Fereday | John
Biography
John Fereday was killed in action on 13 October 1944 in the vicinity of Overloon. He was aged 28 at the time. He was a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (Service No. 14561652). He was initially buried at Cemetery P. Borghs C50, nu Vierlingsbeeksweg 43 Overloon and re-interred on 13 May 1947 in grave II. C. 3 in the Overloon CWG Cemetery. The inscription on his grave reads “God be with you till we meet again. Sadly missed by wife, daughter and family.”
Military career
The 2nd Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry began the war in Jamaica with a company detached to the Bermuda Garrison. The battalion would eventually join the 185th Infantry Brigade, which included the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment. The brigade was originally assigned to the 79th Armoured Division but was then transferred to the 3rd British Infantry Division in April 1943, when the division was preparing to invade Sicily, until it was replaced by the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. The battalion took part in the D-Day landings (Operation Overlord), then proceeded through Belgium and the Netherlands and the rest of the North West Europe Campaign with the British Second Army.
Following the failure in late September 1944 of Operation Market Garden to capture the bridge at Arnhem, the Allied forces were left in a rather precarious narrow salient through the Netherlands.
By 2 October, the 2nd Battalion were at Mook which is on the east bank of the River Maas, south of Nijmegen and north of Overloon. They remained in that area until 8 October. The aim had been to attack the enemy to the east in the Reichswald Forest, but priorities changed to widening the salient by heading south to take Overloon, Venray and cross the Maas at Venlo. The Battalion therefore moved down to Oefelt then reached Rijkevoort on 12 October.
At first light on 13 October, the Commanding Officer and Company Commanders carried out a reconnaissance of the woods south of Overloon through which the Battalion was to pass while the Battalion reached its assembly position about 1,000 yds north of Overloon prior to the attack itself which began at 12 noon.
The battalion had the support of one squadron of Churchill tanks from the Coldstream Guards and an artillery barrage. The plan was for W and Z companies to be the two forward companies on the left and right respectively. Y company were to advance on the eastern edge of the woods and give protection to the attack from that flank. X Company were to be in reserve. The attack proved difficult as the Churchill tanks were bogged down or delayed by minefields and radio communication in the thick woods was abysmal. The two forward companies managed to reach approximately the intended positions, but Y company found that the edge of the woods on the map was far from clear on the ground. They managed to reach their area after much wandering about the woods. However, the War Diary reports that “Lt. Bellamy and Sgt Ruff killed and bn suffered about 17 other casualties during the day”. One of the 17 other casualties who died that day was John Fereday. He was initially buried alongside four other men of his regiment who died that same day and who remain alongside each other in the Overloon CWG Cemetery: Herbert Sydney Bayley, Michael Hardy Child Bellamy, Leslie Harrison and William Victor Woodfield.
Family History
John Fereday was the son of James and Elizabeth Ann Fereday. He was born on 20 October 1915 in West Bromwich.
James Fereday married Elizabeth A Cashmore in 1912 in West Bromwich. James was born on 5 Jun 1890 and Elizabeth Ann on 21 October 1890 – both in West Bromwich. They seem to have had at least 10 children as follows: James Albert 1913, John 1915, Arthur 1917, Sidney 23/6/1919, Freda 3/4/1921, Joan 17/2/1923, Ernest 29/6/1927, Annie 1929, Rita 1930, Mavis 1933. James was born in Aston and the others were born in West Bromwich. Sadly, Arthur died in West Bromwich in 1917 before he reached 1 year old.
In both 1921 and 1939 James and Elizabeth Ann were living at 2, Richard Street, West Bromwich, Staffordshire. In 1921 James was working as a Railway Carriage Frame Fitter at the Metro Carriage Works, Oldbury and he was still a Frame Fitter for Railway Coaches and Buses in 1939.
In 1939 all the children alive by then were present except for James and John. Sidney was working as a Plain Grinder, Freda as a Jewellery Finisher and Joan as a Shop Assistant in a Gown Shop. It was indicated that Freda would later marry someone called Whitehouse and Joan would marry someone called Cotton.
John Fereday married Winifred L Mayne in West Bromwich in 1938.
Winifred had been born on 10 May 1916 in West Bromwich. She was the daughter of John Thomas and Mary Mayne. John and Mary were both born in 1888 – John in West Bromwich and Mary in Walsall Wood. In 1921 they were living at 14, Taylor’s Lane, West Bromwich, Staffordshire. John was working as a Bar Weigher at Johnsons Iron & Steel Works. With them were six children as follows, all born in West Bromwich: Charles Henry 1908, Joseph 1911, George 1914, Winifred 1916, Edward 1918 and 1921. Present too was Mary Allcott born 1849 described as “Mother”.
John and Winifred had a daughter called Doreen in 1939 in West Bromwich.
In 1939 John and Winifred were living with Doreen at 2a Summer Street, West Bromwich. John was working as a Fitter.
After John’s death in 1944, Winifred L Fereday married Frank Groom in West Bromwich in 1951. It is thought that they had one child, John V Groom, born in 1952 in West Bromwich.
Winifred Lilian Groom (born 10/5/1916) died in 1971 in West Bromwich.
