tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33143011039295160692024-03-17T20:01:11.490-07:00A Fragmented Military History 1940-1945Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-29738727665456062632019-10-27T05:06:00.002-07:002019-10-27T05:06:09.014-07:00At the Grave of Lt. Colonel Montgomery Cuninghame Commanding Officer of 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers (1941-1944)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lieutenant Colonel A.W. H. J. Montgomery Cuninghame</div>
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Manvieu Military Cemetery</div>
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September 2019</div>
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On a recent return trip to Normandy, we had reason to visit the Manvieu Military Cemetery for here lay the remains of a mate’s Grandfather and we had promised him that we would lay an RBL cross and photograph the headstone for him. With this promise honoured I took off on a customary amble amongst the headstones looking at the distribution of Regimental insignia that distinguish the otherwise uniform Portland stone headstones from each other. Given my Grandfather’s military service I have become rather adept at spotting from some distance those headstones that bear the Staffordshire knot or the somewhat compressed grenade of the Royal Scots Fusiliers (RSF).<br />
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Within the confines of the Manvieu Cemetery there are to be found several seems of RSF headstones and this really came as no surprise as the cemetery is located in the village of Cheux which lies approximately five kilometers from Fontenay-le-Pesnil. It was here in the last week of June that the 11th Battalion RSF, as part of the 49th (West Riding) Division (otherwise known as the ‘Polar Bears’, participated in ‘Operation Martlet’ which was intended to capture Rauray and Noyers Bocage to the South East of Caen, thereby protecting the right flank of VIII Corps who were about to launch the better known ‘Operation Epsom’. ‘Marlet’ pitched the Polar Bears against the armour of the Panzer Lehr Division and 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, not to mention the fanaticism of their Panzergrenadiers! The fighting was bitter and was reflected in the casualty tallies on both sides.<br />
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The name on one grave jumped out at me, that of Lieutenant Colonel A.W. H. J. Montgomery Cuninghame, Commanding Officer of the 11th Battalion.<br />
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The Battalion’s War Diary for July 1944 records the circumstances of his death.<br />
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In the first days of July, the Battalion was engaged in regular artillery exchanges with the Germans, so called ‘stonks’ in army parlance. Late on 2nd July orders were received to establish a strong defensive position in the Fontenay area whilst enemy positions continued to be shelled. At 6.30 pm on 3rd July, the Division’s medium artillery registered on enemy occupied targets forward of the ‘C’ Company positions and as such they were to withdraw. However, in the planning, insufficient time had been allowed for digging in at the new position. Without slit trenches for cover, the men were left lying out in the open when the German artillery replied to the British bombardment. Resulting casualties were high in number. At 7.15 pm Lieutenant Colonel A.W. H. J. Montgomery Cuninghame was talking to the Officer in Command of ‘C’ Company when he was hit in the left shoulder and chest by a mortar splinter. The War Diary reported that ‘He died within half an hour at the RAP, apparently not in great pain but unable to breathe. His death came as a great shock to the whole Battalion, whom he had led with such force, determination and lion-hearted in the attack on Fontenay on 25th June, when his conduct was an inspiration to all.<br />
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At 3 pm on 4th July ‘Lt. Col Cuninghame was buried at the Calvary’. This was the site of the initial interment of all men of the Battalion who fell in the area of Juvigny and Fontenil-le-Pesnil’. The fallen soldiers were later reburied in the permanent CWGC Cemeteries in the surrounding areas.<br />
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'The Calvary'</div>
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Fontenay-le-Pesnil</div>
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‘Pioneer platoon made a coffin on which were placed his flag, belt and headdress’ (I think that this is transcribed correctly!). ‘As the Battalion was still engaged with the enemy, few were able to attend. Approximately 7 Officers and 40 OR’s of the Battalion attended and six officers attended as bearers’.<br />
In his book ‘An’ It’s Called A Tam O’Shanter’ Fusilier Ken West described the forceful character of Lt. Col Montgomery Cuninghame, otherwise known as ‘Big Monty’.<br />
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‘As the name ‘Big Monty’ might imply, Lt.-Col. Montgomery-Cunningham was an awesome figure. Well over six feet tall and built like a giant, he was a forceful and thrusting leader of the Battalion.<br />
He had been in command from the day that the 11th Battalion RSF had been formed in the small county of Rutland back in 1941, and had been the inspiration behind the training of this new unit which was now, three years later, a fighting battalion of the Polar Bear Division.<br />
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Of course, some of the methods he had formulated to attain the present discipline and dedication to the job in hand, had not always met with the instant approval of the rank and file.<br />
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Tales of Big Monty were being retold to those of us who had recently become members of the battalion as we huddled under any sort of cover from the incessant rain on this Saturday morning, the first day of July.<br />
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Back in the British Isles, Big Monty’s constant companions were his huge thumb-stick and his ever faithful dog Bruce. Both had played a part in his disciplinary application.<br />
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We heard how the large black dog would lay at the feet of his master as he conducted the daily CO’s orders. Many an unfortunate miscreant vowed that he had been sentenced by the dog and not by the CO, for on some occasions the CO would look at the dog and say “What shall we do with this laddie, eh Bruce?” then depending on how many times the dog wagged his tail, the fusilier would be given one day’s confined to barracks per wag.<br />
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Bruce himself was not spared his master’s wrath, for on the occasions when he cocked his leg against a signboard or happened to foul the pathway, he would be wheeled in on CO’s orders and given terms of CB, and would be tethered to the leg of the table in the guardroom for the requisite number of days. Revenge was thereby meted out by sly prods and flicks of the toe-end of an army boot belonging to some fusilier who had at some time patted the Colonel’s dog.<br />
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However, since the arrival of the Battalion on the twelfth of June on the invasion beaches, Big Monty had led them with courage and with complete disregard for his own safety. He had died as he set out to visit us at the wood. He was later awarded a posthumous DSO (Distinguished Service Order)’.<br />
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Here in the tranquil surroundings of the Manvieu Military Cemetery, the Commanding Offiecer lies flanked by two ordinary Fusiliers as here like in all of the other CWGC sites no consideration is given to rank and position within these extraordinary spaces.<br />
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Fallen Soldiers of 11th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers</div>
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Manvieu Military Cemetery</div>
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September 2019</div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-17744488463547346882019-08-11T11:17:00.001-07:002019-08-11T11:17:27.230-07:00A Tribute to a Soldier of the 5th South Staffordshire Regiment 75 Years On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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John and Jan Clews at his Father's grave in the Bayeux Militery Cemery</div>
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29th June 2019.</div>
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Last month it was my privilege to participate with members of the 59th (Staffordshire) Division Association in their annual pilgrimage to the town of Thury Harcourt and its environs. The 59th Division landed on Normandy in late June 1944 as a follow up Division. Highly trained in the UK, their time as an active fighting unit in France was short. Such was the intensity of the fighting in which they were engaged in Operation Charnwood (a frontal assault on the Northern perimeter of Caen) and Operation Pomegranate (engagements to the south west of the city intended to force a crossing over the River Orne) that the Division was formally disbanded on towards the end of August 1944 and its soldiers were transferred to other reinforcement hungry English, Scottish and Welsh Regiments.<br />
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The relationship between the 59th (Staffordshire) Division and the townsfolk is very strong by virtue of the fact that on 13th August 1944 the actions of the 59th finally resulted in the liberation of Thury Harcourt.<br />
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My Grandfather served with ‘A’ Company of the 5th South Staffordshire Regiment, a unit within 177 Brigade of the 59th Division. My Grandfather came home from the war, injured but otherwise intact, the same cannot be said for many of his Divisional comrades. One such fellow soldier of ‘C’ Company of the 5th Staffs was 4923121 Private Percy Clews who was killed in action on 10th August 1944, 75 years ago yesterday. One of our travelling party that visited the grave within the Bayeux Military Cemetery was John Clews, son of Percy, who was just two years of age when his father fell. With John was his wife Jan. The couple reside in Lichfield which then as now is the home of the Staffordshire Regiment.<br />
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At the time of his death, the 5th South Staffs were engaged with the enemy on a series of ridges that approached the River Orne and overlooked the town of Thury Harcourt. In that second week of August the 5th from their high ground vantage point were able to direct vital artillery fire into the dense forest of Grimbosq, that faced the fragile bridgehead that had formed across the Orne, in which Panzer Battle Groups were forming up for counter attacks intended to smash the bridgehead.<br />
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At his Father’s plot, John delivered a speech about the fate of his Dad that was largely based upon a letter sent to his mother by ‘C’ Company Commander, Major Pearson which is reproduced below.<br />
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<i>‘Copy of a letter sent to Mrs Percy Clews from Major B. Pearson, The South Staffordshire Regiment</i><br />
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<i>Major B. Pearson</i><br />
<i>The South Staffordshire Regt</i><br />
<i>Maindiff Court</i><br />
<i>Abergevenny</i><br />
<i>Mon. Wales.</i><br />
<i>August 29th. 1944</i><br />
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<i>My Dear Mrs Clews,</i><br />
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<i>You have no doubt been wondering why I have taken so long to write, and offer not only my sympathy, but those of the whole Company at the loss of your Husband, my Batman.</i><br />
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<i>I was hit by the same mine, and I have only just heard officially that Percy was killed, as I had feared. </i><br />
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<i>It isn’t an easy story to tell , Mrs Clews, and I am sure you don’t want to know all the full details.</i><br />
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<i>I found it necessary to lead a patrol with stretcher bearers to recover one of my boys who had been wounded sometime before, and who was in need of treatment. Percy would not think of leaving me behind. We found the man but the Germans had surrounded him with shrapnel mines, I presume they realised that they would try to recover him. A stretcher bearer, after giving aid, trod on a mine which exploded, causing the death of your husband and wounding two of us. </i><br />
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<i>I had the lives of the others to consider so I ordered them back whilst I tried to give Percy some help, but poor lad, he had gone – without pain and without knowing what had happened. He looked very peaceful, his job well done. I had him recovered the same day and he was given a Military funeral, although I regret that I was not present, being on my way to hospital.</i><br />
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<i>Between and Officer and his Batman there develops a spirit of comradeship far above expression by words – we thought such a lot of each other, and I have grieved for him very much indeed. He was killed giving help to his comrades and myself, and all of the Company have missed him so much.</i><br />
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<i>His determination to make sure that I was not left unprotected at any time caused him to be killed.</i><br />
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<i>He volunteered to join me that morning and was somewhat grieved, his words were “You are not going anywhere without me, are you Sir?” He always said, that to remain behind and wonder what was happening to me, was worse than accompanying me on the various excursions.</i><br />
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<i>Above all my personal feelings, he was so very popular with his comrades. I am told that the whole Company were unbelievably depressed after the news had spread around, and each letter that I have had so far mentions how much they all miss Percy. They cannot miss him anymore than I do. His courage, devotion to duty, his cheerfulness, and his great personality endeared him to all our hearts, a sad loss.</i><br />
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<i>Please forgive me for not writing before – I did hope that in the excitement of the battle that my diagnosis of his death might have been false and in fact he might be alive, I hoped so hard but to no avail.</i><br />
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<i>I do hope that your loss has not proved to be unbearable. My wounds are confined to my left leg and I am managing to get around on crutches.</i><br />
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<i>When I come to Lichfield I will endeavour to call and see you, if I may.</i><br />
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<i>With best wishes for the future, and rest assured that your Husband will not be forgotten by</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Yours sincerely,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>B. Pearson. Major.'</i><br />
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To read these touching words from a man that I had previously written about in a book about my Grandfather’s service was something else and it was an absolute honour to be with John and Jan Clews as he paid tribute to the Father he never had the opportunity to know.<br />
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After the speech John laid the Association wreath at the Cross of sacrifice.<br />
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Wreath laying at the Bayeux Military Cemetery Cross of Sacrifice.</div>
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59th (Staffordshire) Division Association memorial wreath.</div>
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Later we paid a visit to the small but highly poignant Museum to the men of the 59th (Staffordshire) Division in Thury. Here there can be found a photograph of Percy Clews.<br />
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Private Percy Clews (Killed in action 10th August 1944)</div>
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'C' Company 5th South Staffordshire Regiment.</div>
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The incription on his headstone reads:<br />
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“MY DARLING HUSBAND PERCY. LOVE STILL LIVES IN TREASURED MEMORIES. WIFE MEG AND SON”</div>
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Memorial to Percy Clews in the 59th (Staffordshire) Division Museum</div>
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Thury Harcourt.</div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-79639652654360305842019-07-19T03:42:00.002-07:002019-07-19T03:42:38.887-07:00A Small Act of Remembrance - Normandy 2019Two weeks ago it was my good fortune to be able to travel to Normandy with members of the 59th (Staffordshire) Division Association on a pilgrimage of Remembrance that formed part of the 75th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings.<br />
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My Grandfather, Jim Heath, was born in Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme in September 1914. Although he left The Potteries in 1936 to join his older brothers who had found labouring work in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, soon after war came he travelled to Brighton to enlist. In January 1940 he joined the North Staffordshire Territorials and received instruction to report to Lichfield Infantry Training Centre where upon completion of his basic training he was transferred to ‘A’ Company of the 5th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. It was with the South Staffords, as part of 59th Division, that he sailed to Normandy as a follow-up Division in the third week of June 1944.<br />
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In our small travelling party were close family members (sons and nieces) laying wreaths at the graves of their relatives. But, my Grandfather came back. Nevertheless, I wanted an act of Remembrance of my own. With hundreds or even thousands of graves in each of the three British War Cemeteries that we visited I did some homework to find someone in each with whom I could say that there was a connection with my Grandfather (be it home town or fighting unit or as in this case). Some basic research on the Commonwealth War Grave Commission website threw up some worthy candidates. I picked one Private William Edwin Robinson, like my Grandfather a soldier of the 5th Battalion and of a similar age, separated by 12 months or so (in relative terms at 30 and 31 they were old within their ranks).<br />
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On 7th July 1944, the newly arrived troops of the 5th South Staffs looked on from their forming up positions directly north of Caen as Bomber Command sent in wave upon wave of Halifax and Lancaster bombers (467 aircraft all told) over the northern perimeter of the Norman capital. They dropped a combined payload of 2,560 tons of high explosive, incendiary and delayed action bombs. This action was controversial and still triggers passionate debate despite the passage of 75 years. The issue was that Bomber Command insisted upon a 6,000 yard distant safety margin forward of the British line. However, such was the close proximity of the two opposing forces that the raid only served to damage areas behind the German defences and the result was that the bombing gained very little strategic advantage. At best it provided a morale boost to the newly arrived Staffords about to experience combat for the first time.<br />
