Roland Bernard Bright
1939 - butcher's assistant
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
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Roland Bernard was the son of Richard Stanley (Stanley) Bright and his first wife Ida (née Buttery).
His father Richard Stanley was born in Spalding, Lincolnshire, in August 1901, the son of George James and Louisa Mary Bright (née Webb). His parents were married at Spalding St Mary & St Nicholas on 29 April 1895 and had seven children, six of whom survived infancy.
George, a number taker (railway clearing house), and Louisa were living at Ivo Villas, Needingworth Road, St Ive's, Huntingdon, at the time of both the 1901 and 1911 Census. Five of their six surviving children were in the home on the night of the 1911 Census: Albert Edward (13, b. 1897, Spalding) an errand boy (book seller) and Violet, Stanley (9), Bernard and Leonard who were born in Huntingdon.
In 1921 Stanley, a railway porter, was living on Chelmsford Street, Lincoln, a boarder in the home of another railway porter, Jesse Lupton, and his wife. Stanley married Ida Buttery of Lincoln in 1924 (JFM). The couple had at least three children: Roland Bernard b. 1924 (reg. JAS) and Barbara M. b. 1929 who were born in Lincoln and Godfrey b. 1933 (reg. JAS) who was born in Stockport, Cheshire.
Ida Bright died in July 1933 aged 29 (reg. Stockport). A notice of Ida's death gave the family's address as Huntsman's Brow, Stockport.
Richard Stanley marrried Doris Evans in 1934 (reg. JAS Stockport). They probably had two sons who were born in Stockport; Peter R.A. birth registered 1935 (JFM) and Graham M. b. 1938. In 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, Richard, a railway clerk, and his wife were living at 35 Norris Avenue, Hale, Stockport. The records of two members of the household remain closed and may have been those of their two sons.
Roland (b. 1 August 1924) a butcher's assistant, was living with his uncle, Albert Edward Bright, a railway clerk, and his wife Ivy (née Pegram m. 1924 reg. Market Harborough), at 8 South View Road, Peterborough, in 1939. Roland's two siblings have not yet been traced on the 1939 Register.
The later CWGC record gives his father's place of residence as Langwith, Nottinghamshire, but no other records have yet been traced to link Roland with the county.
2222977 Sergeant (air gunner), RAFVR.
Roland was serving with 159 Squadron at the time of his death on 9 February 1945.
159 Squadron, India/Burma Command: Liberator BVI (KH255) Base Digri India. 'Shot down by ground fire 3 miles west of the target during a raid on the Khao Hua Gang railway yard and wharves.'
aviation-safety.net: 'Low level daylight bombing mission to Khal-Hua-Cang in Burma. Take off was at 09h06 from RAF Digri in Bengal, India, weather conditions in route and over the target were good. Four of the other 15 squadron Liberators over the same target reported seeing it smoking then impacting the ground and burning. It is suspected it was hit by a combination of light AAA and small arms fire. All on board [8] perished.'
Pilot: J/12468 F/O William Gerald Schroeder RCAF
Copilot: J/44860 P/O Richard Lyle McMillan RCAF
Navigator: J/45103 P/O Nick Zakow RCAF
Bomb Aimer: J/43938 P/O Kristinn Gudmundur Johnson RCAF
Wireless Op/Air Gunner: J/45225 Robert Talbot RCAF
Flight Engineer: 1739627 Sgt Derrick Charles North Burton RAFVR
Air Gunner: 2222977 Sgt Roland Bernard Bright RAFVR
Air Gunner: R/173515 Sgt Francis James Conway RCAF
They are buried in Taukkyan War Cemetery, Maynmar (formerly Burma), ref: Coll. grave 7A.E.10-17.
Taukkyan War Cemetery is on the outskirts of Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and has almost 6,500 graves. 'They are carefully laid out in rows around the distinctive shape of the Rangoon Memorial, which lists almost 27,000 missing war dead.' (www.cwgc.org)
Note: CWGC record gives Roland's age as 21 but see date of birth (registration and 1939 Register) and date of death.
CWGC Additional information: Son of Richard Stanley and Doris Bright, of Langwith, Nottinghamshire. Note: Doris Bright was Richard Stanley's second wife and Roland's stepmother.
CWGC headstone personal inscription: 'His duty nobly done'
Lincolnshire Echo, ‘Deaths’, 20/21 July 1933: ‘Bright. July 18th, at Stockport, Ida, dearly loved wife of Richard Bright, second daughter of Mr and Mrs Buttery, 21, Chapel-lane, Lincoln. Funeral service Friday, 2.30, St Paul’s Church, Peace after suffering.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Lincolnshire Echo, ‘Acknowledgements’, 24 July 1933: ‘Mr SR Bright and family wish to thank all kind friends for sympathy and floral tributes during their recent sad bereavement.’ (www.britishnewspaperachive.co.uk)
Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser, ‘Deaths’, 28 July 1933: ‘Bright. On July 18, 1933, of 57, Huntsman’s Brow, Stockport, Ida, wife of Stanley Bright, aged 29.’ (www.british newspaperarchive.co.uk)
Research RF (Dec. 2025)
Photo of Roland Bernard Bright
Buried in Taukkyan War Cemetery, Maynmar (www.cwgc.org)