Strickland Ernest Newton 2/Lieut. 153378
Personnel Entry
Name Strickland Ernest Newton
Army number 153378
Rank 2/Lieut.
Decorations
Date of birth January 1919 in South Shields, mother's maiden name Eurlong.
Age
Unit Joined The Durham Light Infantry - granted an Emergency Commission as a 2/Lt - gazetted 25/10/1940. Posted to the 11th Battalion DLI. Posted ? Battalion DLI. Taken Prisoner of War (in Middle East?). Repatriated. Transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps as a Lieutenant from his Emergency Commission in the DLI on 2/8/1947 - with seniority from 13/11/1941. Retired as a Major 27/5/1960 on retirement pay.
Company/Battery
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role
Joined Brigade Date not yet confirmed. Remainder of DLI postings not yet known.
Promotions Captain, Acting Major, Major 13/5/1953 with seniority only from 25/4/1953.
Wounded Not so far as is known.
Prisoner of War Yes. Held in Oflag O79 - Brunswick, Lower Saxony. PoW Number 1934.
Died/Killed in action Died 10/11/2011 while living at 44, Dunsgreen, Ponteland, Northumberland. His Estate was advertised in the London Gazette on 21/2/21012, so he may not then have had any living family.
Home address Married Betty Borthwick in Northumberland in October 1962.
Source table 11DLI
Lt Strickland's military career has several blanks. He arguably was posted to the 11th DLI in time to serve in Iceland but confirmation of that has not yet been found - however, it is quite likely. It is not at all clear where or when he was captured - he did not serve with the B.E.F. having not been commissioned until late October 1940. It is not known if he served in Normandy - his name was not extracted from a Field Return over that period so it is possible that he was transferred overseas to one of the other DLI Battalions and then captured in the Middle East.