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The 5th South Staffs (of 177 Brigade) were to be held in reserve in front of the fortified village of Cambes-en-Plaine with a view to exploit any gains of 197 Brigade opposite Galmanche and 176 Brigade facing La Bijude, La Londe and Epron.<br />
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The 5th first went into action on the afternoon of the 8th July with an attack on the Chateau of Galmanche. In a baptism of blood and fire the 5th Battalion and the 2/6th Battalion suffered heavy losses. Private Robinson’s ‘D’ Company launched a further attack on the Chateau in the half light of evening but were forced to withdraw. A regrouped ‘D’ Company would renew the assault on the 9th.<br />
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The fighting on the 9th and 10th July* in which ‘D’ Company of the 5th Battalion were engaged is described within the Battalions War Diary. Where military abbreviations have been used I have added the meaning in brackets for ease of reading.<br />
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‘At 1915 hrs 9 July, orders were received for the Coy (Company) attack to be put in on GALMANCHE, an enemy stronghold which the 2/6 S. STAFFORDS had not been able to capture. A recce (reconnaissance) was carried out and a plan was made. A troop of tanks was given to the Coy to support this attack.<br />
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The Coy was brought up from the assembly positions and the attack was timed to go in at 2045 hrs. At 2040 hrs the tanks were withdrawn from the Coy, as they had to go and rejoin their Regt. As arranged the attack went in, 16 Pl (Platoon) right, followed by 17 Pl who were detailed to carry out the thorough clearing of the buildings. The final objective was a row of trees some 400 yards from the start line.<br />
<br />
The Coy advanced about 200 yards before it was opened up on by 6 or 8 M.G.s (machine guns) firing from either flank – the fire from these M.G.s was held until such time as the nearest M.G.s were firing almost into the rear of the Coy, thereby hemming them in. The enemy M.G.s fire was so fierce, that it was impossible for the Coy to advance further., although some men from 16 Pl actually reached the objective – they were however so few in numbers that they were unable to hold it.<br />
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17 and 18 Pls made desperate efforts to enter and clear the buildings, and under the leadership of Lieut L.A Stilling and Lieut T.H. Dando they succeeded in killing several Germans. Fierce fighting continued in the area of the buildings and adjoining orchard, until the enemy fire made it necessary for both the Pls to be withdrawn to the line of the hedgerow some 50 yards from the main buildings. Meantime the remainder of 16 Pl and Coy HQ were pinned to the ground by strong enemy fire from the left and from M.G.s sited in the upper rooms of the house. As it was by this time impossible to advance further, the only alternative was to remain under cover till dark, when it would be possible to withdraw the Coy. At approx. 2315 hrs the Coy was withdrawn, after having been more or less under continual heavy fire for almost 2 ½ hours.<br />
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During the clearing of the house excellent leadership was shown by 3770737 Pte (Private) Robinson, who after destroying an enemy M.G. continued to organise parties of men to try and clear the house. The Coy having been withdrawn, it was found that 5 men had been killed and 16 wounded, Lieut L.E. Hall, Comdr (Commander) 16 Pl had also been wounded.<br />
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During the night the Coy was reorganised and preparations were made for a further attack the following morning, this time two troops of tanks and on troop of AVREs (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) were in support.<br />
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The attack was starting at 1015 hrs and right away the tanks almost completely destroyed the buildings – the Coy advanced with 17 Pl left, 18 Pl right and 16 Pl following 18 Pl to carry out the clearing of the buildings. On this occasion the attack was successful, the objective taken and held until orders were received to rejoin the Battalion. One man was wounded’.<br />
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*As one would expect the account included the above quoted Appendix tallies with the information in the body of the War Diary itself in all but one detail. The Annex states that the fighting took place over the 9th to 10th when in fact the battle was fought over the 8th and 9th July, with the 10th occupied by weapons and equipment salvage and burial of the dead.<br />
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An aerial reconnaissance photograph of the Chateau and its grounds exists. It is clear even to the non-expert eye the extensive efforts that the SS had made in an attempt to make this stronghold impregnable.<br />
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The fortified village of Galmanche ahead of the 59th Division attack.</div>
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Today, Galmanche is a remote hamlet. The Chateau has been rebuilt, albeit on a more modest scale. The uninformed visitor would hardly know that anything had happened during the war in this place. Even to those in the know the clues are subtle. If approaching the new building along its extensive drive two of the outer walls of the original Chateau can be seen. Close examination reveals a great many pock marks left by bullets and scars gouged into the masonry by shells. At the top of the driveway almost hidden from view is a memorial to the men of the 59th who gave their lives in the struggle to capture Galmanche.<br />
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The battle scarred outer wall of the original Chateau that was destroyed on 9th July 1944.</div>
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The memorial to the 59th at Galmanche</div>
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(one of the hardest momuments to find in the whole of Normandy).</div>
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Our Private Robinson survived the battle and for his leadership of men on 8th July he received the Military Medal.<br />
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The citation reads as follows:<br />
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‘Pte Robinson took part in “D” Coy attack on the strong enemy posn (position) of GALMANCHE on the evening of 8th Jul 44. His Pl was detailed to clear buildings in which were several enemy machine guns. Several of his section were either killed or wounded, but in the face of heavy enemy fire, Pte Robinson went forward alone with a Bren gun and destroyed one enemy post. He then re-organised his section and continued the attack. Throughout the attack his gallant actions and powers of leadership were an inspiration to his comrades.’<br />
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The citation is signed by B.L. Montgomery Commander-in-Chief, 21 Army Group.<br />
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The recommendation for the award was initiated on 12th July; just four days after the events took place. However, the passage of the recommendation up the established chain of command was slow such that by the time that Monty added his signature, then Corporal Robinson’s war was over. The Military Medal was awarded posthumously on 19th October 1944.<br />
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Corporal William Edwin Robinson was killed on 9th August 1944. He was 31 years old. At that time 176 Brigade had forced a crossing over the River Orne to form a bridgehead opposite the Forêt de Grimbosq. At the same time the 5th battalion with 177 brigade were further to the south fighting for the successive ridges of high ground that approached the river and overlooked the town of Thury Harcourt. It is likely that he fell in this fighting that aimed to hold up German troops and armour and prevent them from turning their attention on the fragile bridgehead at Grimbosq.<br />
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In the oppressive heat (37°C in Bayeux) that scorched France on the weekend of our visit, I located the plot and placed a Royal British Legion cross at the grave.<br />
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William was son of Emily Duncalf and husband of Annie Robinson, both of Liverpool. His grave bears the inscription ‘A Foreign Grave is a Painful Thing Where Loving Hands No Flowers Can Bring ’.<br />
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‘When you go Home, tell them of us and say, For your Tomorrow, we gave our Today’.<br />
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-51974499523823886242018-04-09T14:04:00.000-07:002018-04-09T14:04:38.708-07:00Four Bishops Stortford Graves 100 Years after The Great War<br />
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I have been for as long as I can remember drawn to old
cemeteries. This fascination with ‘cities of the dead’ does not stem from any
ghoulishness on my part, rather I am intrigued to know a little bit about the
lives of those people remembered in worn and lichen encrusted name engravings.
War graves in particular have long interested me. Thus it was that this
weekend, on the first proper sunny day of the year, I went with my son Rudi into
Bishops Stortford Old Cemetery (my favourite location within the town) to track
down a particular quartet of headstones.</div>
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To mark the beginning of the commemorations of the centenary
of the outbreak of the First World War an excellent book was published by David Clare, Carolyn Downing and Sarah Turner. This book included information about
four soldiers that either came from the town or found themselves billeted here
with their units.</div>
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These were the graves that Rudi and I set out to find and
photograph.</div>
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<b>Private George Harrison (North Midland Army Cyclist Corps).</b></div>
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Arriving in Bishops Stortford in late February 1915, Private
George W. Harrison was finally billeted at Ivy Lodge in Warwick Road on 12<sup>th</sup>
March, the day prior to his untimely death. On the evening of the 12<sup>th</sup>
he attended a dinner at The Railway Hotel in Station Road, hosted by his
commanding officer, Second Lieutenant Albert Ball. Later witnesses told the
Haymeads inquest that was held on the 17<sup>th</sup> March that the soldier
had been at the pub at between 7.30 and 8.00 pm when he was observed to be
somewhat intoxicated. He continued to drink after the meal and eventually left
The Railway between 8.30 and 9.00 pm when he returned to Ivy Lodge a short
distance away. Once back in his room he was helped to bed and left to sleep off
the effects of the night’s alcoholic consumption. </div>
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Another witness at the inquest stated that, upon looking in
on the prone soldier shortly before midnight, he appeared to be asleep but had
evidently vomited. On the following morning, Sunday 14<sup>th</sup> March, an
early morning check found George to be dead in his bed. The verdict of a Dr
Huxtable, who arrived at the house at 7.30 that morning, concluded that George’s
larynx was obstructed and that he had therefore asphyxiated on his own vomit. The
inquest returned a verdict of accidental death.</div>
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Headstone of Private George Harrison</div>
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(Photograph: Rudi Andrews).</div>
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Private Harrison was buried in the Old Cemetery, where among
the mourners were his wife, mother-in-law and his commanding officer. Also in
attendance was Mr. William Blyth Gerish, a prominent Stortfodian and owner of
Ivy Lodge where George died. As can be seen in the photograph below, George’s
funeral was well attended by soldiers of the Bedfordshire, Nottingham and Derbyshire
Regiments who were also passing through Bishops Stortford in the Spring of
1915.</div>
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Soldiers stationed in Bishops Stortford attending Private Harrison's funeral.</div>
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<b>Private Richard Lohmann (15th Bn London Rifles (Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles)) No. 534630.</b><br />
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The son of a naturalised German from Schleswig-Holstein, Private Richard Cornell Lohmann is buried in the family plot in the Old Cemetery. Born in Tottenham, North London on 10th February 1879, Richard served with the Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles, which in 1908 was incorporated into the newly formed London Regiment and designated as the 15th Battalion London Rifles.<br />
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15th Battalion, London Regiment (Civil Service Rifles), 47th Division, marching past the Lord Mayor of London, Colonel Sir Charles Wakefield, 11th June 1916. (IWM Q633).</div>
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As declared on his headstone, Richard ‘Died of wounds received fighting for his country’ at the age of 29. From the sources that I have been able to locate it is not possible to state with certainty where he was wounded, but it is known that the 15th Battalion London Rifles were in action at Passchendaele (The infamous Third Battle of Ypres) which lasted from 31st July to 10th November 1917, dates that would tie in with the known fact that he succumbed to his injuries in early October of that year. The epitaph ‘.... of wounds received fighting for his country’ is especially poignant as the family retained their German surname throughout the war, a decision that was not without repercussions in the pervading atmosphere of intense anti-German sentiment that existed at the time.<br />
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Headstone of Private Richard Lohmann</div>
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(Photograph: Rudi Andrews).</div>
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The following two soldiers have a special meaning for me as they both lived in the Newtown area of Bishops Stortford, as do I as a resident of Apton Road. Nearly every day I pass through Castle Street and Bartholomew Road where the two men once lived.<br />
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<b>Private Herbert Solomon Kitchener (1/5th Bn Bedfordshire Regiment) No. 45687.</b><br />
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Herbert attempted to enlist earlier in the war but was turned away having failed to satisfy the minimum required chest measurements, an early indication of pulmonary insufficiency that would ultimately lead to his premature death at the age of 33. However, as the war raged into its fourth year, the Recruiting Sergeants of the British Army were forced to reduce the physical minimums for enlistment in order to reinforce the battered Regiments in the line. This shift in the requirements meant that on the 19th March 1917, Herbert Solomon Kitchener got his wish and became a Private of the Bedfordshire Regiment. After basic training he was posted to Egypt where the 1/5th Battalion were fighting with the Ottoman forces in Palestine. <br />
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Clearly, the arid and dusty conditions in the area were disastrous for Herbert who was admitted to hospital on numerous occasions to the extent that he was sent home in August 1918 (a decision that the Army never took lightly due to the cost associated with removing a soldier from the front line). Shortly thereafter he was discharged from the Army on the grounds of being ‘physically unfit’ having ‘Tubercule of Lung, 80%’. Sadly, Herbert died at home at 35 Castle Street, directly opposite my local pub, The Castle’, on the 3rd May 1920. He left a wife Margaret and a son of 3 years, also named Herbert Solomon.<br />
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Herbert's home at 35 Castle Street, Bishops Stortford.</div>
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Headstone of Private Herbert Solomon</div>
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(Photograph: Rudi Andrews).</div>
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<b>Corporal Harry Kitchener (3rd Bn Bedfordshire Regiment) No. 31598.</b></div>
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Harry was another very local lad who, according to the 1911 census, was living with his parents Henry and Sarah at 29 Bartholomew Road (approximately a one minute walk from my front door). Harry was killed many miles from the theatres of war in which the Bedfords saw their fighting, but it was enemy action that ended his short life nonetheless. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnat4kEifRScHZFaBoG2qeLRPqeKCndPgos3vqoudnq-5U6NPQxiiQwDj4YS1jITcPj5JyjvXhiJUfYbD2QQeIw9QZZWy_3ZLTzWdcM3CTEfJnIm_o2I4udS7iGSc_PvJBgBf2NNjTnsy/s1600/Gotha_G_IV_Flug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="900" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnat4kEifRScHZFaBoG2qeLRPqeKCndPgos3vqoudnq-5U6NPQxiiQwDj4YS1jITcPj5JyjvXhiJUfYbD2QQeIw9QZZWy_3ZLTzWdcM3CTEfJnIm_o2I4udS7iGSc_PvJBgBf2NNjTnsy/s400/Gotha_G_IV_Flug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A Gotha bomber of the type responsible for the 13th June 1917 London air raid.</div>
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Since the birth of the ‘miracle of flight’ the military powers of Europe had recognised the possibility of aerial bombardment and the First World War first saw this new dimension to warfare realised. On 13th June 1917, twenty long range heavy bombers known as Gothas launched the first daylight raid on London. 162 people were killed and 432 injured in the raid which was to be the deadliest single raid on London of the entire war. It was on 13th June 1917 that Harry was in London visiting relatives when he was killed, becoming one of the 162 fatality statistic. He was 19 years old.</div>
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The inscription on his headstone reads:</div>
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‘Links which reach from Heaven above unite us still in perfect love’.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ3_1KbLZ5qKn9msxMs093nFsQ_RVlP6mIHBLcwkYDALIn7rc846aYNxoyqt9WzsQfxd-qsm58ofIYor8AIYVxmcU_RZ_d82ufjM3f0Hvmj7dG0wYnjcgeIfasxbKpXtWrzH9sf4FiTXz/s1600/29+Batholomew+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ3_1KbLZ5qKn9msxMs093nFsQ_RVlP6mIHBLcwkYDALIn7rc846aYNxoyqt9WzsQfxd-qsm58ofIYor8AIYVxmcU_RZ_d82ufjM3f0Hvmj7dG0wYnjcgeIfasxbKpXtWrzH9sf4FiTXz/s400/29+Batholomew+Road.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
