Name
Montague (Monty) Rainbow
Conflict
Second World War
Date of Death / Age
12/06/1944
28
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Trooper
7897831
Royal Armoured Corps
8th King's Royal Irish Hussars
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Livry Churchyard
Grave 2.
France
Headstone Inscription
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Boys’ Grammar School Memorial (WW2), Letchworth Town Memorial
Biography
He had been born in Middlesex and resided in Hertfordshire. Before attending the Hitchin Grammar School from 1925-1932 he was at Miss Booth's School in Letchworth, a preparatory School. He took a keen interest in the School Scout Troop and, besides being a Rover Scout, assisted A.E. Lloyd with the St. Ippolyts Scout Troop. On leaving school he went initially to the South London Wireless College in Clapham and later to a firm of scientific instrument makers in London. He then joined the Merchant Navy and remained in the service for several years. He caused much excitement when he brought a pet monkey to scout meetings. A thick-set man with curly hair he was of a naturally adventurous disposition.
On the formation of the Palestine Police he joined and took up duties in that country. Not long after his arrival he passed unscathed through three Arab ambushes, for which he was "highly and specially commended for discipline and courage under fire when ambushed on the 21st October 1937". He visited the Hitchin Grammar School whilst on leave from Palestine in mid-1939.
During the war he was placed in an armoured unit having Service Number 7897831. He went to France in 1944 as part of the Normandy landings with the 8th King 's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. His tank was put out of action and, whilst trying to manoeuvre it back into the line, he was killed. His Commanding Officer wrote "His self-sacrifice was regarded as a stimulating example by his comrades who witnessed it". Very violent fighting was taking place at the time west of Caen as the British tried to break out of their bridgehead.
He was killed on the 12th June 1944 aged 28 years and is buried in Livry Churchyard Grave 2 about twenty one miles west southwest of Caen. A private inscription on the headstone reads "For King and Country". There are only two other men buried in this same churchyard, a Lance Corporal Calvert who was in the same regiment and who died on the same day and a Private Boyce who died three days later.
He was the son of Mrs Maud Rainbow of St. Ives, The Quadrant, Letchworth. His father, a furniture remover, had died some years previously. His aunts, the Misses Rainbow, lived at 5, The Quadrant, Letchworth.
Additional Information
A photograph of him appears in the Citizen Newspaper dated 14th July 1944.
Acknowledgments
David C Baines – ‘Hitchin’s Century of Sacrifice’, Hitchin Grammar School Chronicle, Hitchin Grammar School Registers, Mr Stanley Mincher - former acquaintance, Mr Albert (Roger) Isaac - one of the Scouts, ‘Roll of Honour Land Forces W.W.2.’ by J. Devereux & G. Sacker, Citizen Newspaper dated l 4th July 1944
