Pte H. W. Lewington

20 Feb 1919 – 21 Sep 1944 ◐

Pte Henry William Lewington (6459847)

About: A private of C Company, 156 Parachute Battalion, the company Murphy served in, who died at Arnhem on or shortly after 21 September 1944. He was found in an isolated group of graves at Zonneheuvel, Oosterbeek, with Lt Donaldson, and reburied the same day as him, 3 September 1945, in a different plot.

Unit or role: Private, 6459847, C Company, 156th Bn, The Parachute Regiment, A.A.C. (CWGC; ParaData).

Where: First buried in the isolated group of graves at Zonneheuvel, Oosterbeek, map reference 681785; now Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, plot 19, row C, grave 9 (the concentration form; CWGC).

Evidence: ✓ the CWGC casualty record and its archive documents, read on the images (what each one says): the two concentration forms of 1945, held in Lt Donaldson's set, the registration form of 1956, the printed register, p. 38 and the headstone schedule, p. 55; ✓ ParaData; ◐ Kew's catalogue entry WO 423/451616, which is his on the number match alone.

✓ Kew's catalogue lists a service record for "H W Lewington", service number 6459847, born 20 February 1919, WO 423/451616, closed until 1 January 2035 and not digitised (the catalogue entry). ◐ It is his on the number alone, the one on his grave records (the field form carries it only after a red correction); the entry gives only name, number and birth date. The birth date makes him 25 on 21 September 1944, the age the Commission gives (CWGC).

None of the records held here names his parents or his home (Kew's is closed until 2035): the register printed for families gives only his name, number, unit, date, age and grave (the register, p. 38).

ParaData has Lewington in C Company, 156 Parachute Battalion, at Arnhem (ParaData). Murphy's lieutenant was Lt Donaldson, "My Lt Mr Donaldson" in his memoir (p. 7), and Donaldson's platoon was 11 Platoon, C Company (Walsh, whose own platoon commander he was). ◐ That puts Murphy in 11 Platoon, which only his memoir's "My Lt" says; Pegasus's bracket on Walsh's report lists Murphy as Mortar Platoon. Walsh's report puts Murphy in C Company directly: Walsh was a Bren gunner "with C-Coy of the 156 Para Bn" and calls "Pte. MURPHY" "of my Coy" (Walsh). Murphy does not name Lewington, and no source held puts the two men together.

Where he was found. After the war the graves unit lifted seven men together from one spot (the field form has an eighth entry at the same spot, an unknown "R.A.", plot XXI B grave 15, struck through), "Oosterbeek Isolated Holland Gp. of graves Area Zonne Heuvel. Sh. 6NW. MR-681785.", and reburied them on 3 September 1945 in what was then Arnhem British Cemetery (the field form, 4 September 1945; the typed form, 8 November 1945). They were:

• Pte S. A. Chennell, 3 Bn Para Regt;
• Lt W. S. Donaldson, 156 Bn, Murphy's lieutenant;
• Sgt G. Bruce, 156 Bn;
• Sigmn D. J. V. Wolfe, Royal Signals, 1st Airborne Divisional Signals;
• Lt J. H. Strang, 7 KOSB;
• Pte H. W. Lewington, 156 Bn;
• Cpl D. Mason, 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron.

The field form of 4 September 1945, signed by a captain, "37 G.R.U.", had almost nothing on him. Its typist gave his unit as "Para Regt", a different army number, an initial "H." and a second initial now struck out, and his rank as "U/K"; in red ink someone added "156 BN.", struck the number and wrote "6459847" above it, struck the second initial, and wrote "PTE" over the rank; his date of death and how he died are both "u/k" (the field form, serial 6, read on the image; ◐ the struck initial looks like an N and is not certain).

On the typed form of 8 November 1945 his date of death and how he died were typed "Unknown". Both are struck through in red, with "ON OR SHORTLY AFTER 21.9.44" and "PRES. K.I.A" written above, and the "W" of his initials is also in red (the typed form, serial 6, read on the image). In red on the same form, three of the others were dated one by one: Donaldson, also typed "Unknown", "on or shortly after 21.9.44", with "PRES./D.W."; Bruce and Mason "on or shortly after 20.9.44". "On or shortly after" was added to Strang's typed 19.9.44, and Wolfe's typed 21.9.44 and Chennell's typed 17.9.44 were left as they were (same form; Lt Donaldson's page has more on what the red ink does and does not settle).

He lies in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, plot 19, row C, grave 9, beside Sgt Bruce of the same battalion in grave 8 (the registration form; CWGC).

• ✓ The registration form, schedule 127, certified on 10 October 1956: "6459847 Pte. H.W. LEWINGTON 156 Para Bn. Para Regt. A.A.C. 21.9.44." (the form).
• ✓ The headstone schedule, Form H/2, page 55, stone 498: "6459847 Private H.W.Lewington Parachute Regiment Army Air Corps 21st September 1944 Age 25 (Cross)", with no personal inscription (the schedule).
• ✓ The printed register, page 38: "LEWINGTON, Pte. HENRY WILLIAM, 6459847. 156th Bn. Parachute Regt., A.A.C. 21st September, 1944. Age 25. 19. C. 9." (the register).

• The day he died. ◐ The first two records have it unknown; the 21st enters in red ink on the typed concentration form, "on or shortly after", and every other record has the 21st with no amendment: the 1956 registration form, the headstone schedule, the printed register and the Commission's website; only the 1956 form is dated, so that the schedule and register came after the typed form is not shown (field form; typed form; the later records). Nothing held says what the clerk was reading. ParaData has 21 September 1944 (ParaData).
• How he died. ◐ "u/k" on the field form; "PRES. K.I.A" in red on the typed form (field form; typed form).
• His initials and number. The field form was typed with another army number and a second initial, both struck and corrected in red; every record after it has 6459847 and H. W. (field form; the later records).

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