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Harry's home at <span style="text-align: start;">29 Bartholomew Road</span>, Bishops Stortford.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVPMO0swvGmdv-y9DhY7d8fdSCIg2JJCG5sIo0vp29hNe-2zaRAjlnfcY2lOD5vy_kn1iPiNLgbzFPCXmEneWljy6-ZKzAWi4bSRW1ipkGxToLF__DqeMxH61dCe3TbwF7UCVL-KxWr86/s1600/H.+Kitchener.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVPMO0swvGmdv-y9DhY7d8fdSCIg2JJCG5sIo0vp29hNe-2zaRAjlnfcY2lOD5vy_kn1iPiNLgbzFPCXmEneWljy6-ZKzAWi4bSRW1ipkGxToLF__DqeMxH61dCe3TbwF7UCVL-KxWr86/s400/H.+Kitchener.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Headstone of Corporal Harry Kitchener</div>
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(Photograph: Rudi Andrews).</div>
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Of these four soldiers with links to Bishops Stortford, two, Herbert and Richard do not appear on the town's war memorials for reasons unknown. However, all of their details are recorded in the Old Cemetery register of graves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2tk1ClwAA0HN-GEBYxdsvzNlPBrOKR2n_Imd5BjstqRYUufsfM_qJjiBCXOb_sh_4W103HTt1j9zbI-XxzoB6Uzjf11bzWcjtScgKCjGcmRqEonoYox9usWsgqkPX2jAohqIrQl1UbP2/s1600/old+cemetery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1280" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2tk1ClwAA0HN-GEBYxdsvzNlPBrOKR2n_Imd5BjstqRYUufsfM_qJjiBCXOb_sh_4W103HTt1j9zbI-XxzoB6Uzjf11bzWcjtScgKCjGcmRqEonoYox9usWsgqkPX2jAohqIrQl1UbP2/s400/old+cemetery.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-71826347263393715732018-01-03T12:52:00.000-08:002018-01-03T12:52:19.544-08:0049th (West Riding) Division Facebook page and web site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFKX33kVO-E0l7lig5Lf1S6vYFrYNdG92L91A7yNxpd_0Y3vEv0MM7uqRXSj4CeYGPIqSqFojCiCc9nSTvhA4hOE1rTLqhtEYeK-WU6AZHjskANb1Bl1xGTQJJDP5zm55B1Fprq7SBbpv/s1600/PB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFKX33kVO-E0l7lig5Lf1S6vYFrYNdG92L91A7yNxpd_0Y3vEv0MM7uqRXSj4CeYGPIqSqFojCiCc9nSTvhA4hOE1rTLqhtEYeK-WU6AZHjskANb1Bl1xGTQJJDP5zm55B1Fprq7SBbpv/s400/PB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Memorial to the men of the 49th (West Riding) Division - The Polar Bears in Doorn near Utrecht. The 49th Recce Regiment entered the town on 7th May 1945.</div>
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I would like to draw your attention to two 49th Division related sites maintained by Eelco Warmerdam. Please take a look.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/49thWestRidingInfantryDivision/">https://www.facebook.com/49thWestRidingInfantryDivision/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://49thwestriding.weebly.com/">https://49thwestriding.weebly.com/</a><br />
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Adrian.Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-27209759942939845042017-12-03T05:16:00.001-08:002017-12-03T05:16:55.952-08:00From Roosendaal to Nijmegen November 1944<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In contrast to the living
conditions experienced by the battalion in Normandy, accommodation in the Lowlands
represented a significant upgrade with buildings replacing slit trenches. The
men of the 11<sup>th</sup> RSF were spoiled for a time in Roosendaal when they
were billeted within the houses of grateful Dutch families, in homes that were
largely undamaged. Nevertheless, the enduring memory of the Roosendaal area is
of an unpleasant place to be in late October/early November, as Colonel Douglas
recalled ‘a nasty area because to move you had to stay on top of the dyke , if
you got off the dyke you were in flooded fields, if you stayed on top you got
shot, if you went down in the fields you got drowned or hit by the shells and
mortars. Not very funny’. The Germans may have been in retreat at this point,
heading with all speed for their own national border, but the terrain and the
appalling weather conditions made for a demoralising and dangerous place to be.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Polar Bears in the vicinity of Roosendaal Station at the point of liberation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">30th October 1944</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">(The Polar Bear insignia can be seen on the rear of the jeep in the foreground).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The fighting continued. German
units fought rear-guard actions in the northern suburbs of Roosendaal as the
main body of troops were evacuated north of the River Maas. At this time it was
the responsibility of the battalion to harry the retreat. On 4th November, the battalion
concentrated at Oud Gastel, little over four miles north of Roosendaal and was
placed on one hour’s notice to move. That morning the German units were
hastened in their retreat by harassing fire from medium machine gun fire and
salvos of 4.2 inch mortars. At 1030 hours, the battalion moved off in pursuit
with ‘B’ Company advancing on the right and ‘D’ Company on the left. ‘A’ and
‘C’ Companies remained in reserve. Initially, the advance was untroubled,
however, in time ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies, now joined by ‘C’ Company contacted the
enemy and came under fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The ability of the engaged
companies to fight was severely hampered by the necessity to restrict all
movement to the top of the dykes. Such restrictions ruled out any tactical
manoeuvres that may have been to the advantage of the advance. These movement
constraints were understood by the enemy, who despite being in retreat, were in
well dug in positions. With no tank support possible, the Germans allowed the
forward British units to advance close to their positions with the knowledge
that such close proximity would prevent the use of artillery. With ‘B’ Company
pinned down in open ground and with the light failing prearranged positions
were consolidated and here the Companies would stay for the night. The enemy
withdrew from their positions overnight. Patrols were able to cover some
distance the next morning (5th November) to the extent that a ‘D’ Company
patrol contacted the Canadians as they advanced from the north and a patrol of
‘B’ Company reached as far as Dinteloord (approximately 11 miles to the north
west of Roosendaal) where they too encountered the Canadians. By mid-morning the
battalion received the order to return to their billets in Roosendaal, all
except ‘A’ Company who were to hold the position until nightfall before
returning to Roosendaal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In the actions described above a
total of 12 German fatalities and 37 prisoners were accounted for, for 4
killed, 19 wounded and 1 missing of the battalion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The atrocious conditions have
been mentioned earlier and one specific mention of the hardship endured by the
men on account of the poor weather is recorded in the Summary of Operations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">‘One platoon was immersed to the
waist in water for about 5 hours and it reflects on the good training and
stamina that only one man had to be evacuated the following day as a result of
this long enforced immersion’. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">This paragraph struck a chord
with me since one of my Grandfather’s stories told of how he spent a very
unpleasant night perched on a seat of bricks, immersed to the waist in water in
charge of a yardstick to monitor the rate at which the water was rising.
However, when this anecdote was related to William Douglas, he stated that it
was his belief that this would have been a memory of the time spent in
Haalderen rather than Roosendaal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The remainder of the month of
November was very mobile for the battalion, but the days were spent in rest
rather than in battle. Early in the month, the battalion was transferred from
Roosendaal, eastwards and at the same time they parted from the 1<sup>st</sup>
Canadian Army to come under the command of XII Corps of the British Second Army.
The battalion concentrated in the town of Soerendonk. Here they engaged in
training exercises mixed with entertainment activities until 23rd November when
they moved eastwards once more to Blerick on the west bank of the River Maas.
From here the intention was to launch an attack on the town of Venlo,
approximately one mile away on the other side of the river. Preparations were
in hand with recces and patrols carried out in order to establish the nature of
the terrain, the strength of the German units to the Brigade front, anything
that would confer an advantage upon the attackers. In the event, the
responsibility for assaulting Venlo was passed over to 15<sup>th</sup> (Scottish)
Infantry Division. However, Venlo, with its large airfield which served as a
base for Luftwaffe nightfighters, was not finally liberated until 1st March
1945.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The battalion received orders to
move to an area to the north of Nijmegen where they were to relieve the men of 231<sup>st</sup>
Brigade of the 50<sup>th</sup> (Northumbrian) Division. Reaching a staging post
in the village of Mill (approximately 20 miles distant to the south of
Nijmegen) the relief of the 1<sup>st</sup> Dorsets of the 231<sup>st</sup>
Brigade was effected by 1930 hours on the evening of 29th November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The 11<sup>th</sup> Battalion RSF
had taken up positions in a notorious area known simply as ‘The Island’, an
area of marshy polder that lay between the River Waal to the north of Nijmegen
and the Neder Rijn (Lower Rhine) to the south of Arnhem. This tract of land was
unpleasant in the extreme by the time the Polar Bears arrived in late November,
low lying and flooded. The bodies of British and German fighters remained where
they had fallen in the vicious fighting of late September/early October, when
the Allies desperately tried to come to the aid of the 1<sup>st</sup> British
Airborne Division, then confined to the Oosterbeek Perimeter to the western suburbs
of Arnhem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">‘The Island’ framed by the Waal
and Neder Rijn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The battalion would be associated
with this dreadful place for a period of over five months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The Nijmegen Bridge viewed in the direction of Arnhem. The area known as 'The Island' can be seen across the River Waal. The church in Lent can be seen in the centre of the photograph.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The area of operation for the 49<sup>th</sup>
Division was at the eastern end of the Island. The following chapter describes
the actions of the 7<sup>th</sup> Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and the 11<sup>th</sup>
Royal Scots Fusiliers to repulse a determined German effort to reach the
Nijmegen Bridge once again.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This was not the first time that
the village of Haalderen had found itself on the frontline. During the ‘Garden’
operation of ‘Market Garden’ the necessity of holding Nijmegen Bridge and the
bridgehead was well understood. The defence of the bridgehead took the fight
into the villages of Bemmel, Baal and Haalderen. In late September, the 6<sup>th</sup>
and 7<sup>th</sup> Battalion of the Green Howards (50<sup>th</sup>
(Northumbrian) Infantry Division) attempted to take Haalderen which was then
fiercely defended by the soldiers of the 10<sup>th</sup> SS Panzer Division.
Consequently, the village was badly damaged as the Germans withdrew in the
first week of October.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-77732346435270528842017-12-03T04:38:00.000-08:002017-12-03T04:38:14.177-08:00'Where's The Bear?' Roosendaal, Holland 16th May 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Fresh off the Beveland Peninsula
and a little wind burned we next headed to Roosendaal as we continued our Polar
Bear trail. With not much time to spend in this city our visit was intended to
be something of a ‘hit and run’ to the Polar Bear memorial before heading out
of town. This would have been the case had the navigator (i.e. me) had the
foresight of planning and noted down the location of this memorial in advance.
As it was after completing several circuits of the central streets of the town
we were on the verge of admitting defeat when we came across its location quite
by accident. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6OMrDXnLuEJpaEBa4JNPIGIO_MiVdKlX9QePHH-Wh6L5kgMEmlUMBaVgdxypLFqND45QS8YQkAoFvKCS0a_6BcyA5kbdtUqqVdHvU3ccLrEDzZ9woTTEhMLRjzt_lEuY6xG2hbbNjVk6/s1600/337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6OMrDXnLuEJpaEBa4JNPIGIO_MiVdKlX9QePHH-Wh6L5kgMEmlUMBaVgdxypLFqND45QS8YQkAoFvKCS0a_6BcyA5kbdtUqqVdHvU3ccLrEDzZ9woTTEhMLRjzt_lEuY6xG2hbbNjVk6/s400/337.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Compared to the quiet dignity of
the memorial at Wuustwezel, the monument in Roosendaal is rather disappointing.
Sited in a small square at the intersection of Tufberg and Kade, the
inscriptions on the plinth have suffered at the hands of the elements and the
poor old Polar Bear that looks out across Roosendaal would benefit from the brief
attention of a sand blaster. The burger van parked up against the base did
nothing to enhance the moment. Nevertheless, none of these cosmetic flaws in
any way detract from the significance of the memorial to the people of the
city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH071QMrrfwimK7_Wj915syDdpXxmCU1lymzi82NLwwGNAibFcVsN3drBEjJt9DIQ71FUNe_Wy0masGbL6op50_GNfoVcetuRz4nsQS7ifTvwWxv0e7HpqOYT9JLN876IiYtoxAaClMvp0/s1600/336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH071QMrrfwimK7_Wj915syDdpXxmCU1lymzi82NLwwGNAibFcVsN3drBEjJt9DIQ71FUNe_Wy0masGbL6op50_GNfoVcetuRz4nsQS7ifTvwWxv0e7HpqOYT9JLN876IiYtoxAaClMvp0/s400/336.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO77Zl3m3TEdKLkUVscn9jwliUaUBLqOE748AAjOg6vtrF2ZrPBskHX13iJEtyOeWGWENxFOkQg9lU6R7QU4d4U13oNyCP4VzaIRX_WRYrjE1uQvVHf_ktPBwHilv-hrIBrQVZkkfPjXsc/s1600/339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO77Zl3m3TEdKLkUVscn9jwliUaUBLqOE748AAjOg6vtrF2ZrPBskHX13iJEtyOeWGWENxFOkQg9lU6R7QU4d4U13oNyCP4VzaIRX_WRYrjE1uQvVHf_ktPBwHilv-hrIBrQVZkkfPjXsc/s400/339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
inscription on the monument, translated from Dutch reads:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TO
COMMEMORATE THE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">LIBERATION
OF ROOSENDAAL<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ON 26 -
30 OCTOBER 1944<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BY THE
POLAR BEAR DIVISION<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-30902839339829032532017-07-16T09:47:00.000-07:002017-07-16T09:47:00.728-07:00Lieutenant Colonel Willian Dewhurst Douglas Writes<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAhWk9Ihz6JtZSz0JYcSGKf2DbpqgCihgnJTJM9xlCBSdA3JE7hiQ-xzWombxBuRN8COgUb6zaJhRT6mr-7PRRH7Nx2zRTjgphyphenhyphenkQQejl-b-JUa962Kxni9JuD9oN07ii9uPwVNV7x_nL/s1600/MC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #771100; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="149" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAhWk9Ihz6JtZSz0JYcSGKf2DbpqgCihgnJTJM9xlCBSdA3JE7hiQ-xzWombxBuRN8COgUb6zaJhRT6mr-7PRRH7Nx2zRTjgphyphenhyphenkQQejl-b-JUa962Kxni9JuD9oN07ii9uPwVNV7x_nL/s400/MC.JPG" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="198" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Now presentations to royalty are all well and good and some achievement, even if I say so myself, but last week I received some feedback that was much more important for me.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">When I re-started this project in early 2014, in researching the activities of the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers in North West Europe, I stumbled upon an Imperial War Museum audio interview with one of their officers. This detailed two hour interview served as a first hand road map of the progress and achievements of the Battalion. The interviewee was William Dewhurst Douglas.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">The interview can be found here:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://www.iwm.org.uk_www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011010" style="background-color: white; color: #771100; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.iwm.org.uk_www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011010</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Lieutenant Douglas, as he was at the time, was at some stage in Holland my Grandfathers Commanding Officer. He was on the highly audacious, not to mention highly decorated, raid over the River Waal that took 'D' Company of the 11th RSF behind enemy lines in order to 'create mayhem and bring back prisoners'. Indeed William Douglas was awarded the Military Cross for this action.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Later and quite by chance, an enquiry relating to the 11th RSF brought a response from an ex-pupil of William Douglas, with whom I enjoyed a very fruitful email exchange which included clarifications on my then understanding from said officer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Upon publication of the book I sent copies to both men, with letters of thanks. Needless to say, I was thrilled for receive a very complementary, hand written letter from Lieutenant Colonel Douglas himself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">To get this close to my Grandfather's personal military history, 22 years after he died and 72 years after the events in Holland is for me amazing and completely unexpected.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br />
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From Lt Col W.D. Douglas MC</div>
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5<sup>th</sup> July 2017.</div>
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<i>Dear Adrian,</i></div>
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<i>Many thanks for your letter of 10<sup>th</sup> June and your book about your Grandfather. Both only reached me yesterday as I had been away from home.</i></div>
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<i>I have speed read your book today and congratulate you on your tribute to your Grandfather. He must be proud of you and grateful for your insight into his time in the Army.</i></div>
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<i>I was only too pleased to be able to help you – particularly through Charlie Arrand (one of my star History pupils).</i></div>
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<i>Your Chapter 1 (your Grandfather’s funeral) I rate brought tears to your eyes. It certainly caused a brief few tears to me as the memories came back.</i></div>
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<i>Your account of the battle for NOYERS brought back a memory. Some days before I had done a recce patrol from south of Fontenay-le-Pesnel (page 146) to check German positions on the long slope leading down to Noyers station. I recall reporting that the area was full of German positions!</i></div>
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<i>I think that you are correct in placing your Grandfather in 16 Pl ’D’ Coy because of his knowledge and concern for Sgt. Little.</i></div>
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<i>What a good idea to send profits from the book to the Associations for the newly created museum and the 49<sup>th</sup> Newsletter.</i></div>
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<i>I never had the opportunity to be much associated with the 49<sup>th</sup> Div. after the war. In July ’45, I was on a troop-ship bound for the Far-East when Japan surrendered. I spent four years in Rhodesia with the African Rifles, then Staff College, the Far-east (Malaya-Korea). In fact very rarely in the UK, with my loyalties to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Div., 3<sup>rd</sup> Div., and 1<sup>st</sup> Guards Brigade.</i></div>
