. Our family would like to identify her if possible so that at least some recognition be given toward Alfred and Rita's hope of a life together.

I have exhaustively trawled through the CWGC ATS casualty lists in various ways - by date, by name (including 'Margaret') and by parents suggested birthplace (Dundee) without luck. I have also tried to pinpoint the school explosion to a location and whether there were any V1/V2 rocket attacks in the East End of London at that time - again without success. I also examined the Dundee Roll of Honour but no luck there either. I have also approached the ATS at War website with my enquiry.

I wonder if anyone out there has any details of the 'explosion' at the school on the date in question or could suggest any other possible routes which could throw some extra light on this very tragic story? However, I recognise that without a surname and ATS number, matters are likely to remain unresolved unless an extraordinary slice of luck materialises.

Many thanks,

Nick.

 

Hi Nick

Welcome

What info do you have that makes you certain the 'incident' happened on the night of 18/19 March 1945

TD

 

Hello,
The dates were specifically noted by Alfred and then divulged many years later in a letter shortly before his death.
He may have been mistaken of course, but knowing him as a stickler for accurate detail it seems unlikely.
The date of Rita's death was more likely to have been the 21/22/23 March given the '57 hours' quoted by Alfred as being the length of time he spent by her bedside after she received her injuries.
I really wish I could supply more info. but that is as much as we know.
Many thanks for your very prompt response.
Nick.

 

Hi Nick

Have been looking at this site for V2 incidents ( http://www.v2rocket.com/start/deployment/timeline.html) but there isn't one that seems to fit.

Also have been checking through Ancestry doing various searches for deaths in March 1945 for someone aged 19/20, possibly called Rita without much success. There are a couple of Margarets but none that seem to fit the bill for East End of London

Will keep looking

TD

 

How about instead of `Rita` it was `Zita`? Zita Mary Prendergast?

Rank: Private
Service No: W/62584
Date of Death:11/03/1945
Regiment/Service: Auxiliary Territorial Service
Grave Reference: New Sec. Grave 61.
Cemetery:EASTOFT (ST. BARTHOLOMEW) CHURCHYARD

Possibility or not? Not born Dundee and was I believe born in 1920 (25) but death registered in Westminister.

(There was a V2 attack on London but West London I think Speakers' Corner, Hyde Park ? (18 March 1945, 3 killed, 81 injured).


Kyle

No not this one poor girl committed suicide found in a gas filled room.

 

Hello Nick

From my list of 974 ATS Casualties I have two who died on the dates mentioned =

SHEPERD, Eva Jane died 18th March buried in Yorks.
HIRONS, Margaret died 19 March buried in Staffs.

And only three with Rita as a forename =
CAREL, Muriel Rita died 1942
NELSON, Rita Elsie died 1946
O’BRIEN, Margaret Florence (Rita) died 1944

Probably not much help but the only ones with the details that you quoted. If she is there I am sure that Tricky Dicky will find her.

Best wishes Tony

 

HI Tony

From your list do you have any that died 20/21/22/23/24/25 March 1945 and I guess registered in London (if thats applicable). I will look at the Rita's you have supplied above.

Thanks

TD

 

Age and name don't fit but this is what I've found. In the Dundee Courier newspaper dated 17 March 45 - Dundee ATS girl killed. Intimation has been received that Private Jean Clunie, ATS, eldest daughter and step daughter of Mr and Mrs W. Giffin, 4 Fairbairn Street, Dundee has been killed by enemy action. She was formerly employed in The Cafe Val D'or (Dundee).

Death does not appear in the Minor Records section in Scotland, so information not conveyed to the Scottish registrar for recording. But death is recorded at Brentford, Middlesex Volume 3a, Page 392 under the name Jeanie C. S. Clunie, birth approx 1924, age 21 Service No: 191504.

She is buried in Section L, Grave 95 (Balgay Cemetery) Dundee according to CWGC. Her full name is given as Jeanie Campbell Stirling Clunie, service no: W/191504 daughter of Kenneth and Elizabeth Clunie.

 

One not too far away at West Ham.

sunday
Mar. 18, (00.32 hours) - Batt. 1./485 (Art. Reg. 1./902), Den Haag, Statenkwartier, V-2 rocket fired, impacted West Ham.

