Service Number: 13030710
Regiment & Unit: King's Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Bn.
- Son of John William and Harriet Rice; husband of Peggy Maude Rice, of Branksome, Bournemouth, Hampshire.
On Friday 27 October 1944, Goirle and Tilburg were liberated in the course of the afternoon. In Goirle, the Allies were still present in abundance. In the meantime, the Germans had left or fled. In many areas, however, there are still landmines left behind by the Germans – the so-called German "shoe-mines". They caused the Allies, but also the citizens of Goirle, a lot of inconvenience and even worse casualties. So it was for John Rice. He died here at the age of 27 on the day of the liberation of Goirle and Tilburg.
John Rice was initially buried in a field grave, located in a meadow. Here he lay with Alexander Douglas, from Barking, Essex, and Thomas Kennedy from Barking, Essex. All served in the same battalion, died on the same day, in the same place.
After the Second World War, there were small cemeteries everywhere: 'field graves'. They were often on the spot where someone had been killed. Those graves were cleared after the war and then it was customary for them to be transferred to a central location. So are these men. They were reburied on 29 May 1946 at the Allied War Cemetery in Bergen op Zoom (War Cemetery).
Service Number: 13030710
Regiment & Unit: King's Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Bn.
- Son of John William and Harriet Rice; husband of Peggy Maude Rice, of Branksome, Bournemouth, Hampshire.
On Friday 27 October 1944, Goirle and Tilburg were liberated in the course of the afternoon. In Goirle, the Allies were still present in abundance. In the meantime, the Germans had left or fled. In many areas, however, there are still landmines left behind by the Germans – the so-called German "shoe-mines". They caused the Allies, but also the citizens of Goirle, a lot of inconvenience and even worse casualties. So it was for John Rice. He died here at the age of 27 on the day of the liberation of Goirle and Tilburg.
John Rice was initially buried in a field grave, located in a meadow. Here he lay with Alexander Douglas, from Barking, Essex, and Thomas Kennedy from Barking, Essex. All served in the same battalion, died on the same day, in the same place.
After the Second World War, there were small cemeteries everywhere: 'field graves'. They were often on the spot where someone had been killed. Those graves were cleared after the war and then it was customary for them to be transferred to a central location. So are these men. They were reburied on 29 May 1946 at the Allied War Cemetery in Bergen op Zoom (War Cemetery).
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