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<i>Once again, my congratulations on your book and many thanks for my copy.</i></div>
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<i>All Good Wishes.</i></div>
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<i>William Douglas.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="color: #771100; text-decoration-line: none;"></a></i></div>
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William Douglas, is a hale and hearty 96 year old, who is in late stage preparations to remarry. Such men were cut from a different cloth entirely !!</div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" />Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-984609349471356912017-07-15T04:06:00.000-07:002017-07-15T04:06:00.105-07:00Presentation at Hill 112 Normandy 9th July 2017Last weekend marked the 73rd anniversary of the battle to take Hill 112 to the South East of Caen. This modest area of high ground was viciously fought over as to command it meant control of the strategically vital surrounding area. Indeed Rommel described Hill 112 as the most important hill in Normandy. The task to take it was given to the men of the 43rd Wessex Division in an action code named 'Operation Jupiter' that was launched on the 9th/10th July 1944.<br />
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As with many significant sites across Battlefield Normandy, Hill 112 hosts many memorials, notably one to the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcWHlfF8__ssqFqbMdbmCLKdGD9X8AB4z-ah5gpGjfVuveNWRL4CSzO85Ek7PkbeoZ91lxB_A7bk7pAHamYO-GpirvG5PPUfacgo_EzZoFmrSk8dAKIriVRgFkPi5yKYU2Udmga_QNEY1/s1600/210+ed+Memorials+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="321" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcWHlfF8__ssqFqbMdbmCLKdGD9X8AB4z-ah5gpGjfVuveNWRL4CSzO85Ek7PkbeoZ91lxB_A7bk7pAHamYO-GpirvG5PPUfacgo_EzZoFmrSk8dAKIriVRgFkPi5yKYU2Udmga_QNEY1/s400/210+ed+Memorials+3.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division</div>
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Hill 112</div>
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Also of note is the Churchill tank at the site, a memorial to the many tank men who lost their lives in the actions.<br />
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Two weeks ago I met up with Dennis Dimond, Secretary of the 49th (West Riding) Division Association to pass over a number of copies of the book. He informed me that for one copy he had some very specific plans. He intended to travel to the location of Hill 112 to participate in the anniversary commemoration and to take the opportunity to make a donation from the Polar Bear Association funds to his counterpart in the Hill 112 Association for the maintenance of the Churchill tank pictured above.<br />
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It so happened that Prince Edward (the Queen's youngest son) would also be in attendance. Edward has close associations through his position as the Earl of Wessex. Dennis's plan was to make a presentation of 'A Pithead Polar Bear' to Prince Edward or at the very least pass a copy on to one of his aides.<br />
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In the event he did a very good job and further more was able document the presentation on camera. Many thanks to Dennis and the other Polar Bear representatives who were in attendance last weekend.<br />
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Dennis Dimond greets HRH Prince Edward</div>
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Now down to business....</div>
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And up, up and away, with a aide clutching said the book.</div>
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So there you have it. That this book may be currently sitting on a royal bookshelf appeals to my sense of humour. I think that my Grandfather would be amused.Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-1873372735755342462017-06-30T14:55:00.001-07:002017-06-30T14:55:30.878-07:0059th (Staffordshire) Division Memorial Galmanche 19th May 2017In May 2017 I returned to Normandy for the third time with some special tasks in mind that would wrap up my efforts to complete this 'Pithead Polar Bear' project of mine. <div>
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In 2014, with the research in its infancy I made it to St Contest and the 59th Memorial in the square. On that occasion I left believing that the impressive property located next to the Church was the focus of the fighting in which my Grandfather with the 5th South Staffords was engaged over the 8th and 9th July 1944. </div>
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Whilst La Grande Ferme, the aforementioned property, was indeed occupied and fought over, the objective of the 5th South Staffs was located about a kilometer away. It was only on our most recent visit that Owen and I determined to finally find the elusive Galmanche memorial come what may. </div>
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After the usual circuitous journeying along the narrowest of country lanes we spied two flag poles. Could it be that the side by side Tricolour and Union Flag marked the much sought after spot. Indeed it did and I was finally able to pay my respects at a spot that lay within 100 yards of where my Grandfather had fought 73 years earlier. Unusually I was well prepared and had with me a Royal British Legion with me for the occasion.</div>
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Over the past few years it had been my understanding that the only remaining evidence of the Chateau of Galmanche was now fashioned into the cross design memorial to the 59th that stands in St. Contest. However, having finally located this corner of Calvados we decided to venture further down the track, at the end of which the rebuilt property was visible. </div>
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I have to say that I was thrilled to see that on either side of the new building their remained a couple of sections of the outer walls of the original Chateau and what's more, these walls were suitably peppered with bullet holes as well as bearing the scars of artillery attention.</div>
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Just to think that one of these pock marks could have originated from my Grandad's rifle...... assuming that he could shoot straight!</div>
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The approach to the original Chateau from the memorial site.</div>
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The rebuilt property on the site of the original Chateau Galmanche.</div>
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It is notable that the new building has retained the spiraled wrought iron work on the gates that can been seen on the photograph of the pre-war Chateau.</div>
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The original Chateau de Galmanche.</div>
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The photographs below show a section of the outer wall of the original Chateau bearing the scars of the July fighting as the 59th tried to dislodge the SS from the fortified position of Galmanche.</div>
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Scarred exterior wall of the original Chateau.</div>
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One of Jim Heath's potshots?</div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-39010653002358868832017-06-30T14:03:00.002-07:002017-06-30T14:03:47.438-07:00Apologies for the Interruption.... Normal Service Will Be Resumed!Visitors to this site will have noticed a distinct lack of activity on this site. The more astute of you will realise that this has been linked to the publication of the book. Without meaning to be morbid in anyway, my priority was to get the physical copy out there as quickly as possible in order that the handful of veterans that contributed to the book would get to see it.<br />
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It is now my intention to pick up the site again with a continuation of the story, plus anything that comes up post publication.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
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Adrian.Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-36177646773632911412017-06-30T12:58:00.004-07:002017-06-30T12:58:43.085-07:00A Pithead Polar Bear is now available for purchase<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a bit late with this blog site, but the culmination of the work put in on here has finally been realised in print and I am very happy with the results. I am really pleased with the way that the sales are going. So far, 111 books of the 150 print run are accounted for. It is quite something for me to think that this humble family history is to be found on the bookshelves of friends and colleagues in the UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, America, Canada and Australia. Thank you one and all!<br />
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Adrian x.<br />
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More details can be found at:<br />
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<a href="http://apitheadpolarbear.blogspot.co.uk/">http://apitheadpolarbear.blogspot.co.uk/</a></div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-62528214158184828542017-05-08T13:22:00.001-07:002017-05-08T13:22:04.958-07:00'A Pithead Polar Bear' to be Published in May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL_g4zjF1uq1n_JvDWcyyGIOVBSKuQecsnkmGy9GgMzDxpLABsWbD-iiv47GaR9Vh8GwMMMJjbA1VQCEx20DfUHfconUJoe8cewKi4eiu6dFNsYyT8toOErmu6RbTkzwq1qSbApCckBet/s1600/flyer+final+2-min.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL_g4zjF1uq1n_JvDWcyyGIOVBSKuQecsnkmGy9GgMzDxpLABsWbD-iiv47GaR9Vh8GwMMMJjbA1VQCEx20DfUHfconUJoe8cewKi4eiu6dFNsYyT8toOErmu6RbTkzwq1qSbApCckBet/s400/flyer+final+2-min.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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The waiting is nearly over. I have taken the plunge and sent ‘A Pithead Polar Bear’ off to the publishers so I can say with certainty that it will be available this month.<br />
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Details of how and where to get the book will follow in the next few days.<br />
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Many thanks,<br />
<br />
Adrian.<br />
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-66748508587781823672017-01-24T12:48:00.001-08:002017-01-24T12:48:30.405-08:00A Pithead Polar Bear - Coming Soon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The culmination of three years research (not full time I may add) will be the publication of a physical book to be entitled 'A Pithead Polar Bear From Brighton to Belsen 1940 - 1946'.<br />
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I have set up a separate website in order to provide further information on the book, where and how to get it and any feedback I get on it as and when I get it out there (weeks rather than months now for certain).<br />
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<b><a href="http://apitheadpolarbear.blogspot.co.uk/">apitheadpolarbear.blogspot.co.uk/</a></b></div>
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However, that is not the end of the road, this site will continue to be an means of passing on new information and discoveries as I intend to keep digging into this history (and the story on here is not yet complete anyway!).</div>
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Please feel free to share....</div>
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Best wishes,</div>
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Adrian.</div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-47651430394717220802017-01-24T12:37:00.002-08:002017-01-24T12:37:09.169-08:0053rd (Welsh) Division - Contact From A Military Historian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.jonathanhware.com/"><b>www.jonathanhware.com/</b></a></div>
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I recently received an email from someone with more than a passing interest in the 53rd (Welsh) Division. He was looking for some assistance regarding some Normandy photographs. Unfortunately in this I was unable to help him, but I did promise to give him a plug on this humble site.<br />
<br />
Since the 53rd fought side by side with the 49th and 59th Divisions in the Battle of Caen, there is a good chance that some of the visitors to this site will also have an interest in what he is up to with respect to the 53rd (Welsh) Division.<br />
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Jonathan is currently working on a book, 'Jocks, Dragons and Sospans', a history of the Division.Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-89143023386171160312017-01-20T14:18:00.002-08:002017-01-20T14:18:35.219-08:00Arnhem 16th May 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">For those people partial to a bit of military history, no visit to this part of the Netherlands would be complete without a trip to Arnhem. Last here at the age of four, there was so much for me to see on this occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There is so much written about the struggle of the men of the 1<sup>st</sup> Airborne Division in Arnhem that it is simply beyond the scope of this book to cover it here, so I will limit this chapter to a few impressions and photographs. An good starting point for a visit to the town is the museum that is dedicated to the battle. Housed in the Hotel Hartenstein, the building that served as the Divisional HQ in September 1944 it offers a real sense of the bitter fighting that took place in its immediate environs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There is so much to see within the museum that described the battle so very well. However, one artefact caught my eye. If listening to punk rock for 35 years has instilled anything in me it is the almost childlike appreciation of a rude word. On the wall is mounted a piece of wallpaper that was preserved after the battle. On this aged piece of wallpaper beneath the proclamation of ‘Never Surrender, Fuck The Gerry’s, 1<sup>st</sup> Airborne Division’ is a tally of Germans killed or wounded by the writer. With all joking about expletives aside, this foot square piece of graffiti speaks volumes to me about the desperate struggle in which this young soldier was engaged in as he fought for his life and the lives of his comrades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Now I am not often in the habit of quoting journalists from the ‘Daily Express’ but again these words caught my eye:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“If in the years to come any man says to you ‘I fought at Arnhem’ take off your hat and buy him a drink, for this is the stuff of which England’s greatness is made”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">War correspondent Alan Wood in the Daily Express<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">24<sup>th</sup> September 1944.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Not far up the road from Hotel Hartenstein is the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery where many of the men who lost their lives in the September fighting lie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A short walk from the cemetery, up a very attractive tree lined road (Van Limburg Stirumweg) will bring you to another memorial dedicated the memory of the Air Despatchers of the Royal Army Service Corps who lost their lives in their endeavours to ensure the continuity of supplies to the troops on the ground. This impressive monument is set in front of the fields in which essential supplies were dropped. However, the drop zone lay in German occupied territory, so a high proportion of the supplies never reached the allies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Air Despatcher’s Memorial<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Dedicated to the memory of the Air Despatchers of the Royal Army Service Corps, who together with the aircrew of the Royal Airforce and the Royal Canadian Airforce gave their lives in valiant attempts to resupply the airborne forces during the battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden), 18th - 25th September 1944<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Erected by their comrades and air despatchers past and present, with the generous assistance of the burgomaster and aldermen of Renkum, and other kind Dutch friends, 18th September 1994.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Leaving Oosterbeek, we headed back into the centre of Arnhem and the bridge itself. On the north side of the bridge lies the Jacob Groenewoud Park. Captain Groenewoud was the only Dutch officer to fight in the battle for the bridge. He was killed on 18<sup>th</sup> September 1944 in an attempt to contact the body of troops in Oosterbeek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Within the Jacob Groenewoud Park are numerous memorials to the units involved in the battle for the Rhine bridge at Arnhem. At this point in my research I have become rather eagle-eyed when it comes to spotting Polar Bears and indeed I found one set on a twisted propeller, a gift to the Division from the Arnhem Museum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-31900160808530342532016-12-31T01:52:00.001-08:002016-12-31T01:52:50.906-08:00Haalderen, Holland 16th May 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The idea was that we would have
an easier day on the Saturday with less driving planned for Owen. In the
evening we were due to attend a part of Eurorock Festival near to Eindhoven.
The band that we had travelled to see were the headline act and were not due to
take the stage until after midnight that evening. The schedule we drew up was
to drive up to Nijmegen and onto the Island before heading further north to Arnhem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Within Nijmegen I had a specific
task to fulfil, retracing the family’s 1973 visit to the town with my
Grandfather, but more of that in the pages that follow. For now the plan was to
stop off in Haalderen as we progressed towards Arnhem. We deliberately took a route
to the brigdes similar to that taken by XXX Corps on ‘Hell’s Highway’ as the
Allies struggled to reach the British 1<sup>st</sup> Airborne who were pinned
down in Oosterbeek. In the early morning spring sunshine it was difficult to
relate to that desperate journey seventy-one years earlier for the roads were
clear and the fields on either side of the road were nothing but picturesque.
Crossing the Maas at Grave, we passed through Nijmegen and crossed Waal to
access ‘The Island’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Passing through Lent before
turning off the N325 in the direction of Bemmel where the men of ‘D’ Company 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. were formed up as the counter-attack company on 4<sup>th</sup> December
1944. It was only after driving through a near deserted Bemmel that our
navigational problems started. Never mind the proverbial ‘All Roads Lead To
Rome’, on this Saturday morning it was more a case of ‘All Roads Lead to
Bemmel’ as try as we might to reach the neighbouring village of Haalderen,
after several circuits of the area it was nowhere to be found, but we found
ourselves driving back through Bemmel from each of the four compass points.
