Another 7^th Green Howard, Eric died at a slightly later point than the rest of his Filey comrades in the 7^th battalion.  After the fall of Tobruk (see John Colley) the battalion was moved to cover the withdrawal of the Eighth Army to Mersa Mutrah where it stayed until the beginning of July.  At this point the battalion had been decimated, Eric included, and there was not even enough men left to run it at half strength so it was merged with the 6^th Green Howards until reinforcements arrived at the end of July 1942.

          It was at this point where the newly appointed General Montgomery took a last stand at a small station called El-Alamein and from then onwards the Allies luck gradually changed in their favour.  Eric’s body was recovered at the end of the battle and he was laid to rest in the recently created El-Alamein War Cemetery, one of the biggest cemeteries in the region.  He died just weeks after Joseph Jefferson, a man whom he joined up with (their service numbers testify this as they are only sixteen apart)