Stanley Pope was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in 1916; he was the only son of William and Fanny Pope (née Pugh). Stanley’s parents both worked in the carpet industry, with dad William being a labourer at the Victoria Carpet Company and Mum Fanny, a yarn-drawer in the Watson Brothers spinning mill.

The 1921 census confirms that at that time, the family were living at number 58 Lea Street, Kidderminster.

As a young boy, Stanley was educated at St. Mary’s school, and he also attended St. Mary’s Sunday school. He was blessed with a lovely singing voice and was a member of the St. James’s choir. Stanley also enjoyed all manner of sport throughout his school days.

On leaving school young Stanley did what most Kidderminster lads did at that time, and followed his parents into the carpet industry, finding work in the Axminster department of Brintons Ltd. (the town’s largest employers at the time). Whilst working at Brintons, he was able to widen his sporting activities even further (locally, the company had a reputation for encouraging its employees to participate in all types of sport – a reputation it maintained well into the 21st century). In particular, Stanley became a well-known member of Brinton’s Tennis Club, and whilst with them, he won several trophies. 

Outside of work, Stanley was also a keen Territorial soldier and he regularly attended the Drill Hall on the Birmingham Road in Kidderminster.

On the outbreak of war, Stanley was immediately mobilised and was assigned to the 7th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment. This battalion was so closely associated with Kidderminster and the surrounding area, that soldiers of other battalions within the regiment referred them as “the carpet boys.”

The nickname was entirely appropriate due to the fact that so many of the battalion members had joined up directly from the town's carpet mills; however it wasn’t long before the town’s carpet looms fell silent, as the focus was switched to alternative work in support of the war effort.

In 1940, Stanley’s battalion formed part of the ill-fated British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that went to France and months later were lifted off the beaches around Dunkirk. Out of a total of 800, approximately 250 men of Stanley’s battalion were killed or wounded in the campaign and another 150 had been taken prisoner by the Germans; only around 400 men of the 7th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment - including Stanley - managed to find their way back to Blighty.

In 1942 Stanley’s battalion was attached to the 2nd Division in India and for reasons unknown, around this time, it appears that he was transferred to the Army Catering Corps (ACC) albeit he remained attached to the Worcester’s 7th Battalion.

Having faced the Germans in France in 1940, Stanley was now about to face the Japanese…

The Japanese offensive entitled "U-Go" in northern Burma, began on the 6th of March 1944. Their aim was to destroy all British forces around the towns of Imphal and Kohima. After this they hoped to push on through the passes to Dimapur, cutting off the Chinese and Americans in the North, before breaking out into India.

On the 1st of April 1944, Stanley’s 7th Battalion crossed the Brahmaputra River at Gauhati and entered the operational area of Assam.

From the 3rd to the 16th of April, the Japanese attempted to capture Kohima ridge, a feature which dominated the road by which the besieged British and Indian troops at Imphal were being supplied.

After much bloody fighting, by mid-April, the small British force at Kohima was relieved. In fact, the fighting had been so intense that the battle is commonly referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".

Forty soldiers from the 7th Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment lost their lives during the relief of Kohima and the subsequent “mopping-up” operations - and they are all remembered on the 2nd Division memorial located within the Kohima War Cemetery.

Stanley Pope is one of those men. He was killed in action on the 16th of May 1944, aged 27.

Today, Stanley rests in peace under a CWGC commemorational tablet in the Kohima War Cemetery (the graves in this cemetery are marked with bronze plaques mounted on rectangular concrete pedestals, as opposed to the standard CWGC headstones found in Europe. This design was chosen specifically because the soft, wet soil and weather conditions in the Far East would not support a standard upright headstone). 

On Stanley’s plaque there is a personal inscription chosen by his parents William and Fanny, it reads:

“AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING, WE WILL REMEMBER HIM”

Lying in the very next grave to Stanley is his 7th Battalion pal, Jim Pitt; before the war Jim was a deckhand at the Kidderminster sugar beet factory. He fell five days after Stanley. A few graves along from Stanley and Jim lies Les White, another 7th Battalion man. Les really was a carpet boy – he was a starcher in the finishing shed of the Victoria Carpet Coy., the same manufactory where Stanley’s dad worked.

The Kohima War Cemetery contains 1,420 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War and one non-war burial. At the highest point in the cemetery stands the Kohima Cremation Memorial commemorating 917 Hindu and Sikh soldiers whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith.

At the lower end of the cemetery, near the entrance, is the memorial to Stanley’s 2nd Division (see image above). It bears the inscription:

"WHEN YOU GO HOME TELL THEM OF US AND SAY, FOR YOUR TOMORROW, WE GAVE OUR TODAY"

Stanley’s name is also carved into the wooden Kohima Memorial which is located within the St. George's Military Chapel in Worcester Cathedral.

Back in his hometown, Stanley Pope is commemorated on the Kidderminster War Memorial, which is situated to the front of St. Mary and All Saint’s Church. Below the names of the fallen on this memorial, the following epitaph is inscribed:

“THESE DIED THE NOBLEST DEATH A MAN MAY DIE ~ FIGHTING FOR GOOD AND RIGHT AND LIBERTY ~ AND SUCH A DEATH IS IMMORTALITY”

Rest In Peace Stanley Pope ~ your bravery will never be forgotten ~ your sacrifice will be remembered                                                                                         For Evermore.

Acknowledgements: This story could not have been told were it not for the wonderful team at the Kidderminster Museum of Carpet, most especially Geoff, Jill, Jean and Tom. Very many thanks to you all. www.museumofcarpet.org.uk