Were it not for the assistance of a helpful jogger with a better grasp of the local
geography, Haalderen may have never have been reached!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our approach to Haalderen was
from the same direction from which the Fusiliers entered the village that
December. Turning right onto the N839, Van der Mondeweg, we headed south east
down the road toeards the Church (the original of which is shown at the head of
this chapter). The Church, now rebuilt, houses a memorial to the fighing in the
village that occurred between September and December 1944.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjtGekVAJH2POyi6dSIDe0rGmISWm7rXY9suex7TUsMKJYCSXN-k-7HYFAndl_pgrddFsWyhauGfpPV39EqnkxURRhfHe_4gFmZhFOdVjHaBADbmWjHHmAJY_ab7rXsnkDZ1aAcu7-0_k/s1600/388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjtGekVAJH2POyi6dSIDe0rGmISWm7rXY9suex7TUsMKJYCSXN-k-7HYFAndl_pgrddFsWyhauGfpPV39EqnkxURRhfHe_4gFmZhFOdVjHaBADbmWjHHmAJY_ab7rXsnkDZ1aAcu7-0_k/s400/388.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘War<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Never Forget<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 72pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Never Repeat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> WWII’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our time here was limited and
with no disrespect to Haalderen, there was not so much to photograph easily
with the exception of a view down the main street. The direction from which the
German 16<sup>th</sup> Parachute Regiment Companies advanced and the direction
that the Fusilier’s took to reach the forward positions of the beleaguered
Companies of the 7<sup>th</sup> Duke of Wellington’s Regiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NwvoB-t3RD6j93yfh_qFHuN0lBo2wUx8JTKzHA2sJGS5qW4DUKdQ0iKts05H1wHO2O369n06bCZoKdUmSDiU9VjRVWuVGRlkKECfbD0wOITUiVORoa_N4ynrOjsJJtFT8EeIWwqh0crT/s1600/401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NwvoB-t3RD6j93yfh_qFHuN0lBo2wUx8JTKzHA2sJGS5qW4DUKdQ0iKts05H1wHO2O369n06bCZoKdUmSDiU9VjRVWuVGRlkKECfbD0wOITUiVORoa_N4ynrOjsJJtFT8EeIWwqh0crT/s400/401.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The reconstructed Church in Haalderen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcYNo1K1-NtIZnOA8Q-2F6kvAtOGxenySdzN_9M2RzoFmvGE8byN0Fsw-Kwy41XQ0XdCUu8_q30YiulFmvYvwdtJDWv4v-1M51ZOmL_bTu16zfWI8fYf4I6nI8bwyH2tYtsOW7NxVvBKS/s1600/399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcYNo1K1-NtIZnOA8Q-2F6kvAtOGxenySdzN_9M2RzoFmvGE8byN0Fsw-Kwy41XQ0XdCUu8_q30YiulFmvYvwdtJDWv4v-1M51ZOmL_bTu16zfWI8fYf4I6nI8bwyH2tYtsOW7NxVvBKS/s400/399.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt;">The main road through Haalderen (Van der
Mondeweg) looking in a south easterly direction (facing the German assault).</span></div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-18176731861654921462016-12-31T01:45:00.001-08:002016-12-31T01:45:56.632-08:00Street Fighting Haalderen, Holland 3rd – 4th December 1944<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT728zWkJ8z7E7I_QoNIb8eV5tMtW55pJ8o6DesPDYcQsS9dPKB3uzAneMmWxYzpYvoJDisSeYNucU3L9YI-rYxWPn6Pse-4QizYkbdEk4zFd45pWiFsnZ2ip9MQaqEwehuikmkg_csoM7/s1600/Haaleren+Church+1944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT728zWkJ8z7E7I_QoNIb8eV5tMtW55pJ8o6DesPDYcQsS9dPKB3uzAneMmWxYzpYvoJDisSeYNucU3L9YI-rYxWPn6Pse-4QizYkbdEk4zFd45pWiFsnZ2ip9MQaqEwehuikmkg_csoM7/s400/Haaleren+Church+1944.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The shattered ruins of Haalderen
Church.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In the first week of December the
tide of war once again broke over Haalderen (literally given the flooded state
of this part of The Island). In an attempt to reach the Great Waal Bridge near
Lent, the Germans launched an attack which was intended to push through to the
bridge via Haalderen and Bemmel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Before describing in any detail
the first engagement for the Fusiliers on The Island it is necessary to recount
the situation faced by the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. At the beginning of
December The Dukes were positioned on the right flank of the Divisional front
in the area of Haalderen. The conditions on the ground were horrendous with
heavy flooding throughout the area. To the mud and filth that are a part and
parcel of flooding were added the remains of soldiers of both sides killed in
the struggles of late September/early October when Allied units tried desperately
to the aid of the British 1<sup>st</sup> Airborne then confined in the
Oosterbeek Perimeter on the western outskirts of Arnhem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Military
operations in the Haalderen area were severely hampered as a result of the
conditions. The protection offered by slit trenches was limited as the height
of the water table restricted the depth to which they could be dug before
filling with water. Moreover, the movement of man and armour throughout the
sector was limited to the high ground, i.e. across the top of the dykes. Such
movement was perilous for a number of reasons, notably due to the fact that the
tracks that topped the dykes were constructed with light agricultural traffic
in mind and not the heavyweight trucks and tanks of an Army on the move. Furthermore,
the presence of men and vehicles on the top of the dykes offered the enemy
something akin to a fairground duck shoot as targets were dangerously exposed
in silhouette against the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To
further set the scene, I refer to the relevant sections of the 7<sup>th</sup>
Dukes War Diaries. From 1<sup>st</sup> December, the Battalion positions were
coming under heavy artillery fire. German forward patrols were observed to be
occupying houses on the main road through the village. At the same time, the
diary records ‘water rising about 3” to 6” per day. Daylight supply of Btn
forbidden’. The diary elaborates some more on the worsening flood conditions
stating that at 2150 hours on the 2<sup>nd</sup> ‘’D’ Coy reported that water
was rising rapidly in the coy area’. This situation calls to mind the earlier
story, mentioned in an earlier chapter, that my Grandfather related of being
perched on a stack of bricks armed with a yardstick monitoring the rate by
which the water levels were rising throughout the night. William Douglas
corrected my earlier assumption that this incident occurred in the Roosendaal
area and stated that it was much more consistent with the situation in
Haalderen. As recounted a little later, he arrived in the area with the 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. on the morning of 4<sup>th</sup> December.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By the
morning of 3<sup>rd</sup> December 03 Brigade advised that ‘Dykes may have been
breached by weight of water or military action. HAALDEREN, the highest point of
the “Island” may be attacked by the enemy. NIJMEGEN is being heavily shelled at
an increasing rate. Be on the alert for counter-attacks’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At 0710
a trip flare was triggered forward of the ‘D’ Company’s position. The Dukes
remained vigilent, observing even in this dreadful place mundane domestic
activities as it was reported at 0930 hours that ‘1 Boche seen to run out of
house S of rd at 763662, chased chicken. Man shot chicken and went back into
house’. More Germans were observed on the main Haalderen road throughout the
day. In the early evening, enemy flares were spotted and sporadic Spandau fire
was reported at 2235 and 2255. Something was in the offing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At 0315
on 4<sup>th</sup> December, Spandau fire coincided with reports coming in from
‘D’ Company of an attack, with 18 Platoon stating that 17 enemy had passed
through their positions with more approaching. Some 15 minutes later, more
Germans, about a company in strength, also passed through leaving 18 Platoon
completely surrounded although holding their position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The War
Diary reported ‘Heavy stonking in the bn area and BEMMEL 7367. It was the 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. who were on the receiving end of the shelling in Bemmel. The ‘Summary of
Operations’ takes up the story and decribes how in the early hours of 4<sup>th</sup>
December the Battalion was subjected to one of the German’s most concentrated
artillery fire for a period of nearly two hours, being the prelude to an attack
on the right sector of the Brigade front [i.e. the 7 DWR in Haalderen]. ‘D’
Company under Major Leslie Rowell were to take the role of counter-attack
Company in just such an event. In Major Rowell’s words ‘At Bemmel on the 4th
December D Coy were in reserve with the task of counter attacking in support of
7 DWR at Haalderen, at approximately 0300 hours the Coy was ordered to ‘stand
to’ and later was ordered to move. The Coy commenced to its task at first light
at 0730 hours’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Meanwhile
back in Haalderen, the at 0400 the & DWR War Diary described the situation
as ‘very confused’ with fighting taking place in nearly every house in the
village. The Germans had reached as far as ‘A’ Company HQ and the school
buildings on a road junction approximately 100m along the road from the Church.
White flares fired at 0500 hours from the new German positions were thought to
be signals that the planned objectives had been successfully taken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At 0515
hours the Commanding Officer, Major Hamilton, ordered the Duke’s Carrier
Platoon to re-occupy the school and for ‘C’ Company to counter-attack ‘D’
Company 18 Platoon’s positions in order to close the gap in the line through
which the Germans had passed. It was estimated that the German infiltration of
the Battalion area was approximately one company in strength. Major Hamilton
requested that the 11<sup>th</sup> R.S.F. move up, as counter-attack battalion,
to the area of Battalion HQ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In the
early hours further German advance along the main road was checked. At 0615,
the Carrier Platoon successfully retook the school and ‘B’ Company reoccupied a
number of houses. Nevertheless, confused close quarters fighting continued in
the area of the ‘A’ Company HQ. At 0620 the 11<sup>th</sup> R.S.F. assembled in
this area (on the right, that is south west side of the main street) and
received orders to attack in an easterly direction, thereby pushing the Germans
towards the 7 DWR forward positions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
darkness and in the confused nature of house to house fighting there was a real
danger that the 7<sup>th</sup> DWR Company and ‘D’ Company of the 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. would sustain casualties due to ‘friendly fire’. To avoid such a clash,
Major Rowell ordered that ‘D’ Company take responsibility for the clearance of
houses on the right hand side of the street as far as the road junction. This
was tasked to 17 Platoon under the command of Lieutenant McIntosh. Next 18
Platoon, under Lieutenant Douglas would work their way up the left had side of
the street once the situation in the houses opposite ‘A’ Company HQ had been
established. At this time my Grandfather with 16 Platoon, under Sergeant
Little, took up reserve fire positions protecting ‘A’ Company HQ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Crossing
the start line at 0700 hours 17 Platoon cleared the first house as the 7 DWR
arrived in the houses opposite and 18 Platoon set off up the left hand side of
the street. In this manner both of the Fusilier platoons advanced up the street
offering mutual support as far as the road junction objective. The enemy were
being pushed back down the road from where they originally advanced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At this
point, I am reminded of my Grandfather, who would break off from one of our
regular Saturday night games of darts in the kitchen to describe, with the aid
of an invisible, but poised, Lee Enfield, just how soldiers on opposite sides
of the street would cooperate in house clearing actions! I wonder whether at
such times he was mentally transported back to Haalderen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The men
of ‘D’ Company received additional information about houses along the street
that were German occupied as 18 Platoon of the Fusilers further advanced from
the north east towards the crescent of Kolkweg. In this they were assisted by
16 Platoon Bren Corps and 17 Platoon who also provided covering fire. The 18
Platoon assault was successful. The men of ‘D’ Company were still coming under
fire from houses on the street when the final phase of the attack commenced
which was to clear all houses on the north eastern side of the street. The
attack was led by 16 Platoon supported by covering fire from both 17 and 18
Platoon. At the point of reaching the send house off the street, the enemy
surrendered. The remaining Dukes laid down smoke to aid the advance of 16
Platoon on the last objective before consolidating the ground taken on either
side of the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As
Prisoners of War were taken back, it was established that the units engaged
with the Dukes and Fusiliers were men of the German 16<sup>th</sup> Parachute
Regiment of the 6<sup>th</sup> Parachute Division (6. Fallschirmjäger-Division).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By 1215
the original 7 DWR Battalion positions had been restored and the Dukes claimed
a total of 108 P.O.W.s and many enemy dead. For their part, the 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. accounted for 77 P.O.W.s with one Fusilier killed and two wounded. Those
Germans not killed or captured retreated across the fields back towards their
frontline. 4<sup>th</sup> December closed with a heavy artillery bombardment on
the battalion area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On 5<sup>th</sup>
December, ‘D’ Company were located at the south eastern end of the village
located in the ruins of some semi-detached houses that overlooked fields that
stretched out in the direction of the German frontline positions. Of that time
William Douglas, then commanding 18 Platoon recalls a deadly game of ‘cat &
mouse’ with a German railway gun. ‘So I ended up at the far end of the village
in some ruined semi-detached houses looking out across the open fields, the
Germans of course knew exactly where we were because they’d been there and
somewhere up in the Arnhem area they had a very big railway gun and you could
hear the confounded thing, you knew when it was going to fire, so you were
fairly safe, you could hear it going tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, then the most
tremendous bang and you could practically see the thing coming through the air.
Of course, when it landed it would destroy several houses, and they started
firing at the village with this confounded thing and of course we had positions
in all the windows looking out across the fields. But fortunately all these
Dutch houses had cellars, so into the cellars we go and as soon as the firing stops
we rush back into the positions, you hear him fire again, back down into the
cellars, this confounded gun, every time it fired it seemed to come closer and
closer to the house that we were in. Roofs were disappearing on the other side
of the road, entire houses going down, oh God! It was one of the most
frightening times of the whole thing, there was nothing that you could do about
it, you just sat there, 10 chaps down in this cellar, you as the officer,
trying to appear frightfully brave and not the least bit worried and getting
ready to shout ‘Go!’ the moment you thought he’d finished firing and your back
up top in case they were coming again. This went on for a couple of hours, it
was not amusing. I always remember when they say ‘Were you ever frightened?’
and I say ‘Yeah I was pretty frightened down in that cellar I have to say! The
next one’s gonna land on us!’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Later
‘D’ Company of the R.S.F. were relieved by ‘C’ Company who entered the area for
this purpose and to reinforce the tired Dukes. Between 1700 and 2130 on 6<sup>th</sup>
December, the rest of the Regiment moved into the village to relieve the 7 DWR
who moved back to Bemmel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-34790887943557651572016-12-30T06:46:00.001-08:002016-12-31T01:33:39.568-08:00Rock ‘n’ Roll, Remembrance and All That Jazz in The Lowlands Breda, Holland 15th May 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In what was becoming something of
an annual excursion Owen and I had planned another weekend on the continent
with both military history and music on the itinerary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Yet another old punk band was due
to play at the ‘Eurorock Festival’ in Neerpelt in Belgium. The timing could not
have been better since the ‘Fragmented Military History’ website had progressed
considerably such that I had left Normandy and the 59<sup>th</sup>
(Staffordshire) Division behind and was now immersed in the actions of the
Polar Bears in Belgium and Holland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The town of Breda was to be our
base for the next three days from where we would drive in each and every
direction in order to visit Turnhout, Wuustwezel, Roosendaal, Arnhem, Nijmegen,
Bemmel, Haalderen and Walcheran. A check on the mileometer upon arriving back in
London told us that we had clocked up no less than two thousand miles over the
three days, mostly in the Netherlands (no mean feat in a country so small!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Whilst
we were planning to see a punk band (Killing Joke, were anyone to be remotely
curious) our chosen base was this weekend hosting the annual Breda Jazz
Festival. Now I fully appreciate that when it comes to musical taste it is
definitely a case of ‘each to their own’. But without a doubt both Owen and I side
with Johnny Rotten over Johnny Dankworth! So when a well-meaning waitress in
the breakfast room on day two suggested that we were here for the jazz we were
a little put out! Casting an eye over the finger poppin’ jazz aficionados of
northern Europe that were at that time sharing the restaurant, it was clear to
the two of us at least that a wide gulf existed between us and them.
Nevertheless in a middle aged punk rock style we corrected her and complimented
the chef on the quality of his scrambled eggs. How times have changed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Caught unawares in a lift finger
clicking and ‘extolling the joy of jazz!’.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">On our
first venture out on our first full day of touring was the town of Turnhout. Strangely
enough thid was not our first visit to this town in the far north of Belgium.
Back in April 2011 the two of us in the company of another couple of fans had
stayed in Turnhout. The band had arranged a five day acoustic tour of Belgium
and Holland of which we planned to witness three, Turnhout, Zaandamn and
Lessines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Now
Turnhout is a small place, but locating our apartment took over an hour. I am
happy to say that the concert was very enjoyable but after the show we headed
out of toen in the direction of the band’s hotel with a view to grabbing a late
beer with them. Within minutes of us setting off, the band’s mini-bus speed
past us and the ever truculent bass player took the time to hurl some choice
words of abuse at us as they passed (it’s nothing personal, we were on the
guest list after all!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In 2011
I hand no idea that this place had any significance to my own family history.
