Corporal Leslie Herbert Timbrell
Date of Birth 16/09/1920
Place of Birth Chippenham, Wiltshire
Regiment 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment
Rank Corporal
Service Number 5570591
Company S Coy
Platoon Anti-tank
Awards
Date of Death 02/10/1944
Location Holland
Location of Memorial Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery – Memorial
Next of Kin Son of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Timbrell, of Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Place of Birth Chippenham, Wiltshire
Regiment 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment
Rank Corporal
Service Number 5570591
Company S Coy
Platoon Anti-tank
Awards
Date of Death 02/10/1944
Location Holland
Location of Memorial Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery – Memorial
Next of Kin Son of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Timbrell, of Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Cpl Leslie Herbert Timbrell was born on the 16th September
1920, before the war he was employed as a painter and decorator working for his
father. On the 3rd May 1939 he joined the Territorial Army, initially serving
with the 4th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment before transferring to the 5th
Battalion on the 23rd August.
The 5th Battalion was part of the 43rd (Wessex) Division which spent the early part of the war on coastal defence duties and training. Eventually on the 19th June 1944 the division disembarked in Normandy, France as part of the allied build-up after the D-Day landings. The 43rd (Wessex) Division saw action in many of the major battles across Europe from June 1944 until the surrender of Germany in May 1945.
Unfortunately Cpl Timbrell was not to complete the journey to Germany, he was to lose his life in the early hours of the 2nd October 1944 near the town of Elst in the Netherlands. He has no known grave however his name is commemorated on two memorials in the Netherlands and two in Chippenham. His name appears amongst those listed on the Groesbeek Memorial which bears the names of 1,103 servicemen who have no known grave. He is also listed on a memorial to the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Wiltshire Regiment who lost their lives between the 22nd September and the 6th October 1944. This memorial was unveiled on the 28th April 2010 and is situated in the southern suburbs of Arnhem.
The 5th Battalion was part of the 43rd (Wessex) Division which spent the early part of the war on coastal defence duties and training. Eventually on the 19th June 1944 the division disembarked in Normandy, France as part of the allied build-up after the D-Day landings. The 43rd (Wessex) Division saw action in many of the major battles across Europe from June 1944 until the surrender of Germany in May 1945.
Unfortunately Cpl Timbrell was not to complete the journey to Germany, he was to lose his life in the early hours of the 2nd October 1944 near the town of Elst in the Netherlands. He has no known grave however his name is commemorated on two memorials in the Netherlands and two in Chippenham. His name appears amongst those listed on the Groesbeek Memorial which bears the names of 1,103 servicemen who have no known grave. He is also listed on a memorial to the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Wiltshire Regiment who lost their lives between the 22nd September and the 6th October 1944. This memorial was unveiled on the 28th April 2010 and is situated in the southern suburbs of Arnhem.
Cpl Timbrell’s name is also commemorated on the Liberal Club Memorial in Chippenham.
Source: CWGC, 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment War Diary, Photos- Geert Jonkers, Bryan Timbrell.