Latch, Cyril Clive Telford

Cyril was born in Kings Norton in the last quarter of 1923. His second name, Clive, was the name of his father’s youngest brother who died on 28th June 1916, three days after being wounded on the Somme.

Cyril’s mother had been married previously and he had one half sister Sheila Vivienne D P Simon (1911-2003). His father also Cyril (1887-1944) had served in the First World War. He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery in August 1914 as a Gunner and was wounded at Ypres in June 1915. He obtained a commission in February 1916, and was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, being demobilised at the end of the war as a Captain in the Royal Air Force.

According to the 1911 census he lived in Elmdon, Solihull and his occupation was a wire rope manufacturer (Latch and Batchelor), founded by his father Arthur Latch and Telford Batchelor. When he died in 1944 he left £49,690 12s in his will, equivalent to £2,218,012 today. When Cyril junior died he left his estate of £192 62 to his father, Cyril senior.

The attached newspaper article refers to an incident some months after Cyril died in which his father was involved in an accident in Dormer Place, Leamington where he was found to be under the influence of drugs or drink – which was attributed to the stress of losing his only son:

Cyril is commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent: