RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Jimvin on Sunday 05 January 20 13:32 GMT (UK)
-
I’m researching all the old boys from the New Beacon in Sevenoaks who died in WW2, trying to find some more information about them, including the senior school that they went on to after the New Beacon. 78 old boys were killed in WW2, and we’ve managed to find out a lot of information of 75 of them. However, Timothy Turner is proving a little elusive… he left New Beacon (preparatory) School in 1924.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, we have checked some senior public schools where their records are available, but we cannot find him. Just thought I would put it out there to Rootschat as there may some other sources.
Here is what we have:
Timothy Turner 1911-1943
b. 02/04/1911
d. 07/06/1943
Father was Colonel John Eamer Turner, based at Sandhurst a lot of the time. I think he may have been an Assistant Commandant.
Mother Una Nickalls, daughter of Tom Nickalls (stockbroker) who founded London Rowing Club.
Timothy Turner won the gold medal at the Empire Games in 1938, in the 8s rowing.
Died whilst a Japanese PoW.
I contacted the London Rowing Club and they were able to provide some rowing information on him.
Turner joined the London Rowing Club in 1929 at the age of 18. His maternal grandfather, Tom Nickalls, was one of the founding members.
In the early to mid-1930s, he seems to have rowed at stroke in the crews he rowed in, and to have been successful. He was stroke of the Club's winning crew in the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley in 1931, and also of our winning Grand Challenge Cup crew in 1933, a very tight race against Berliner Ruder Club won by 1/4 of a length. He again stroked the VIII which was assembled for Melbourne in 1934 (the LRC have a photograph with signatures, and a rudder with his name on).
There is quite a story about him joining England's 1938 Empire Games crew, as he was living in Australia at that time.
Had a brother Richard and two sisters, Dorothy and Angela.
-
I can't help with what school he attended, however there are a few mentions in Australian newspapers, not sure if you've seen them?
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article194638458
(correct name and age, though whether it is the same man - not sure? There is no Timothy TURNER birth registered in NSW between 1910 and 1912)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32957174
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231111060
(brief mention at the end of the article)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35646845
(at the end of the article)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11023895
(a photograph)
and quite a few others about his time coaching. You can search for yourself at https://trove.nla.gov.au