In Cockfield Cemetery is the Commonwealth War Grave of:-

H. Wall
Seaman RNPS LT/JX261646
H.M.S. Jasper
1st December 1942 Age 22

A Beautiful Nature
A Heart Of Gold
No Better Son
This World Could Hold

The son of Thomas Edwin and Minnie Wall, of Butterknowle.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Harry Wall was born in third quarter of 1920 in Butterknowle, the son of Thomas Edwin and Minnie Wall (nee Armstrong).  He had an older brother John Henry (b.1919) and a younger sister Maggie (b.1922).  At the  time of the census in 1921 father John Henry was out of work and the family were living at 26 Slack in Butterknowle.  In 1939, the family lived at 6 The Slack, Butterknowle and Thomas worked as a coal miner, of Harry there is no record so it could be assumed he was already in the Navy.

 LT/JX 261646 Seaman Harry Wall RN Patrol Service, serving aboard H.M. Trawler Jasper, was killed in action 1 December 1942.  HMT Jasper, under the command of Temporary Lieutenant William Thomason Hodson, RNVR was torpedoed and sunk by the German motor torpedo boat S-81 in the English Channel south of Bolt Head in position 50º10’N, 03º48’W.  Eleven men died in the sinking and there were 8 survivors which included the Commanding officer.

Harry Wall is remembered at Butterknowle on B156.01, at Lynesack on L70.02 and in our List of Ships’ crews.