Two Huddersfield men who fought in the Second World War are at the centre of two appeals for help.

The first one comes from Belgium where a memorial has just undergone a revamp.

Jan Jaspers is very eager to trace Wilfred Johnson and Nellie (Petronella) Lazaroms.

He reveals that Wilfred was in the army and towards the end of the Second World War was injured in the legs at Roosendaal in Holland.

Nellie was born in Holland and after the war they moved to New Mill near Holmfirth.

Jan is a member of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division Polar Bear Association which was a territorial unit formed originally in 1907.

They fought with distinction throughout the First World War, earning three Victoria Crosses.

From 1940 to 1942 they took part in the ill-fated campaign in Norway and were garrisoned in Iceland for two years which earned them the title and divisional insignia of the Polar Bear.

During the campaign to free Europe from Nazi rule the Polar Bears acted on General Montgomery’s left flank and often came under the command of the Canadian army.

During their 11 months in combat they suffered 11,000 casualties and earned one Victoria Cross.

At this stage in the war they were a completely British Division and units included the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry along with units from Kent up to Scotland and even south Wales.

After the battle for Normandy the Polar Bears played a major role in the capture of Le Havre, fought hard in Belgium and Holland and garrisoned the island between Arnhem and Nijmegen during the winter of 1944.

They captured Arnhem and advanced into north west Holland to relieve Utrecht and Hilversum. In the last weeks of the war the Polar Bears brought food supplies into starving Holland.

Jan said that every year veterans from the UK visit his hometown of Essen in Belgium to the memorial there.

He added: “They also visited this summer a monument that was dedicated to them in another village. The veterans were shocked to see the monument because it was not clean anymore.

“They sent a letter to the mayor but he didn’t react. With help from a few friends everything is okay now. The monument is like it should be now.

“Because one of them helped me so well, I decided to do something for him. He told me that he has family in England. The only things he knows about them is that they are called Wilfred Johnson and Nellie.”

The second appeal comes from Paul Smith who lives in Worcester.

He said: “My father, Arthur, served as an air gunner with the RAF during the Second World War. He was lucky enough to survive but his best friend, Fred Shepherd – also an air gunner – was shot down and killed.

“Over the past 20 years I have been researching about the aircraft crash and have discovered the names of his fellow crew members.

“One of them was Sgt Gilbert Hebblethwaite, a pilot with 156 Squadron, Pathfinder Force, RAF Bomber Command.”

Halifax Mark 111 bomber as flown by Sgt Gilbert Hebblethwaite
Halifax Mark 111 bomber as flown by Sgt Gilbert Hebblethwaite

Sgt Hebblethwaite, service number 657350, died when his plane was shot down on August 27, 1942.

The 24-year-old was married and lived with wife, May, in Crosland Moor and was the son of Edgar and Charlotte Hebblethwaite.

Sgt Hebblethwaite’s name is on the Wooldale Free Church war memorial.

Paul added: “I am very keen to get in touch with any members of his family as I have a lot of information about Gilbert.

“I have visited his grave in Germany and have photos of it.”

Sgt Hebblethwaite was flying only his second mission with the squadron when he died.

He had flown one to Frankfurt three days earlier and got back safely but this mission to attack the Fiesler aircraft factory in Kassel in Germany ended in tragedy.

They were shot down by Hauptmann Wolfgang Thinmmig who was flying a Messerschmitt 110. He shot down 24 aircraft during the war but survived and afterwards became a diplomat in Sweden.

Sgt Hebblethwaite’s plane crashed in Holland and the crew are all thought to have been killed instantly.

They are now at the Commonwealth war graves site at Reichswald Forest in Germany where 7,580 are buried.

Anyone with information about either appeal should contact Andrew Hirst on 01484 437761 or email andrew.hirst@examiner.co.uk

Polar Bear Hallams of the 146th Infantry Brigade in their Bren carriers, on exercise in the north of Iceland near Akureyri, May 1941.
Polar Bear Hallams of the 146th Infantry Brigade in their Bren carriers, on exercise in the north of Iceland near Akureyri, May 1941.