Denys Keith Turney Monsarrat
- Family History
- Military history
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He was the younger brother of Nicholas Monsarrat (1910–1979), the British naval officer and author who wrote the classic WWII novel The Cruel Sea. Born in 1914 to Keith Waldegrave Monsarrat (an eminent surgeon) and Marguerite Turney of Faringdon, Berkshire.
Educated at the Dragon School, Haileybury School, and Queen's College, Oxford (entering in 1932). He was a highly skilled small-boat sailor and an accomplished rugby player who played for the Nottingham Rugby Club and the local regional union. He married Meryl Pera Wardle at St. Mary's, Nottinghamshire, in March 1940.
Monsarrat was deployed with 240 Battery, 39th LAA Regiment to North Africa (Algeria/Tunisia) to protect vital ports and transport hubs. On 25 August 1943, while operating on active service in North Africa, Lieutenant Monsarrat was driving a military transport vehicle when he was blinded by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. This caused a severe road accident. He was rushed to a military hospital but succumbed to his injuries six days later on 31 August 1943, aged 29. He is commemorated in Massicault War Cemetery, VI C 12, Tunisia
The 240th Battery (240 Bty) of the 39th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (39 Lt AA Regt), Royal Artillery was a specialized British World War II mobile air-defence unit. Its primary role was tracking and shooting down low-flying German aircraft, typically utilizing mobile 40mm Bofors guns. Historical logs from WW2 Talk unit histories outline the timeline and movement of the unit. The 39th LAA Regiment was initially raised in Lincoln as a Territorial Army unit. To increase manpower, 240th Battery was officially formed and added to the regiment on 8 July 1941. The battery spent its first year protecting crucial UK industrial sectors and airfields, notably around the Humber and Scunthorpe regions, before relocating to Lewes, Sussex, in mid-1942 to guard the southern coast. Operation Torch & North Africa (1943): Transferred to the frontline, the unit arrived in North Africa in early 1943. Operating under the 62nd AA Brigade, they provided vital low-altitude air defence around strategic ports and supply hubs in Bougie and Sétif.The Italian Campaign (1943–1945): In October 1943, the 240th Battery deployed to Italy with the 62nd AA Brigade. They spent the remainder of the war protecting allied logistical infrastructure, specifically around the vital port city of Bari.Disbandment: As the Axis air threat diminished late in the war, the regiment was placed into "suspended animation" on 1 March 1945.
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