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Hi everyone,

I have in my possession some photographs and letters that belonged to an able seaman called Norman E. Thompson who served aboard HMS Suffolk from at least 1942 - 1944.

I'm not related and know nothing about him, I'm just hoping that someone here might be able to help me reunite these with a family members.

The letters are copies and were written by Sergeant Carl Humble (RAF) who's address where he was stationed range from North Coates, Grimbsy, Lincs to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and R.A.F Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Anyone shed any light and reunite these items with their rightful owners or help me find out about either individual?

That's all the info I've got I'm afraid so I hope someone can help!

Thanks,
Gary

I wonder whether this might be your Norman.


http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=2060368


In memory of
Private NORMAN EDGAR THOMPSON
who died on August 9, 1944


Service Number: C/65513
Age: 24
Force: Army
Unit: Toronto Scottish Regiment (M.G.), R.C.I.C.
Division: 2nd Inf. Div. Support Bn.


Son of Leslie C. and Lillian M. Thompson, of Bowmanville, Ontario.

Commemorated on Page 461 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.

Cemetery:
BENY-SUR-MER CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY
Calvados,France

... It was on the coast just to the north that the 3rd Canadian Division landed on 6th June 1944; on that day, 335 officers and men of that division were killed in action or died of wounds. In this cemetery are the graves of Canadians who gave their lives in the landings in Normandy and in the earlier stages of the subsequent campaign. Canadians who died during the final stages of the fighting in Normandy are buried in Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery. There are a total of 2048 burials in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery. There is also one special memorial erected to a soldier of the Canadian Infantry Corps who is known to have been buried in this cemetery, but the exact site of whose grave could not be located.

Actually, if he was on the Suffolk until 1944, it seems like not:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Suffolk_(55)

After her repairs Suffolk served with the Home Fleet in Arctic waters until the end of 1942, then underwent a refit between December 1942 and April 1943.
>> On completion of this the ship was ordered to the Eastern Fleet, operating in the Indian Ocean until the end of the war.

There is no birth, marriage or death for Carl Humble in the GRO indexes, so he must have been Canadian.

Births post-1908 and marriages post-1934 (as I recall) are not available in Canada because of privacy legislation. For the same reason, WWII service info is not available.

The Canadian Legion maintains a searchable on-line index of the deaths of veterans that come to its attention:

http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/lastpost/

There is no match there for Carl Humble, but two for Norman E Thompson:

THOMPSON Able Seaman Norman E. Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve WW 2 Surrey, British Columbia 1992 - published April, 1993

THOMPSON Leading Aircraftman Norman E. Royal Canadian Air Force WW 2 Toronto, Ontario 2004 - published September/October 2004

That first seems a real possibility.


Able Seaman Norman E. THOMPSON
Date Deceased: December 17, 1992
Age: 72
Service Information
Service Number: V77994
Units: Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Period of Service: WW 2

Legion Branch Information
Member Title:
Legion Branch: Whalley Branch
Location: Surrey, British Columbia


This is the site for that branch of the Legion:

http://www.whalleylegion.org
http://www.whalleylegion.org/contact.htm

http://www.whalleylegion.org/about.htm
http://www.whalleylegion.org/news.htm
(It doesn't seem to have internal links)

There's no forum at the link, unfortunately.

Thank you everyone,

You've given me something to get my teeth into, I'd rather these photo's (which are mostly of various battleships as well as the Suffolk) went to his family than stay with me.

Thanks again!

Gary

For Humble, both Moncton and Hamilton would seem to be RAF training locations, so give no clue to where he was from in Canada, assuming he was Canadian.

Searching for the name at www.google.ca (had no luck with Thompson), a Carl Humble appears at this site on a 2006 curling team at CFB (Canadian Forces Base Halifax (Nova Scotia). Curling is Canada's other national sport. ;)

http://www.greenwood.curlingclub.ca/events/50-teams.htm

I couldn't get the site to respond, but Google's cached version is here:

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:PkSxlGSQtRwJ:www.greenwood.curlingclub.ca/events/50-teams.htm

There is a listing for the name at www.whitepages.ca

Since I have it open, I'll send it to you by PM. ;)


Signed,
Everyone
;)

Sorry, sorry, sorry Janey!!!!

Thank YOU for your hard work!!!

That'll teach me to pay attention!

Gary :)

Looking closley at the top of the letters (they are very small!)

the name is given along with a number on two of them:

to:- N. E. Thompson, A.B. P/JX256767

I know AB stands for able seaman, is the other one his navy/army/raf number?

And does this help any??

I have no clue about numbers, I fear.

The able seaman does match with the NET who died in BC though.

The population of Canada in 1941 was 11.5 million. Not huge. It's entirely possible that there were two able seamen named Norman E Thompson (given that there was an airman by the same name, and that other one in the infantry), but the odds may be low. ;)

I'd certainly contact both the Legion in BC and the Carl Humble in New Brunswick!

Okay, I googled p/jx and found.:

http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/WWII/ww2-awards-citations.shtml -- e.g.:

CHILDS
Able Seaman Harold Chesley Childs P/JX 247 904 - HMS Snowflake

so that does seem to be the service number, and the one you have for NET doesn't match the one I found.

Other things there are LT/JX, C/JX, L/JX, D/JX -- they don't seem to be related to rank, for instance, or to the vessel they served on. I'm clueless.

For info

Re numbers, they are just the service number

My dad was in the Royal Navy from 1937 to 1949 his number was

P/ KX 94182 which he kept throughout his service, promoted in that time from Stoker to Petty Officer articifer

Has no bearing on anything other than the possibllity of the year they enlisted.

George

Gary

Just an idea but it may be worthwhile looking at one of the Forces Forums, i know you can register with Service Pals and it is free.

here is the link

http://www.servicepals.co.uk/

George