Page 34 • The HERALD • 27th August 2026 v SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES v * Digital Aerial & Satellite Installation * Aerial & Dish Re-sited, Serviced & Removal * Aerial & Dish aligned with the latest signal analysers * TV Wall Mounting & Installations * SMATV / IRS / Communal work * DAB / FM Aerial Installed * Wi-Fi Signal Problems Humphries Digital Aerials Keith Humphries & Son All Areas Covered • Tel: 023 8066 7362 Email: humphriesaerials@btconnect.com Website: www.humphriesdigitalaerials.co.uk A Family Firm Est 1971 Internal & External Decorating Wallpapering & Dustless Sanding FULLY INSURED PROFESSIONAL PAINTER & DECORATOR MARK 1 PROPERTY MAINTENANCE FLAT ROOFING SPECIALISTS All Roof Repairs Tel: 023 8184 5632 Mobile: 07880 508415 Email: steve@braithwaiteroo ng.co.uk THE FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST Covering all aspects of: • Home Improvement • Repairs & Maintenance • Fencing & Landscaping • Plastering - 24 Hour Callout Serving Waterside, Southampton & Surrounding areas Darrell Vallis 07772 496814 Email: vallispropertymaintenance@gmail.com THE THREE HEROES STORIES As mentioned in the last Herald, three heroes have been commemorated in a new display in Guildhall Square. Below are the stories of Wing Commander James Nicolson VC and Private Albert Henry Warne written by Patricia Hedley-Goddard, using information from the new display. For Martyn Aurel King’s story please read Marc Heighway’s article on page 36. Wing Commander James Nicolson VC James Nicolson was the only member ghting in the Battle of Britain to be awarded a Victoria Cross. On 16th August 1940 he was ‘scrambled’ to join a ight of 3 Hurricanes to defend Southampton against an incoming bomber raid. Reaching 15,000 feet in the sky his aircra was immediately attacked by a Messerschmitt BF110. His aircra was set alight and as he prepared to bail out he saw an enemy aircra ahead. One foot was badly injured and despite his hand being badly burnt, he climbed back into his aming aircra , and with his le hand keeping the throttle open he chased and shot the enemy down. Fortunately his windscreen had not been damaged so it gave him the vision needed. It was later con rmed that it was a ‘kill’. At this time he was 23 years old. He now had the perilous task of exiting a damaged burning aircra , deploying his parachute. Due to his injuries on his hands, he was unable to remove his oxygen mask. A Messerschmitt passed over him twice and mistakenly thought James was dead, as his arms hung limply down either side of him and his oxygen mask had not been removed. He oated inland and eventually landed in a eld at Rownhams. Unfortunately, as he approached the ground he was shot in the legs by the local defence. He was taken to Southampton General Hospital. He was fully recovered by September 1941, and then posted to India. He was killed on 2nd May 1945 while ying as an observer over the Bay of Bengal. e aircra caught re and crashed into the sea. His body was never recovered. Private Albert Henry Warne Private Albert (‘Bert’ as he was always known) Henry Warne was the last survivor of e Death Railway in Changi in Japan. Originally a boatbuilder by trade living in Woolston, he signed up to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in 1939, aged 20, and in 1942 was on the ‘Empress of India’ troopship when it was bombed approaching Singapore. Bert escaped through a porthole from the sick bay and was picked up by boat and sent to the British Military Alexander Hospital in Singapore. He was told to leave the hospital and go to Singapore before the hospital was overrun by units of the Japanese army who massacred the remaining patients and sta in the hospital. A er the Allied Forces surrendered on 15th February 1942 Bert was transported by cattle truck to the infamous Death Railway. Alongside Allied Prisoners of War facing starvation, disease and brutal treatment at the hands of the guards, Bert survived 9 months building the railway embankment. Bert said in his video that contrary to what lms later showed the Prisoners did NOT have hats or shoes. e only ‘protection’ they had was a loin cloth. If a prisoner was ill building the railway the Japanese would not give them any food so the other prisoners all gave them a small piece of their food. Eventually, down to six and a half stone in weight and gravely ill, he was evacuated to a jungle hospital where he was cared for by medical o cers. He was liberated in ailand in October 1945 and returned to Southampton. During more than two years of his capture, no-one in England knew if he was alive or dead. His girlfriend Freda had feared that she would never see him again, and then in 1944 she heard he was alive. When he eventually came home they were married and lived happily in Bitterne, in the same house for many years. He is remembered on a memorial in Bitterne Parish Church and was awarded the Freedom of the City of Southampton which is the highest award to a Southampton Resident. Bert lived until he was 105. NEW FOREST/WATERSIDE U3A New Forest/Waterside U3A members meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, with a few exceptions, at St Andrew’s Hall in Dibden Purlieu. eir rst meeting back a er the summer break ere are also special interest groups, such as history, gardens, Scrabble, skittles, pétanque, and table tennis. Many members also enjoy social events such as lunches, or outings to places of interest, which are arranged throughout the year. e new termly calendar should be available at the rst meeting. is will include the schedule of speakers and other useful information. Find out more on Facebook: New Forest/Waterside u3a. ey look forward to welcoming you. will be on 1st September, when Paul Day, will speak about “My Digital Legacy”. On 15th September, the talk is entitled “Your Home Made Better” – advice on how homes can be made cosier (or maybe cooler!) and what help might be available. Meetings start promptly at 2pm, and talks last about an hour. Refreshments are served a erwards, for anyone who wishes to stop and chat. IT 4 ALL Hythe 2000’s IT 4 ALL group run sessions on Mondays 1.30pm–3.30pm in St John’s Hall, Hythe. e lovely volunteers will try to help you with your technology challenges; from laptops to tablets to mobile phones they’re happy to share their knowledge. e cost of sessions is just £4 and a tea break and cake £1.50 at 2.30pm helps wash away your worries. Additionally they hold interest sessions once a month, where a short presentation/activity is provided on a range of topics. For more information please visit: hythe2000.org
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