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Edward Ugarte's fought on with his Regiment for ten days until he was fatally wounded on
16th June 1944. Two of his comrades were injured in the same attack (24-year-old Gunner
Edward Crowe from Wembley, Middlesex and 34-year-old Gunner Hugh Stirling from
Glasgow). Unfortunately, the men died at the scene and are buried in the Bayeux War
Cemetery. Edward managed to survive the enemy attack but was so seriously wounded
that he only lived for two days. His young bride of less than six months, like so many
others, was left to mourn her loss.

The 65th Anti-tank Regiment went on to see much action and were later involved in many
famous battles on the journey through France, Belgium, Holland and finally to Hamburg
and were there at the final surrender of the German Armies at the end of the war in Europe.

In Memoriam: Edward Ugarte was buried in Bayeux War Cemetery.

WILLIAM JOSEPH WILCOX Royal Marines - HMS Sheba
1918 - 14th September 1944

The youngest son of William Leslie and Elizabeth Wilcox, of 14 Woodside Road,
Bexleyheath, 26-year-old William Joseph Wilcox was a sergeant in the Royal Marines. He
was born in North Cray in 1918 and went to the local school until his family moved to
Crayford, where he finished his education at Crayford Central Schools. A single man,
William was a keen sportsman being an enthusiastic member of North Cray Cricket Club.
Previously to joining the Royal Marines (Portsmouth Division) in 1940, William had worked
at a factory at Bexley.

"Sea Soldiers" of Portsmouth - In August 1939, hundreds of former Royal Marines joined
the regular "sea-soldiers" at their Portsmouth barracks to await instructions. Pensioners,
recalled to train, or administer the paperwork or serve aboard a Defensively Equipped
Merchant Ship, awaited orders as the inevitable second world war was about to take-off. To
cope with the new influx, the allotments behind the local church were flattened and
Nissen Huts built. It became known as the Hutment Camp. For new Royal Marines, a camp
at Exton in Devon was already being constructed and its first intended inmates
assembled at Eastney Barracks as the Royal Marines Special Reserve on 12th October
1939.

The men got fit by regularly swimming in duck test suits and learning how to do many
tasks which the Army or Navy didn't usually undertake as well as how to operate a
heavy gun; Royal Marines manned eight inch anti-aircraft guns from September 1939
under joint Army and Naval Portsmouth Command. By June 1944, Sgt William Wilcox was
based at HMS Sheba, in Aden, South Yemen, Saudi Arabia which was one of the
numerous Royal Navy Shore Bases across the world. The shore establishment was a
British Naval Air base of vital importance during the war, especially as Britain had
extensive interests in the Middle East and needed to protect the rich oil reserves.

In 1944, unfortunately William's parents were informed by the Admiralty that their son had
died on the 14th September as the result of an accident. There does not seem to be much
more information on how the accident occurred, but with the pressures of handling heavy
equipment and having to respond quickly when an emergency or attack occurred,
accidents were always an occupational hazard.

In Memoriam: William Wilcox was buried in Maala Cemetery, where there are 157
commonwealth war burials of the 1939-45 War.

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