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William John Lunn

Lieutenant - Royal Navy Reserves - HMS Lynx

Background Information

Born

4th April 1918

Academics

Rank

Lieutenant - Royal Navy Reserves - HMS Lynx

Campaigns

Died

11th September 1940 age 22

William John Lunn was born on 4th April 1918 in Gravesend, Kent. His father was Harry Lunn, a Trinity House River Pilot, and his mother was Minnie (née Cross). The first school that he attended was Cobham House School in Gravesend.
In 1926 William Lunn joined The County School for Boys – now known as Gravesend Grammar School. The Head Master at that time was the Reverend Samuel Lister. The County School for Boys was located in Darnley Road, Gravesend close to the Railway Station (now the Victoria Centre for Education). In 1938 the School moved to brand new premises in Church Walk, Milton, Gravesend opposite to Milton Church.
The School’s Admission Register lists William’s address as 37 The Avenue, Gravesend.
In 1934 William left the School and went into the Mercantile Marine. He enlisted in the Royal Navy Reserves as a Lieutenant in World War Two, joining HMS Lynx at the Royal Navy Base in Dover. William was in charge of 3 minesweepers. On 11th September 1940, the hotel that William was staying in in Dover, the Grand Hotel, was hit by a shell and he was killed. William Lunn was 22 years old. He is buried at the Dover (St James) Cemetery, Row A. Grave 6.
William Lunn was in the same Form as Leonard Wilson, who was also Killed in Action in World War Two.

There are links below to Newspaper Clippings and Photographs from the Gravesend Grammar School Archives.
Below are links to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and a few other websites that might be of interest:
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2825734/lunn,-william-john/
http://www.doverwarmemorialproject.org.uk/Casualties/WWIInotinbook/ServDeaths.htm
http://www.dover-kent.com/grand-hotel.html

Dover (St James) Cemetery, Row A. Grave 6