William Jesse Skilling
Worked has an assurance agent.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Son of Andrew and Charlotte Skilling of 35 Second Avenue, Forest Town. Andrew died 6th March 1942. Siblings Jean 1925 and John 1922. John was killed at the side of William at the bombing of the Rex Cinema in Antwerp.
William was baptised at St Edmund's Church on 29th July 1914.
Married Ida Victoria Shaw on 30th October 1937. They had three children, Terry, 1938, Carol, 1942 and Pamela in 1944. In 1939 they lived at 19 Titchfield Avenue, Mansfield Woodhouse.
Ida married again in 1946 to Ronald Dale.
Antwerp was a staging post for men coming and going to Western Europe after the invasion of France.
The Skilling brothers were at the Rex Cinema to see the film "The Plainsman"starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. A V2 rocket hit the cinema at 15:23, causing the 5 storey building to collapse and causing the largest death toll from one V2 rocket. It took over a week to dig out all the bodies. Over 1000 people were in the cinema, 567 were killed of which 296 were allied sevicemen and a further 194 servicemen were injured.
William was waiting to come home to see his family for Christmas, John had just arrived. They died side by side and were buried side by side.
Unknown
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