Lieutenant, Stanley George BRETT
Aged 24
Killed on Active Service on Friday, 4th June 1943
He is not named on the Newmarket War Memorial
BRETT, Stanley George
Lieutenant, Stanley George BRETT
Aged 24
He is not named on the Newmarket War Memorial
| This man has not been positively identified with Newmarket connections apart from the CWGC entry which has his parents as of Newmarket. He maybe should not be included Stanley was the son of George Henry and Margaret Ethel BRETT (née WOODS ?) of Newmarket. In his will his address was given as Rugby Road, Dunchurch, Warks. His birth registration is not positively identified but believed to be Dec 1920 Ipswich 4A:1850. http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RNVR_officersB2.html#Brett has his mother born 1893, his brother Ian as born 29-9-1924 in Dunchurch but that registration cannot be found. In fact taking the family as father, mother and two brothers, no records concur, no marriage registration, all rather nebulous. It seems to be his parents George H BRETT [6-5-1890] chauffeur to Major Cayzor (High Sheriff of Warks and Master of the Pytchley Hunt), and Margaret E [11-12-1891] at Lodge Gate, Rugby Road, Dunchurch, Warks in the 1939 register. How long the family were in Newmarket has not been established, which may be why Stanley was not included on the war memorial. His brother Ian was also a Fleet Air Arm Lieutenant, who survived the war. There is a possible birth registration at Alvie in Scotland |
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From the Aviation Research Group Orkney and Shetland www.crashsiteorkney.com and www.unithistories.com :- Stanley's naval career included service on HMS Derbyshire an Armed Merchant Cruiser. He then appears to have transferred to the Fleet Air Arm, serving at HMS Daedalus, the RN Air Station at Lee on Solent. Following a spell at Simonstown Air Base,[ HMS Afrikander] South Africa, he returned to HMS Daedalus in February 1943. On 4th June 1943 three Grumman Martlet MkVs from 878 Squadron Fleet Air Arm from HMS Daedalus,were on a night flying exercise in preparation for joining HMS Illustrious on 8th June. Visibility that night got poor and in the early hours while on the return leg the Martlets circled, hopelessly looking for a break in the cloud to pinpoint their position. At around 2.50am a HF/DF Radio Operator called Arthur `Tiny` Small was roused from his bed to try and contact the 3 aircraft in trouble, he hurried to the Radio Station at Yonbell and managed to contact one of the aircraft who`s callsign was Newport Blue Three and managed to get him safely down, alas though the two other aircraft FN284 flown by Lt Stanley George Brett of Newmarket,Suffolk and FN288 flown by Lt Lonsdale Hollis Wiren a New Zealander from Lyall Bay,Wellington,NZ crashed as they ran out of fuel, FN284 hit lower slopes of Hindera Fiold in Harray and FN288 crashed in a field just off the A965 to the west of Finstown, both pilots failed to bale out and were killed. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission photo
Stanley is buried in Kirkwall (St Olaf's) Cemetery. Ref: Plot P33 Joint grave 15
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details