Felmersham and Radwell
Heroes of the Second World War

<< A Memorial Stone to the Wells brothers in Felmersham Church

Header photograph: British infantry making their way through barbed-wire defences outside Tobruk, 22 January 1941


Church east window - a memorial to the Wells brothers
 
The three Wells brothers who lost their lives in the Second World War
Christopher Hayward WELLS
Lieutenant Commander
Royal Navy

Christopher Wells lost his life when his ship sank on Saturday June 8 1940. On 21 April 1940, HMS Glorious departed England for Norway with another aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal. Their mission was to ferry aircraft to Norway in order to help repulse the German invasion. On June 8, while aiding in the evacuation of British troops from Narvik in Norway, the Glorious came under attack by the German warships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. The German cruisers scored direct hits on the carrier at a range of 20,000 yards (11.36 miles!), a total of 1,207 men died, there were forty-three survivors.
Christopher Wells was married to Christina Hilary Wells, of Toronto Canada, and his death is commemorated on Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon.
 

Thomas Capper WELLS
Major
5th Battalion
Beds & Herts Regiment		 At the outbreak of war he served with the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment and early in 1942 was one of the 85,000 troops of the British Commonwealth and Empire fighting in Singapore. The force was hopelessly outnumbered by the Japanese and two days before the surrender of Singapore, Thomas Wells was shot in the head whilst acting as a lookout. He had only arrived in Singapore a few days earlier and was killed on Friday 13 February 1942, aged 26.
He is buried in Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore.
James Michael WELLS
Squadron Leader
RAAF		 On the 18 February 1940,  James Wells arrived at RAF Manston to take up his appointment as commanding officer of 600 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and was promoted to Acting Squadron Leader. In May 1940, the Germans invaded Holland and on the 10 May 1940, 600 Squadron was ordered to attack Rotterdam aerodrome. Six Blenheim aircraft took off from Manston under the command of Squadron Leader Wells.
During the battle, five of the six Blenheims were lost including the aircraft flown by James Wells. He was 31 years old and is buried in Rotterdam (Crooswijk) General Cemetery.
Men and Women from Felmersham and Radwell who served in the Second World War
Oliver Wells, Flight Lieutenant
RAF		 John Hunt Harry Dodd Fred Turner Peter Cook
Charles Wells, Colonel
Royal Engineers		 Jim Hunt Fred Swales John Turner Terry Longstaff
David Wells, MC Major
Regular Army 		Bert Hulatt Bert Cockings Albert Symons Stan Allen
George Wells, Major
Parachute Regiment		 Richard Cumberland Algy Jones Don Hulatt Edna Betts
Sarah Wells,
Wren		 Fred Payne Alwyn Betts H. Lawson Barbara Cumberland
Ruby Cooper Tom Rust Charlie Budd Peter Stringer Lawrence Fensom
Gladys Everest Frederick Franklin George Marsh Reg Barker Len Podd
Connie Rust Sid Lovell Fred Betts and Joe Hulatt were in the Special Police Force

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