Service Number 210348
Service Army
Battalion
Regiment Royal Armoured Corps
Died: 9th September 1946
Buried Wetherby St. James on the Corner Cemetery
Biography
Basil Russell Gurney was born on the 30th January 1919 in Lytham, Lancashire, the third child of Ernest Russell Gurney and his wife Clara Caroline Gurney (nee Ward). Ernest and Clara had married in 1905 in Scarborough and their first child, Mabel Caroline Gurney, was born on the 24th March 1906, in Horsforth, Leeds. Mabel was baptised at St. James' Church Woodside in West Yorkshire. The family's address at the time was Laurels, Broadgate Lane, Horsforth, and Ernest's occupation was listed as a journalist. Ernest studied law and eventually rose to become Recorder of Rotherham.
In the 1900s, the Gurney family appears to have moved house frequently in this period and the Kelly's Directory for Leeds in 1908 records Ernest Russell Gurney, a journalist, living at 15 Blandford Gardens, Leeds.
Ernest and Clara's second child, named Kenneth Russell Gurney, was born on the 2nd August 1909 in Chapeltown, Leeds and was baptised (on the 25th August) at St. Martin Church, Potternewton. Ernest is again recorded as a journalist, and their family address was now 8 Sholebroke Terrace. By the census date in 1911, the family had made a major move and were living at 52 Cromwell Road, Beckenham in Kent, and Ernest is described as a journalist/sub editor.
Ernest and Clara's third child, Basil, was born in Lytham, Lancashire, in 1919, so the family had clearly made another major move from Kent, back to the North of England. Two years later, at the time of the next census, in 1921, Ernest and Clara were living at 66 Clifton Street, Lytham with their children Mabel Caroline, Kenneth Russell and Basil Russell. At this time, Ernest was described as a dairy produce merchant. This seems a remarkable career change for Ernest, from lawyer to journalist to diary produce merchant, and we have no explanation why he made such a change.
A year later, in 1922, Ernest and Clara's youngest child, Stephen Dudley Russell Gurney, was born in Fylde in Lancashire.
We don't exactly know why or when the Gurney family moved to Collingham, but by 1937, Ernest and his wife and daughter were all recorded on the electoral roll for Collingham, living at Redgarth, Collingham, and two years later, at the time of the National Registration, Ernest and Caroline are recorded, still living at Redgarth, Leeds Road, Collingham, along with Caroline's widowed mother, Clara Ward, and their daughter, Mabel. Mabel is described as a fashion designer, and as taking classes for nursing. Also present are Stephen K Gurney, a law student, and a housemaid, Catherine Hurn. There is also one redacted line on the record [Jan 2024], which could be another servant of an entry for either Kenneth or Basil.
However an interesting feature of the record is Ernest's occupation which is now described as a Barrister at Law. Ernest is also described as a Special Constable.
Basil Russell Gurney was educated at St. Michael's College in Leeds, and at the school ship, HMS Conway. Basil's service record described him as having significant knowledge of foreign countries. He stated that he had travelled in near and far eastern countries including Egypt, China, Japan, India, the East Indies, and also South Africa, North America and Canda. We have not found crew lists or passenger records to confirm this.
As Basil became 20 years old, the war clouds had formed over Europe and war was declared between Great Britain and Germany in September 1939. Almost immediately Basil joined the army.
On the 24th October 1939 Basil started his army career serving in the ranks of the Scots Guards. We have no details of where he served at this time, and his service record sheet is silent about even which Battalion of the Scots Guards he served with. He stayed serving in the ranks until 1941 when he joined 162 Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU). From Officer training, Basil became a 2nd Lieutenant in the 18th Division Recce (Reconnaisance) Battalion on the 4th October 1941. About a month later, on the 21st November 1941, Basil was posted to No. 1 Recce Training Centre. From there he went to 29th Independent Company Recce Corps, joining on the 22nd October.
During this posting, Basil married Jean Helen Davey on the 27th April 1942, in Wetherby
The Wetherby News also reported the marriage, with a little more detail:
Next, on the 20th June 1942, he was posted to 2/6 Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment (West Riding).
On the 29th November 1942, Basil was again posted, this time to 10 A/T Brigade for inclusion in a draft for overseas service. Basil embarked on the 21st December 1942, and disembarked in Egypt. The dates on Basil's service record around this time are full of crossings out and corrections. Around this time, Basil transferred from the Recce Corps to the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC), and it looks as though he was due to serve with 114th Regiment RAC. However, on the 13th February 1943, Basil was admitted to hospital, and, on the 18th February, he underwent a medical board at 15 (Scottish) General Hospital.
At some time, Basil was transferred to hospital in Durban, South Africa, where he was assessed as still being unfit for service for another 6 months. So on the 3rd June 1944, Basil embarked for the UK, arriving on the 8th July 1944. He was posted to the R.A.C. depot and was again assessed by medical board in Chester on the 17th July 1944. His record was marked as P.U.G.S. We believe this might stand for Permanently Unfit for General Service. Basil remained on sick leave, awaiting instructions until, on the 5th August 1944, he relinquished his commission on account of ill-health, and was granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant.
The war ended, but Basil remained in hospital care from the military. In 1946, Basil appears on the electoral roll at Tor-na-Dee, Milltimber, Aberdeenshire. The next entry in the electoral roll is for Stephen R Gurney, who we think must be his brother. Tor-na-Dee was a hospital, which was established as part of an initiative by Dr Alexander Stewart to provide services to patients with rheumatism, opened as Deeside Hydropathic Hospital in November 1899. It became the Tor-Na-Dee Sanitorium (meaning Hill by the River Dee) in 1918.
Basil Russell Gurney died on the 9th September 1946 at Tor-na-dee. His death certificate records his death as being due to acute leukaemia and pulmonary tuberculosis. A brief obituary appeared in The News and Reporter on the 13th September 1946.
Basil Russell Gurney is buried alongside his brother in St. James on the Corner Cemetery in Wetherby.
Biography last updated 17 January 2024 00:23:10.
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