Paul Harry Crofton Atkins

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

Paul Harry Crofton Atkins, Captain 52553, 217 Battery, 112 (West Somerset Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Killed in action on the 10th of July 1944 aged 31.

Paul Harry Crofton-Atkins was born in London on the 23rd of October 1911, the only son of Major-General Sir Alban Randell Crofton-Atkins, KCB, CMG, Royal Army Service Corps, and Lady May Clara Atkins (née Bongard) MBE of "Ashcroft", Wembley Park in London. He was christened at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Primrose Hill on the 16th of December 1911.

He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Olds House from September 1925 to December 1929. He achieved his School Certificate in 1927. He was a member of the 2nd Football XI in 1927 and of the Football XI in 1928 and 1929. He served as a Sergeant in the Officer Training Corps achieving Certificate A in 1928. He was appointed as a House Captain in January 1929 and as a Prefect in September 1929.

On leaving school he passed into the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1930 from where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on the 27th of August 1931.

His regiment landed at Normandy on D+21 as part of the 43rd (Wessex) Division. They were first in action on the 29th of June 1944 at Putot-en-Bassin and took part on later battles at Carpiquet Aerodrome and in Caen.

By the evening of the 9th of July 1944 the 24 guns of the 112 (West Somerset Yeomanry) Field Regiment were positioned to take part in the battle for a German stronghold of Hill 112, just to the south-west of Caen, in an operation code named “Jupiter”. This position was described by the German General Erwin Rommel as the most important hill in Normandy.

The infantry of 129 Brigade gathered at the start line for the attack and the advance began before dawn on the 10th of July. By 6.30am the leading units had taken their objectives and become engaged in fierce close quarter fighting with determined SS units throughout the day. Casualties were very high. The 43rd (Wessex) Division had 2,000 casualties in the first 36 hours of the fighting.

Paul Atkins is buried at Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery, Plot VI, Row F, Grave 1 and he is commemorated on the war memorial at Lancing College.