Julian Frederic Doelberg

In memoriam

Major J.F. Doelberg Royal Engineers 29th. April 1941

Julian Frederic Doelberg was the son of Hermann Diedrich Doelberg, a German mantle manufacturer naturalized as a British subject in 1906, and his British wife Nellie Agnes, née Maltby. He was educated at Eton College, proceeding in 1919 to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He then entered the School of Military Engineering, where he studied constructional, mechanical, and electrical engineering. In 1924 he went to Gosport where he attended further classes at the School of Electric Lighting. In the following year he received his commission in the Royal Engineers and became officer in charge of workshops, 1st A.A. Searchlight Battalion. He married Leslie Havers in 1927. Their daughter, (Althea) Anne, was born in 1932. During 1928 he attended the Advanced Motor Transport Course of the Military College of Science. In 1929 he was promoted to be staff captain and served for three years in the Directorate of Mechanization at the War Office. During the next three years he served his apprenticeship with Messrs. J. I. Thornycroft, Messrs. Petters, and other firms, and also continued his technical studies. He was posted abroad in 1935, on his appointment as garrison engineer for the Western Defences of Malaya, a position which involved the supervision of various contracts for new works. On his return to this country in 1937 he served a further term as staff captain in the Quartermaster-General's department, where he was responsible for the preparation of specifications and the detail design of plant layouts for military works. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of major. Before WWII he went on holiday to Germany with his wife, during which he visited German relatives and spied on German military installations. It is understood that this spying was at his own initiative and proved to be of great help to the Allied cause. On the setting up of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers he transferred to this unit and was eventually posted to GREECE with a reduction in rank to captain for a special mission. This is understood to be the demolition of bridges and other installations to delay the advance of the German forces during the Allied evacuation. During this evacuation to Crete he was killed on 29th April 1941 by the Axis strafing of a boat in which he was repairing the engine in order that more Allied servicemen could leave. He was survived by his wife Leslie, who died in 1954, and daughter Anne. Anne, whose married name was Bryant, died in 2008. NOTE: Major Doelberg's grave registration document has his middle name as "Frederick" with the K crossed out; other documents show it as "Frederic". His spelling should be FREDERIC.

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