We’ve been intrigued by the figures in our Facebook page cover photo (above) for some time, so we decided to explore them in our records. It turns out the three individuals in military uniforms were a family. Investigating military photographs and the story behind an image is a rewarding aspect of military family history. Read on to discover what we found.
Taken in January 1943, when the Allies were battling Axis forces in the North African desert, the image is titled ‘All on leave together’. The image caption reads:
‘By sheer coincidence, the father, mother and son, all in the Forces, are in [sic] leave in London together. The father Capt. C.W. “Jock” Prentice, R.A. (until he rejoined the Army was the wellknown London Coliseum musical director), his wife who is in the Wrens and his 20 year old son, Sub. Lieut. P.B.N. Prentice, of Fleet Air Arm.
The family were photographed enjoying their leave in London, but the war would soon tear this family apart.
Charles Whitecross ‘Jock’ Prentice
Born in Prestonpans, Scotland, in 1898, Charles ‘Jock’ Prentice was educated at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. He completed his schooling in 1915 against the backdrop of the First World War and enrolled as a Student of Arts at the University of Edinburgh. Charles joined the University’s Officer Training Corps, serving with the Artillery branch between March and September 1916.
The war interrupted his studies, and the pressing need for men saw him join an Officer Cadet unit for training. Charles was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the Forth Royal Garrison Artillery in December 1916 and was promoted to Lieutenant in June 1918. With the war over, Charles resumed his studies in 1919 and later established a career as a prominent musical director, composer, conductor and arranger.
Charles married Phyllis in London in 1928. They set up home in Hampstead, North London, where they were residing at the outbreak of the Second World War. Between 1932 and the beginning of WWII, Charles was the Musical Director at Drury Lane Theatre.
During the war, Charles was commissioned as a Captain with the Royal Artillery. Putting his background in creative arts to good use, he was made Army Entertainments Officer for Devon and Cornwall, part of the Entertainments National Service Association. They put on various shows and broadcasts for the troops at the Palace Theatre in Plymouth throughout the war, which continued until early 1945, according to an entry on Newspapers.com.
Phyllis Zimmerman Cartwright
Phyllis was born in London in 1900. She married Frank Stapley in 1921, with whom she had a son named Peter. The couple later divorced, and Phyllis married Charles Prentice in 1928. When WWII erupted in Europe in September 1939, Phyllis and Charles were living in Hampstead; Phyllis volunteered for the war effort on the home front, working as an Air Raid Precautions Warden.
Little is known of Phyllis’s wartime service, but we ascertained from the image caption she joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service. Despite consulting various collections, including navy lists and newspapers, we found little trace. Her service record, held by the Ministry of Defence, holds the key details of her wartime service.
Despite this, we were able to glean a clue from Phyllis’s uniform. Photographs are a valuable source for family historians. Photos of our military ancestors often contain clues, like a uniform, badge, insignia or location, which can help research the individual in the records. Phyllis’s cap tally, a ribbon worn around naval caps, indicates she was serving with HMS Drake when the photograph was taken. This is most likely the barracks named HMS Drake, located at the naval base of Devonport. Indeed, we know her husband Charles was based in Plymouth during the war. What will you discover by investigating military photographs in your collection?
Peter Bruce Nevill Prentice
Peter was born in Berkshire in 1922. His parents divorced when he was a child, and following his mother’s marriage to Charles Prentice, he took on his stepfather’s surname.
Following in Charles’s footsteps, Peter attended George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. The college published a book on former students’ service during WWII, offering biographies and photos of those who were killed during the war. The book is available in the Forces War Records Historical Documents Library. According to The Watsonian War Record 1939-1945, Peter attended George Watson’s between 1934 and 1939 before proceeding to London University.
With the world descending into war, Peter’s studies were interrupted, just as WWI took precedence over Charles’s university education. Two years into WWII, Peter joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and was posted to Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Navy’s aviation branch. He received his commission in 1942 and served as a fighter pilot.
Keen to exploit their toe-hold in Axis-occupied Europe, in September 1943, the Allies launched their invasion of mainland Italy, having pushed Axis forces out of Sicily the previous month. Peter, a Sub-Lieutenant, was involved in the aerial aspect of the invasion, covering the forces landing as part of Operation Avalanche. Flying with 886 Naval Air Squadron, Peter was making his way back to the escort aircraft carrier HMS Attacker when he ran into trouble. His Supermarine Seafire Mk. IIC plane stalled and crashed into the sea, claiming Peter’s life.
Peter is commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial in Hampshire, a memorial dedicated to members of the Fleet Air Arm who died during the war and have no known grave.
This poignant story stemmed from investigating military photographs. Do you have a ‘story behind the image’ in your family collections? You can upload photographs, stories and documents to your ancestors’ Memorials on Forces War Records. Create a timeline of their military service and save the records you find during your research. Why not create a Memorial today and keep the memories and stories of your military ancestors alive for future generations.
Sources
Aviation Safety Network, accessed June 2023.
London Gazette, accessed June 2023.
Voxturturis, accessed June 2023.
Ancestry: 1939 Register