Lieutenant Cecil Yallop
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LIEUTENANT CECIL ERNEST YALLOP
Died Sunday 26th May 1940 Aged 35
2nd Bn. Royal Norfolk Regiment
Son of Ernest Robert and Edith Kate Yallop (nee Lubbock)
Husband of Betsy Yallop of Norwich
INSCRIPTION
WITHOUT FAREWELL HE FELL ASLEEP, WITH ONLY MEMORIES LEFT TO KEEP
R.I.P.
Died Sunday 26th May 1940 Aged 35
2nd Bn. Royal Norfolk Regiment
Son of Ernest Robert and Edith Kate Yallop (nee Lubbock)
Husband of Betsy Yallop of Norwich
INSCRIPTION
WITHOUT FAREWELL HE FELL ASLEEP, WITH ONLY MEMORIES LEFT TO KEEP
R.I.P.
Cecil Ernest Yallop was born in Reepham, Norfolk, on 25th April, 1905. He married Betsy Semmens on 25th January, 1924. They had two children - Doris May (born 12th May, 1927) and Cecil (Jack) born 7th October, 1923.
Cecil joined the army at the age of 15 - apparently he increased his age to ensure eligibility.
Around 1931 the family moved to India. Cecil was a keen boxer, tennis player and also liked ballroom dancing.
On 10th May, 1940, now a Lieutenant, Cecil was second in command of ‘B’ Company Second Battalion Royal Norfolks in Belgium.
On 21st May, following heavy fighting and casualties, a major reshuffle took place within the Battalion with Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Yallop taking command of ‘A’ Company. This was to lead to what was to become known as the "Yallop Charge" which you can read about below.
The Yallop Charge
On 25th May, two days before the massacre, there was another example of the courage and resolve of 2nd Bn. Royal Norfolk Regiment, supported by 8th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
Battalion HQ were losing communications with their companies together with their C.O Maj. (Acting Lt Colonel) Ryder who was last reported leaving Brigade HQ at I’Epinette.
Major Ryder, instead of returning to Battalion HQ, had made a detour to organise an attack on a wood (Bois de Pacqueaut) in which the enemy (SS Totenkopf) had successfully penetrated between ‘A ‘Company and the Royal Scots.
Led by Acting Captain Yallop, with the Lancashire Fusiliers under 2nd Lieutenant Spears in support, with bayonets fixed and through a hail of machine gun and rifle fire, the enemy was engaged at close quarters and successfully driven out from their temporary stronghold.
It was a courageous, but costly encounter which decimated the numbers of ‘A’ Company leaving 17 dead, including Acting Captain Yallop.
Lieutenant Yallop is buried at Hinges Communal Cemetery (photographed below). Also below are other photographs of Cecil Yallop. The photograph in the centre is Cecil in India and on the right he is pictured with his wife Betsy.
Cecil joined the army at the age of 15 - apparently he increased his age to ensure eligibility.
Around 1931 the family moved to India. Cecil was a keen boxer, tennis player and also liked ballroom dancing.
On 10th May, 1940, now a Lieutenant, Cecil was second in command of ‘B’ Company Second Battalion Royal Norfolks in Belgium.
On 21st May, following heavy fighting and casualties, a major reshuffle took place within the Battalion with Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Yallop taking command of ‘A’ Company. This was to lead to what was to become known as the "Yallop Charge" which you can read about below.
The Yallop Charge
On 25th May, two days before the massacre, there was another example of the courage and resolve of 2nd Bn. Royal Norfolk Regiment, supported by 8th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
Battalion HQ were losing communications with their companies together with their C.O Maj. (Acting Lt Colonel) Ryder who was last reported leaving Brigade HQ at I’Epinette.
Major Ryder, instead of returning to Battalion HQ, had made a detour to organise an attack on a wood (Bois de Pacqueaut) in which the enemy (SS Totenkopf) had successfully penetrated between ‘A ‘Company and the Royal Scots.
Led by Acting Captain Yallop, with the Lancashire Fusiliers under 2nd Lieutenant Spears in support, with bayonets fixed and through a hail of machine gun and rifle fire, the enemy was engaged at close quarters and successfully driven out from their temporary stronghold.
It was a courageous, but costly encounter which decimated the numbers of ‘A’ Company leaving 17 dead, including Acting Captain Yallop.
Lieutenant Yallop is buried at Hinges Communal Cemetery (photographed below). Also below are other photographs of Cecil Yallop. The photograph in the centre is Cecil in India and on the right he is pictured with his wife Betsy.
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John Head of the Le Paradis Commemoration Group lays a cross on the grave of Lieutenant Yallop - May 2019.
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On the left is the marriage certificate of Cecil Ernest and Betsy and on the right Cecil's birth certificate dated April 25th, 1905. Below are medals and formal communications sent to the Yallop family (click on the photographs to enlarge them)
1939-1945 War Medal front
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1939-1945 War Medal back
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1939-1945 Star
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Rifle Association Medal
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Royal Norfolk Regiment 1922 Young Soldier Team Medal
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We are extremely grateful to Cecil Yallop's descendants - Dorothy Brenner, Jacqueline (Jackie) Wilde and Jonathan (Jon) Davis - for their support and kind permission to use family material which they generously forwarded to us with permission to reproduce on this site.