Two interwoven regimental badges on the war grave of Gunner Ronald Knapp and Corporal Winifred Knapp.
On Saturday 31st. July 1943 at the height of WWII Gunner Ronald Knapp married Corporal Winifred Standing at St. Giles Church, Horsted Keynes. Gunner Knapp was shortly going on an overseas posting so he had been granted a short leave time for his wedding and honeymoon. The groom's parents lived in Haywards Heath and had to leave the reception early to catch the last bus for home and the newly married couple decided to walk with them to the bus stop. Having seen their new in-laws safely onto the bus the newlyweds decided to walk back to the reception not by the path which was potholed and waterlogged but along the less muddy railway line (now part of the Bluebell Railway). In the heavy rain they were both covered with a mackintosh and failed to hear the approach of a train travelling from Lewes to East Grinstead and were both killed instantly when hit by the engine, travelling bunker first. They had been married for only 4 hours. The same rector who married the couple, the Rev Stenton-Erdley had the sad duty of burying them together in St. Giles Churchyard a little over a week later. They were given a War Graves Commission headstone and as the young couple were killed simultaneously two interwoven regimental badges have been included on the headstone, the only known stone where this has been permitted.
Size: 4487px × 2985px
Location: Horsted Keynes, West Sussex, UK
Photo credit: © patrick nairne / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: accident, badges, britain, british, church, churchyard, couple, england, english, giles, grave, gravestone, headstone, history, horsted, inscription, interwoven, keynes, knapp, lettering, memorial, regimental, st, tragedy, tragic, uk, war, wartime, worn
