Ernest W. Bright

Ernest Walter Bright was born on 12^th June 1922. He was the son of Walter and Alice Bright (née Buss). At birth he was registered as Walter E Bright, along with a twin brother Kenneth W Bright. Kenneth died early in 1923 before he was a year old. Ernest’s father Walter served with the 5^th Battalion the Essex Regiment in World War One.

Either his birth registration was wrong or Walter junior soon became known as Ernest, and this became his official name. He was enrolled at Little Dunmow County School on 10^th May 1927. The School log book rarely records the names of pupils but young Ernest gets two mentions in his first year:

"22^nd June 1927 – The boys visited a blacksmith’s demonstration. 11.20 The boys returned to school. Ernest Bright sent home with a bad cold."

The log then records a summer of bad colds and whooping coughs affecting attendance figures so that when the school returned in September we read:

"8^th Sept 1927 – Ernest Bright sent home, as he was sick in school, and was heard whooping."

Ernest remained at Little Dunmow County School until 31^st July 1936 when he 14 years old.

Ernest served as Gunner 5836371 with the 94th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery.

He was age 21 when he died on 7th August 1943.

He is remembered on the Rangoon Memorial, which records the names of 27,000 who died in Burma and Assam, many of whom have no known grave.