Yes, of course. He was her great love and after my parents divorced she always had his photo next to her chair. Kind regards Chotie's Daughter

Thanks John Mum passed away in 2004 after a long and happy life, although she lived with a sadness at the centre of it from losing Dick. Kind regards Chotie's Daughter

Hi Jeroen. The fragment you mention (https://www.chotiedarling.co.uk/my-blog/2014/10/trooper-clay.html) is from the World War 2 Talk Forum (http://ww2talk.com/index.php) 61st Reconnaissance Regiment Roll of Honour compiled by Recce Mitch. The 61st Reconnaissance Regiment war diary for October is unfortunately missing for a couple of days in October 1944 including the 15th. The 61st Reconnaissance Regiment Living History Group (https://61st-reconnaissance.weebly.com/) may be able to help you more, or even find a veteran who remembers Trooper William James Clay. Do you know which squadron he was in? (I shall ask my contacts from B Squadron). This is from my summary for October 1944 (https://www.chotiedarling.co.uk/my-blog/2019/10/index.html): "Holding the line in the Netherlands was dangerous work. ‘C’ Squadron patrols investigating barge movements on the Waal on the 9th were wounded and taken prisoner by the Germans. Corporal Roy Whitehouse died that day and Trooper Maurice Raine the next day as a prisoner of war near Amsterdam - 61st Recce lost many other men that autumn and the 101st US Airborne had more casualties on ‘the Island’ than in the Market Garden airborne landings. ‘A’ Squadron relieved ‘C’ at Hien (west of Herveld) on the 11th, finding and capturing an enemy outpost the next day. Eric Brewer was at Wamel (further west on the Waal) until the 16th, where he alternated between the Forward Outpost, directing artillery fire on the Germans, and tea at the house of a friendly girl called Annie. On 13th October ‘B’ Squadron were relieved by 52nd Recce and the Regimental HQ crossed the Waal and moved to Appeltern on the Maas river (south of Wamel). 61st Recce now held the area west of Nijmegen between the Waal and the Maas. On 16th ‘B’ Squadron’ position was under attack from a self-propelled gun and approaching enemy, crawling along the road and digging tunnels to avoid detection. Lieutenant Albert Stone was wounded. The next day the Regiment moved back onto ‘the Island’ and were based at Driel, south-west of Arnhem on the south bank of the Lower Rhine. Here they were really under the eyes of the Germans – all movements had to be carried out after dark leaving only skeleton crews in the forward outposts (slit trenches where everyone spent the night) by day while the others sheltered in nearby houses." Maasbommel was merged with Appeltern in 1814, according to Wikipedia, which was 61st Recce's Regimental HQ at the time of Trooper Clay's death (see above). Hope that's helpful, Kind regards, Chotie's Daughter