Derek Aubrey GRESTY
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Derek Aubrey GRESTY
Derek was born on 2nd February 1920 at ‘Roseneath’ (now No. 140) Wistaston Road, Wistaston, Crewe. His parents, George Bannister and Florence May (nee Wilding) Gresty registered his birth at Crewe on 11th March 1920; TW Lovatt was the registrar. His older brother Thomas (Tom) was born in 1912.
The family of John Thomas Gresty were builders. Grestys built Shavington High School, Brine Leas High School and Millfields Primary School in Nantwich, as well as many houses in the area.
As was the custom in the 1920s, nannies were employed to bring up the children, while the lady of the house would do valuable deeds for members of the community, as Mrs Gresty did. Derek’s nanny was Miss Austin who was trained in Stockport, and who looked after him until she was betrothed in 1926. Photographs exist of Tom and Derek on the beach at Pwllheli in August 1922 (kindly loaned by Mrs Joan Wimby). Miss Austin lived in a room next to the nursery at the back of ‘Roseneath’. She took Derek for walks around Wistaston and Willaston. A favourite walk was along the Nantwich Road to Rope Lane, Wells Green to look over the bridge at the stream below. When Miss Austin was sewing , Derek would play with the thimble!
A new road in Willaston has been named John Gresty Drive in the area where Grestys would have had the ‘yard’ where building materials were kept.
It is believed that Derek attended the Nantwich and Acton Grammar School, and his brother Tom was educated at Wrekin College. Tom later joined the firm of builders, but Derek did not live to do so.
Tom’s son Michael Derek Gresty, Derek’s nephew, now lives in Queens Drive, Nantwich and has kindly loaned photographs, details and the medals awarded to his uncle.
The five medals awarded by King George VI to Derek Aubrey Gresty show the areas of wartime activity in which he was involved as a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy: • The 1939-45 Star • The Atlantic Star • The Africa Star (with a clasp showing North Africa 1942-43) • The Italy Star • The War Medal 1939-45.
Derek Aubrey Gresty perished aboard the SS Fort Athabaska in a horrific incident, often described as ‘The Second Pearl Harbour’, at Bari in south eastern Italy on 2nd December 1943, aged 23 years.
As with similar WW2 deaths of Wistaston’s sixteen heroes two comments are often made - “The family never recovered…” and “The family rarely talked about it…”
