Wilfred Newey was born in Olton in December 1906. A very studious boy at school and keenly interested in sport - chiefly fishing, shooting and mountain climbing. He spent most of his life in the district surrounding Stratford-upon-Avon. After leaving Wrekin, he joined the Territorial Army in 1925 and was commissioned into the 6^th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, which was later converted to Anti-Aircraft duties. In his civilian life, Wilfred became a director of both Newey Brothers and D.F. Taylor & Co.

Military Service and World War II

Wilfred was appointed as the first Battery Commander of the “business men’s battery” (192^nd Warwickshire). In 1939, he was among four officers selected for overseas service with the 4^th (Regular) Anti-Aircraft Regiment. He participated in the forward advance into Belgium in 1940 and subsequently in the retreat to Dunkirk.

Upon returning to England and a spot of leave, Wilfred was later posted to the Middle East. His service took him to Greece, Crete, and Libya. During the first campaign in Greece, between July and October 1941, Wilfred displayed remarkable gallantry and leadership in extricating what was left of his unit during the retreat from Thermopylae, moving  over the hills at night guided by the stars and laying up in caves in the daylight. For these actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). While his men were evacuated by sea, Wilfred remained behind to guard the bridge at Corinth. He managed to escape through a detachment of German troops, boarded a Greek caique, and was eventually rescued by a Royal Naval cruiser.

His father was later to say “My son’s escape from Greece was due mostly to his knowledge of mountain climbing.”

Further Commands and Staff Appointments

Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, Wilfred commanded a school of Anti-Aircraft Gunnery in Egypt. He then joined the staff of the British Military Attaché in Ankara. In October 1944, after nearly five years of overseas service, Wilfred was selected to join the planning staff of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Tragic Death En Route to Yalta

On 1^st February 1945, Wilfred was a passenger aboard an Avro York C1 RAF transport aircraft (MW116) of 511 Squadron. The aircraft crashed into the sea at 19:34 hours and broke up during an attempted ditching off Lampedusa Island in the Mediterranean. The aircraft was one of several transporting staff and other personnel involved in preparations for the Yalta Conference (4^th–11^th February 1945), a crucial meeting attended by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, to determine the final stages of the war in Europe and the postwar future.

An explanation for the loss of the aircraft carrying government officials to the Yalta Conference was given by Air Minister Sir Archibald Sinclair in the House of Commons. He stated that the party was initially scheduled to fly in a Liberator, but a last-minute engine fault forced a change to the York aircraft—the only other long-range aircraft immediately available. Although the crew were individually experienced, they had not flown together as a team before.

The urgency of the occasion and favourable weather forecast led to the decision to proceed. However, near Naples, the weather deteriorated. The pilot opted to divert to Malta, but radio distortion caused a navigational error, and the aircraft arrived over Lampedusa instead. After circling in darkness for an hour, the pilot received a correct bearing but, with insufficient fuel to reach Malta—85 miles away—was forced to ditch in the sea.

Of the nineteen people on board, fifteen lost their lives, including Patricia Maxwell Sullivan, a secretary from the Foreign Office in London, who died on her 23^rd birthday. All who perished were later recovered. Wilfred [aged 38] was the highest ranking OW to be killed in the war. They were buried at Imtarfa Military Cemetery on the island of Malta.

A memorial service in their name was held at St Margaret's, Westminster on 11^th April 1945.

Husband of Marjorie Newey [neé Rowland] of Welford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, father to two sons aged 14 & 10: elder son of James George Newey & Ouida Ethel Newey.

The following items of correspondence from Wilfred’s father, James Newey, to Sir John Bayley were discovered in a box of papers from the estate of the late Headmaster in the College Archives. Sir John was Headmaster for the early years of Wilfred’s education.

A copy of Wilfred's story is available for download here.

Revised: November 2025