Kenneth McTernan died of wounds on 17th October 1944 while serving as a Corporal in the 2nd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment (Service No. 14413570). He was 19 years of age. He was buried initially in the De Kleffen Cemetery at Overloon and later re-interred in the Overloon War Graves Commission Cemetery. The inscription on his grave reads “He died in glory without fear.”

Military Career

Kenneth McTernan enlisted in 1942 when he was 17. He had approached his 13 year old cousin, Dorothy, to be his pen pal when he was away.
 
After the 2nd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, it returned to the UK and spent time preparing defences on the south coast. In 1942 it undertook training for the Dieppe raid in France on the 19 August, but the Canadians took on this raid instead. Before D-Day the Battalion went to Scotland for training in beach assaults.
 
It then 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 Battalion involved in some of the heaviest fighting since the end of June, amid continual rain and mud. It played its part in capturing Overloon on 12 to 15 October, suffering 49 casualties.
 
On the 16 October the battalion received fresh orders to attack Venray. Delays meant that the battalion came under smoke mortar fire and did not set off until 5pm, with a participant saying “it was one of those cases of hanging about waiting with nothing to do under fire, when nerves get very strained”. When they did set off progress was slow as the tracks were difficult to follow and sniping in the vicinity “made people rather jumpy in the dark”. They reached Brabander by nightfall.
 
The following day the attack on Venray continued. C Company were held up working their way into the town, while A Company reached the town but were fighting a very confused house to house battle. D Company, which were following C Company, met with heavy shelling which resulted in casualties. The enemy continued to shell the Venray to Brabander road. B Company moved in behind A Company who had reached a brewery in the town – but darkness meant both had to take up a position for the night. D Company reached the town and moved forward beyond their objective and so reached the centre before the other Companies but faced house to house fighting around the town square until 4am in the morning. Enemy patrols entering the town and heavy enemy shelling continued overnight.
 
By first light on 18 October, the Germans had withdrawn and the battle was over, at the cost of nine “other ranks” killed, forty-one, including one officer, wounded, and eleven men missing. It was on 17 October that Kenneth McTernan died of wounds.
 
His cousin Dorothy, now aged 96, can confirm that he was killed as a result of hand to hand fighting while clearing a house. It seems that for one particular house he decided to enter it first instead of one of his subordinates and that is when he was shot.
 
Survivors recall the action in Venray was particularly intense, with all their training coming into play. The Divisional Commander described the troops of 3rd Division during this period of fighting as “desperately gallant soldiers with a wonderful spirit”, having concluded that the conditions under which they had fought were “quite Bloody”.

Family background

Kenneth was born in 1925 in Wakefield to Arthur McTernan and Annie Young who had married there on 18 May 1924. At their marriage, Arthur was described as a Butcher living at 118 Stanley Road and Annie as a Domestic Servant living at 8 Bagnall Terrace. Arthur had been born on 10 September 1899 in Wakefield and Annie on 26 October 1901 in Castleford. Kenneth had a younger sister called Margaret who was born in 1928 in the Pontefract district. It is not thought that she ever married.
 
By 1939 Arthur and Annie were living at 152 Stanley Road, Wakefield. Arthur was working as a Slaughterman. There were two closed records indicating the presence of children, presumably Kenneth and Margaret. Arthur died in 1966 aged 67 in the Hemsworth district and Annie aged 82 in 1983 in Wakefield.

Kenneth’s Father’s Family

Arthur McTernan’s parents were John and Elizabeth Ann McTernan (nee Ashton). John had been born in 1867 and Elizabeth around 1869, both in Wakefield. It is thought that they had at least 9 children, all born in Wakefield between 1890 and 1901, though it is known that 2 died young.
 
It will be seen that the McTernans and indeed the Ashtons had a strong interest in the Butchery trade.
 
In 1891, John and Elizabeth were living with Elizabeth’s widowed mother, Mary Ann Ashton, at 44, Providence Street, Wakefield with two of their children. Elizabeth’s brother was also present. John was a Slaughterhouse Labourer. Elizabeth had been living at his same address in 1881 before her marriage with her widowed mother and four of her adult sons, three of whom were in the butchery trade.
 
By 1901, John and Elizabeth were living in their own house at 87, New Street, Wakefield with six of their children, including Arthur. John was now described as a Cattle Slaughterer. By 1911 they were at 8 Savile Street, Wakefield with six of their children, including Arthur. John was now a General Carter.
 
On 6 May 1918 Arthur McTernan signed up for the RAF, aged just 17. He was described as a Butcher. His next of kin was given as Elizabeth McTernan of 51 Duke of York Street, Wakefield. His service number was 164206. He was transferred to the RAF Reserve on 3rd May, 1919. Arthur’s brothers Harry and John also served in WW1.
 
By 1921 John and Elizabeth were living at 51, Duke of York Street, Wakefield with six of their children including Arthur. Most of the children were working. Once more, John was described as a Slaughterman, working for various butchers in Wakefield. Arthur was working as a Butcher’s Assistant for D Bolland.
 
John McTernan died in 1929 in Wakefield so by 1939 Elizabeth was a widow and was living at 2 Clarendon Street, Wakefield. With her were three unmarried children aged from 38 to 47. There were also three closed records suggesting the presence of other children, but it isn’t certain whose these were. 
 
Elizabeth A McTernan died in 1943 in Wakefield, so neither she nor her husband lived to hear of their grandson’s death.

Kenneth’s Mother’s Family

Annie Young was the daughter of William Young and Alice Vickers who married in the Pontefract district in 1896. William Young was born around 1867 in Malton (though one record suggests Riccall). Alice was born in Wellington, Shropshire on 4 June 1874. They had six children between 1896 and 1906. However, one died young.
 
In 1901 William and Alice were living at 51, Bridge Street, Castleford with their first two children. William was working as a Labourer for the County Council.
 
By 1911 they were at 5 Bridge Street, Castleford. William was still a labourer – but out of work. With them were four of their children including Annie, while a fifth was living with two of her uncles and her maternal grandparents, Elizabeth and George Vickers. It seems that they had moved from Shropshire to Yorkshire between 1874 and 1877.
 
By June 1921, William and Alice were living at 85, Bridge Street, Castleford with three of their children. William was now shown as an invalid.
 
At this time, Annie was living and working as a General Domestic Servant at Gledholt, Birkenshaw, Yorkshire, near Dewsbury, in the household of Shu Hobson and Mary Louisa Bates. Shu was born in 1866 in Huddersfield and was a Master Worsted Spinner (an Employer) while Mary Louisa was born in 1875 in Gildersome. Their son, Geoffrey Bates born 1902 in Yorkshire and a textile student was also there – as was another servant, Alice Guest, born 1890 in Barnsley.
 
By September 1939, it seems that William Young had died and Alice was widowed and living at 4 Elridge Street, Castleford. Two daughters were still at home and also one of Alice’s grandchildren.
 
Alice Young is thought to have died in 1949 in the Pontefract district.

From FindMyPast website: Civil and Parish Birth, Marriage and Death Records; England Census and 1939 Register Records; Electoral Rolls; Military Records
Information on the East Yorkshire Regiment from a thesis written by Tracey Craggs for her PhD with the Department of History, University of Sheffield 2007 “An `Unspectacular’ War? Reconstructing the history of the 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment during the Second World War”
2nd Battalion East Yorkshire War Diary
Photo and assistance from Dorothy Hirst (Kenneth’s cousin) and Christopher McTernan (his 1st cousin once removed)

Research Elaine Gathercole