Ships That Pass In The Night… Bill

Family Stories by Lois

14th – 25th September 1940

Harold Leonard Scott    Date of birth – 31st August 1918

Middlesex Yeomanry.   Despatch Rider.

Home :- Croydon

Stationed:- Newton Hall

Monica and Audrey went to  dance at Newton on the 14th September. What gad-abouts we are getting! it was here that Audrey met Bill. Such a tal (6′ 2″) good looking boy; he didn’t look more than 19years old and when Audrey got home she accused herself of baby-snatching!

He and Jack (who was in the Signals and whom we also met at this dance) came to tea on Sunday, the 15th September. Bill was a real “handy-man;” this first time he came he mended the drawing-room door lock. Incivil life he was an accountant working for a firm in Golden Square, London.

Bill came over by himself to supper on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Saturday, 21st September, Monica and Audrey went to another dance at Newton and Bill then promised to come to tea the next day, Sunday.He didn’t turn up and we began to think he had gone away, when he came on the Tuesday evening and then again on Wednesday. It was on Wednesday, he arranged to come early on the Friday, but the next morning Thursday, a Corporal came to the door with a message for Audrey from Bill, saying he had been chosen as an advance guard and left Newton at 9.) o’clock that morning, but that he would write to her. He has not done so and we have heard no more of him.

What’s happened Bill?

The girls with their parents, Reg and Ida Matthews

What delightful times we always have at the Newton Dances! We think we would just like to remember “the Liverpool Fellow” “the Doormouse” and “Granny.” We do not know their real names so as usual gave them nick-names. They helped us to enjoy ourselves at many dances, and it was fun knowing them.

Who knows what happened to Bill; I found records of  a Harold Scott’s death in 1942, and another in 1945, both were corporals, but neither were in the Middlesex Yeomanry. I cannot find Bill in other death notices either so maybe he emigrated? Who knows! I get the feeling that Audrey really liked Bill; they knew him for such a brief time but she was obviously struck by his good looks and was anxious that he just disappeared.

 

Audrey makes two little spelling mistakes in this entry – despatch and doormouse; she usually was an impeccable speller all through her life!

Although an exciting time, and fun, it must have been emotionally quite chaotic for these young women… they certainly had a freedom which they would not have had under other circumstances with strict parents, and to have met up with these dashing young men, to find friendship and affection for them and then for them which would end when they were  torn away by war.

 

14 Comments

  2. David Lambert
    Reply

    Hello,

    I am part of the Middlesex Yeomanry Association who are working on the history of the unit in WW2, Due you have any more information about the men of the unit which you have written about in your book like Full names, Army numbers etc. Anything would help us.

    We think they may be Bill Draper,Jack Carpenter but we can no find Harold Scott.

    Thank you for your time

    Liked by 1 person

    3. Lois
      Reply

      Hi David, that is all the information I have, just what my mum and aunties wrote in their little book. Sadly they are all dead so I can’t ask them, and it may be that they made some error in what they wrote, but who now knows?!

      Like

  3. David Lambert
    Reply

    If this is the right person Harold Leonard SCOTT 257089 – Died 1998
    Will give you details of Bill and Jack once we checked them.

    If you could send the photo of him it would help to confrim if we have the right person,once we know what happen to them we will send you the details

    Like

    1. Claire hames
      Reply

      I’m unsure how to send a photo to this site. Can you send an email address I can send it to. I’m trying to find out more about his army life so any help would be amazing.

      Like

      3. David Lambert

        Here is what we have ascertained from our records:

        2579089 Sigmn H L Scott is shown on the nominal roll for the 1st Line dated 20 December 1939 as a member of K Troop. This would suggest that he almost certainly sailed with the 1st Line to Palestine in December 1940. That is not compatible with being “Bill” in Newton in Cambridgeshire in September 1940.

        However, the nominal roll of K Troop produced covering the period from arrival in Palestine to August 1941 when the 1st Line was re-roled from 1st Cav Div Sigs to 10 Armd Div Sigs does not include him. Instead he appears on the nominal roll for D Troop, which would be consistent with him being a dispatch rider. That may be of no consequence at all. The D Troop records show him as having taken part in the Iraq campaign in May 1941 and the Syria campaign in June 1941.

        On 12 April 1942 he was posted from 10 Armd Div Sigs (with others) to the R Sigs Base Depot in Cairo. That is the last trace I have of him.

        However, for some reason, as per previous correspondence, I have serving in either or both of 102 Royal Horse Artillery Signal and 2 Royal Horse Artillery Signals in Greece in April 1941, which would be compatible with the idea that he did not deploy to Palestine with the 1st Line but instead transferred to the 2nd Line at the last minute, stayed with them throughout 1940 (including at Newton) and deployed with the 2nd Line to Egypt at the end of 1940, went to Greece in April 1941, was evacuated and immediately transferred to the 1st Line and headed off to Iraq. Alan Thomson did something similar.

        We can therefore say with certainty that he did not deploy with the 1st Line, but instead deployed with the 2nd Line in November 1940, after meeting Audrey Matthews in Newton. he then served in Greece, Iraq and Syria before being posted out of the Middlesex Yeomanry in April 1942.

        Liked by 1 person

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