Lieutenant William A B Temple

16 Jun 1944

Lieutenant William Anthony Binger Temple was the son of Anthony and Gwendoline Marion Temple, and husband of Patricia Muriel Temple, of Woodcote. He was born in 1915 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada and educated at Haileybury College, Hertfordshire. He immigrated on 22 July 1936 to Laredo, Webb, TX, after spending time in in Mexico from in late 1935 to mid-1936 as an agriculture student.

Lt Temple began service with Worcester Regiment, and was later attached to 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion, as No 1 Platoon Commander, A Company. At the start of the Normandy campaign, the Battalion completed their drop onto the DZ at Ranville by 01:00 hours on 6 June 1944, but went into action with most company's at half-strength due to parachute sticks being dropped in the wrong location - one stick did not arrive at all. By 03:25 the Battalion had occupied its objectives at Le Port and Benouville and held it against various counter-attacks with "A" and "B" Coys being heavily engaged.
 
Lieutenant Temple was badly wounded in the first few hours after landing in France and later died of his wounds in the UK. He died on 16 June 1944. aged 29 years old. He is now buried at St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Checkendon, Oxfordshire.

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Service History

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Mark Jackson said:
William Temple was my Mother's first husband. DOB: 20/9/1914, in British Columbia, Canada. Prior to enlistment he was a farmer in Upton Wold, Blockley, Gloucestershire, He enlisted into the Worcestershire Regiment on 3rd September 1939 at Worcester. Posted to 167 OCTU at Aldershot 15/11/1939. Discharged on Commissioning on 17/5/1940. Posted to 10th Bn The Worcestershire Regiment in Northern Ireland 24/7/1940. Found Garrison and Traning life in Ulsterrather boring and volunteered for Airborne Forces. Posted to 7th Bn Parachute Regiment 17/6/1943. Transferred to AAC 22/6/1943. Jumped in on D Day 6/6/1944 and was badly wounded, casevac'd to Portsmouth and died of his wounds 16/6/1944 leaving a pregnant widow (my Mother) who subsequently married (4/12/1946) his best friend Anthony Jackson, The Worcestershire Regiment with whom he had served in Northern Ireland in 10th Worcesters.
Mark Jackson said:
William Temple was the son of Captain Anthony Temple, 2nd Canadian Mounted Infantry, , who was KIA on 5/4/1916 serving in the Ypres Salient. A more detailed account of Father and son, and their family can be found at: http://www.kingtonremembers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/uploads/2014/09/Anthony-Temple-Personal.pdf

Antony Temple's grave is in the Poperinghe CWGC. William Temple's name is commemorated on Column 68 of the new British Normandy Memorial.
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