Private Raymond Arthur Pigg
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Private 5767855 Raymond Arthur Pigg.
Royal Norfolk Regiment
Died 27th May, 1940
Aged 36
Son of Arthur James Pigg and Gertrude Ellen Pigg, of Pulham St. Mary, Norfolk.
Inscription - At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
Royal Norfolk Regiment
Died 27th May, 1940
Aged 36
Son of Arthur James Pigg and Gertrude Ellen Pigg, of Pulham St. Mary, Norfolk.
Inscription - At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
Raymond Pigg was born on September 16th, 1904, and was the eldest son of Arthur James and Gertrude Ellen Pigg of Pulham St Mary, Norfolk.
We were delighted to meet with Ray's niece Kathleen Tebble and great niece Sally Rash at Kathleen's home in Diss.
Together they have been trying to piece together details of Ray's life, having found out completely by chance that Ray was a victim of the massacre at Le Paradis.
A number of years ago Sally was watching an item on the BBC local news about Le Paradis. The presentation ended with the camera zooming in on the grave of R.A. Pigg. Sally takes up the story:
"We knew that Ray had died in the war but knew nothing about Le Paradis or the massacre. When I saw the gravestone I was very moved and realised it had to be my great uncle. It was just an incredible co-incidence to have the camera zoom in on his grave."
Sally and mother Kathleen immediately started their research and soon confirmed that the man murdered in the massacre was indeed their relation. Without that TV programme the mother and daughter duo would just have accepted that Ray had been a victim of fighting against the Germans.
It was particularly poignant for Kathleen whose mother Daisy Irene Pigg was born less than a year before her brother Ray on October 24th, 1903. "My mother died without knowing what had happened to her brother," she said. And the same was true of Ray's many brothers and sisters (he was one of 14 children).
Kathleen remembers very little about Ray, although she does recall meeting him in Diss as he was about to set off for war and this small memory gives us an insight into the man: "I remember he told me to hold out my hand and dropped coins into them, saying 'I shan't be needing these where I'm going.' I would have been about seven at the time."
Sadly Ray never returned from the war: "As far as we were concerned Ray just didn't come back. Both he and his brother Ernest died in the conflict and two other brothers were taken prisoners-of-war," Kathleen said.
Kathleen and Sally know very little else about Ray, although they believe his nickname in the Royal Norfolk Regiment may have been Perky with his mate Arthur Preston, who came from Norwich, being known as Pinky. Pinky and Perky were the loveable puppet pigs from television. Arthur may have gained the nickname "Pinky" due to the fact that he often received copies of the Norwich-based Pink-Un sports newspaper sent to him from his home city.
Sally feels that her research into the Pigg family has brought her closer to Great Uncle Ray: "I like to think about what he was like as a person and what his voice sounded like. Sometimes it's as if I can hear his voice in my head. From his photographs he looks like a nice man. I think I would have liked him. We know he never married but I like to think that he found love in one form or another," she said.
Kathleen is glad that she has at last established what happened to her uncle and in many ways sees it as "a major piece in the family jigsaw puzzle." She also admits that "it makes me go cold when I think about the massacre."
"My grandmother told me she had lost two brothers in the war and how sad she was. I know that she was very close to Ray as there was less than a year between them in age," Sally said.
Ray and Ernest are both commemorated in Pulham St Mary Church as our photographs later on illustrate.
We were delighted to meet with Ray's niece Kathleen Tebble and great niece Sally Rash at Kathleen's home in Diss.
Together they have been trying to piece together details of Ray's life, having found out completely by chance that Ray was a victim of the massacre at Le Paradis.
A number of years ago Sally was watching an item on the BBC local news about Le Paradis. The presentation ended with the camera zooming in on the grave of R.A. Pigg. Sally takes up the story:
"We knew that Ray had died in the war but knew nothing about Le Paradis or the massacre. When I saw the gravestone I was very moved and realised it had to be my great uncle. It was just an incredible co-incidence to have the camera zoom in on his grave."
Sally and mother Kathleen immediately started their research and soon confirmed that the man murdered in the massacre was indeed their relation. Without that TV programme the mother and daughter duo would just have accepted that Ray had been a victim of fighting against the Germans.
It was particularly poignant for Kathleen whose mother Daisy Irene Pigg was born less than a year before her brother Ray on October 24th, 1903. "My mother died without knowing what had happened to her brother," she said. And the same was true of Ray's many brothers and sisters (he was one of 14 children).
Kathleen remembers very little about Ray, although she does recall meeting him in Diss as he was about to set off for war and this small memory gives us an insight into the man: "I remember he told me to hold out my hand and dropped coins into them, saying 'I shan't be needing these where I'm going.' I would have been about seven at the time."
