The Stillwell's Sons

My father's memoirs state that he had two cousins, Eric and John, who were the sons of Fanny Sarah and Clarence Stillwell.  My father describes Clarence Stillwell's business (  they were "gold lacemen, embroiderers & general military wear, specialities: gold lace, embroidery, Masonic clothing & jewellery").  He goes on to note that both Eric and John were killed serving in World War II.  The Stillwell's are described in their school honor roll as follows (Dulwich College):

MAJOR ERIC WILLIAM DIGBY STILLWELL 

117th Bn. The Queen's Royal Regiment.

Born May 24, 1911. He was the elder brother of J. D. Stillwell and on leaving school he spent about a year with Jaeger Ltd., and another with a firm of chartered accountants, to gain business experience and in 1930 he joined the family business of Edward Stillwell & Son, Ltd., of Barbican, E.C., eventually becoming a director.

He was the fifth successive generation in the family business. He was a liveryman (by servitude) of the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers, with which his family had also been closely connected. In the Certificate" A " examination at School he was a Kittermaster prize winner and as soon as he was eighteen was commissioned to the 24th Battalion London Regiment, which later became the 7th (Southwark) Battalion The Queen's Royal Regiment. On mobilization he was captain, commanding" B " Company which he took to France in 1940. They did useful work in the retirement from Brussels and returned via Dunkirk. He was promoted major in I941 and proceeded in July 1942 with the 44th Division to the Middle East in command of the H.Q. Company. Shortly after arrival he became second-in-command and a few weeks before his death, in the absence of the C.O., he commanded the battalion in action. He fell in the opening stages of El Alamein, on October 24, 1942, along with the majority of the officers of his battalion, when the Infantry attacked the minefields in advance of the armour. He married, in 1940, Dorothy Joan, daughter of Edgar Millar, of Forest Hill and left no family.

LIEUTENANT JOHN DIGBY STILLWELL 

44th Bn. Royal Tank Regiment.

Born August 30, 1914. He was the younger brother of E. W. D. Stillwell and on

leaving Dulwich College went to Pawson & Leafs, Ltd., textile warehousemen, St. Paul's

Churchyard, for about eighteen months to gain general experience. He then joined Constable, Hart & Co., road works and general contractors, for a short time before going to George Wimpey & Co., Ltd., with whom he was engaged on various construction undertakings such as water-works, new aerodromes, etc., up to the outbreak of war.

He joined the O.A.F.C. on leaving School and the Westminster Dragoons about a year later, being a lance-corporal; he became a cadet in the same regiment on the outbreak of war, obtaining his commission in January 1940 in the Royal Tank Regiment, and being posted to the 44th Battalion (formerly the 6th Gloucesters T.A.).  He proceeded to the Middle East with them in May 1941 and took part in Auchinleck's Libya campaign and led the New Zealand Division to the relief of Tobruk, breaking through in a tank attack by night. He was wounded at El Duda and was evacuated from Tobruk, but H.M.S. Chakdina, in which he sailed, was sunk by enemy action and he is now presumed to have been lost at sea on December 5, 1941. He was the battalion signals officer and as such came in contact with all the squadrons of the regiment by whom he was much missed. He married, in March 1939, Janet, the youngest sister of J. D. East (O.A.), and had one son, born on the day that his father was reported missing.