In Oploo (St. Anthonis) Roman Catholic Churchyard, Netherlands is the Commonwealth War Grave of 51903 Lieutenant Colonel David Arthur Henry Silvertop D.S.O., M.C., serving with the 14th/20th King’s Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps, commanding 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. who died 25/09/1944.

He was the son of Comdr. Arthur Edward Silvertop, R.N. (killed in action at The Battle of Jutland 31st May, 1916), and of Dorothy Silvertop (nee Dalglish).

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

David Arthur Henry Silvertop was the only son of Arthur Edward Silvertop and Dorothy Dalgleish. 

His father was the only son of Henry Charles Silvertop, true birth surname, Englefield, who was born October 12th 1896 in Paris, France, and changed his surname to Silvertop, his mother’s maiden name, on his accession to the property of Minsteracres Hall, Northumberland. 

Arthur Edward Silvertop who was born in London, November 29th 1877, joined the Royal Navy in 1891 and by the time he was married to Dorothy had been elevated to the rank of Lieutenant. David Arthur Henry was born in Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, January 10th 1912, his elder sister Diane Mary Caroline was born, August 22nd 1907, in South Kensington, London.

Arthur Edward Silvertop had an illustrious career in the Royal Navy, he was promoted to the rank of Commander and appointed to H.M.S. Defence, September 2nd 1913 as her executive officer. He was at sea when his youngest child Pamela Mary Dorothy was born in Southsea, December 4th 1913 and serving in the Mediterranean when war with Germany was declared August 4th 1914. His ship was transferred to the Grand Fleet where she remained for the duration of the war.

H.M.S. Defence was sunk, May 31st 1916 during the Battle of Jutland with the loss of the entire crew. The sacrifice of Commander Arthur Henry Silvertop Royal Navy, is recorded on the Plymouth Naval Memorial which stands on The Hoe, looking out to Plymouth Sound, Devon, commemorating those who have no known grave, other than the sea, where no permanent memorial could be raised. Awards; 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

David Arthur Henry Silvertop was only 4 years of age when his father died. In 1921 Dorothy Silvertop was a visitor in the home of Captain Dalglish, his wife Dulcie and their 6 children in Hunsdale, Westerham, Kent, David Arthur Henry Silvertop 9 years 5 months of age was a full time boarder, listed as, “father dead,” at Ampleforth College, Ampleforth, Malton in Yorkshire an establishment run by the Reverend J. B. Turner. 

His mother was married in Kensington, London, in 1922 to Major William Ernest Guinness. Born in Piccadilly, London in 1883 he was the son of the Reverend Robert Guinness, born in Northern Ireland and his wife Grace Harriet Butler, native of Oxon, Oxfordshire. 

Dorothy Guinness-Silvertop nee Dalglish died at Odds Drift Estate, Manicaland Provence, Zimbabwe, February 22nd 1923. Her widow remarried and emigrated to Australia. In 1949 he and his second wife, also named Dorothy, were living in Wyong, New South Wales.

After his mother’s demise David and his sisters were raised by one of his aunts and after completing his studies at Magdalen College, Oxford University, he joined the Army. January 13th 1932 he was a 2nd Lieutenant, Supplementary Reserve, then posted to the 9th/14th Lancers and September 1st 1936 he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant serving with the 14th/20th King’s Hussars, attached to the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment.

The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment at the beginning of WW2 in 1940 was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Keller and arrived in France as part of the 1st Armoured Division but lost all its tanks and sustained heavy losses during the Siege of Calais, part of the Battle of France. Some of its surviving men escaped to Dunkirk or were evacuated from Calais just before the port fell. 

The regiment was rebuilt in England and once again at full strength departed to the Middle East, then to Greece in March 1941 and on to Egypt. Whilst with his regiment in North Africa Lieutenant Silvertop was promoted to Captain, which was reported in The London Gazette, Tuesday, September 2nd 1941, then September 29th to Acting Major. 

He served with distinction with Montgomery’s Desert Rats when the 4th Armoured Brigade pushed Rommel’s Africa Corps 3,000 kilometres across North Africa and after spending 3 months in hospital recovering from wounds, upon his return to duty he was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, 11th Armoured Division.

Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel David Arthur Henry Silvertop was first recognised in 1942 when he received the Military Cross having shown, “outstanding gallantry and coolness in action during the whole operation. He has been in the thick of fighting, had his tank hit several times and has never shown the slightest sign of worry.” During the Battle of Medenine in Tunisia, in March 1943 he was injured.

