John Coombs was killed in action on 12/10/1944 aged just 21. He was a Private in the 2ndBattalion, East Yorkshire Regiment. He was initially buried at the Cemetery De Kleffen Overloon and subsequently on 30th January 1946 in grave I. A. 7 at the Overloon Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Overloon.
 
The 2nd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment took part in the D-Day landings in June 1944 and lost many men as a consequence. A substantial number of reinforcements joined the Battalion in late July when it had returned across the Orne to Beuville, near Caen in France. It played a part in action to secure a road junction at Vire in mid August but played no further part in the Battle of Normandy. In September they were in Belgium and successfully crossed the Escaut canal as part of the ill-fated Market Garden operation, arriving in Gemert in Holland on 26th September where they received a tremendous welcome. October saw the 2nd Battalion involved in some of the heaviest fighting since the end of June, amid continual rain and mud. At noon on 12th October the order was given for the Battalion to start the attack on Overloon from the north alongside the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment. Their task involved clearing woods of the enemy, but they faced considerable shell and mortar fire and also mines. The Battalion achieved its objective that day, but John Coombs was killed. The battalion continued to play its part in capturing Overloon on 12thto 15th October, suffering 49 casualties.

Family history 

John was the son of Harry and Lily Coombs of Widnes, Lancashire. Harry Coombs had married Lily Corwell in the Prescot District of Lancashire in 1911 which includes Widnes.
 
Harry was born in on 24/1/1886 in Sutton Weaver in Cheshire to John T Coombs and Mary Coombs. His father was an agricultural labourer. Sutton Weaver is a small village between Frodsham and Runcorn. In 1891 he was living at Warrington Road, Sutton, Runcorn, Cheshire with his parents and five siblings, but by the age of 15 he was working as an assistant cowman at Batherton Hall in Nantwich, Cheshire, run by the Furnival family.
 
Lily Corwell was born in on 31/7/1889 in Sankey near Warrington to John and Frances Corwell. In 1891 she was living with her parents and older brother at 4, Clare Street, Warrington and in 1901 at 82, James Street, Widnes with her parents, elder brother and two younger sisters. Her father was described as a carpenter in 1891 and a shipwright in 1901. Her elder brother John was a Soap Labourer aged 13 in 1901. By 1911 Lily was working as a general domestic servant in the household of William and Camilla Horner and their three children at 12 Ashton Drive, Hunts Cross, Much Woolton, Lancashire (now a suburb of Liverpool).
 
After their marriage in 1911 Harry and Lily Coombs had children as follows, all in the vicinity of Widnes: Harry 3/7/1912, Lily 26/6/1921, John in 1923, Muriel Ivy in 28/5/1925 and Sidney in 1930. In 1921 Harry and Lily were living with their first son at 21, Bank Street, Widnes. Harry was now a building labourer with Sir Robert Macalpine Contractors (Building). By September 1939 they were living at 13 Bank Street, Widnes with their daughters Lily and Muriel Ivy and three other individuals whose records are closed suggesting they were children. One of these was probably John Coombs. Harry was still working as a Contractors’ Bricklayers’ Labourer, the two girls were working in a Shirt Factory, one as a shirt presser and the other as a collar presser.
 
John’s brother Harry was not living with his parents as he had married Agnes Angus shortly beforehand in the Widnes area. He was working as a carpenter and joiner. They were living at 66 Castle Street, Widnes.
 
John Coombs died on 12th October 1944. The Runcorn Weekly News announced it on 3rd November that year as follows:

“West Bank Private Killed
 
As reported last week, Private John Coombs, a son of Mr & Mrs Harry Coombs, 105 Oakland St., was killed in NW Europe. He was 21 years of age, a native of Widnes and an old boy of West Bank School. Before joining the Army over three years ago, he worked as an apprentice plumber. Although of a quiet disposition, Private Coombs made many friends. He was particularly welcomed in the liberated countries and has written several letters home to say how friendly disposed the people were to the boys in the forces.
 
His brother, Sgt Harry Coombs, is serving in North West Europe and although the brothers were engaged in neighbouring battlefronts, they never met. Mr Coombs senior was a driver in the RFA in the last war.”
 
John’s father, Harry Coombs, had joined the Royal Field Artillery as a driver on 4th January 1915 and served until at least late 1918. He served in France at some point during WW1. At that time, he and lily were living with son Harry at Cocklade Lane in Hale, between Widnes and Liverpool. He died in 1958 aged 71 and his mother Lily died in 1968 aged 78 – both in the Widnes area.
 
John’s brother, Harry, seems to have survived the war but no children have been found. He died in 1999.
 
Lily Coombs married John B Nelson in the Widnes area in 1945 but it is difficult to assess if they had children.
 
Muriel Ivy Coombs married Wallace Woods in 1948 in the Widnes area. They may have had three children between 1949 and 1962. Muriel and Warren were still living in Widnes in 2014.
 
Sidney Coombs probably married Hazel S Wynne in 1953. No children have been found with any certainty.
 
Sidney seems to have lived at 17, Walkers Lane, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 2PA for 26 years up to 2009 – and it seems that his sister, Lily Nelson, was also living at that address from 2002 to 2010. Sidney moved into a nursing home in Warrington in 2010. Lily died in 2010 and Sidney in 2013.

From FindMyPast website: Civil and Parish Birth, Marriage and Death Records; England Census and 1939 Register Records; Electoral Rolls; Military Records
Military records from ForcesWarRecords website
War Diary from Traces of War Website

Information on the East Yorkshire Regiment from a thesis written by Tracey Cragg for her PhD with the Department of History, University of Sheffield 2007  “An `Unspectacular’ War? Reconstructie van de geschiedenis van het 2e Bataljon East Yorkshire Regiment tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog”.

Research Elaine Gathercole