Anthony Denner sits far right front row. Robin Sanders account continues:- Neither my sister or I had seen the papers I refer to before. I was 11 at the time of Tony's death and my mother kept the
details from me and my younger sister. We were not aware she had kept
all the papers. She however did tell me of the scepticism she had
about the details of his death by electrocution as she had shown the
details to an electrical engineer who said it was not a believable
scenario. It has thus haunted us for many years as to exactly what did
happen and if the report on the cause was accurate.
At the time we had not been told that Tony had gone to Crown camp as
his father, who resented the divorce that occurred many years earlier,
had hid those details from my mother but from the papers my sister has
unearthed, Tony altered his next of kin to our mother the day before his
death and thus details of his death went to our mother. Tony's father
died some years ago.
My mother asked for Tony's name to go on the memorial at the NMA
as she knew via the British Legion, for which did voluntary work at
county and national level for many decades, that it was possible for it
to be added to the memorial. Unfortunately she had been ill for some
years and was never in a state of health that I could drive her up
from Devon to see his name.
Tony was transferred from Crown camp to Singapore and buried in the
military cemetery there for some years, before the Singapore government
requested the cemetery be returned for housing land. His remains were
taken up and I believe cremated before forwarding to my mother. She
transferred these to the Garden of Remembrance at Tiverton cemetery in
Devon where my mother ensured that a poppy wreath was placed on
the memorial stone every year. She had ordered this year's one only a
few weeks before she died.
Tony was an accomplished amateur photographer and our mother did
advise me that the Field Squadron set up a cup for photography
in his memory.
I would welcome any details your fellow vets may have about Tony and
for instance the cup I refer to above. I am happy for any of the above details to be posted on your site and photographs of Tony in his uniform if that
would be of interest.
My sister and I intend to put a copy of the reunion page in my mother's
coffin next week. Although she hasn't seen it whilst alive, we feel it is
appropriate that it be with her now.
Kind regards,
Robin Sanders |
