A Three Way Service
Gunner John Herbert Innis AMIMI Royal Artillery
The Man John Herbert Innis, Johnnie, as he was known was born on 4th February 1918. He joined the Territorial Army in London during 1936 as an MT Driver Instructor with the Royal Engineers, service number 2045794, later transferring to the Royal Artillery. Following the outbreak of World War 2 he served in North Africa, Crete and the Middle East with both the First & Eighth Armies. In his spare time he rode in the Army motorcycle trials and for two years or more was the motoring correspondent for the Egyptian Gazette. He also contributed to several service magazines and was a founder member of the Services Bar none MC Club. For his war time service he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Africa Star ‘8th Army’, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’. John married Mary Kathleen Chappell between April and June 1946, aged 28 in North Buckinghamshire and they had three children, Robert John, Susan Elizabeth, and Yvonne Mary. John’s mechanical skills carried him into business following the war and as well as being an Associate Member of the Institute of the Motor Industry (AMIMI), he had a business in Worthing; Speedway Motors, dealing in tyres and exhausts on Thorn Road and also opened a petrol station on Marine Parade, which he later sold to allow a hotel to be built on the site. John was a keen stock car racer and took part in competitions in Great Yarmouth. John was a member
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- of the Royal British Legion joining in the late 1940s early 1950s and was in the Worthing Branch serving on many of their committees, hardly an office escaped his able administration including the branch Press Officer. - He also helped organise the sponsored drill and shooting competitions each year for the local Cadet Forces. He was a rent collector for and on the Management Committee of the local Legion Housing complex Chapman Court. He later moved to the Isle of Wight to manage a RBL housing complex, returning to Worthing upon his retirement and lived at 22 Wisden Court, Findon Road. He was awarded the much coveted Royal British legion 50 years Service Medal. It is unknown when, but John and Mary divorced and John re-married Maureen Elsie Young in Worthing between April and June 1984 aged 66. John attended his last Remembrance Parade on Sunday 9th November 2003 and died four months later on 21st March 2004 at Worthing. Following his death and at his request, his coffin was draped in the Union Flag, and the Standards of the RBL were present. There were no flowers except for one poppy wreath. Following cremation his ashes were placed into a reserved headstone plot at Durrington Cemetery, plot number 2930. John was described as ‘A happy man full of pride’ and it was one of his wishes that his medals be sold following his death and the proceeds donated to the Royal British Legion. He was a true stalwart of the Royal British Legion, and indeed the title of this story, A Three Way Service is appropriate, John served his Crown and Country, the Legion’s motto ‘Service not Self, is highly appropriate and finally in recognition of the many vehicles he must have serviced in his civilian trade!
The Story The group of medals awarded to John, (Johhnie) Herbert Innis were acquired direct from the step-family, who stated that John had wanted them selling following his death in order to raise money for the Worthing Branch of the Royal British Legion. Although the step family were helpful they did not disclose too much information on John and so the usual research lines had to be followed to try and build up a picture of his life. As John had been a member of the Worthing Branch Royal British Legion, a letter was sent to their secretary, who responded very positively and actually provided a cutting from the local newspaper, The Argus, showing a very good picture of John, wearing his beret, with Royal Engineers badge, at the Worthing Remembrance parade the previous November. He also sent a copy of the branch September newsletter which gave a brief but detailed biography of John. A call to The Argus enabled a colour original of the photograph to be acquired and a visit to extract John’s will from the Family Records Division in London enabled a little further detail to be acquired. With the onset of Ancestry.com some years later, even more information became available and this enabled John’s interesting biography to be produced. There are further lines of enquiry to be made with John’s children in the hope this will provide even more detail.