All I felt at the time was a sense of frustration as we repeatedly failed to
locate our apartment after several traverses of the town. The realisation that
my Grandfather was a liberator of the town was a few years off!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Next up
was Wuustwezel, another difficult place name for linguistically challenged
Britons such as ourselves. Having said that in the spirit of our forebears who
renamed Ypres as Wipers and Foucquevillers as Funkyvillers, Wuustwezel was
rechristened to a very anglicised ‘Worst Weasel’…. no offence intended towards
our Belgian neighbours, it just made navigation much easier!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Having
reached the town as usual we made </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">for the cemetery and here were located the
first 11</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> R.S.F. graves that I had seen since the Fontenay-le-Pesnel
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Nine Polar Bears lie in the
churchyard of Wuustwezel.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">During
the fighting to liberate Wuustwezel between 20<sup>th</sup> and 23<sup>rd</sup>
October 1944, 108 British servicemen were killed in action or died of wounds
received. Of these men 98 wore the Polar Bear insignia of the 49<sup>th</sup>
(West Riding) Division.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
fallen are commemorated by a memorial erected to their memory in Liberation
Square, Wuustwezel. The monument carries the following inscription that attests
to their heroic deeds:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">‘In this
area, the German counter-attacks of 21<sup>st</sup> and 22<sup>nd</sup> October
1944 were halted by the 49<sup>th</sup> (West Riding) Infantry Division. The
people of Wuustwezel express gratitude to their liberators’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">At the
unveiling ceremony on 21<sup>st</sup> October 1984, the Burgomaster of
Wuustwezel, Jos Ansoms said this of the momument and what it represents, ‘It is
a sober monument, sober and simple as the lads of whom it reminds us. It is
convincing and dignified like the British military that are remembered.
Constructed in a “V”, it represents victory but also peace, freedom and
friendship’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
Wuustwezel memorial is now recognised as the principal site of remembrance to
the Polar Bears in Belgium. Whilst less imposing than its cousin in
Fontenay-le-Pesnel, its understated simplicity makes it every bit as moving.
The aforementioned sober simplicity of this construction of brick and stone
surmounted with a stylised French limestone sculpture of a Polar Bear contrasts
starkly with the Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun that also occupies the site, a
contribution of the Polar Bear Association in 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Polar Bear memorial<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Wuustwezel, Belgium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-56057438354884121742016-12-30T06:33:00.000-08:002016-12-30T06:33:55.173-08:00Last Days In Belgium October 1944<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At the beginning of October, the
11<sup>th</sup> R.S.F. were to be found in the area of Zondereigen, a few
hundred meters south of the Dutch border. Here they spent five days in a
defensive position that provided protection to the left flank of the Polish
Armoured Division as it pushed north into Holland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Battalion was very mobile in
the first weeks of the month as they criss-crossed the Divisional front. A new
defensive position was taken up on 11<sup>th</sup> October at Maerle for a
further week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On 19<sup>th</sup> October the
Battalions moved westwards to Oostmalle from where on the following day they
crossed the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal in their initial advance into Holland. As
part of 1<sup>st</sup> Corps the 49<sup>th</sup> Division were positioned in
the centre of the line of advance with the Polish Armoured Division on their
right and the 4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division on their left. The Polar Bears
were directed towards Roosendaal, whilst the Poles and Canadians aimed for the
towns of Breda and Bergen Op Zoom respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">49<sup>th</sup> Division were to
advance along a line of axis that ran from Oostmalle and passed through Brecht,
Wuustwezel, Nieuwmoer, Essche and Roosendaal, a distance of approximately
twenty miles. The advance was to be lead by 56 Brigade and 147 Brigade, with
146 Brigade concentrated in Oostmalle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Polar Bears were opposed
across their front by 245 Division a fighting unit of 88<sup>th</sup> Corps of
the German 15<sup>th</sup> Army.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMrAgven3SXNLPPyVnVTYPUv8zFqsBfFmCwr3oH3jLG2Dscv9LLXuubMmOAM2ANExatja03GKGFeAZxSJeH_NA0RDqtMhTLVZwZOB-MiPU7_dl3ZzlLTS4rpo8ylnQktEmZenk0xz51xe/s1600/Victory-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMrAgven3SXNLPPyVnVTYPUv8zFqsBfFmCwr3oH3jLG2Dscv9LLXuubMmOAM2ANExatja03GKGFeAZxSJeH_NA0RDqtMhTLVZwZOB-MiPU7_dl3ZzlLTS4rpo8ylnQktEmZenk0xz51xe/s400/Victory-32.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The lines of
advance into Holland.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On the morning of 20<sup>th</sup> October ‘Operation
Rebound’ was launched which was intended by the combined efforts of the
Canadian 4<sup>th</sup> Armoured Division and the 49<sup>th</sup> Division to
secure the Belgian-Dutch border area and in doing so facilitate the liberation
of the Scheldt Estuary. With the estuary under Allied control the key port of
Antwerp could be utilised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It was the task of the 49<sup>th</sup> Division to
advance towards Loenhout from the area of Brecht. Having secured Loenhout, the
plan was for another composite taskforce named ‘Clarkeforce’ (under the command
of Brigadier W.S. Clarke of 34<sup>th</sup> Tank Brigade) to punch their way
through into Holland. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">21<sup>st</sup> October saw the 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. located in and around Wuustwezel which was captured with relative ease.
However, on 21<sup>st</sup> and 22<sup>nd</sup> 245 and 346 Infantry Divisions
launched savage counter attacks with heavy tank and SP supporting fire. These
attacks came in from the Wernhout area just over the Dutch border. These
counter attacks were halted in a series of fierce engagements in the hamlets of
Braken, Kruisweg and in the area of Stone Bridge (the only crossing of the Weerijs
that could bear the weight of heavy armour). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In his 1990 Imperial War Museum interview Colonel
William Douglas recalled some of the fighting in Kruisweg, not to mention his
brush with death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘October 23<sup>rd</sup>, we’d
ended up in a place called Kruisweg, Kruisweg Ridge. I’d been out on another
night patrol, a recce to find the enemy, we’d found them and reported back and
I went back to my platoon headquarters just as first light was coming up. And,
the sergeant had been in charge all night obviously, and when I got to the
position he had the entire platoon in a beautiful Dutch barn, a big fire going.
All the chaps were drying their socks and having breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> ‘What the Devil do you think you are doing?’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘Where are the sentries?’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why haven’t you got anybody out?’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> ‘Oh, it was a dark night Sir and I thought the
lads needed a bit of a cheering up.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘They’ll need cheering up in a
minute, the Germans are only half a mile away!’ <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So I chased some sentries out,
scattered them out and got them all into positions and we set the headquarters
in a cellar in the village and I’d just taken my socks off and thought I’ll get
some breakfast now when the sentry came running in saying ‘Come quick, come
quick! There’s a haystack coming down the village street!’.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘Now you’ve been drinking the rum
laddie!’.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Anyway, he was dead right, there
was a haystack coming slowly down the village street, about I suppose three
quarters of a mile away. I got my field glasses and had a look. It was a German
Panther and he’d put loads of hay on top by the turret, I suppose for
camouflage. He wasn’t too sure what we had in the village and he was coming
along pretty carefully, you know, having a good look and swinging his turret
from side to side. I thought ‘My God, if he gets in here, it’s curtains for us.
So I grabbed the PIAT anti-tank projectile and a couple of bombs and headed
down to the front garden.... here’s Douglas’s chance for the VC or something! <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I got down behind a low wall, I
suppose about two feet high. Now the trouble with the PIAT was that it was most
effective when it hit its target, but its range was about 100 yards, so you had
to wait and wait and wait and this chap came on 400 yards, 300 yards, 200
yards, waiting, waiting, waiting and this great big gun came round and he tried
to lower it like that, but of course you can only lower a tank gun so far and
then you hit the hull where the driver is and he couldn’t get it any lower.
Stupid me, I should have realised that the tank commander is eight feet up and
I’m two feet behind a wall and he could see me and he knew what I’d got, so he
let fly with his great 88mm round. Well he couldn’t hit me because he couldn’t
get the gun barrel down, but it thundered into the wall of the old rickety
farmhouse behind me and the whole thing came down on top of me. In fact it
saved my life. He then apparently came down the village , put a round into the
cellar, killing most of the HQ chaps, caused absolute pandemonium in the
platoon, they all got down in their trenches, my sergeant, that I’d just given
a rocket to, got a military medal out of it I heard later. He dashed down to
the crossroads and got an anti-tank gun, which a detachment of anti-tank
gunners had there and he swung this gun round and fired at this thing and
knocked it out and the infantry who were coming with the tank got a bit
dispirited at this and they put a rather poor attack in on our position and
were driven off. I by this time had been dragged from under this farmhouse and
carted off on a stretcher and woke up in an ambulance on the way to the
Canadian Hospital in Antwerp. I only heard what the sergeant had done weeks
later when I got back to the Battalion’.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
Sergeant that Douglas refers to was Sergeant William Little of No 16 Platoon of
‘D’ Company. As such he was my Grandfather’s Platoon Sergeant and he will
feature again in this narrative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As
stated Sergeant Little was awarded the Military Medal for his actions in
Kruisweg. The citation which recommended the award reads as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On 23<sup>rd</sup>
October 1944, L/Sjt Little was platoon Serjeant of a platoon detached under the
command of Carrier platoon to hold a defensive position at KRUISWEG – 1:25,000
Sheet 24 NW 814160. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Following
a very heavy and accurate concentration of mortar fire the enemy attacked with
infantry, a tank and two SP guns, and L/Sjt Little’s platoon commander [William
Douglas] was seen made a casualty leaving him to command the platoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The tank
and an SP gun penetrated the positions and the infantry gradually approached
within short range.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
action lasted about two hours before the arrival of another Coy and a sqn of
tanks dispersed the enemy forces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Throughout
this timethe majority of L/Sjt Little’s platoon were on the enemy side of the
buildings and they were in the nerve-racking position of being faced by enemy
infantry and having an enemy tank and SP gun in their rear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
citation document bears the signature of one B.L. Montgomery – Field Marshal
Commander-in-Chief 21 Army Group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. Summary of Operations adds a little more detail to the action recording
that ‘A force composed of the Carrier Platoon, one platoon from D Coy and two
A/tnk guns that RA were holding one sector which was counter attacked by SP
guns and infantry. One SP gun actually got behind our lines and Sgt Little,
Platoon Sgt, D Coy was magnificent in control of the men. The two A/tnk guns RA
had been put out of action, one by a direct hit and the other because it was in
a burning house. Showing admirable courage and coolness, Sgt Little got his gun
out and with the help of others of his platoon dragged it back to a position
from which it could be fired at this troublesome SP gun and knocked it out’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-17640381343101561052016-12-29T04:53:00.001-08:002016-12-29T04:53:48.055-08:00Recollections of the Liberation of Turnhout (Part 2) August 2016<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In my
correspondence with Jacques Boone, he suggested that I make contact with his
friend John Peters of Sint Niklaas (a town approximately 66 kilometers to the
south west of Turnhout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">John was
a teenager of fifteen at the time of the liberation. Since his father, Hendrik
Peters, was the manager of the power plant that served Turnhout and several
other local settlements, it is fair to say that the Peters family held some
standing within the town. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
power plant was located on the Koningin Elisabethlei part of which also served
as the family home. The Koningin Elisabethlei, heading across the
Antwerp-Turnhout Canal in the direction of Breda, is one of two routes by which
to leave the town. The other route out of town is via Steenweg op Oosthoven in
the direction of Tilburg. The Peters family were on the front line in late
September 1944.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe-ouM2OkaE0aGLM1DOM9RlKSvAZH7UAz8y5S3ozUiNXQVNDY-xSP5YhpETLtM1XAi0uQkUWqH4R2SC1fBw_SgpL9GCG1ia-DUtyFxIU6mSoVzUeqNEzHPQ6wOxPh6q8KGEHQT2FSHBXk/s1600/Turnhout+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe-ouM2OkaE0aGLM1DOM9RlKSvAZH7UAz8y5S3ozUiNXQVNDY-xSP5YhpETLtM1XAi0uQkUWqH4R2SC1fBw_SgpL9GCG1ia-DUtyFxIU6mSoVzUeqNEzHPQ6wOxPh6q8KGEHQT2FSHBXk/s400/Turnhout+Map.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Map of central Turnhout showing the key locations in John's account of the town's liberation</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(many thanks to John Peters!)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">It was
on 19<sup>th</sup> September that the Germans ordered the civilian population to
evacuate their homes and to seek alternative accommodation. The street in which
the Peters family lived fell within this area and so they moved in with family
to Oude Vaartstraat some 250 meters from home. Since the plant provided both
electricity and gas, commodities vital to the capacity for the Germans to
maintain control over the town, it was considered to be essential that the
plant manager to located at the plant. For this region, the Ortskommandant (the
appointed administrator of the town) ordered Hendrik to return home to ensure
the continuation of supply. For a time John, along with his mother, father and
sister lived in the cellar of the house, from where John recalls hearing the
steel-shod boots of German patrols regularly passing overhead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">On the
eve of the liberation (23<sup>rd</sup> September), Hendrik Peters was summoned
to the Kasteel, a grand moated building in which the Kommandatur of the town
had taken up. Whilst there the Ortskommandant<i> </i>was called into the Kommandatur’s office to take a telephone call.
The conversation that followed was at volume and the door to the office was
left ajar, such that Hendrik was able to deduce the flow of conversation with
ease. The capability of the German forces in the town to put up a serious
defence was the topic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3e07REX8NStLPX35EfzdkhGJN3Rk716M6Q8lXA9qDspB_JMnU5T6ZoNWgu-qZ2X4oc8H9DAOeXQT6hQ1suozNmkADDINnhSNRNtTp2DTmRj3oT_9tIbBj_kozjjD2uJ4c43ndkjep0Fo/s1600/23+September+1944%252C+German+troops+at+the+town+square+of+Turnhout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3e07REX8NStLPX35EfzdkhGJN3Rk716M6Q8lXA9qDspB_JMnU5T6ZoNWgu-qZ2X4oc8H9DAOeXQT6hQ1suozNmkADDINnhSNRNtTp2DTmRj3oT_9tIbBj_kozjjD2uJ4c43ndkjep0Fo/s400/23+September+1944%252C+German+troops+at+the+town+square+of+Turnhout.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">German troops in Grote Markt in the centre of town (St Peters Church is visible on the right). This picture was taken on the eve of liberation (23rd September 1944) when the Germans elected to leave the town for positions to the north over the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">At the
conclusion of the call the Kommandatur informed Hendrik Peters that as the town
could not be effectively defended the decision had been taken that all German
forces were to withdraw to a position behind the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal in the
area of Koningin Elisabethlei. No. 1 Bridge was to be accessible until 21.00
hours to allow the withdrawal. At 21.00 hours sharp, the bridge would be blown.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
Kommandatur added that since the townspeople of Turnhout had caused the
occupiers little trouble over the years, the withdrawal would be effected
‘without firing a single shot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Shortly
after 20.30 hours, Hendrik, accompanied by John stepped out into the deserted
street in time to see the Ortskommandant and his deputy pass by on bikes
heading towards the bridge some 400 metres distant. As they rode past both men
raised an arm in salutation and called ‘Guten Abend Herr Peters!’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
street returned to silence. Turnhout was free from soldiers for now and the
Polar Bears were on their way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Early on
the morning of 24<sup>th</sup>, Hendrik Peters set to work to ensure that the
low voltage aerial network was intact and undamaged by the blast from the
destruction of the bridge. He and two volunteers inspected the integrity of the
network pole by pole. When working up the ladder the workmen were in full view
of the Germans positioned over the Canal, but no shots were fired. On
approaching the Canal, it was observed that the door to a stone/brick built
substation located just on the north bank of the Canal had been blown open when
the bridge was destroyed. This presented a great danger to any unsuspecting
person were they to venture inside. Hendrik Peters therefore negotiated with a
German officer who was overseeing the preparation of the new German defensive
positions to get the door closed. The
substation key was secured to a rock which was thrown over the Canal
(presumably taking sufficient care that it did not hit the officer!). The
officer duly shut and locked the door and threw the key back over the water.
Both men exchanged a ‘Guten Tag’ and continued with their own tasks, Mr Peters
and his volunteers returned to the Company office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The electricity
substation viewed from the north bank of the Canal with the rebuilt Bridge No.