Sadly Ray never returned from the war: "As far as we were concerned Ray just didn't come back. Both he and his brother Ernest died in the conflict and two other brothers were taken prisoners-of-war," Kathleen said.
Kathleen and Sally know very little else about Ray, although they believe his nickname in the Royal Norfolk Regiment may have been Perky with his mate Arthur Preston, who came from Norwich, being known as Pinky. Pinky and Perky were the loveable puppet pigs from television. Arthur may have gained the nickname "Pinky" due to the fact that he often received copies of the Norwich-based Pink-Un sports newspaper sent to him from his home city.
Sally feels that her research into the Pigg family has brought her closer to Great Uncle Ray: "I like to think about what he was like as a person and what his voice sounded like. Sometimes it's as if I can hear his voice in my head. From his photographs he looks like a nice man. I think I would have liked him. We know he never married but I like to think that he found love in one form or another," she said.
Kathleen is glad that she has at last established what happened to her uncle and in many ways sees it as "a major piece in the family jigsaw puzzle." She also admits that "it makes me go cold when I think about the massacre."
"My grandmother told me she had lost two brothers in the war and how sad she was. I know that she was very close to Ray as there was less than a year between them in age," Sally said.
Ray and Ernest are both commemorated in Pulham St Mary Church as our photographs later on illustrate.
Raymond's other great niece Sue Roche has sent us a letter with some of her memories. We reproduce the letter and a transcription with Sue's permission.
"On this occasion, we were making bread at Chapel Street. Nanny was explaining the reason for the bread bowl’s shape. – it prompted her to remember a visit by Ray.
He came to see her prior to leaving to join his regiment on what was to be his last time they were together. Being close, not just in age but in interests, humour and the financial and emotional well-being of the entire family, time spent together was special.
Nanny was in the kitchen and, during the course of time Ray and herself joking she was startled and the bread bowl got damaged. Ray was apologetic and promised to send money for a replacement in his next letter home.
The family received the dreaded letter of his demise. Nanny got a letter from him a while after and in it was the money for the bread bowl. For a long time after she expected him to just call (visit) and to hear his familiar tap on the door. It obviously never happened and she always prayed his death was swift and painless he deserved to have had a life fulfilled."
"On this occasion, we were making bread at Chapel Street. Nanny was explaining the reason for the bread bowl’s shape. – it prompted her to remember a visit by Ray.
He came to see her prior to leaving to join his regiment on what was to be his last time they were together. Being close, not just in age but in interests, humour and the financial and emotional well-being of the entire family, time spent together was special.
Nanny was in the kitchen and, during the course of time Ray and herself joking she was startled and the bread bowl got damaged. Ray was apologetic and promised to send money for a replacement in his next letter home.
The family received the dreaded letter of his demise. Nanny got a letter from him a while after and in it was the money for the bread bowl. For a long time after she expected him to just call (visit) and to hear his familiar tap on the door. It obviously never happened and she always prayed his death was swift and painless he deserved to have had a life fulfilled."
Family Photographs
We are very grateful to Kathleen Tebble and Sally Rash for permission to reproduce the following family photographs of Ray. Click on them to enlarge them.
We are very grateful to Kathleen Tebble and Sally Rash for permission to reproduce the following family photographs of Ray. Click on them to enlarge them.
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It is thought that Ray was a keen horseman as the photograph above shows. It is not known where the photograph of him in a garden was taken. Below is a very fragile photograph of Ray's brother Ernest.
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Remembering Ray and Ernest
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Raymond and his brother Ernest are remembered in the church of Pulham St Mary The Virgin in Norfolk. The Pigg brothers are amongst six names remembered from the Second World War.
Ernest Edward Pigg died on March 15th, 1945, and is buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar (Burma).
The inscription on his gravestone reads - Asleep he lies in a foreign land. The son and brother we all loved so dear.
Ernest Edward Pigg died on March 15th, 1945, and is buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Myanmar (Burma).
The inscription on his gravestone reads - Asleep he lies in a foreign land. The son and brother we all loved so dear.
Other Documentation (click on the images to enlarge them)
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Bringing The Story Up To Date
Above - Sally Rash and her sister who are great nieces of Raymond Pigg together with their mother Kathleen Tebble, Raymond's niece. The photograph was taken by Nick Smith at the 2024 commemoration service for Le Paradis in Norwich Cathedral Close. On the right, Joy Smith places a Royal British Legion Remembrance cross at Raymond's grave in Le Paradis Cemetery.
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On the left Joy Smith having finished reciting the exhortation at the graves of Raymond Pigg and Arthur Preston who were known as Pinky and Perky and were close friends and above their graves together in Le Paradis Cemetery.
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