George Victor Willoughby was killed in action on 13th October 1944 in Overloon, Netherlands. He was just 19 and a private in the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment (Service No. 14713144).
 
He was the son of George Thomas Willoughby and Mavis Willoughby (nee Tillett) of Sheerness in Kent who had married in 1924 in Watford.

While George Victor Willoughby was born in Watford in 1925, his three siblings were born in Sheppey in Kent as follows: Mavis D 1927, Jean M 1937, Kenneth I 1941. This suggests that the family probably moved to live there by 1927. In 1939 Mavis was living at 33 Russell Street, Sheerness with her first three children.
 
Young George Victor Willoughby found himself involved as a witness in a court case in October 1939 in Sheerness when he was just 14. He had been sent to deliver a radio to an address but was intercepted outside by the purchaser who said he would take it as he was locked out of the house because his wife was out shopping. George noticed the key was in the lock and became suspicious so reported it to his manager. The man was sentenced to 6 months in prison for this and other offences.
 
However, it was George himself, aged 17, who was in the Police Court in Sheerness in September 1942 for shop breaking and larceny. He and another boy aged 16 had broken into a shop and stolen cigarettes and cash valued at a total of £20. George actually fainted as the hearing was nearing a conclusion and had to be carried out of the courtroom, returning a few minutes later having been revived. They were allowed out on bail with their mothers standing surety and went on to plead guilty to this and admitted 8 previous offences at East Kent Quarter Sessions in October. It was acknowledged that it was the younger boy and not George who was the ringleader. They were sentenced to Borstal for 3 years.
 
It isn’t known exactly when George signed up for the Army, but it is understood that it was possible for boys sent to Borstal to be able to choose to join the armed services instead. This may be what he chose to do.
 
After the evacuation of Dunkirk in May 1940, the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment spent the next four years training in the United Kingdom for the invasion of Normandy in 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. They landed on Sword beach on 6th June and were involved in attacking and taking the Hillman Fortress on that day. They continued to progress through France and Belgium, including severe battles which cost many lives at Chateau de la Londe and at Tinchebrai before arriving in the Netherlands, reaching Molenhoek just below Nijmegen by 1st October. From there they swung round to the south, passing through Mook and Rijkevoort to approach occupied Overloon from the north. The aim was to attack Overloon and clear the enemy salient west of the River Maas in what was known as Operation Aintree. The attack on Overloon was delayed by heavy rain and very muddy conditions until noon on the 12th October. The plan was that the 1st Suffolk Regiment would attack on the right while the 2nd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment would proceed on the left. The Battalion successfully reached a position just to the south west of Overloon that day, but with one officer and 9 men killed and a further 2 officers and 55 men wounded. During the night the Battalion area was subjected to fairly heavy shell and mortar fire. On the 13th the Battalion remained in the same position, with the 185th Brigade attacking on the left of the battalion to clear the woods to the south east. The Battalion made just a slight change in position to the east later in the afternoon to sit astride the main road to Venray. Although this was a relatively uneventful day for the Battalion, nevertheless 4 Other Ranks were killed (including George Victor Willoughby) as well as 2 officers and 18 other ranks wounded.
 
Overloon was successfully liberated, but at a large cost in lives and the devastation of the village by artillery fire.
 
George’s death was remembered in the Sheerness Times Guardian in October 1945: “Willoughby – In loving memory of George Victor Willoughby, reported killed in action on October 13th 1944 near Nijmegen. Aged 19 years, ‘Although one year has passed since we heard from you, we often speak of you and in silence remember always.’ – Mum, Dad, Mavis, Jean and Ken. ‘Till we all meet again’.” A similar entry was made in October 1948.
 
George’s father, George Thomas Willoughby, died in spring 1980 in the district of Swale in Kent which includes Sheerness. His mother, Jane Mavis Willoughby, died in the same area in late 1982.

George’s Father’s Family

George Victor Willoughby’s father, George Thomas Willoughby, was born in late 1900 in Watford to Mary Ann Willoughby who was unmarried at the time. In 1901 he was living in Ballards Buildings, Watford with his 27 year old mother and 47 year old grandmother Emma Willoughby who had both been born in Amersham in Buckinghamshire. In 1911 George was still living in Ballards Buildings. However, his mother was now married to William Adams and both were described as farm labourers. However, it seems that Mary had had a further two children prior to her marriage: Lily Willoughby in 1905 and Lizzie Willoughby in 1909. They and George were described as William’s son and daughters. There too were 2 adult and 3 child lodgers.
 
