E V HEMMINGS - 2nd OBLI (Airborne)

[Paul Johnson]

Edward Victor HEMMINGS
14804334
Private
2nd Battalion, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry (Airborne)
Killed on the 1st May 1945 aged 18

Edward was the son of Albert & Bertha Hemmings of 29 Whitesmead Road, Stevenage. On the 20th July 1944 he joined the army and was initially in the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment but later transferred to the 2nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, part of the Airborne forces. It was not until February 1945 that Edward was posted overseas with the Battalion and was involved in the allied advance into Germany.

On the day of his death the Unit War Diary records that the Battalion was located in the area around Norstorf in Germany and spent most of the day rounding up Prisoners Of War from the farms and woods in the locality. There appears to be no official record of Edward’s death and, initially, it appears that the circumstances were unknown. Unofficial reports, however, claim that whilst examining captured enemy arms he accidentally shot himself with a Luger pistol. He is buried in the British War Cemetery in Berlin. (10.J.7)

Can anyone shed on light on this story, or verify that it is true?

PAUL JOHNSON