William West Thompson

The photograph is shared by the Trust with kind permission from the 11th Armoured Division Facebook Group and its Black Bull Research Team.

Remembering William West Thompson, Killed in Action, 28 June 1944.

The day after he was killed, his commanding officer, Lt Saleh Manasseh, wrote this letter to William's widow:

Dear Mrs Thompson

May I please extend my sympathies on your most grievous loss.

I have been fortunate enough to have lead your husband for the past year and know him as a steady, capable and conscientious driver.

I was with him when he was killed outright, in action, and I was able to obtain the services of a chaplain and he was given a christian burial. The position of his grave, in a Normandy orchard, has been noted.

Yours sincerely

S D E Manasseh

35 days after Saleh Manasseh wrote this letter, he himself was killed in action. You can see his story here.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

The location of the orchard that Saleh Manasseh refers to is just outside Marchanville in an area that is now a field. He was buried alongside a number of other men from different units.

They were all reinterred in St Manvieu British Cemetery, just a short distance from their original place of burial, betwen 17 and 18 September 1945. William was moved on the 18 September.