A LONE memorial stone tablet on the south coast stands as a constant reminder of the brave wartime actions of an Upton Warren man.

Lieutenant Walter Erskine Prior, a former Bromsgrove School pupil whose father, Rev Clement Prior, was also the Rector of Upton Warren, died on the shores at Bognor Regis while defusing a mine in 1945.

Though he may not be a well known figure amongst today’s villagers and nearby residents, his heroic actions, which saw Lt Prior move his men to safety before attempting his final task, have been remembered by the people of Bognor.

Walter Prior was under 18 when the Second World War broke out. Academically successful, interested in English literature and a member of the Bromsgrove School officer training corps, he left school in December 1939.

After a brief spell at the Bank of England, Lt Prior joined the Royal Navy at the earliest opportunity, serving with the Light Coastal Forces before being commissioned and sent to the Faroe Islands.

Lt Prior then volunteered for mine disposal duties, joining HMS Vernon, Havant, whose task was to protect the civilian population from the hazards posed by the many mines which were expected to be washed up on the south coast of England.

Having sent his men to safety, Lt Prior lost his life as he attempted to secure a British coastal protection mine which had become detached from its moorings and drifted to the beach at Aldwick, an area of Bognor. Lt Prior died of his injuries shortly after the explosion.

In June, 1948, the Bognor Observer and Bognor Post both reported on a service of dedication and unveiling of a tablet in memory of Lt Prior.

The tablet was at the end of Dark Lane, Aldwick, and the ceremony was carried out in the presence of the Bishop of Worcester and other local dignitaries.

Lt Prior is buried by the door of St Michael’s church, Upton Warren, with his gravestone bearing the inscription: “In memory of a brave and most lovable and only son Lieut Walter Erskine Prior RNVR aged 23 years. Killed 22nd December 1945 on the foreshore of Bognor Regis while dismantling a mine.”

The brave Upton Warren man was remembered again in 2005 when Aldwick Parish Council marked the 60th anniversary of his death and organised a formal memorial service.