1 on the right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Elements
of the 49<sup>th</sup> Division Recce Regiment entered the town shortly after
lunchtime. Initially two armoured vehicles parked up close to the St Theobaldus
Chapel at the junction of Koningin Elisabethlei and Steenweg op Oosthoven. Not
much further happened until about 15.30 hours when a vehicle moved up Koningin
Elisabethlei stopping very close to the Peters house and the power plant. Four
soldiers emerged from their Bren gun carrier, one of whom enquired where the
lavatory was (how very British one could say!). Shortly after incoming gunfire
from over the canal prompted the Fusiliers to order the gathered, curious
civilians back into their homes for their own safety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">With the
liberators deep inside the town and the Germans over the Canal, armed civilians
bearing the armband of the Belgian Resistance on Elisabethlei, but on turning
the gentle curve in the road, they found themselves in the line of fire from
the other side of the Canal and so were forced to divert down
Beirenmolenstraat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">As
evening fell, the weather turned for the worse and a heavy rain fell. At 7.30
two soldiers knocked on the door of the Peters household looking for
information and places for the men of ‘C’ Company 11<sup>th</sup> R.S.F. to bed
down. Six to eight men with their officer, Lieutenant Robert Galloway entered
the property. The men took advantage of the stove and sought to dry their
sodden battledress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
stove was a central feature of most households and in Belgium (as no doubt
almost everywhere else in Europe) wartime fuel shortages were a driving force for
innovation. This was the case in the Peters house where a tank had been welded
around the stove pipe that enabled the heat produced by the stove to utilised
in the most efficient way possible, from heating food through to plate warming.
On the night of 24<sup>th</sup> September, several Fusilers used this heated
metal surface for the purpose of drying out many soaked French bank notes!
After the war and on a return to Turnhout, LT Galloway spilled the beans. Fighting
in the Le Havre area has seen the destruction of a bank to the extent that the
safe was blown. Legitimately, these spoils (an estimated 4.5 million French
Francs) had been distributed amongst the troops who captured the town. Eventually,
the soldiers were able to send the money back to the UK where these sums of
French Francs were exchanged for sterling. One dried, troops and banknotes
alike, the soldiers left the kitchen of Hendrik Peters to bivouac with their
fellows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">On
Monday 25<sup>th</sup> September, with the town free of Germans, the
townspeople of Turnhout returned from further afield and started the process of
getting things back to a normal pre-war state. Ever keen to assist their
liberators, the workshops within the confines of the power plant in which they
were billeted, were put to good use and the Fusiliers and plant engineers
worked together to repair damaged radio antennae<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">As a
teenager with an interest in the equipment and trappings of a modern army
befriended one Frederick Gilby of ‘C’ Company who took it upon himself to
assist the student John in his English language tuition, starting with ‘It’s a
Long Way to Tipperary’! Frederick was perhaps more useful to young John when he
dragged him under safe cover when a German fired grenade narrowly missed the
workshop that they were in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In the
week commencing 24<sup>th</sup> September rumours of a German counter attack
caused some panic within the town. John’s family home on Koningin Elisabethlei
was once again potentially on the front line and the house was became a key
defensive position for the 11<sup>th</sup> R.S.F.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">John
recalls one character of the Company who went by the name of ‘Rusty Knob’, a
small chap, an experienced soldier, and maybe by virtue of his colouring one of
the original Scotsmen of the Battalion. He was positioned in an upstairs room
of the house next to John’s parent’s bedroom awaiting the anticipated German
counterattack. This soldier clearly made an impression upon John Peters,
firstly he recalls that Rusty kissed the last round that he placed in the
magazine of his Lee Enfield promising it for the first German to appear within
his range. Secondly, he recalls the same soldier stating that he had swum over
the Canal on a patrol, armed with a knife, in pursuit of ‘a couple of Germans
who had disturbed him’. The outcome of this particular patrol is not recorded.
However, on the basis of John’s account, far from being the ‘Nijmegen Home
Guard’, an opinion held by some of the Division’s role in Holland, Rusty’s
actions and attitude were indicative of a body of men that were tried, tested
and proven in battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The
anticipated counter attack failed to materialise and calm descended once again
on the town. The tension in the town subsided and some of the men of the
battalion could spend some off-duty hours in the company of the people of the
town, the young ladies in particular!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Word
reached the town that the Polish Armoured Division had successfully crossed the
Canal at Rijkevorsal and the German forces had fled for fear of being
surrounded. On Sunday 1<sup>st</sup> October the men of the 11<sup>th</sup>
R.S.F. packed up and cautious approached the Canal. Once across they fanned out
into the fields and disappeared from view heading in the direction of the Dutch
border. Behind then they left a grateful town and many memories that remain
vivid in the minds of the inhabitants even after the passage of more than
seventy years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">With John Peters in Turnhout<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt;">24<sup>th</sup> September 2016</span></div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-15194453126633372092016-12-29T04:16:00.000-08:002016-12-29T04:16:54.485-08:00Recollections of the Liberation of Turnhout (Part 1) June 2016<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Following on from my earlier
correspondence with Francis, I contacted the local museum in Turnhout to
enquire about the availability of an article entitled ‘In het spoor van de
IJsberen’ (‘Tracing the Polar Bears’) that was published in the local annual
journal Taxandria in 2008. An archivist from the museum duly responded and confirmed
my suspicions that the article, whilst available, is in Dutch (a language over
which I have no command whatsoever). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">However, the helpful archivist
also provided me with another contact within the town, a gentleman by the name
of Jacques Boone. I subsequently emailed Jacques with my now well-rehearsed
potted history of my Grandfather’s service, the website and book plans and
within a couple of hours I received the following reply:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dear
Mr Andrews,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Many
thanks for your interesting mail. Every information about the
11th Btn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, does interest me very much, indeed.
On 24th September 1944, as a 17 years
old boy, I was living in Turnhout and attended the liberation of the town,( I
kept it vivid in my memory, almost as if
it happened yesterday) by the 49th Reconnaissance Rgt of the 49th Polar Bear
Division, followed immediately by the 11
Btn, the R.S.F. and the 7th Btn, the Duke of Wellington’s Rgt. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">My
text on the liberation of Turnhout was published by “Forces War Records”in their
Magazine , issue 10, Special Edition , ‘Your Stories’, December 2015. Some
photographs of me were shot on 24th
September 1944 by a late cousin of mine, on the Turnhout Market square , while
I was fraternizing with the Recces.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A
friend of mine, Ken West, was a member
of the 11th RSF. Hereby some correspondence. I read his book “An’ it’s called a
Tam- o’- Shanter”, Ken’s war memoires.
I opened my contact to him with
my letter of 1st October 2007, I asked him if he knew the 11th RSF man
whose photograph I had taken in Normandy
in 2007. Ken did not; he actually
did not “liberate” Turnhout, on
24th September 1994 he was in an hospital in England, in treatment for severe
burn wounds he had gotten in action on
the Normandy front.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
am convinced that my friend John Peters (address provided) knows
English very well and I am almost
certain he could give you some interesting data . Tell him I gave
you his address.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With
kind regards,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Jacques
Boone<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Member
of the 49<sup>th</sup> (WR) Infantry Division Association.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Belgian teenagers and British
tank crew on a Humber Mk IV (Jacques Boone is standing third on the left, in a
long raincoat)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Turnhout 24<sup>th</sup>
September 1944.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">(photograph
taken by François Boone and reproduced with the kind permission of his widow Jacqueline
Boone)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I replied, thanking Jacques for the link to his article and the additional contact. I explained that Ken West was indeed a mutual acquaintance and sent on a photograph of Ken and I in Leicester in 2015. In addition, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Jacques bounced back with another prompt email:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Dear Adrian,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thank you for the nice photograph of you with Ken. The last time of our meeting was in 2014, in Normandy, in front of the Polar Bear monument at Fontenay-le-Pesnel. He was leading an important group of Normandy Veteran Association members. What a pity this association has been dissolved. We met several times in October at a memorial ceremony at Wuustwezel in Belgium next the PBA monument and also one time at Merksplas, at the monument of Cpl John HARPER, VC.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>My motto is: Remember ! Often, I attend ceremonies , last week to remember crashes of 3 RAF bomber command bombers, for a Manchester, a Halifax and a Stirling at the village of Kasterlee. I had again the pleasure of meeting there British and Canadian acquaintances to members of the crews. I had to make a speech in English at the Manchester monument.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Kind regards,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Jacques</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
With Jacques Boone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Turnhout 24th September 2016.</div>
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<br /></div>
Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-76948136414359589942016-12-29T04:10:00.000-08:002016-12-29T04:10:03.237-08:00The 11th R.S.F. move up to the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal 21st to 24th September 1944.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXyPTO3tryIL6_F6qukPlSgar4FDHu_Cc_XGBGrSHkAW5E07MZfGd2SK3PdjqL2lqq1x5yGGUj6W0mhwXtR5kvRjwdl_z25qib4lm8aTgRZpGAaRIhxxon6t9dPE7msw3dN8CfzPs5lo_/s1600/Thomas+Salmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXyPTO3tryIL6_F6qukPlSgar4FDHu_Cc_XGBGrSHkAW5E07MZfGd2SK3PdjqL2lqq1x5yGGUj6W0mhwXtR5kvRjwdl_z25qib4lm8aTgRZpGAaRIhxxon6t9dPE7msw3dN8CfzPs5lo_/s400/Thomas+Salmon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Lietenant Thomas Salmon of the 49<sup>th</sup>
Recce Regiment surrounded by the grateful townsfolk of Turnhout. This
photograph was taken shortly prior to his fateful journey up to the Canal.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">(photograph
taken by François Boone and reproduced with the kind permission of his widow Jacqueline
Boone)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">After three days in the Dieppe area, the Battalion started the move north early on the 21st September and crossed the border into Belgium at about 1600 hours. By 1800 they had reached the outskirts of the town of Tournai where they spent the night. The movement into Belgium continued the following day via Brussels, through Malle and onto Turnhout on the Antwerp – Turnhout Canal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The progression of the Battalion was unglamorous even by Army standards. Colonel William Douglas described the move in the following terms:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">‘I think it was about 10th September we moved into Belgium and it was a comic old move because we’d had to lend all our transport to other divisions in the Corps when we swung left to Le Harve because they were heading on as fast as they could towards Brussels and Antwerp and swinging right, keeping on the flank of the American advance and all our transport went on and we were either marching or travelling in the most awful collection of German junk, French civilian junk, these trucks that had gas tanks on the back, they worked on some kind of gas, frightful things, you were all rather embarrassed to be in these things. Anyway, there wasn’t a great deal of fighting going on so it didn’t greatly mater’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">At the time of this movement into Belgium, the men of the Battalion were cheered at the spectacle of hundreds of aircraft, many towing Horsa gliders, passing overhead as they flew north bound for Arnhem. This was of course the Market Garden armada and such was the scale of the operation, that soldiers reported that the skies above were full of aircraft for a full ten minutes or more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">146 and 147 Brigades of the 49th Division crossed the Albert Canal on the 22nd and 23rd September and the 11th R.S.F. moved up with the right hand column of the Divisional advance. The Battalion moved up towards Turnhout at approximately 1100 hours on the morning of the 24th, advancing from Herentals to Turnhout. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Based upon information contained in 147 Infantry Brigade Operational Instruction No. 19, issued at 0200 hours on the morning of the 24th, the Brigade were to anticipate resistance from the enemy in the environs of Turnhout. The following instruction was issued ‘147 Infantry Brigade will advance on 24th September with the object of capturing or investing the town of Turnhout’. In this endeavour, the Fusiliers were to take the lead. The task was to be achieved by the infantry with support from 756 Fd Coy R.E., a battery of 143 Fd Regt R.A., 160 Fd Amb (Casualty Clearing Post) and a Detachment of Provost (a Military Police unit assigned the responsibility of bringing order to the chaos of moving large volumes of men and armour). The 7th Duke of Wellington Regiment (DWR) of the 147th Brigade were ‘to be called forward when required’. The task of the 49th Division was stated in the following terms ’49 Div is to establish a bridgehead across the canal 24 Sep with 147 Bde RIGHT and 146 Bde LEFT’.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The first elements of the 49th Recce Division entered the centre of Turnhout on the afternoon 24th September with ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies of the 11th R.S.F. passing into the town in the late afternoon. Lietenant Thomas Salmon was the first liberator of Turnhout to fall. His sacrifice is commemorated close to the spot where he was fatally wounded on the immediate approach to the canal on the northern side of the town.</span></div>
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View of Antwerp-Turnhout Canal at Bridge No. 1close to the memorial to Lieutenant Thomas Salmon of 49th Division Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C (September 2016).</div>
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August 2016.</div>
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Memorial to Lieutenant Thomas Salmon, 49th Division Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. (August 2016).</div>
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The memorial reads:</div>
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‘IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF LIEUTENANT THOMAS WILLIAM SALMON</div>
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49TH DIVISION RECONNAISSANCE CORPS, R.A.C.</div>
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AND OF ALL OF OTHER “POLAR BEARS” OF THE 49TH (W.R.) INFANTRY DIVISION</div>
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DURING THE LIBERATION OF TURNHOUT.</div>
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HE WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED NEAR THIS SPOT</div>
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24TH SEPTEMBER 1944’</div>
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By 1845 hours, both companies were positioned on the southern bank of the canal, but no suitable crossing points were found, all bridges having been destroyed. Troop movements brought down accurate fire from the German defenders of the opposite bank. One 19 year old Fusilier,a Robert Marshall Pratt, was mortally wounded by mortar fire in these exchanges on 24th September. Fusilier Pratt lies in Geel Cemetery. Two further Fusiliers were also injured at this time.</div>
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One of the original wartime documents that I have in my possession is a postcard, written by my Grandfather to his wife, June, in the week of the fighting over the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
photograph features a photograph of the Grote Markt in which St. Peter’s Church
is visible. A visit to the same location in May 2015 showed the Square to be
little changed, although the building on the left, which then served as the
Town Hall is long gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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On the reverse of the postcard, my Grandfather describes how his unit passed through the town on Sunday morning [24th September], however, as already described this is an inaccuracy since ‘D’ Company did not arrive in the centre of Turnhout until the afternoon of the 24th. He goes on to briefly describe the reception that the Fusiliers received from the newly liberated townsfolk, and more tellingly of the perils of coming under shell-fire having secreted gifts of tomatoes and cigars inside one’s battledress!</div>
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‘We came through here on a Sunday morning, all the people turned out to greet us, giving us cigars tomatoes, which I stuffed in my Tunic Blouse, which I regretted later. The Germans holding the other side of the river held us up we had to dive for cover. I had a Blouse full of Tomatoes & Cigars you can imagine what a mess that made. Later met a woman from Manchester who married a Belgian.’</div>
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JIM XXX</div>
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In his account, Colonel Douglas describes how ‘D’ Company, having crossed the Canal came under fire from powerful 20 mm ack-ack guns.</div>
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‘24th September we hit the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal, a pretty hefty canal , about I suppose 50 yards wide with quite high, steep concrete banks. Our Battalions job was to do a diversionary attack so that the main attack could go in further down towards the sea. We attacked in the dark and got over at first light, knocked out the, erm, lock-keepers house where the Germans were and moved forward to the line of the road which I suppose was a couple of 100 yards in from the canal and there we waited because we’d been told that the Germans use this road, particularly for their transport, to communicate with one side of the low line and the other. And there we waited to get a suitable ambush. And unfortunately, the first thing that came along was one of, or a group of these 20mm ack-ack trucks which were very nasty weapons. They had four or six barrels on the open back of a truck and they fired very nasty 20mm shells which I suppose were about 10 inches long and a couple of inches across and they were exploding shells for firing at aircraft and if fired at human beings they didn’t do an awful lot of good. You know it took great chunks out of you and we unfortunately took this thing on, knocked a few of them off the back of the trucks with our first volley , but they were brave guys and they swung these things round and began to wreck the top of this bank that we were on. Several chaps got great pieces shot out of them and it didn’t do them any good at all. We then realised that the way to do it was to throw hand grenades at them and we started throwing mills grenades over, which they didn’t like a bit. So they gave us one last volley and set off, and hared down the road again. We hung on to this position then, waiting for the main attack to go in further down the canal, until by mid afternoon we were told we could pull back over the canal. The attack had gone through and our diversion had done what it was supposed to do. We had of course by this time dug quite a good position in the middle of a field with the correct spacings and with some roofs on it, an excellent position which we would have held very nicely. We got back over the canal onto the far bank when an enormous bombardment came down on the position that we had just vacated and the entire field disappeared in clouds of dust and flames and a great German attack came in supported by tanks on fresh air, we were awfully chuffed, we thought that was very funny and we pulled back then to a safe distance and let them have it’.</div>
