Ewbank | Donald
Biography
Donald Ewbank died aged just 25 on the 10th November, 1944 in the Battle of Overloon. He was a Private (Reg. No. 5771938) in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment which suffered particularly high levels of casualties in that battle. His death came sometime after the main involvement of the Regiment in taking Overloon and Venray when the Regiment was involved in carrying out patrols, still in dangerous circumstances, in Venray.
He was born on 11th August 1919 at 6 Walliker Street, Kingston upon Hull. His mother was Amy Ewbank who was a Draper’s Assistant who lived at that address. It is thought that she was living with her parents at the time. No father’s name was given, indicating that Donald was born out of wedlock. Amy had an earlier child named Doreen in 1917, also out of wedlock.
Amy’s parents were Thomas Ewbank and Marion Elizabeth Mellon who had married in 1888. Thomas had various jobs in his life including Railway Clerk, Railway Canvasser, Tramway Conductor and School Attendance Officer, though he was out of work along with his two sons in 1921. Marion’s father was a Master Mariner and Humber Pilot.
Amy Ewbank married Albert Victor Lucas in 1920 in Hull.
At around the time that Amy was planning to marry Albert Lucas, her mother was ill and Amy was helping look after her. This meant that she struggled to look after two young children. She chose to keep Doreen and put Donald in the care of the Board of Guardians of Sculcoates Union Workhouse on Beverley Road in Hull. This is therefore where Donald Ewbank was recorded at the time of the 1921 census when he was aged just 1 year and 9 months. However, Amy found it difficult to pay what was required to keep him in this care. He was therefore put into the care of Doctor Barnado’s Charity which looks after vulnerable children.
In the 1921 census, Amy and Albert Lucas were living with her sister Marion and brother-in-law Herbert Jones in Hull. Present too was Amy and Albert’s 3 months old first child, Phillip Henry Lucas (who himself died in WW2), but also 3 year old Doreen Ewbank. Amy’s mother Marion had just died unexpectedly at the age of 57 at that time and her father Thomas died just 3 years later in 1924 aged 59.
Albert and Amy Lucas went on to have a total of six children between 1921 and 1937 and they had nothing more to do with Donald. Albert was a jeweller and watchmaker. He had considerable financial difficulties which led to him being declared bankrupt twice in 1926 and 1930. He was also fined in 1933 for pawning three watches brought in by clients for repair and imprisoned for 3 months in 1937 for fraudulently selling two pieces of glass as diamonds. Albert Lucas died in Leeds in 1947 and Amy in Harrogate in 1967 aged 73.
Donald’s daughter, Maureen Harenburg, understands that Donald was taken away by Dr Barnado’s from Hull perhaps to Dagenham in Essex, but by at least the age of 3 he was placed in foster care with Oliver and Thurza Pinfold in Middleton Cheney in Oxfordshire. He was one of two boys whom the Pinfold’s took in when their own children had grown up. The other was Donald Wood. She gave them a much needed happy and stable childhood. They returned regularly as to visit their foster parents and regarded them with great affection. Donald Ewbank was still remembered in 2012 as being “a good lad”.
At about the time he entered secondary education he was moved by Dr Barnado’s to a school in Norwich. When he left he went straight into the Royal Norfolk Regiment, presumably aged 16, and was posted to India. The Battalion returned to England in 1940 and were allotted to home defence. On his return, he spent time training for the D-Day landings. At some point in this period he found himself stationed in Walton on Thames. Maureen’s mother, Kathleen A. Christian, was living there at the time with her parents and working in a munitions factory. She was out for a cycle ride one day but was pushing her cycle up a hill at the same time as Donald was out with a friend to post a letter so they passed each other. Donald’s colleague worked for Kathleen’s boss so Donald was able to contact her to ask to take her out. He had picked up some medical knowledge at some point. One day, Kathleen’s mother said she was unable to go out with him due to being ill with a rash caused by the chemicals in the munitions. The next day he returned with some medicine to help heal the rash. He was also a bandsman in the regiment, playing the clarinet.
He and Kathleen married in Surrey in early 1943. She had been born in Chertsey in Surrey in 1923, so was just 20 at the time while Donald was 23. They went on to have a daughter, Maureen A Ewbank. He seems to have coped well with his disturbed early childhood and developed into a handsome and pleasant young man. He was dearly loved by Kathleen, but sadly she was widowed when he died in the Battle of Overloon in 1944, about a year after Maureen was born.
After Donald’s death, Maureen and her mother lived with her mother’s parents until her mother re-married in 1948 and went on to have 11 more children.
Occasionally Maureen and her mother visited Mrs Pinfold, but this was not frequent as it was more difficult to keep in touch in those times with less easy transport and limited use of telephones.
Oliver and Thurza Pinfold were very upset to learn of his death and his name is commemorated on the Middleton Cheney War Memorials. His foster “brother”, Donald Wood had also joined up when the war was declared (regiment unknown) and lost a foot as a result of enemy action – he continued to visit the Pinfolds for many years after the war.
Maureen married John E Harenburg in 1963. Donald now has four grandchildren born between 1964 and 1973 and also eight great grandchildren who are making their way successfully in life.
Apart from knowing her father was dead, Maureen had little knowledge of him until late in life. Neither Maureen nor her mother had any contact with the Lucas family until very recently. However, in more recent times she has found out considerably more about his life both from her mother, her own research and also relatives who have studied the family history.
Maureen has visited Overloon Cemetery to see her father’s grave. She welcomes the idea that he will be included in the Overloon War Chronicles so that he is not forgotten.