After months of preparations and planning during 1943, the D-Day Landing in Normandy, nicknamed Operation Neptune, was the largest seaborne invasion in history and took place June 6th 1944. Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel Silvertop and his command between July 18th-20th 1944 were part of the battle for Caen in Normandy attacking from the Orne bridgehead to capture Caen and Bourgébus Ridge, one of the largest tank battles fought by the British Army, part of Operation Goodwood.

The recommendation put forward by Brigadier Roscoe Harvey and signed off by Field Marshall Montgomery, August 11th 1944, which resulted in Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel Silvertop receiving the award of the Distinguished Service Medal relates to his role during Operation Goodwood and reads as follows;

 “On July 14th 1944 the Bde was ordered to capture the village of BRAS (0663) and RUBERT FOLIE (0662). The 3rd Btn RTR was ordered to capture the latter. Lt-Col SILVERTOP commanding the 3 R Tks saw that the attack on BRAS was in danger of collapsing. Knowing that it was essential that BRAS must be captured or the whole operation might fail he reported the situation to the Bde. He stated his willingness to switch his attack to BRAS if desired. 

On being ordered to do so, Lt.-Col SILVERTOP quickly switched his attack to BRAS, seizing the eastern exits of the village. Pushing on with the greatest dash and determination he quickly restored the situation and was mainly responsible for the orally capture of this important point. The village was captured, yielding 150 prisoners and much equipment.

No praise can be too high for this officer’s outstanding leadership and personal courage in overcoming a very difficult situation and bringing the action to such a successful conclusion.

The previous day the 3 R Tks was leading the regt behind the barrage in a break-out of the armour. He displayed the same high qualities of leadership and devotion to duty which was an inspiration to those under his command.”

Regrettably the D.S.O. was not Gazetted until October 19th 1944 and thus received posthumously as Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel David Arthur Henry Silvertop was killed, September 25th 1944. 

The circumstances of his death in official military reports states, “Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel Silvertop in command of his men unexpectedly encountered at the crossroads at Sint Anthonis, 5 German half tracks, (a military vehicle with regular wheels at the front and tracks at the back). During an exchange of fire the Germans made off in the direction of the village of Sint Anthonis only to find it blocked by British troops and vehicles. The Germans opened fire on the British vehicles during which 4 British Officers and a Lance Corporal were hit. Lieutenant  Colonel Silvertop, Lieutenant Colonel Orr and Lance Corporal Lock were killed outright, Brigadier Harvey and his Brigadier Major were wounded.”

The villagers described the death of the British officers in different terms. They recollected that as S.S. Officers, who had been taken prisoner, passed by the tanks of the 3rd Royal Tanks one of them threw a grenade killing Lieutenant Colonel Silvertop whose name appears with the other officers on the village war memorial.

Lieutenant Colonel 51903 David Arthur Henry Silvertop M.C., D.S.O. Royal Armoured Corps 14th/20th King’s Hussars, aged 32 years and single, is at rest within Oploo (St. Anthonis ) Roman Catholic Churchyard, Noord Brabert, Netherlands, grave 4, flanked by Lance Corporal Maurice Charles Lock, grave 3, native of Dartmouth, Devon, aged 29 years. Lieutenant-Colonel Silvertop was also the recipient of the 1939-45 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

The temporary cross which initially marked his grave was in due course replaced by a military headstone to which an addition inscription was added and paid for by his family, it reads, “REQUIEM AETERNAM DONA EL DOMINE; ET LUX PERPETUA LUCREAT EI,” which translated from Latin is, “GRANT HIM ETERNAL REST AND EVERLASTING LIGHT.”

The personal assets of Lieutenant-Colonel Silvertop, care of Barclay Bank Limited, Knightsbridge, London, were assigned, March 24th 1945, in the sum of 18,212 pounds 8 shillings 3 pence to his sisters Diana Mary Caroline Trappes-Lomax and Pamela Dorothy Tiarks.

His sacrifice is commemorated within St. Elizabeth R. C. Church, Minsteracres and in the Roll of Honour, Ampleford College Chapel, in the United Kingdom. In Antwerp, Netherlands can be found a tram stop, Halte Kolonel Silvertop, (Colonel Silvertop), De Torrens Silvertop (Silvertop Towers), 3 apartment blocks in which is incorporated Silvertop Supermarket. Liberty Street in Antwerp was renamed, Kolonel Silvertopstraat (Colonel Silvertop Street), a street of that name can be found in Sint Anthonis, in the Netherlands and Boom in Belgium, also in Boom there is a memorial in the form of a figure 4 which was the flanking manoeuvre used by the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment to outwit the Germans.

It should be noted the C.W.G.C. have listed David Arthur Henry Silvertop with the full rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

In 2014 the late Bill Lawrence wrote the attached article. (below)

David Arthur Henry Silvertop is remembered at Minsteracres on M11.03.