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At midnight on the 24th the Hallams launched a diversionary attack from Beerse, which attracted much German fire. In this action, their ‘beachmaster’, Captain Douglas Bell, was killed and under such fire the Hallams were unable to launch any boats. The assault was halted. Later in the day, on 25th September, the 4th Lincolnshire Regiment were able to establish a small bridgehead, two kilometres further to the east, at Sluice 1 at the Sint Jozef-Rijkevorsal section of the canal. This action also resulted in the Lincolns taking ninety German prisoners. </div>
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Despite determined counterattacks over the following three days, it was the Rijkevorsal bridgehead that became the main crossing of the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal.</div>
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The main attack referred to in Colonel Douglas’s account was carried out by the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division who attempted a crossing further along the Canal in the area of Sint-Job-in-‘t-Goor. On 24th September Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal and The South Saskatchewan Regiment were to cross on the right and on the left respectively on the sector facing the village of Lochtenberg. Having established a bridgehead, the plan was, once over the Canal, to push on in a north westerly direction towards Camp de Brasschaet.</div>
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The assault commenced at 0700 hours and the Fusiliers managed to cross over the canal and make it to the cross-roads in Lochtenberg village before German machine gun fire halted the advance. To their left the South Saskatchewan fared less well as their attempts at a crossing were thwarted by effective sniper and machine gun fire, Later the plan was modified such that they tried a crossing further to the east in closer proximity to the Fusiliers. This second attempt commenced at 1300 hours and within an hour the crossing had been achieved. In the meantime however, the Fusiliers positions had been infiltrated by the Germans and at 1700 hours their positions were overrun and a heavy toll in terms of casualties was paid by the attackers. The bridgehead was too small to defend effectively and the Fusiliers were driven back over the canal and subsequently the South Saskatchewans withdrew to the south bank. The attempted crossing had resulted in a high casualty tally, especially amongst the ranks of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal.</div>
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Further Canadian efforts to effect a crossing also failed, despite air and artillery support. Subsequently the decision was taken to push the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division across the bridgehead established by the 49th Division at Rijkevorsal from 28th September. In doing so they also extended the extent of the bridgehead in a westerly direction.</div>
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The success of the crossings forced by the Polar Bear Regiments in comparison with the failure of the attempts made by the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division was, in the opinion of Francis Huijbrechts, Chairman of the Hoogstraten Heritage Association, was due to the more thorough reconnaissance carried out by the Polar Bears across the stretch of the canal from Sint-Lenaarts and the areas north east and east of Turnhout from which the latter and also the area in front of Rijkevorsal were considered to be the most favourable for a successful crossing.</div>
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The task of the first crossing of the canal in the area of Turnhout was given to the 7th DWR. They were to attempt the crossing just to the east of Blown Bridge No. 2 to the north west of the town. Planned to take place a 7.30 am on the 25th it was first postponed and then cancelled. The 26th September saw the 7th DWR transferred to the area of the Rijkevorsal bridgehead.</div>
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Later in the day on 25th, at 1500 hours, a daylight crossing was achieved by the 11th R.S.F. on the stretch of the canal to the north east of Turnhout in the area of Meirgoorhoeve a short distance from the town.</div>
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The line of advance, once over the canal, for the 11th R.S.F. was westward to the road and railway that ran northwards to Baarle- Nassau inside Holland. In the advance towards Baarle-Nassau, it was hoped that the 11th could roll-up the German defences to the north of Turnhout. However, the German opposition was effective and the Battalion was ordered to withdraw on the afternoon of the 26th September. In the advance at least seven Fusiliers were killed in action or subsequently died of their wounds. The men lie in the communal cemetery in Kwakkelstraat.</div>
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On the same day as the withdrawal Eykynforce was established. This was a short-lived, composite formation comprising the 11th Battalion R.S.F along with anti-tank units, Royal Engineers, machine gun and heavy mortar sections, as well a Carrier Platoon of the 7th DWR and ad-hoc units of the Belgian White Brigade (elements of the Belgian resistance). Such composite formations were formed out of necessity. Since the breakout from Normandy, the war on the ground had become highly mobile, meaning that units were required to defend and patrol very large areas. In the case of the Polar Bears, by 27th September, eight out of a possible nine Infantry Battalions of the 49th Division were active in the area surrounding the Rijkevorsel bridgehead, an area estimated to be around four to five kilometres in both width and depth. Further to the west, the 11th R.S.F. as part of Eykynforce held the sector on the canal to the north of Beerse all the way across to Arendonk.</div>
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In the weeks that followed, other composite formations were brought into existence such as Bobforce and Clarkeforce (which again included my Grandfather) when were allotted specific tasks for the brief period of their existence.</div>
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The Summary of Operations of the 11th Battalion describes that function of Eykynforce in terms of holding ‘the thin red line’ of this broad sector, meaning operating as a thinly spread military formation holding the line in the face of a determined opposition (the term ‘thin red line’ has its origins in just such a situation the the British Army found themselves in at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War).</div>
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On 2nd October the 11th R.S.F. were to be relieved by 146 Brigade. In the event, two Battalions arrived for the relief. After some degree of confusion, the Hallams completed the relief, the 11th Battalion returned to command under 147 Brigade and Eykynforce was disbanded.</div>
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The men of 146 Brigade were engaged elsewhere along the Divisional front. The 1/4th KOYLI attacked the village of Rijkevosel on the 24th September with the aim to widen the bridgehead.`A highly notable Polar Bear action in this period was the capture of the Depot de Mendicité. This was a formidable complex that was located between Rijkevosel and Merxplas. In peacetime, Depot de Mendicité functioned as a prison, workhouse and asylum. For his part in the action, Corporal John Harper was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. His remains lie in the Leopoldsburg cemetery and a memorial to his feat can be located in the area of the Depot de Mendicité where he fell.</div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-71873857849246007912016-07-23T05:18:00.000-07:002016-12-29T01:42:16.786-08:00Walcheren, Bevland Peninsula -15th May 2015My Grandfather did not drive the German Army out of Holland single handedly, oh no! Others were there too. As part of our field trip to visit Polar Bear positions we took the time to travel onto the Beveland Peninsula and specifically onto Walcheren Island at its western end.<br />
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It was here that Owen’s wife’s uncle, a gentleman by the name of Able Seaman George McAuliffe, participated in a commando landing in November 1944.<br />
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Whilst the city and port of Antwerp was retaken by the British 2nd Army in early September, Allied utilisation of the port was prevented by the presence of the German 15th Army on Walcheren and South Beveland. Their heavily fortified positions made the approach of shipping along the Scheldt Estuary impossible.<br />
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In early October, Montgomery ordered that priority should be given to the clearing of the Scheldt Estuary in order to render the port of Antwerp usable to Allied shipping since the strains of supply were ever mounting as the advance continued towards Germany. A coordinated plan of action, under the name ‘Operation Infatuate’ was drawn up.<br />
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The Operation consisted of two assault landings, one at Flushing in the south by No. 4 Commando and 155 Bridage of the 52nd (Lowland) Division (Operation Infatuate I) and the other at Westkapelle to the west by the 4th Special Service Brigade (Operation Infatuate II). At the same time, the Brigades of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division were to fight their way across the Walcheren causeway to gain access to the Island.<br />
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The dykes of Walcheren were deliberately breached by the RAF, thereby flooding the interior of the Island and forcing the defenders onto the dykes, which were heavily fortified. The units of 4th Special Service Brigade were to take control of the shoulders of the blown dyke at Westkapelle from where they would move to the north east and south east. To the south at Flushing, No.4 Commando and 155 Brigade would fight their way to the south west and north to connect with 4th Special Service Brigade and units of 2nd Canadian Division respectively.<br />
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Low-level vertical aerial photograph taken shortly after the daylight attack on the sea-wall of Walcheren Island, Holland, showing a breach in the wall at the most westerly tip of the island, caused by the extremely accurate bombing, being widened by the incoming high tide and inundating the village of Westkapelle (top right) © IWM (C 4668).<br />
<a href="http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205023407">http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205023407</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">George McAuliffe, landed at
Westkapelle, with Royal Naval Beach Commando L of the 4<sup>th</sup> Special
Service Brigade on 1<sup>st</sup> November. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Bitter fighting ensued over the
eight days of the operation with heavy casualties recorded among defenders and attackers alike. The toll of casualties was also high among the civilian population of Walcheren. On the morning of 8</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> November the Allies
took the surrender of some 40,000 German troops on the Island after which the
Royal Navy cleared the Scheldt Estuary of mines in order to make the port
accessible to Allied shipping by the end of November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Memorial
of commemoration of the Commando landings of 1<sup>st</sup> November 1944<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">George was
indeed a courageous man. Prior to the landing at Westkapelle he had been a
beachmaster on Juno. Now in his nineties, he lives in Australia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Travelling
across the peninsula I was struck how remote this area is. Vast expanses of the
North Sea provide the dominant view in each direction. On the Island, now given
over to holiday parks and outdoor pursuit centres, cars seemed to be greatly
outnumbered by bikes ridden by healthy, tanned Amazonian matriarchs leading
their healthy, tanned tribes over the polder. A stark contrast to we two travelers in all of the above mentioned attributes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Another
thing notable about Westkapelle in particular was the absence of war graves.
The local cemetery near to the lighthouse carried the familiar white bordered, green sign of a Commonwealth Wargrave Commission Military Cemetery, however our
search only revealed the headstones of civilian casualties of the fighting. A
cross check with the CWGC website shows that the graveyard in the town has the plot of one unknown
soldier. The cemetery at Flushing contains the remains of 200 Commonwealth
servicemen, but the vast majority of these are airmen. Where do the fallen of
the November ’44 fighting lie?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Detail from the monument commemorating the landing of No. 4 Commando on 1st November 1944</span></div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314301103929516069.post-40671729023568245222016-07-23T04:20:00.004-07:002016-07-23T04:20:40.090-07:00Rock ‘n’ Roll, Rememberance and All That Jazz in The Lowlands Breda, Holland - 15th May 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In what was becoming something of
an annual excursion Owen and I had planned another weekend on the continent
with both military history and music on the itinerary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Yet another old punk band was due
to play at the ‘Eurorock Festival’ in Neerpelt in Belgium. The timing could not
have been better since the ‘Fragmented Military History’ website had progressed
considerably such that I had left Normandy and the 59<sup>th</sup>
(Staffordshire) Division behind and was now immersed in the actions of the
Polar Bears in Belgium and Holland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The town of Breda was to be our
base for the next three days from where we would drive in each and every
direction in order to visit Turnhout, Wuustwezel, Roosendaal, Arnhem, Nijmegen,
Bemmel, Haalderen and Walcheran. A check on the mileometer upon arriving back
in London told us that we had clocked up no less than two thousand miles over
the three days, mostly in the Netherlands (no mean feat in a country so
small!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Whilst we were planning to see a punk band (Killing
Joke, were anyone to be remotely curious) our chosen base was this weekend
hosting the annual Breda Jazz Festival. Now I fully appreciate that when it
comes to musical taste it is definitely a case of ‘each to their own’. But
without a doubt both Owen and I side with Johnny Rotten over Johnny Dankworth!
So when a well-meaning waitress in the breakfast room on day two suggested that
we were here for the jazz we were a little put out! Casting an eye over the
finger poppin’ jazz aficionados of northern Europe that were at that time
sharing the restaurant, it was clear to the two of us at least that a wide gulf
existed between us and them. Nevertheless in a middle aged punk rock style we
corrected her and complimented the chef on the quality of his scrambled eggs.
How times have changed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Caught unawares in a lift finger
clicking and ‘extolling the joy of jazz!’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On our first venture out on our first full day of
touring was the town of Turnhout. Strangely enough this was not our first visit
to this town in the far north of Belgium. Back in April 2011 the two of us in
the company of another couple of fans had stayed in Turnhout in order to see The Stranglers play in the town. The band had
arranged a five day acoustic tour of Belgium and Holland of which we planned to
witness three, Turnhout, Zaandamn and Lessines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Now Turnhout is a small place, but locating our
apartment took over an hour. I am happy to say that the concert was very
enjoyable but after the show we headed out of town in the direction of the
band’s hotel with a view to grabbing a late beer with them. Within minutes of
us setting off, the band’s mini-bus speed past us and the ever truculent bass
player took the time to hurl some choice words of abuse at us as they passed
(it’s nothing personal, we were on the guest list after all!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 2011 I had no idea that this place had any significance
to my own family history. All I felt at the time was a sense of frustration as
we repeatedly failed to locate our apartment after several traverses of the
town. The realisation that my Grandfather was a liberator of the town was a few
years off!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Grote Markt in Turnhout on a damp and dreary May afternoon (top)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Grote Markt as seen on a postcard sent by my Grandfather from Turnhout in September 1944 (bottom)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Next up was Wuustwezel, another difficult place name
for linguistically challenged Britons such as ourselves. Having said that in
the spirit of our forebears who renamed Ypres as Wipers and Foucquevillers as Funkyvillers,
Wuustwezel was rechristened to a very anglicised ‘Worst Weasel’…. no offence
intended towards our Belgian neighbours, it just made navigation much easier!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Having reached the town as usual we made for the
cemetery and here were located the first 11<sup>th</sup> R.S.F. graves that I
had seen since the Fontenay-le-Pesnel cemetery the previous year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nine Polar Bears lie in the
churchyard of Wuustwezel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During the fighting to liberate Wuustwezel between
20<sup>th</sup> and 23<sup>rd</sup> October 1944, 108 British servicemen were
killed in action or died of wounds received. Of these men 98 wore the Polar
Bear insignia of the 49<sup>th</sup> (West Riding) Division.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The fallen are commemorated by a memorial erected to
their memory in Liberation Square, Wuustwezel. The monument carries the
following inscription that attests to their heroic deeds:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘In this area, the German counter-attacks of 21<sup>st</sup>
and 22<sup>nd</sup> October 1944 were halted by the 49<sup>th</sup> (West
Riding) Infantry Division. The people of Wuustwezel express gratitude to their
liberators’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">At the unveiling ceremony on 21</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> October
1984, the Burgomaster of Wuustwezel, Jos Ansoms said this of the monument and
what it represents, ‘It is a sober monument, sober and simple as the lads of
whom it reminds us. It is convincing and dignified like the British military
that are remembered. Constructed in a “V”, it represents victory but also
peace, freedom and friendship’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Wuustwezel memorial is now recognised as the
principal site of remembrance to the Polar Bears in Belgium. Whilst less
imposing than its cousin in Fontenay-le-Pesnel, its understated simplicity
makes it every bit as moving. The aforementioned sober simplicity of this
construction of brick and stone surmounted with a stylised French limestone
sculpture of a Polar Bear contrasts starkly with the Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft
gun that also occupies the site, a contribution of the Polar Bear Association
in 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Views of the <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wuustwezel memorial</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> to The Polar Bears</span></div>
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Musky03http://www.blogger.com/profile/14139009587198270829noreply@blogger.com0