Stories: Harry Wroe & Family

sent in by his daughter Sheila Clayton

Born 3rd Nov 1917 and Died 3rd July 1999
Lancashire Fusilier , Dunkirk Vet. and The Cameronians.

Harry served in the 1st/5th Battalion

Related Locations

Harry Joined the Lancashire Fusiliers in May 1939 and transferred to the Royal Armoured Corp in Nov 1941 and in December 1943 he joined the Cameronians.

When Harry Left the Army he was the Land Lord of the Cemetery Pub in Ramsbottom and he had the name of the Pub changed to The Fusilier in Honour of the Regiment (I remember that we had a parade for the naming and a few free pints if I remember correctly Dennis)

Harry was for many years Hon Secretary of The Lancashire Fusiliers Compassionate Fund he also worked Closely with Jim Brackley as Jim's assistant

Harry's own story of the evacuation of Dunkirk

Richard Whitaker Porritt MP

Sent in by David Platt

Member of the 1935 Parliament
for Heywood and Radcliffe
Preceded by Joseph Cooksey Jackson
Succeeded by James Henry Wootton-Davies

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Born 4 September 1910
Died 26 May 1940
Seclin, France
Resting place Seclin (De Bergault) Communal Cemetery
Nationality British
Political party Conservative Party (UK)
Alma mater Cambridge University
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1931 - 1940
Rank Captain
Unit Lancashire Fusiliers
Battles/wars Battle of France

Captain Richard Whitaker Porritt (4 September 1910 – 26 May 1940) was the Member of Parliament for Heywood and Radcliffe and became the first British MP to be killed in World War II.[1]

Porritt was the son of Lt.-Colonel Austin Townsend Porritt, TD., DL, JP and of Annie Louise Porritt (née Law-Schofield), of Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire. He was educated at Marlborough College and was an Honours Graduate of Cambridge University.[2] Porritt was elected to Heywood and Radcliffe seat at the age of 24 in 1935 and was one of the youngest MPs in the House of Commons. To commemorate the 1939 Canadian royal tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Porritt anonymously founded a $23,400 trust fund to aid Fairbridge schools in Canada.[3]

Porritt was in the Officer Training Corps at Marlborough and was commissioned in the Lancashire Fusiliers regiment of the British Army in 1931 where he served in a Territorial Army unit.[4] During World War II he served as a captain in the 1/5th Bn of the Lancashire Fusiliers and was killed in action in 1940.[2] He was killed in the town of Seclin, near Lille during the retreat to Dunkirk one day after the order to evacuate the allied force from France in the wake of the German offensive. The British Army were retreating towards the channel coast at the time trying to establish a defensive line behind which the evacuation was being progressed.

Whilst some sources claim Ronald Cartland was the first MP to be killed, official sources and others confirm that Porritt was killed four days before Cartland who was killed on the 30th May 1940[5]

In 1983 the town of Seclin named 'Square du Captaine R.W. Porritt' in honour of him.[6] Porritt lies nearby in the Seclin (De Bergault) Communal

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Capt Porritt whose family owned Porritt & Spencers who made paper making felts in Bury then I used to work for this firm and when I started there I was already in the TA at Bury.

The first week I was called into the office of the Manager and asked if the Statement on my application form was correct, and that I was a Member of the TA in Bury The Lancashire Fusiliers, I said it was! the Manager then told me that the Bosses son served with the Lancashire Fusiliers, and that I would not have a problem attending annual camp with me being away from work for two weeks, further more Porritt and Spencer would also pay me my two weeks wages while away with the TA

Dave Platt