Cecil William Green

This story and photos are shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher and Michael Tompkins, nephew of Cecil Green. Photo source: FrankGrant, FindaGrave.com

Cecil William Green was born on the 11th of August 1912, the son, and second child, of William John & Bertha Clara Green, (née Sanders), who had married in the June quarter of 1909 in the Paddington registration district. He was baptised on the 15th of September 1912, in St. John’s Church, Kensal Green. The 1911 census shows that the family had been living at 100, Purves Road, Kensal Rise but they had moved to 36, Napier Road prior to the birth of their son and were still there for the 1921 census. William Green was working as a ‘Mattress Maker’ for Mathews, Scrubbs Lane, Willesden. They had two children, Mabel Ethel Green, 10 years old and Cecil William Green, 8 years old.

The 1939 National Register which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, shows the family living at 3 Ranelagh Road, Harlesden, Willesden. William Green was working as a Mattress maker and Cecil was also working as a Mattress Maker. This same National Register shows Cecil Green’s future wife, Ada Alice Brackley, living just down the road from him, at 15, Ranelagh Road, Harlesden. She was working as a Paper Book Machinist.

Cecil's sister, Mabel, married George H. Tompkins in 1932 and the 1939 Register shows that she had three children, Geoffrey, Gwendoline and one unidentified one as their details have been redeacted. Remembering that the Register was taken three weeks after war was declared, we see that they were recorded as being Evacuees and were living at 45 Rucklers Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in the household of Robert and Annie Reynolds.

Cecil Green and Ada Alice Brackley married in the June quarter of 1940 in the Willesden registration district and Michael Tompkins remembers Cecil being referred to as Uncle Bill. Cecil and Ada would have one child, John Green who was born in 1944. Sadly, I have no other information on Cecil William Green, neither his early or teen years but he was to find himself fighting on D-Day and laid down his life for our freedom.

Cecil Green was serving with the 4th Tank Battalion, Grendier Guards. They landed in Normandy on the 7th June and participated in the Battle for Caen (June–July 1944) and the advance on Mont Pinçon. Cecil Green was possibly wounded on the 30th July, although the British Army Casualty List stated that he had died of wounds on that date. The record was later corrected to record his date of death as being 4th August. But we do know he was evacuated back to the UK and died of his wounds in St Mary's Hospital, Milton, Portsmouth. He was buried in Portsmouth (Kinston) Cemetery. The family had the following tribute added to his headstone:

IN MEMORY OF OUR DEAR "BILL"
A DEVOTED HUSBAND,
FATHER AND SON.
ALWAYS WITH US

In 1951 Ada Green married Henry W. Bull in the Uxbridge registration district