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The Argus - Monday 10th November 2003
Rain beat relentlessly down as hundreds gathered in Worthing to remember the victims of war. Scores of umbrellas dotted the assembly outside the town hall in Chapel road as dignitaries laid more than 50 wreaths at the war memorial. Two buglers, Royal Navy rating Owen Williams, 19, serving in HMS St. Albans, and Royal Marine Cadet Sam Greene, 16, astudent at Worthing Sixth Form College, played Last Post and Reveille. In his sermon, the Rev Samuel Reading urged people to pray for servicemen in Iraq. He said Remembrance Sunday crossed the boundaries of culture, class, creed and country. Councillors and Aldermen led by Mayor James Doyle and borough Council chief Executive Sheryl Grady stood in silence as Robert Chalcraft, the town’s Poppy Appeal organiser, recited the poem for The Fallen by Lawrence Binyon. Mr Chalcraft, who hopes to raise about £30,000 from poppy sales this year, also read the Kohima Epitaph: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today”. Several cadets fainted during the service and were assisted into the Tabernacle Church by first aiders from the St John Ambulance. Contingents included Guides and Cubs, some only five or six, who braved the dismal conditions, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, which has Territorial Army soldiers from the Worthing area serving in Afghanistan, was also represented. The Salvation Army band provided the music to the hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past and the National Anthem before a march past the town hall where Councillor Doyle took the salute. Members of the crowd then took time to read the inscriptions on the wooden crosses in the Garden of Remembrance. They included one to Chris Lovett, of the Parachute Regiment, who was killed in action on June 12, 1982, during the Falklands campaign. There was a cross dedicated to the Chichester based Royal Military Police, which this year lost nine men killed in Iraq. Another was inscribed with the words “In loving memory of the SAS boys”. Worthing Rowing club’s cross had the names of six former members on it E M Bird, L Souhwaite, E McCormack, J Reason, A Splignett and A Stubs. RAF pilot Leslie Whycombe, killed in the Battle of Britain at the age of 21, was remembered as was Jack Collins, of HMS Royal Oak which was sunk early in the Second World War. Two Worthing brothers, C Attfield and A Attfield, who died in the same war, were not forgotten, nor was john Fryer, who died in Singapore. There was a cross to Robert Reens, described on it as a Dutch Jewish victim. At the parade were the Air Training Corps, Aircrew Association, Army Cadet Force, British Korean Veterans Association, British Red Cross Society, Burma Star Association, Dunkirk Veterans Association, Fleet Air Arm Association, Guides Association, Guards Association, Market Garden Association, Parachute Regimental Association, Princess of Wales’s royal Regiment, Queen Alexandra Hospital-home for Disabled ex-Servicemen, RASC/royal corps of Transport Association, REME Association, Royal Engineers Association, Royal Artillery Association, Royal air Forces Association, Royal British Legion, Royal British Legion (Women’s Section), Royal Marines Association, Royal Naval Association, St John Ambulance Brigade, Salvation Army, Scout Association, Sea Cadet Corps, Police, Fire Brigade, Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, Worthing & District Scout Fellowship and the Association of WRENS.
Rain beat relentlessly down as hundreds gathered in Worthing to remember the victims of war. Scores of umbrellas dotted the assembly outside the town hall in Chapel road as dignitaries laid more than 50 wreaths at the war memorial. Two buglers, Royal Navy rating Owen Williams, 19, serving in HMS St. Albans, and Royal Marine Cadet Sam Greene, 16, astudent at Worthing Sixth Form College, played Last Post and Reveille. In his sermon, the Rev Samuel Reading urged people to pray for servicemen in Iraq. He said Remembrance Sunday crossed the boundaries of culture, class, creed and country. Councillors and Aldermen led by Mayor James Doyle and borough Council chief Executive Sheryl Grady stood in silence as Robert Chalcraft, the town’s Poppy Appeal organiser, recited the poem for The Fallen by Lawrence Binyon. Mr Chalcraft, who hopes to raise about £30,000 from poppy sales this year, also read the Kohima Epitaph: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today”. Several cadets fainted during the service and were assisted into the Tabernacle Church by first aiders from the St John Ambulance. Contingents included Guides and Cubs, some only five or six, who braved the dismal conditions, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, which has Territorial Army soldiers from the Worthing area serving in Afghanistan, was also represented. The Salvation Army band provided the music to the hymn O God Our Help in Ages Past and the National Anthem before a march past the town hall where Councillor Doyle took the salute. Members of the crowd then took time to read the inscriptions on the wooden crosses in the Garden of Remembrance. They included one to Chris Lovett, of the Parachute Regiment, who was killed in action on June 12, 1982, during the Falklands campaign. There was a cross dedicated to the Chichester based Royal Military Police, which this year lost nine men killed in Iraq. Another was inscribed with the words “In loving memory of the SAS boys”. Worthing Rowing club’s cross had the names of six former members on it E M Bird, L Souhwaite, E McCormack, J Reason, A Splignett and A Stubs. RAF pilot Leslie Whycombe, killed in the Battle of Britain at the age of 21, was remembered as was Jack Collins, of HMS Royal Oak which was sunk early in the Second World War. Two Worthing brothers, C Attfield and A Attfield, who died in the same war, were not forgotten, nor was john Fryer, who died in Singapore. There was a cross to Robert Reens, described on it as a Dutch Jewish victim. At the parade were the Air Training Corps, Aircrew Association, Army Cadet Force, British Korean Veterans Association, British Red Cross Society, Burma Star Association, Dunkirk Veterans Association, Fleet Air Arm Association, Guides Association, Guards Association, Market Garden Association, Parachute Regimental Association, Princess of Wales’s royal Regiment, Queen Alexandra Hospital-home for Disabled ex-Servicemen, RASC/royal corps of Transport Association, REME Association, Royal Engineers Association, Royal Artillery Association, Royal air Forces Association, Royal British Legion, Royal British Legion (Women’s Section), Royal Marines Association, Royal Naval Association, St John Ambulance Brigade, Salvation Army, Scout Association, Sea Cadet Corps, Police, Fire Brigade, Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, Worthing & District Scout Fellowship and the Association of WRENS.
Medal Details
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as issued.
- Africa Star: Unnamed as issued.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as issued.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as issued.
- Efficiency Medal: 204579 GNR.J.H.INNIS. R.A.
Page last updated 20 Feb 16