 1911 - 1984 (73 years)
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| Name |
John Anthony Wilesmith |
| Nickname |
Tony |
| Birth |
10 Feb 1911 |
Leigh Court, Worcester, Worcestershire, England  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Occupation |
1939 |
Bristol, Gloucestershire, England |
| Automobile Association (AA) patrolman, as recorded on his army attestation. |
| Military Service |
14 Feb 1939 |
Bristol, Gloucestershire, England |
| Enlisted in the Corps of Military Police, army number 7684161. Described as 5 ft 8 1/2 in, 147 lb, grey eyes, brown hair, fresh complexion; Church of England. Source: The National Archives WO 421/16562 (Ancestry, UK Selected Smaller Units Service Records 1921-1959). |
| Military Service |
19 Sep 1939 |
France |
| Disembarked in France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), serving with the 102nd Provost Company, Corps of Military Police - less than three weeks after war was declared. |
| Military Service |
Apr 1940 |
France |
| Granted 10 days leave to the UK; rejoined his unit in France afterwards. |
| Military Service |
15 May 1940 |
France |
| Appointed paid Lance Corporal, during the German invasion of France and the Low Countries. |
| Military Service |
Jun 1940 |
Dunkirk, Nord, France |
| Evacuated from France with the BEF at Dunkirk: his service form reads Evacuated ex B.E.F. to Depot Aldershot. Military Police ran the traffic control and the queues on the roads to the coast during the retreat. |
| Military Service |
Nov 1940 - Mar 1941 |
Scotland |
| Posted to the Deputy Assistant Provost Marshal, Glasgow area (Nov 1940); to the 51st (Highland) Division Provost Company (Jan 1941); to DAPM North Highland Area (Feb 1941); granted paid rank of Lance Corporal, Scottish Command (Mar 1941). |
| Military Service |
14 Nov 1941 |
| Reverted to Lance Corporal on transfer to the Army Reserve, Class W(T). |
| Military Service |
10 Feb 1954 |
| Discharged from the reserve (aged 43). |
| Residence |
1984 |
Chester Place, Malvern, Worcestershire, England |
| Home at the time of his death. |
| Death |
15 Dec 1984 |
Worcester, Worcestershire, England |
| Cremation |
20 Dec 1984 |
Astwood Cemetery, Worcester, Worcestershire, England |
| Notes |
- Death notice: WILESMITH. On December 15th, peacefully in hospital, John Anthony (Tony) aged 73 of Chester Place, Malvern. Loving husband of Gwen and father of Diana, David, Moira, Peter and Christopher and a devoted grandfather. Funeral service at Worcester Crematorium, on Thursday December 20th, at 11 a.m. Flowers to Hollands Funeral Services, 71 Barnards Green Road, Malvern, or if desired, donations to Leukaemia Research Fund, 43 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JJ.
Sources: newspaper clipping on Find a Grave memorial 291852143 (Astwood Cemetery, Worcester); England and Wales death index, Worcester, Dec 1984. Marriage to Gwendoline Keen, 24 Mar 1934 (place indexed as Bridginsh, probably Bridgnorth), from his army service record. Army service: The National Archives WO 421/16562.
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| Person ID |
I513983547 |
Walsh - Wilson Family Tree |
| Last Modified |
8 Oct 2026 |
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| Event Map |
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 | Cremation - 20 Dec 1984 - Astwood Cemetery, Worcester, Worcestershire, England |
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