Name
John Kenneth Burry
Conflict
Second World War
Date of Death / Age
22/11/1941
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Serjeant
868723
Royal Field Artillery & Royal Horse Artillery
1 Regt.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
KNIGHTSBRIDGE WAR CEMETERY, ACROMA
11. F. 21.
Libya
Headstone Inscription
MAY GOD MAKE US WORTHY OF OUR DEAR SON'S SUPREME SACRIFICE
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St. Mark’s Church Memorial, Hitchin, Hitchin Roll of Honour 1939 – 1945 (Book) St Mary’s Church, Hitchin
Biography
He was born in Kent and, at the time of enlistment in August 1937, was resident in Hertfordshire, after returning from Canada where he had lived with his parents for ten years. Whilst in Canada he had served with the Canadian Militia. He received the Service Number 868723 in England and served in the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
He then served with the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium and escaped from Dunkirk in June 1940. He then went to North Africa in 1940 and was killed at Tobruk during its first siege. The 1st Regiment R.H.A. was part of 70th Division in Tobruk. Operation ‘Crusader’ began on the 21st May 1941 and very confused fighting ensued. The Tobruk garrison was ordered to make a sortie out of Tobruk in the late afternoon of the 20th November. They advanced southeast forming a salient in very hard fighting during which John Burry was killed.
He is buried in the Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya in Plot 11, Row F, Grave 21. A private inscription on the stone reads "May God make us worthy of our dear son's supreme sacrifice".
His parents were John Jacob and Ida Emily Burry of Whitehurst Ave, Hitchin formerly of Arlesey and he was their third son.
Acknowledgments
David C Baines – ‘Hitchin’s Century of Sacrifice’, Paul Johnson - local historian, ‘The Second World War’ by J. Hammerton, ‘History of the R.A. - The Years of Defeat 1939-41’ by M. Farndale, Herts Pictorial dated 16th Dec 1941 and 7th Sep 1943
