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GORDON KNIGHT RICHARDSON (1924-45)
Towards the end of August 2008 I was emailed by David Rogers, who was carrying out research on the Glider Pilot Regiment during the Second World War. David is a volunteer with the Assault Glider Trust, and is involved in a project at RAF Shawbury (Shropshire), which is dedicated to restoring the only complete Horsa Glider known to exist. The details of this project can be found on a fascinating Website, www.assaultgliderproject.co.uk It is worth a visit!
David was looking for information on Gordon Knight Richardson, an Old Boy of the School, who was sadly killed flying a Horsa during the crossing of the Rhine (Operation Varsity) in 1945. He had seen the PGSA Website, and wondered if we could help. He also believed that there was a PGS Book of Remembrance, and asked if Richardson was included. I mentioned David’s contact in the PGSA Newsletter, and sure enough I got a response, which prompted me into action. Having been briefed by Joe Hodgson and Alick Hadwen, and armed with a camera, off I went.
There are three dedicated memorials that I know of so far, although his name will be recorded on general Rolls of Honour, for instance in the Harris Library and Museum.
The PGS War Memorial book
ARMY AIR CORPS
Gordon Knight Richardson
Born October the twenty-seventh, 1924, entered the School June the sixth, 1939 and left July the twenty-fifth, 1940. Served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery from January 1943 and volunteered for the Army Air Corps, Glider Pilot Regiment, in May 1943. Sergeant. Missing presumed killed during the crossing of the Rhine, March the twenty-fourth, 1945.
The Commonwealth War Graves
Gordon Knight Richardson. Serjeant. Glider Pilot Regiment, Army Air Corps. 20 years. Died 24th March 1945. Service Number 14389378. Son of George Knight Richardson and Muriel Richardson of Preston, Lancashire. Memorial: Panel 8 Groesbeek.
Commonwealth War Graves customarily show husband and wife in that form where one or the other has a surname as their middle name. CWG has also spelt “Serjeant” correctly for AAC usage.
Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Church Memorial Book
GROESBEEK MEMORIAL
RICHARDSON, Sjt. GORDON KNIGHT, 14389378. The Glider Pilot Regt., A. A. C. 24th March, 1945. Age 20. Son of George Knight Richardson and Muriel Richardson, of Preston, Lancashire. Panel 8.
The RAMC entry is taken from the Groesbeek Memorial, and also uses the spelling “Serjeant”.
In addition to the entry, there is a diagrammatical map showing the routes taken on Operation Varsity (the crossing of the Rhine), a diagram of the site landings, and a newspaper photo of the dropping and landing zones. This Memorial entry was compiled by Joe Hodgson, an Old Boy of Preston Grammar School, and a Member of the Association.
To the front of the current Hall of Worship, there is a stone plinth on which Gordon Knight Richardson’s name is recorded, and he is also commemorated in the annual Order of Service for Remembrance Sunday.
(Photos relating to all the above (apart from the Groesbeek Memorial) are reproduced below.)
Background
Very little is known about Gordon Knight Richardson. His family appears to have moved to the Preston area in 1939 (hence the short stay at the Grammar School), and its members attended the Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Church. Local people remember Gordon Knight’s father having a “glass” eye, and his mother is apparently famous for having had a ‘friendship’ with the local Lothario (who shall remain nameless)! Only Gordon’s presence in Church with his parents is recalled, and it is believed he may have had a brother, whose name is not known.
Similarly, nobody as yet knows what Richardson did between leaving School and joining the Royal Artillery. He could have been called up from October 1942 onwards. His transfer to the Army Air Corps was rather sudden. Alick Hadwen, another Old Boy and Association Member, is about to embark on an ambitious project. Having almost completed his research on PGS Old Boys in the Great War (see elsewhere on the Website), he is going to turn his attention to the Second World War. He foresees several years of work ahead. PGS Accessions number over 400, and each may involve hundreds, many hundreds, of items. Further, items relating to one boy are not necessarily together, not necessarily in the same box, and not necessarily in date or alpha sequence!
At the moment, Alick doesn’t have the remotest idea where to start looking for Richardson’s records, but he doesn’t expect them to be together in one tidy file, as this was just not done. There may be similar difficulties with the Military records, as vast quantities were bombed out of existence or destroyed in some other way during the War. So far Alick has drawn a blank, but it’s not in his nature to give up!
Another possible resource is the Hoghtonian (the School Magazine). Details of Old Boys in the Forces were included in it, and they became an important feature of the Association’s Section for the duration of the War. There is a complete set of the Hoghtonians in Preston Reference Library, and I hope to gain access to these in the near future.
Finally, a number of Old Boys must have been contemporaries of Richardson, and some Members of the Association are certainly of the right age. If anyone can be of help, I should be very grateful if they would contact me.
Charlie Billington.
With special thanks to Alick Hadwen; Joe Hodgson and Members of the Council of Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Church; Fr Timothy Lipscomb and the staff at Preston Minster.
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