Cyril Stubbins
This story and photo are shared by the Trust with kind permission from Janet, sister of Cyril Stubbins and with research by Ben Mayne @BattlefieldBen
Remembering Cyril Cooper Stubbins, 7th Parachute Battalion, killed in action in Normandy on 6th June 1944.
In 2019 Cyril's younger sister, Janet, visited her brother's grave and found out more about events on the day he was killed. Janet said that the family only ever had rumours of what took place on the night of the 6th June, they had never been able to confirm. Janet even said that after he should have landed they had no word on Cyril until February 1945. They believed he may have even not gone out to France instead going ‘AWOL’ as he may have been scared of what to come. They learnt that wasn’t the case. She said to me, “This will likely be my last visit to him.”
Cyril and Janet
Cyril landed in Normandy on 6th June 1944 in Operation Tonga. He took off from RAF Fairford on Stirling Mk.IV LJ288, Chalk 154, of 620 Squadron, Royal Air Force, piloted by Flying Officer Caskey of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
As LJ288 flew in over the Normandy coastline close to Cabourg it was hit by German anti-aircraft fire fire and went down on the outskirts of Dives-sur-Mer, not far from the Houlgate Battery. The flight was recorded as missing and it wasn’t until September 1944 that work began to try and identify the circumstances of the crash and the men who were onboard.
Janet's mother visited France a few years after his death and met a local mayor at Dives-sur-Mer who said a plane had crashed. She was shown trees still scorched and a gap missing where it was said to have come down. No other details were known to the family.
It was ascertained that it was flight EF268 and that it had come down, colliding with trees. All on board had died and the local French villagers had come to the crash site and buried the dead. Personal effects had been collected and later returned so they could be passed back. The men were exhumed in February 1945 and now all lie at rest in the La Delivrande War Cemetery.
Cyril is buried in a row that contains all the men of flight EF268. Janet made her pilgrimage to visit him and then all information that could be found was given to her later that night. She says she finally has closure on her brother’s death. All the stories the family had said over the years had now been found true and that he had died carrying out a brave act. She had never forgotten her brother, 75 years on.
Additional information from Normandy Memorial Trust: Operation Tonga was 6th Airborne Division's parachute and glider assault in the early hours of D-Day
FALLEN HEROES
CYRIL COOPER STUBBINS
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 19
SERVICE NO. 14578482
IRVINE NATHANIEL CASKEY
Royal Air Force • FLYING OFFICER
Royal Canadian Air Force
620 Squadron, Royal Air ForceDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 24
SERVICE NO. J/18411
THOMAS FREDERICK BARKER
Royal Air Force • FLYING OFFICER
Royal Canadian Air Force
620 Squadron, Royal Air ForceDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 27
SERVICE NO. J/14207
ARTHUR WELCH JACKSON
Royal Air Force • FLIGHT SERGEANT
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
620 Squadron, Royal Air ForceDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 25
SERVICE NO. 1337703
ALAN LACY SMITH
Royal Air Force • SERGEANT
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
620 Squadron, Royal Air ForceDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 22
SERVICE NO. 1652568
JAMES HEWITT
Royal Air Force • FLIGHT SERGEANT
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
620 Squadron, Royal Air ForceDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 23
SERVICE NO. 1554527
ROBERT ALFRED SPARKES
Royal Air Force • FLIGHT SERGEANT
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
620 Squadron, Royal Air ForceDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 23
SERVICE NO. 1393942
JOSEPH ALBERT BEECH
Army • SERJEANT
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 25
SERVICE NO. 5674103
JOHN CAVEY
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 23
SERVICE NO. 3962078
ALFRED HENRY JAMES BEARD
Army • LANCE CORPORAL
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 28
SERVICE NO. 5678355
HENRY DENHAM
Army • CORPORAL
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 29
SERVICE NO. 5679243
PETER SIDNEY FINCH
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 22
SERVICE NO. 4032616
FREDERICK GARNETT
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 21
SERVICE NO. 4546638
WILLIAM HEK
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 22
SERVICE NO. 14210029
PATRICK HUGHES
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 19
SERVICE NO. 14403536
ERNEST WILLIAM JARVIS
Army • SERJEANT
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 28
SERVICE NO. 5250009
DENNIS KERR
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 19
SERVICE NO. 3387613
ROBERT KINGSLEY
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 20
SERVICE NO. 6856578
LESLIE HENRY PHILLIPS
Army • LANCE CORPORAL
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 30
SERVICE NO. 5680060
CHARLES KENNETH STRINGER
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 19
SERVICE NO. 14407652
CYRIL JOHN SURMAN
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 24
SERVICE NO. 5498650
MONTAGUE JAMES TRUEMAN
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 21
SERVICE NO. 14209955
LESLIE CHARLES WEY
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 23
SERVICE NO. 5671819
ERNEST SIDNEY HOUNSLOW
Army • SERJEANT
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 24
SERVICE NO. 5679931
JOHN WILLIAM SMITH
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 20
SERVICE NO. 4469397
JOHN WALKER
Army • PRIVATE
Parachute Regiment
7th BattalionDIED 06 June 1944
AGE 21
SERVICE NO. 4865382
