Taylor P D - The OldWinburnians

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Philip was the son of Frederick Henry and Hilda Margaret Taylor, of "Rosslyn", Leigh Road, Wimborne .
Phil boxed for his house in 1937. On the 16th & 17th of December 1938, he was in a play "The Bishop's Candlesticks",which was part of the Annual School Concert. It was reported that, "Taylor, as an escaped convict, was especially convincing: he certainly ate his food in a most convict-like manner " In the Spring term of 1939, he was in the Rugby XV.
On leaving school in the summer of that year, he commenced work with the Ordnance Survey (R.E.Section).
It is not known when Phil went into the armed services but, in the early summer of 1940, he was already a Lance Corporal in an Army Training School (Boys) - i.e. too young for mens' service. However, by the summer of 1942 he was in the Airborne Forces and ultimately became a Senior N.C.O. in the Glider Pilot Regiment.     
Sgt Taylor was piloting a Hotspur Glider, which was towed off from RAF Netheravon, at 0930 hours during poor weather, and immediately flew into low cloud. He cast off from the tug, when still in cloud. The glider apparently stalled and he could not regain control before it crashed in a field near Collingbourne Ducis, some 5 or 6 miles from the point of take off and about 2 miles North of Tidworth.
Phil is interred in Wimborne Cemetery.
Five soldiers of the 6th Airborne Division Signals, who were in the glider, were also killed.