95220 Lieutenant John Maurice Wakefield KNOTT, MiD, 6th Royal Tank Regiment, RAC: 11/06/1942

Remembering Today

Casualty Details | CWGC
KNOTT, JOHN MAURICE WAKEFIELD
Rank: Lieutenant
Service No: 95220
Date of Death: 11/06/1942
Age: 22
Regiment/Service: 6th Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C.
Awards: Mentioned in Despatches
Cemetery: KNIGHTSBRIDGE WAR CEMETERY, ACROMA
Grave Reference: 10. K. 23.
Additional Information: Son of Lt.Col. J. E. Knott, C.M.G., D.S.O., and Dorothy Mary Knott, of Bromyard, Herefordshire
Personal Inscription VERILY, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME HATH EVERLASTING LIFE

 

Knott, John Maurice Wakefield (1920-1942)
Sherborne School, UK, Book of Remembrance for former pupils who died in the Second World War, 1939-1945.


Knott, John Maurice Wakefield (1920-1942)

 

UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: John Knott
Given Initials: J M W
Rank: Lieutenant
Death Date: 11 Jun 1942
Number: 95220
Birth Place: Eire (for the young ones amongst us, its what we used to call Southern Ireland)
Residence: Herefordshire
Regiment at Enlistment: Royal Tank Regiment RAC
Branch at Enlistment: Royal Armoured Corps
Theatre of War: Middle East
Regiment at Death: Royal Tank Regiment RAC
Branch at Death: Royal Armoured Corps


England, Andrews Newspaper Index Cards, 1790-1976
Name: John Maurice Wakefield Knott
Father's name: J E Knott
Death Date: Jun 1942
Death Place: Libya


UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960
Name: Mr John Maurice Wakefield Knott
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Birth Date: abt 1920
Departure Date: 1 Aug 1940
Port of Departure: Manchester, England
Destination Port: Montreal, Canada
Ship Name: Manchester Progress
Search Ship Database: Search for the Manchester Progress in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping line: Manchester Liners Limited
Official Number: 14732
Master: J E Riley

Seems he spent some time in Canada & US

TD

 

John had been sent to North America, to aid the Dewar Mission, in command of a demonstration party of twelve men together with a Matilda IIA and a Valentine aboard Manchester Progress. They arrived at Montreal 16 Aug 40 before being promptly shipped via Camp Borden, Ontario to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
Directorate of Movements : C-5729 - Héritage

His party consisted of:

Directorate of Movements : C-5729 - Héritage

 

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Knott (then serving with 7RTR) wasn't first choice to go with the Matilda to the USA - another crew from 7RTR were initially selected but were bumped following a disciplinary incident (source = 'Dan Dan The I Tank man'). Why crews from 7RTR? These crews all had combat experience of the Infantry Tank Mk II from France, including a lot of tank maintenance. In fact, Knott probably commanded the last operational Infantry Tank Mk II north of the Somme and fought the tank long after it's one remaining engine had packed up.
If I remember correctly, the Infantry Tank sent to the USA stayed there .


I don't know where it ended up. It isn't the same vehicle wreck that was at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and now at U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Coll., Fort Benning, GA (USA) [last bit of info from http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Matildas.pdf]

By the way, although GRAMPUS was a valid 7RTR name, the tank sent to the USA should, by rights, have been GRAMPUS II as the first so-named Matilda was lost in France and Flanders and neither JMW Knott nor the deselected crew ever commanded the original GRAMPUS.

 

Looks like to me Nik.

For some APG background see Foreign Materials Section at Aberdeen Proving Ground.