Donald White

The photograph is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Ruth Holdaway, Donald's Great Niece.

Remembering Donald White, Killed in Action, 19 July 1944. By all accounts he was a gentle man who enjoyed the arts.

Don had a brother, Bruce, who fought with the BEF and was rescued from the mole at Dunkirk. He survived the war, ending up in the Middle East.

Don’s sister, Heather lived until the age of 98 and enjoyed recounting stories of Zeppelins from their London childhood, she was the one who instilled Don into our lives.

Before the war he was a grocer’s delivery driver in a sleepy village on the Kent / Sussex border. As a very small child, my mother remembers Don coming to visit when he was on leave. She is the last person alive to remember seeing him, as his daughter was only 7 months old when he was killed.

Don enlisted on 24 July 1940 having married Vera at Groombridge a year earlier.

He had been on vehicle maintenance courses during his training, so whether he was fulfilling a driving role we don’t know. He belonged to the Royal Berkshire Regiment, until the beginning of June 1944, when he was transferred to a RHU (Reinforcement Holding Unit), before joining the 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment in France as a casualty replacement on 30 June 1944.

Unfortunately there are 2 big mysteries. The first being why he was transferred, he had been on vehicle maintenance courses during his training, so whether he was fulfilling a driving role we don’t know. The paper trail after his death is a real confusion of Regiments.

The 2nd mystery is what happened to him. Vera failed to receive any communication from the South Lancs Regiment, however their HQ was shelled and burnt out on 20th July.

Still much missed.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

Reinforcement Holding Units were located throughout Britain. Men were sent there to be assessed and then posted whenever and wherever they were required.