Born in 1923 in Ipswich. Parents were William and Caroline (Carrie) Jessie Girling of 18 Pearl Road, Ipswich — then within Bramford Parish.
Lancelot married Sylvia Booth in Skipton, Yorkshire, earlier in 1944. He was presumed to have died of wounds on 28th June 1944 and is buried in Hottot-Les-Bagues War Cemetery, Calvados, France.
Operation Epsom
Also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a British offensive in the Second World War between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The offensive was intended to outflank and seize the German-occupied city of Caen, an important Allied objective, in the early stages of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of north-west Europe.
Preceded by Operation Martlet to secure the right flank of the advance, Operation Epsom began early on 26 June, with units of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division advancing behind a rolling artillery barrage.
Many casualties were suffered by both sides but unlike General Bernard Montgomery, the Allied commander in Normandy, Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel was unable to withdraw units into reserve after the battle, as they were needed to hold the front line.