War Veteran Sgt William Hewson-Tutty will remember dear friend this Armistice Centenary

99-year-old William Hewson-Tutty (known as Bill Tutty) - a war veteran and resident at MHA Priceholme care home in Scarborough - is remembering his late friend Sgt. Leslie Watkins this Armistice Day.

As young children, Bill and Leslie became close friends before joining the military in the 1930s. Bill still remembers his army number today, 1888154.

During World War II, Bill was based at the School of Military Engineers on the banks of the Suez Canal in Egypt where he attained the rank of Sergeant, whilst Leslie was an ‘Ack Ack Gunner’ (anti-aircraft warfare) in Tobruk, Libya with the Lincolnshire Regiment.

Sadly, after the Battle of Tobruk, Leslie was captured as a prisoner of war and was transported to Greece by a German ship. According to reports at the time, the Germans had informed the British that the ship was transporting prisoners, however they were not believed and the ship was tragically destroyed by the RAF with a loss of all life.

“When I heard about the bombing, I thought it was a terrible way to die. The British pilot must have felt so bad about what had happened. I will always remember Leslie as a really bright young man”, Bill recalls.

At the time of his passing, Leslie Watkins had attained the rank of Sergeant in the Lincolnshire Regiment.