Alan Ernest Elliott

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher.

Alan Ernest Elliott was born on the 29th of June 1918 and was baptised on the 1st of September 1918 in Christ Church, West Croydon, Surrey. He was the son of William Hudspith & Grace Elliott (née Hoar) who had married in the Parish Church in Barnes, Surrey on the 19th of June 1912. William Hudspith Elliott, 47, a bachelor and Warrant Officer in the Police Force, of 45, West Street, Croydon and whose father, William Elliott was deceased married Grace Hoar, 27, and spinster of the Post Office, White Hart Lane, Barnes and whose father William Hoar had No Occupation.

According to the London Metropolitan Police Pension Registers, William Elliott retired in 1919 on a pension of £92 3s 8p per annum starting on the 13th of July 1919. But tradgedy was to follow on the 20th of January 1920 when William Elliott died of chronic bronchitis & cardiac dilation & cardiac syncope. He was 57 years old.

The 1921 census, taken on the 19th of June 1921, sees the family in a very sad state. They are still living at 81, Fairholme Road, Croydon but without a breadwinner and 4 children under 10 years old. Grace Elliott was head of the household aged 36 years old. She had been born in Petersfield, Hampshire and was doing Household Duties. The children were Vera Grace Elliott, 8 years and 4 months old, Lionel William Hoar Elliott, 6 years and 10 months old, Alan Ernest Elliott, 2 years and 11 months old and Jean Marquerite Elliott, 1 year and 1 month old. They had all been born in Croydon. A boarder, William George Brighton, was also in the household. He was aged 43 years, married, born in Lowestoft, Suffolk and a Commission Agent on his Own Account.

William Brighton had been in the Army in 1918. He enlisted on the 6th of February 1918, then on the 1st of April 1918, he transferred to the Royal Air Force and was discharged in 30th of April 1920. He had married to Margaret Mary Brighton (née Ellis) in the December quarter of 1897 but sadly Margaret died in the March quarter of 1922 in Croydon, less than a year after William is seen on the 1921 census above. They had a child, Dorothy Brighton, born on the 14th of February 1906 in West Croydon. It appears Grace and William kept in touch as, in the December quarter of 1936, Grace and William got married in the Croydon registration district. The 1939 National Register, which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, shows the new family living at 30 Gonville Road, Croydon but Grace would be widowed for a second time as William died from cardiac failure and myocardial degeneration on the 16th January 1943. He was 65 years of age.

Meanwhile, Alan Elliott had enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1938. On the 15th of December 1943 he was posted to Heavy Anti-Aircraft and he was reposted to the 3 Maritime Regiment, Light Anti-Aircraft, on the 4th of April 1944. During the Battle of Normandy he was manning the guns on MV Derrycunihy, a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS). The MV Derrycunihy sailed from West India Docks, London and joined a convoy off Southend-on-Sea which was heading for Sword Beach. They arrived on 20 June 1944 but bad weather and heavy shelling by the German defenders prevented them unloading for three days. A decision was made to move so they could unload on Juno Beach instead.

They got ready to sail at 07:40 on 24 June 1944 but the sound of her engines triggered an acoustic mine which had been dropped during one of the German Luftwaffe's nightly raids. The ship broke in two and the stern sank within seconds. Alan Elliott was posted as missing on the 24th June 1944 and then reported killed in action due to enemy action at sea. His body was never found so he is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial to the Missing.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

Unfortunately, we do not have a photo of Alan Elliott. If you are aware of one, or you are related to Alan, we would love to hear from you so we can add to his story.