Corporal W/184715 Heather Cosens

Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service. Died on Thursday, 4th October 1945, aged 25

Personal Information: Daughter of Albert Olliver Cosens (1884-1975) and Angelina Leshley (1879-1973), of Worthing, Sussex. Memorial: Panel 22. Column 3, Brookwood Memorial, Surrey.   The Brookwood Memorial takes the form of a rotunda that stands within the Brookwood Military Cemetery, thirty miles from London. It commemorates 3,450 men and women of the land forces of the Second World War who have no known grave. Their deaths took place all over the globe; many died at sea, some were in the campaign in Norway, others were members of raiding parties that set out from the United Kingdom, some were special agents or workers with Allied underground movements.

Historical Information:
Heather was killed in an air accident that involved one of the largest number of female service personnel fatalities in a single incident throughout the whole of the Second World War. Regrettably because of this, the incident was hushed up in its day and many relatives were not informed of the deaths until March of the following year.

Lancaster PA278 of 103 Squadron took off from Glatton Airfield Huntingdonshire for Italy as part of operation DODGE, the transportation of troops to overseas bases using heavy bombers. It disappeared approximately thirty miles north-north-east of Corsica, but no wreckage was ever found. It was carrying a crew of six and nineteen female passengers; consisting of two nurses and seventeen ATS personnel. The following also perished:-
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey TAYLOR (pilot)
Sergeant William John KENNEDY (air gunner)
Flight Sergeant Jack Anthony REARDON (navigator)
Flight Sergeant Norman Reginald ROBBINS (wireless operator)
Sergeant Richard George STEELE (flight engineer)
Flight Lieutenant John Percy WHYMARK DSO (air gunner)
Senior Matron GI SADLER, age: 41 (South African Military Nursing Service)
Lance Corporal Willimena ALLAN, age: 37
Private Phyllis Kathleen Doris BACON, age: 34
Private Stefania COURTMAN
Private Barbara Diana CULLEN, age: 30
Sister Jane Simpson Annand CURRAN (QAIMNS)
Private Agnes EDWARDS, age: 28
Private Rhoda Alice FRASER, age: 24
Private Bessie GOODMAN, age: 25
Corporal Jill GORING, age: 23
Private Joan LARKIN, age: 24
Private Alice LILLYMAN, age: 22
Lance Corporal Sheila MACLEOD
Lance Corporal May Eleanor MANN, age: 23
Private Betty Eveleyn PRECIOUS, age: 24
Lance Corporal Enid Dacia RICE, age: 24
Staff Serjeant Jessie SEMARK, age: 29
Private Marion TAYLOR, age: 22

The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938 initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 February 1949. Women were barred from serving in battle, but took over many support tasks; including radar operators, ground gun crews and military police. By VE Day there were over 190,000 members of the ATS.

Grateful thanks go to Mary Jane Millare-Adolfo of the Royal Air Force Museum for help & assistance with this article, and to Geoff Thursfield for the photograph of Heather.