Ernest Mark Cecil Maples

Biography

Ernest Mark Cecil Maples — or “Mark” as he was known to the family — was born at 12:10am on the 24th July 1924 at Rowley Hill, Kings Marsh, Cheshire. He had a twin sister, Cicely Mary, known as Mary. Sue Beer, Mary’s daughter, says that “twins were not expected and they were very small at birth; they owed their lives to the time of year and to being swaddled in cotton wool.” Their father, Captain John Cecil Maples, had been a regular army officer but was wounded in the First World War and subsequently invalided out of the service. Their mother was Enid May Maples (née Dickinson). She had trained as a nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital.

As a result of his war injuries Captain Maples had been advised by his doctor to take up cattle farming. This he did, but on losing his herd to foot and mouth he moved the family to Grassgarth in Natland.

The family loved dogs and had Jack Russell terriers. Mark had pet slowworms and also collected penguin figures. Apparently these lived under a domed carriage clock at Grassgarth. Mark was very mechanically minded and built a small steam engine. He went to a preparatory school in Derbyshire, run by a relation, before going to Harrow and then King’s College, Cambridge.

Bent Einer Juel-Jensen wrote to the Headmaster of Harrow, from his native Denmark, asking for a pen pal. Mark became that pen pal, though they never met. After the war Enid Maples invited Bent to visit Grassgarth, which he did, meeting Mary and subsequently they married.

Service Record

Mark joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the 21st February 1943 and after initial training was earmarked for overseas flying training in June of the same year. Mark went to the USA and HMS Saker, a shore training establishment for the Fleet Air Arm, where he was to undertake an advanced, aircraft-carrier, course. On the 9th January 1944 he was appointed to acting Midshipman, and just 15 days later to acting Sub Lieutenant.

How They Died

There are over 600 Commonwealth War Graves in the USA, and approaching a third are believed to be those attached to HMS Saker. On the 23rd May 1944, close to his twentieth birthday, Ernest Mark Cecil Maples was killed in a flying accident. The exact details of this tragedy are not recorded in his naval records.

Where They Rest

He is buried, along with four other British servicemen, in the St. Augustine National Cemetery, Florida. The author has visited his grave. Ernest Mark Cecil Maples is also named on the Natland War Memorial, and the east window of St Mark’s Church was provided by his family in his memory.

Photographs courtesy of Mary Juel-Jensen, Mabel Daws and Jonathan Somervell. Information on Ernest Mark Cecil Maples kindly provided by Sue Beer.