Luke Theodore Lillingston

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from John Hamblin, Researcher.

Luke Theodore Lillingston, Captain 39463, 130 (Q) Battery, 153 (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Died of wounds on the 11th of August 1944, aged 36.

Luke Theodore Lillingston was born at Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire on the 27th of August 1907, the only son of Captain William George Lillingston, Royal Irish Rifles, and Olive Theodora Lillingston (née Doxat), formerly Countess of Harrington, of Ulverscroft Manor in Leicestershire.

He was educated at Mr Ernest Smith’s School and at Winchester College where he was in Kingsgate House from September 1920 to 1923. While a school he showed great promise as a runner.

Luke Lillingston in 1923

 

He left Winchester to prepare for the entrance examinations for the Royal Military College Sandhurst which he entered in 1925. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on the 2nd of February 1928. He transferred to the Scots Guards with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant on the 4th of June 1930 and, following the death of his father, he resigned his commission on the 24th of June 1931 and retired to the Reserve of Officers.

He took to country life and lived at Mount Coote in County Limerick where he distinguished himself as a fine rider to hounds. He was joint master of the Meath Foxhounds and served for a year as their Master in 1933 and served as Master of the North Atherstone Hunt from 1933 to 1937. He was married to Susan Margaret Trelawney (née Seaton) on the 14th of July 1934. They had a son, Alan, born on the 27th of February 1935.

He resigned his commission in the Reserve of Officers on the 28th of July 1939 having reached the age of retirement and was appointed as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Leicestershire Yeomanry the following day.  He was called up at the outbreak of war and travelled to the regiment at its new base of Rufford Abbey on the 22nd of September 1939. On the 25th of November the regiment changed from a cavalry regiment to the artillery. He transferred to the Royal Artillery with the same rank on the 15th of February 1940 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of November 1940 and to temporary Captain on the same date. He served initially as the commander of C Troop before later assuming command of 130 Battery.

153 (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment embarked at Southampton and crossed the channel on the night of the 28th/29th of June 1944, landing at Asnelles-sur-Mer at 11pm on the 29th of June. At 8am they assembled at their concentration area at St-Martin-des-Entrées near Bayeux. They first saw action on the night of the 7th/8th of July 1944 as part of Operation Charnwood, part of the British attempts to capture the city of Caen.

On the 11th of August 1944 Luke Lillingston was commanding a Sherman tank which was acting as the battery observation post for 130 Battery in the area of Le Désert. During the operation, he drove his tank forward to try to give support to men of the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards when his tank turret received a direct hit from a German 88mm shell. The tank caught fire and he received a chest wound and was badly burned. He died before he could be got back to the Casualty Clearing Station. His crew, Bombardiers R. Quinney, T.W. Lathan, Blackwell and Jackson survived, although Quinney and Lathan suffered burns.

The regimental history records: - "In this area, was lost one of the most liked officers the Regiment ever had, in Luke Lillingston. His loss was felt deeply by all who knew him. In action his coolness of mind was wonderful and his gameness superb. God rest his soul, and give him happy hunting".

Luke Lillingston is buried at St Charles De Percy War Cemetery, Plot IX, Row G, Grave 12. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Winchester College and on the memorial at Lloyd’s of London.