Born in Brixton to George and Alice Roots, in 1921 the family were living at 175 Auckland Hill, West Norwood. His mother Alice was killed in a bombing raid on West Norwood on 11 May 1941, later known as the last night of the Blitz, which meant he never talked about his war service. In 1939 he is a cellar man at The Reindeer, Rye Lane, Peckham.
In 1942, while serving with the Scout Section, he married Sarah Queenie Reakes at Wells in Somerset. Their daughter Susan was born on 29 June 1944.
He worked for fellow Scout Section member Freddie Chapman after the war. Chapman ran the Red Lion and Swan Hotels in Wells, Somerset. He did keep his service revolver and Fairbairn Sykes knife, which were handed into the Police after his death.
In the 1950s he was the manager for Messrs. Crosse Bros. wine and spirit merchants, and resided at 25 High Street, In St Cuthbert, Wells.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Somerset Scout Section | Scout Section Member | Unknown | April 1943 |
| Combined Somerset Scout Section | Scout Section Member | Apr 1943 | 01 Mar 1944 |
Restaurant manager
13 Jun 1940 Enlisted in the Welch Regiment
circa Nov 1940 Likely joined Scout section around this time as men were often recruited from the Depot after basic training.
circa Apr 1943 moved to the combined Scout Section.
1 Mar 1944 Left Combined Scout Section
1944-1946 Batman at 21 Infantry Training Centre, Brecon. The Dering Lines served the The Welch Regiment, as well as The Royal Welsh Fusiliers and South Wales Borderers, as their depot.
21 Mar 1946 Released from Army service
Grandson Mark Marciano
www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3133764/alice-…
Shepton Mallet Journal 7 Jul 1944.
Central Somerset Gazette 25 Feb 1955.