 

Jeanie Clunie in the UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945

Name: Jeanie Clunie
Given Initials: J C S
Rank: Private
Death Date: 14 Mar 1945
Number: 191504
Birth Place: Dundee
Residence: Dundee
Branch at Enlistment: Women's Services
Theatre of War: United Kingdom
Regiment at Death: Auxiliary Territorial Service
Branch at Death: Women's Services

As amberdogs info:

Jeanie C S Clunie in the England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007

Name: Jeanie C S Clunie
Birth Date: abt 1924
Date of Registration: Mar 1945
Age at Death: 21
Registration district: Brentford
Inferred County: Middlesex
Volume: 3a
Page: 392

TD

 

Will check those dates and will come back but I do have Zita Prendergast listed!

Tony

 

TD

Just one -
PARKER, Dorothy Betty Private W/109971 21 Staffs. Ryecroft Cemetery, Walsall Sec.46 Grave 715 23.03.1945
Tony

 

Hi Tony

Thanks for the quick response

Dorothy B Parker in the England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007

Name: Dorothy B Parker
Birth Date: abt 1924
Date of Registration: Mar 1945
Age at Death: 21
Registration district: Walsall
Inferred County: Staffordshire
Volume: 6b
Page: 904

I would assume as her death was registered in Walsall that she died in that area, and from normal causes, hence the civil registration, so I think we can count her out of the equation, as our target girl appears to have died in London from enemy action, hence the CWGC details:

CLUNIE, JEANIE CAMPBELL STIRLING

Rank:Private
Service No:W/191504
Date of Death:14/03/1945
Age:21
Regiment/Service:Auxiliary Territorial Service
Grave Reference: Sec. L. Grave 95. CemeteryUNDEE (BALGAY) CEMETERY
Additional Informationaughter of Kenneth and Elizabeth Clunie, of Dundee.

Perhaps she needs adding to your list??

TD

 

Thanks TD

I do in fact have her listed but due to my rheumatic condition my concentration is badly affected so forgive me; anyway it is probably good therapy exercise.

Tony.

 

No problem Tony - you take good care of yourself

TD

 

Hello again,
My word, I am so impressed by your efforts! I have not absorbed all the content of your responses but will do so asap.
But I must apologise if any of the leads you are so diligently following up turn out to be red herrings.
I can only reiterate the slim facts already given and regret I have nothing else to offer.
If only Alf had mentioned her surname!!
Nick.

 

Hello,

I have examined Alfred's letter again and apologies, I can offer the following extra snippets:
Alfred met Rita in early 1944 when in training at Norwich CSD. He gives her birthday as 19 May 1925.
In the spring of 1944 both Alfred's and Rita's unit were moved to East London in the Dockland area and stationed at two large schools. He also mentions the women (I assume he means the ATS) were stationed in one and the men in the other about half a mile away. He mentions his depot as being at Silvertown.
After the explosion the injured were taken to 'a nearby hall and put to bed' rather than a hospital. It was here that Rita died.
Perhaps this may help if only slightly.

Nick.

 

Hi Nick

I think you need to start refining this search by contacting West Ham Borough Council - or its archive department or local history group - and finding out if they have records of V2 rocket hits in March 1945 (if we assume it was a V2, although I can't think what else it might be) and perhaps they have the information on what buildings were destroyed, details of the rescue and or plans. It may also be an idea to ask the ATS archivist if they had some This would help to narrow and define the search a bit more.

TD

added:
Searching through V2 hits the only one that comes close is:

17 Mar 1945 German V-2 rocket hit 212 Finchley Road near Borough Central Library in Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom. Aside from the library, 1,000 homes, the telephone exchange, the lighting station, Council's Work Depot, Warden's Post No. 16, and Women's Vountary Service offices were damaged. Another rocket hit the Rippleway sidings in Barking, London at 2230 hours.

However these strikes appears to be some way from Silvertown. Also checking CWGC database for ATS girls that died after 17 Mar, shows they were buried in various parts of England none were buried in Scotland as Miss Clunie was.

Finding the date of the incident is a major step in the right direction

TD

 

maybe it was closer then I thought.

 

1940 September London Blitz starts. St John's Church, Hallsville Road School, Silvertown School and Beckton Road schools are all bombed -


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Hallsville+Rd,+London+E16,+UK/Beckton+Rd,+London+E16+1PU/@51.5150417,0.0076571,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8a807da9ec9dd:0xff65221c759403f!2m2!1d0.0111836!2d51.5130881!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8a7e24b5c6b75:0x4cf7ff6c0f11b92b!2m2!1d0.0147285!2d51.5174994?hl=en-GB

Would you believe Half a mile apart.