Pre-war John was a Mining Engineer.
The family were very well known in the New Forest. Crosthwaite-Eyre was a name created by Royal Licence by application of his parents. His brother Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre was also in the Army and post-war was Member of Parliament for the New Forest. Oliver’s son, also Oliver, was until recently Official Vederer for the New Forest. He married Susan Elizabeth Sowerby (born 29 Sep 1918, who also worked for SOE) and they had children, Charles and Flops.
John died in his home in Zimbabwe.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire | Intelligence Officer | 15 Jul 1940 | 1941 |
| Isle of Wight | Intelligence Officer | 15 Jul 1940 | 1941 |
| Brandon Mission | SOE Agent | 1943 | 1943 |
| Brandon Mission | SOE Agent | 1943 | 1943 |
Downside College - near Bath
Royal School of Mines
Mining engineer (Bsc 1st Class Honours, London)
27 Sep 1939 Enlisted Royal Engineers as Officer Cadet 2192491
6 Feb 1940 Attachment to Left Flank Company, 5th Battalion Scots Guards, a special force of Ski Trained troops who fought briefly for Finland against Russia
Cadet at 142 Officer Cadet Training Unit (Royal Engineers)
Commission to General List 22 May without Pay and Allowances indicated Military Intelligence service (where pay was from a non-Army funds)
15 July 1940 Transfer to Intelligence Corps as Lieutenant with Auxiliary Units from this date. Possibly as Intelligence Officer or Scout Section Officer in Hampshire.
1 November 1940 Transfer to Royal Engineers Appears in Coleshill photo taken in January 1941
1942 Served in Nigeria
31 January 1943 Captured during Operation Felice while with SOE, a mission to destroy viaduct in Tunisia.
Prisoner of War Fontamello Camp, Italy. Escaped at the time of the Italian Armistice and headed for Switzerland, but recaptured at the border.
Freed by his brother Oliver from German Prisoner of War Camp in 1945.
TNA ref HS9/492/5
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/soe-operation-felice-1-or-felicity…
https://msmtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/MSMT-NEWSLETTER-JUNE…
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34944/supplement/5476/data.pdf
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34865/supplement/3423/data.pdf
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35195/supplement/3498/data.pdf
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=172747&sid=f01165032…;
Royal Engineers Enlistment Card: FindMyPast