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He joined the 1st Battalion, and saw his first posting (more than likely on a In 1927 hostilities broke out in China between Nationalists and Communists. Fearing the safety of the European communities living in Shanghai an international force was sent to defend them. Japan, the United States, France and Italy along with the British had a presence there. It was substantially downgraded after 1928, but a force remained there until 1939. Tommy spent a great deal of time there, arriving on the 12th of December 1935 and not leaving until the 2nd of January 1939. It’s not been possible to tell if he returned home during this extended tour, but it would be likely. The year his stint ended of course is an ominous one in world history. The outbreak of the Second World War was inevitable after Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia occurred in March 1939 ended the policy of appeasement. Britain declared war on Germany in September and the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) joined the French army to defend the Northern approaches from Belgium to the west of the Maginot Line. Tommy Stubbs was a part of the 11th Infantry Brigade in the 4th Division of the B.E.F. As history shows, all didn’t go to plan. Operation Dynamo, or the Dunkirk Evacuation as it is more commonly known was one of the largest evacuations ever undertaken. Over a third of a million British and French troops were shipped back to England between May the 26th and June the 4th 1940. Tommy’s service record show he left on the 3rd of June, so he only avoided a stint in a prisoner of war camp by a day. Whether this ultimately was a good thing will never be known, but I’m sure he was relieved at the time. The next three years saw a period spent changing regiments and gaining promotion all based back in England. In November 1940 he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He joined the 6th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment in June 1941 and the 11th Holding Battalion of The Manchester Regiment two months later. In 1942 he joined the Royal Ulster Rifles in a hugely significant move, then in 1943 he undertook airborne training. He first joined the Army Air Corps, before being transferred to the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment .(below left) He spent seven months in North Africa, arriving just days after the Axis forces had surrendered.
On the 24th March 1945 the Allies launched Operation Varsity. It was to be the largest, and most successful airborne operation ever undertaken. The mistakes of Operation Market Garden were taken on board and acted upon. Unfortunately for Tommy Stubbs it wasn’t enough. He died on the first day of the operation, the 24th of March. My Nana told me he died in a glider. The exact circumstances will be hard to ascertain, but I’ll endeavour to do so. Our trip to Holland provided an opportunity to visit his grave and pay our respects. The Reichswald Cemetery lies only a few miles from our base in Nijmegen. It was an odd experience. If he hadn’t died I wouldn’t have been born. If you’re ever in the vicinity place a flower there for him. Thanks. A brief outline of Operation Varsity can be found here: Varsity Tommy Stubbs’s war record as given by the Ministry of Defence: Private Tommy Stubbs 7342471: |
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Tommy Stubbs was my maternal grandmother’s (Nana) first husband. He was born in Chorlton-Upon-Medlock in Manchester on the 21st June 1914 to Albert Stubbs and Jane Stubbs (nee McCabe) both of Manchester. He was a soldier from leaving school, joining the Royal Army Medical Corps Territorial Army (pictured left) in 1930 aged 15. He was with them for three years until joining the Lancashire Fusiliers (below right) in 1933.
secondment to the East Lancashire regiment) sending him to the Saarland in Germany to police the plebiscite to determine the future of the region. The choices were to remain under the authority of the French, to be administered by the League of Nations, or to return to German control. The fledgling Nazi Party campaigned fiercely for the German option, but it was never really in doubt. The reports from the time seem to suggest it was a rather enjoyable posting, with football, water polo and socializing with their fellow International Force soldiers (Dutch, Italian and Swedish), and of course the locals. This lasted just over two months for Tommy, with a period of ten months immediately afterwards back in England.
On the 24th April 1944 he married my Nana, Rose Keegan in Newton Heath, Manchester. The month after he reverted to Private, and in November of 1944 he transferred to his previous regiment, the Royal Ulster Rifles(below right). 