Royal Navy service records for George Thomas Willoughby (Service Number J51395) shows that on 2/3/1916, during WW1, he joined the Royal Navy as “Boy 2nd Class.” These were boys aged 15-17 of adequate physical height, weight and medical fitness for the Navy and evidence of being of ‘good character’. He was posted to HMS Ganges which was a shore based Royal Navy training establishment based at Shotley in Suffolk. However, prior to this, his occupation was described as “T.S. Arethusa”. This was Training Ship Arethusa which was based on the River Thames at Greenhithe in Kent. This was run by a charity known as “Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa”. They provided refuge and taught maritime skills to destitute young boys who had been sleeping rough on the streets of London and trained them for a career in the Royal Navy or Merchant Navy. The circumstances in which George was sent to Arethusa are not known.
 
George was upgraded to “Boy 1st class” in August 1916 and assigned to HMS Marlborough. On his 18th birthday on 23rdNovember 1918 he was promoted to Ordinary Seaman and signed on for 12 years and on 25/8/1920 was promoted to Able Bodied Seaman – a rank which he continued to hold until the end of his service. He remained on HMS Marlborough until 19/3/1919. From then until 1943 he spent periods of time at HMS Pembroke which was the Royal Navy Shore Barracks at Chatham in Kent interspersed with postings to ships at sea including HMS Hawkins from July 1919 to April 1921, HMS Royal Oak from November 1921 to June 1922, HMS Repulse from August to November 1922, HMS York from August 1930 to April 1932, HMS Cumberland from February 1933 to March 1935 and HMS Kent from July 1938 to January 1941, now taking part in WW2. He also served periods, especially from 1923 to 1930 and at the end of his career, at other shore stations, including HMS Columbine at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth in Scotland, HMS Egmont in Malta and HMS Eaglet in Liverpool. He was generally well behaved, though he was given 90 days detention in 1921 for striking the Regulating Petty Officer who was in charge of discipline and 10 days punishment while in Scotland for creating a disturbance on shore. It isn’t totally clear, but it is thought that he was finally released from the Navy on 26/9/1943.
 
Meanwhile, he had married Mavis Tillet in late 1924 in Watford, while in the Navy.

Prior to his marriage George Thomas Willoughby is recorded in 1922 and 1923 at 47 Liverpool Road, Watford in a list of Absent Voters for electoral purposes but it shows he was actually based at HMS Pembroke – i.e. Chatham. In 1925, after he married Mavis in 1924, he was still shown in the same way, but by 1926 both George and Mavis were shown as living at 42 Belgrave Avenue, Watford in the same household as Mavis’ mother, Isabella Tillett.

George’s Mother’s Family

Mavis was actually named Jane Mavis Tillett, born 1905 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She, too, came from a military family. In 1911, she was living with her mother, Isabella Tillett, and four siblings at the Malplaquet Barracks in Farnborough (described as “Detention Barracks Commandant’s House Warder’s Quarters”). Her husband was presumably a soldier there. They had married in 1902. Isabella had been born in Cape Town, South Africa on 19/8/1884. By 1921 she was living at 42, Belgrave Avenue, Watford with now six children. They were born as follows: Jane Mavis 1905, William Henry 1907, Alfred John 1908, Harry Edward 1909, Arthur Roderick 1911 and Lillian Rosebella 1920. Other than Mavis, they were all born in various places in South Africa except the last child who was born in Watford. Isabella and all her children were British Citizens by virtue of their parentage. It isn’t known who Isabella’s husband was or where he was in 1921. Isabella was still living at the same address in 1939 and described as married vs widowed. There too was her youngest child and what appears to be three male lodgers. Isabella Tillett died in 1972 in Watford.

From FindMyPast website: Civil and Parish Birth, Marriage and Death Records; England Census and 1939 Register Records; Military Records, Electoral Rolls
Forces War Records
National Archives Document ADM/363/164/131 GT Willoughby Service Record
Suffolk regiment War Diary
Wikipedia and Friends of the Suffolk Regiment websites for information on the regiment
Wikipedia for information on Boy Seamen, HMS Arethusa and other naval ships
Assistance from the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne and Tony Pointing of Sheppey Family History Society
Sheerness Times Guardian (dates 6/10/1939, 11/9/1942, 1/10/1945, 22/10/1948)
Kentish Express 9/10/1942

Research Iwan van Dijk, Leo Janssen, Elaine Gathercole