B. W. Doy
| B. W. Doy is commemorated on the Colkirk War Memorial in respect of the 1939 - 45 war. Very little hard evidence has been found about his life. For example, there is no record of a birth or death of a B. W. Doy in any of the standard records. However, the birth records for the local area record the birth of a B. G. Doy in 1917 with mother's name as Havers but no marriage can be found between Doy and Havers. Furthermore, information from local people suggests that the B. W. Doy on the war memorial was related to Ivy Elizabeth Ramm ( nee Doy ), the wife of Jack Ramm the village postman and there is an Ivy Elizabeth Doy and a Basil G. Doy recorded as both having a mother with the maiden name of Havers. No record has been found in any source of when or where Basil died, which is surprising given that he must have lost his life in connection with WW2 in order to be commemorated on the village war memorial and military records of casualties are usually highly accurate. Basil is however mentioned in a book on the history of Colkirk written by Bill Bailey ( who was a local resident ) that states Basil lost his life at Dunkirk in 1940, although it has not been possible to prove that. It is even possible that Basil survived the war but died years later as a consequence of the war as his name was not added to the war memorial until 1951, but no record of a death can be found. So why was Basil recorded on the war memorial as being B W Doy when in all likelihood his middle initial was actually G? Basil's father died in 1956 and his mother in 1979 but perhaps his sister, Ivy, had his name added to the memorial as it has been said locally that he would be living with her and Jack on his return from the war. Perhaps Ivy inadvertently believed his middle name was William when in fact it was George ( possibly because Basil’s father was William George Doy ).
In Conclusion: All the WW2 Doy’s in the CWGC records have been checked and none could possibly be our DOY other than a Percy George Doy In “War Deaths Army 1939-1948” there are only 4 Doy’s Leonard C Doy 2593122 R. Sig Regt. Died 1944 brother of Ronald H Doy 2589735 R. Sig Regt. Died 1944
Donald F Doy 5772966 2nd Bn Nfk Regt. Died 1944 ( brother of Basil Doy in public records ) Percy G Doy 5771958 2nd Bn Nfk Regt. Died May/June 1940 ( Dunkirk) aged 22 ( correct age to be our Basil Doy )
The only records for a Percy George Doy or a P G Doy on Find My Past and Ancestry are Military ( but none showing next of kin or address ) Forces War Records shows no extra information Likewise there is no death, military or otherwise for a B G Doy or a B W Doy There is a G B Doy who survived the war as a POW and married in 1945 so not our man. Therefore, it is likely ( but unable to prove ) that the Basil Doy on the Colkirk War Memorial was in fact listed with the Army as Percy George Doy, Private 5771958, 2nd Bn. Norfolk Regiment, who died at Dunkirk sometime between 27th May and 1st June 1940 and is buried at Hinges Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. If you have any information regarding B. W. Doy, please contact colkirkvillage@btinternet.com
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