Richard George Watkins

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

Richard George Watkins was born on the 29th May 1921, the second son of George & Margaret Ann Watkins (née Gane), who had married in the March quarter of 1910.

We see the young couple living at Cwm Mill, Grasswall, Hereford on the 1911 census. Head of the family, George Watkins, is 24 years of age and a Miller & Corn Dealer (Water Corn Mill), born in H.F.D, Clodock Parish, as was his wife, Margaret Ann Watkins, aged 19.

In 1912 they decided to emigrate to America and left Liverpool for New York on the the Mauretania on the 13th of April 1912. George is described as a Miller, Margaret is described as a Housewife and thier young son, David, is an infant. After that I can find no passenger lists that shows them coming home, but they did return to England to be recorded on the 1921 census and for young Richard George to be born in Crasswall.

The 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921, sees the family living at Upper Cwm, Crasswall, with George Watkins, now a Farmer and Employer (At Home). They have three children: David, aged 10 years; his sister Elizabeth Watkins, aged 8 years, who had been born in Clark County, Ohio, U.S.A; and Richard, under 1 month.

The 1939 reveals the family had now moved to Dore and Bredwardine, Herefordshire. Richard was working as a Local Government Clerk and assisting on Farm, night & Morning and living with the Williams family at Green Court, Kingstone as a boarder.

On the 1939 National Register we see also Doris M. Mason, who was to become Richard George Watkins’s bride, living at 96, Hinton Road, Hereford with her parents, Joseph E. Mason, a G.W.R. Fireman, mother Violet M. Mason and brother Harold J. Mason plus two boarders. This source gives us a clue to Doris’ future marriages, with the names Watkins and Easter annotated on it.

In the March quarter of 1943 Richard Watkins and Doris Mary Mason were married in Hereford Registration District and at some point moved to Rainham, Greater London.

Richard joined the Royal Air Force and served with 620 Squadron. He was a crew member in Stirling Mk.IV EF295 which took off at 23:45 on the night of 5 June 1944 from RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire to transport parachutists of 591 Parachute Squadron, 6th Airborne Division to a drop zone east of the River Orne for Operation Tonga (the landings by 6th Airborne Division on D-Day). But the aircraft was hit by German anti-aircraft fire and crashed eight miles east of the drop zone near Château de Grangues, Grangues, Calvados before it could drop the parachutists. He was killed in the crash and was initially buried at the crash site before being reburied at Ranville British Cemetery on the 10th of August 1945.

I believe his widow, Doris Mary Mason, was to marry Sidney C. Easter in the June quarter of 1947 in the Hereford Registration District Richard's. But it seems she never forgot Richard as shown by this online In Memoriam notice published in the Hereford Times, date unknown, "RICHARD GEORGE WATKINS Died on D-Day 6th June 1944. Remembered throughout her life by Mary. He gave his tomorrows for our todays."

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

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