Lionel Arthur Bawden

This story and photos are shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher.

Lionel Arthur Bawden was born on the 27th of October 1917, the only son of Arthur & Queenie Violet Bawden (née Cleal), who had married on the 24th of May 1916 at St. Jude’s Church, Portsmouth.

Arthur Bawden had served in the First World War, enlisting on the 29th of May 1915. He served in the Royal Army Service Corps and he appears to have spent his time in the UK until he was discharged on the 4th February 1919. We see the young family on the 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921, and we find them living at 9, Goodwood Place with Queenie's parents and siblings. Artur was working as a Motor Mechanic for Marmion Motor Garage, Victoria Road, Southsea.

The next time we see the Lionel Bawden is on the 1939 National Register ,which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, and young Lionel Arthur Bawdin (sic) was living in Avondale, Alfred Road, Farnham, Surrey. I am presuming he was in lodgings with the Lamport Family and with two other men. The writing on this register is very bad and I cannot make out what Lionel’s occupation was, except a Clerk.

Sadly, I have no information on Lionel Bawden, neither his early or teen years but I do know from a newspaper cutting from the Surrey Advertiser dated the 1st of July 1944 that Lionel had worked as a clerk in the Farnham Co-operative Society office before he enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) in January 1940. His parents and sisters had now moved to Haslemere, Surrey and the cutting in the newspaper suggests he had many friends in both Haslemere and Farnham. This source also tells us that he was the only son and had been given a commission in an infantry regiment after enlisting in the RAMC. He had served in Africa, Sicily and Italy before going to France and leaves a widow and child in Glasgow.

Lionel was serving in the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. They landed on Gold Beach on D-Day and the British Army Casualty List tells us that he was killed in action on the 6th of June 1944 and he was buried at Asnelles-sur-Mer. He was then reburied on the 21st of November 1944 at the Bayeux British Cemetery, where he now lies.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

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