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James Arthur Honess (1907-1981)

Soldier
Service No:7929176
Rank:Trooper
Squadron:B
Role:Operator
Wounded:20 Aug 1944
Mentioned in:
23H Story
Page 276
Casualty List
Record
Civilian
Occupation:Wholesale Tobacconists Salesman
Residence:6 Newmans Road, Northfleet, Kent (188),
12 Suffolk Rd, Gravesend, Kent (1946)
Birth:21 Aug 1907 in Gravesend, Kent
Death:registered Dec 1981 in Gravesend, Kent
Marriage:to Alma Pleasant Dear registered Dec 1936 in Strood, Kent
Children:3 sons, 1 daughter
Parents
Thomas George HonessEmma Sarah Plummer
Master Mariner.
Gravesend, Kent,
later of 542 Langford St, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Birth c.1876 in Ightham, Kent.
Birth c.1880 in Lowestoft, Suffolk,
Marriage regisatered Sep 1897 in Gravesend, Kent.

Notes

This from an online auction site:

"Lot 108, 7 Jul 10
Category: CAMPAIGN GROUPS AND PAIRS
Estimate: £60-£80
Hammer Price: £270

Description:
Four: Trooper J. A. Honess, 23rd Hussars (R.A.C.), who was wounded in the Falaise Gap in August 1944
1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, in their original addressed card forwarding box, extremely fine (4) £60-80

Footnote:
James Arthur Honess, who was born in September 1907, enlisted in the Royal Armoured Corps (R.A.C.) at Penkridge in December 1940. Qualifying as a Tank Driver and Operator in May 1941, he went on to see action in France with 23rd Hussars, and was wounded in fighting in the Falaise Gap in August 1944 (regimental history refers). He was released from service in November 1945; sold with his original Soldier's Service and Pay Book, and Soldier's Release Book, the former with official endorsement, 'Certified copy of old dilapidated book - destroyed', together with a handkerchief bearing the crest of the 23rd Hussars."

Unfortunately, James's parents' marriage broke down (there was a court case to decide the custody of the children and maintenance). His mother subsequently married William R Hawes in 1928 at Gravesend. His father evidently made a new life in Canada,