Pte Baker

[Dannemois]

Pte Baker.

I am researching a soldier, namely Pte Baker, who originally enlisted in the South Staffs Regiment. I have a photograph of him in uniform which clearly shows a 'South Staffs' shoulder cloth badge. There is a story within the family that he was the only soldier to survive an attack by the Germans who killed all other soldiers of his group. Pte Baker escaped with the help of a Dutch farmer and joined another regiment. His record card at CWGC shows that to be the DLI.

CWGC
Surname: Baker
Initials: B.W.G. [Bertie William George]
Rank: Private
Reg: Durham Light Infantry [9th Bn]
Date of Death: 04/04/1945
Serv No: 14767330
Cemetery: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery [55. B. 13]

Bertie Baker was born in Pucklechurch and is remembered with honour on the Pucklechurch Memorial.

I would appreciate any advice and help given to enable me to learn of this soldier.

Regards
Roy

[dbf]

Roy,
Has anyone applied for his records?

See here:
Service records

If you are not Next of kin, you will need to get consent from whomever it is to apply, or the NOK could apply themselves. Bit of a wait, but worth it according to those who have done so successfully.

War diaries, available at Kew but not online, is also another possiblility for finding out what his unit was doing around the time of his death. Unlikely to mention him though, as ORs are rarely named.

Good luck with research,
Diane

[Paul Reed]

I have the DLI history and will post some scans for you when I am back in the UK next week.

[Dannemois]

Originally Posted by Paul Reed

I have the DLI history and will post some scans for you when I am back in the UK next week.

Thanks Paul, it would be much appreciated. Roy

[Owen]

I imagine he'd orginally been in 59th Div and transferred to 9 DLI , 50 Div,when 59 Div was broken up.
59th (Staffordshire) Division in WWII

Lots of DLI books on here.
DLI Books


Here are DLI casualties for same day.

001 BAKER, BWG 14767330 04/04/1945
002 COX, JR 14629348 04/04/1945
003 DICKSON, D 3133797 04/04/1945
004 HALL, E 3602590 04/04/1945
005 HOPKINSON, J 4686682 04/04/1945
006 REAY, FJ 331906 04/04/1945

EDIT: 9 DLI joined 7th Armd Div when 50 Div sent home.

[Dannemois]

Hi Diane
I have been in touch with the records centre. The thing is I am researching this soldier for his daughter and although the NOK they want £30 research fee and she is not prepared to pay it. So, I am left with trying to find what I can for her.
Roy

[Peter Clare]

Originally Posted by Dannemois

Hi Diane
I have been in touch with the records centre. The thing is I am researching this soldier for his daughter and although the NOK they want £30 research fee and she is not prepared to pay it. So, I am left with trying to find what I can for her.
Roy

Not prepared to pay £30? - not very interested then.

[dbf]

Originally Posted by Dannemois

Hi Diane
I have been in touch with the records centre. The thing is I am researching this soldier for his daughter and although the NOK they want £30 research fee and she is not prepared to pay it. So, I am left with trying to find what I can for her.
Roy

Roy,
I'm afraid that's the way it works here.

I got copies of WWII records for a distant relative of my husband's from Australian N.A. All for the minimal cost of digitisation. Had someone else applied to do the same before me, I could have downloaded them from their site ... for nothing.

However, I personally would be prepared to pay double the amount to get some of my relatives records. One of them actually has no NOK in the strictest sense...

I realise that this may be a stance on principle, but as far as research goes, nothing else comes close to these records.

d

[Owen]

Day he died they were fighting on the Ibbenburen Ridge.

>> Battles 1945

while 9th DLI and the Inniskilling's pushed through and along the main road to Ibbenburen.



The DLI and Inniskilling's found the going much harder, as the advanced on Ibbenburen, losing a lot of men to snipers, before withdrawing for a while. The Devonshire's were relieved by 7/9th Royal Scots of 155th Brigade, 52nd Division. On the 4th the Inniskilling's were held up by bogs and farmhouse defences, but 'C' Squadron and the DLI attacked factories outside Ibbenburen. Fighting went on all day, with more tank commanders being shot by snipers. 1/5th Queen's and 8th Hussars put in a flank attack north east of the town, losing a number of men in the process. The fanatical resistance continued, with some of the enemy remaining in the blazing ruins until they were burnt to death. The DLI took 30 prisoners and killed many more, in what were described at one time as scenes from Wagnerian battles, as the flames lit up the night sky.

the battalion joined 131st Lorried Infantry Brigade at the end of November 1944 to replace one of the two Queens Battalions that were disbanded. It then fought with the division until the end of the war. It took part in the victory parade in Berlin with 'B' company forming an Honour Guard that was inspected by General Montgomery.

>> Infantry Regiments Page

[Peter Clare]

Originally Posted by dbf

However, I personally would be prepared to pay double the amount to get some of my relatives records. One of them actually has no NOK in the strictest sense...

I realise that this may be a stance on principle, but as far as research goes, nothing else comes close to these records.

d

Precisely the point I was trying to make. When it comes to researching an individual the service record is invaluable and should, if possible, be the first document to obtain. There are many people out there who research for nothing, quite a few on this forum, and I for one don't think £30 is an extortionate amount to pay for a service record.