Steve, Were there any 24th lancers who were wounded in Normandy but returned to England and who sadly died of there injuries? I was asked by the guy who runs the fallenheroesofnormandy he asked so he could add them to his memorial site? Regards Shaun Just thought I could check in NHL they maybe in the roll of honour but not on his site
Shaun Only Tpr Arthur Constable falls into that category. He is buried in Bridlington and is commemorated on the Bridlington War Memorial. There are other 24L buried in the UK but they were casualties during training etc prior to Normandy. A total, I think of four. I've visited their graves over the years and taken photos. Steve
Lieutenant Evan Roland (Tommy) Thomas (Ex 24th Lancer - A squadron) KIA 20/11/1944 - whilst serving with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards: Casualty Details See also: 24th Lancers Regimental Nominal Roll and Postings August 1944 He is also mentioned on p159 of NHL assisting, on 26/6/1944 a wounded friend (24th Lancer Lieutenant John Money) to a field hospital. The 24th L Wardiary has: 7/3/44 - 2/Lts J.I.Money and E.R.Thomas joined the Regiment from RAC, OCTU.
Nb... Karl has recently posted (19th November 2016) some pictures of graves / memorials including of these ex24th Lancers (i.e. those quoted above that subsequently joined the SRY) here: The Sherwood Rangers in NW Europe 1944/45 | Facebook
Another picture of an ex-24th Lancer... (in case people recognise the face in their own or others pics ) John Cropper (on the cover of the book "Dad's War" by John and Andy Cropper). Albeit John Cropper was a late joiner to the 24th L - an early reinforcement, I think in the Normandy campaign. I occasionally see copies of this book up for sale - at varying prices - I bought mine (not for sale - a good copy - but now quite well read ) about a year ago though for £19.95. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dads-War-Andy-Cropper/dp/0952422204 Dad's War by Cropper, Andy and John Cropper: Anmas Publications, Thurlstone, Devon 9780952422204 Card Covers, Limited Edition. - C P Books Limited The IWM apparently has a copy that perhaps might be browsed/read on request? Not sure what they "allow": albeit with a slight typo there on the listing - so hopefully it's not stored in the midst of their Victoriana. Dad's war [a tank commander in Europe, 1844-45 with the XXIV Lancers and Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry] Dad's war [a tank commander in Europe, 1844-45 with the XXIV Lancers and Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry] (LBY 01 / 1442)
Another image of an ex-24th Lancer I found through "google trawling" here: BBC - WW2 People's War - Steve Whitbread - Home Guard to Tankman 1940 - 1946 Steve Whitbread Along with quite a bit of bio on the old BBC people's war site. Including some refs. to the Normandy landing and i.e. this bit "took a trip to Normandy and together we visited Gold Beach, Bayeux and Villers Bocage where Dad had encounterd fierce fighting in 1944 and had skirmishes with the dreaded German Tiger Tank." I had a look at the regimental nominal roll: 24th Lancers Regimental Nominal Roll and Postings August 1944 And there is an A/Sgt Whitbread VS. : (Xiv) att 270 FDS Which seems to fit with the bio at the BBC site, and his comment "and after a short stay with a holding unit I joined the 2nd Fife & Forfar Yeomanry." albeit the initial "V" in the type on the Roll seems to suggest he went perhaps by his second name "S" for "Steve" presumably, in preference to the initial "V" there. Doesn't have a mention in NHL. Which often mentions which squadron people were in. (I don't know if he is in any of your lists SDP?) Rm.
Rob Army number: 14231113 L/Cpl V S Whitbread Trade: Driver/Operator in HQ Squadron As you have him as a A/Sgt, he must have been promoted in Normandy.
Thanks SDP, The BBC site: BBC - WW2 People's War - Steve Whitbread - Home Guard to Tankman 1940 - 1946 ...has: "During the period of training for the D-Day landings, I was promoted from L/Cpl to Cpl and whilst at Milford-on-Sea to L/Sgt. I was promoted to Troop Sergeant in Normandy on 21st June 1944 and granted War Substantive Rank of Sergeant on 18th December 1944." The War Diary for the 24th L has: 18/6/44 The Regiment remained at Hervieu throughout the day resting and maintaining the vehicles. The day was uneventful. ‘C’ Sqns defensive position at Parc de Bois Londe, was relieved by a Sqn of the SRY in the early morning. Hervieu 18-24/6/44 These days were spent by the Regiment in preparing for a set piece attack on the Tessel Wood feature in support of 146 Inf. Bde. The attack had been planned to go in on 19th June, but was postponed daily until it was finally put in. The Regiment took the opportunity during this necessarily uneasy period to rest the men and maintain the tanks as much as possible. In the meantime, Officers devoted continual study to air photographs and defensive overlays applicable to the attack. So it looks like he was promoted to Troop Sergeant during the "uneasy period" of rest, i.e. during preparation for Tessel Wood / Rauray etc.
Re. Captain Jack Saggers and Cpl Jack Worsfold who parachuted into Yugoslavia and perhaps? Trp Donald Barrett who was killed in action in Greece while working with the partisans (p195 of NHL) Casualty Details KIA 10/09/1944 - 24th Lancers attd. Raiding Support Regiment. I'm never quite sure why some days "google" out performs... and delivers up all kinds of unexpected goodies - must be proximity to Xmas or some such however I recently stumbled across this: BBC - WW2 People's War - Mission to Jugoslavia "Contributed by ddnormandy People in story: Leonard Bolden Location of story: Bridlington Background to story: Army Article ID: A4027231 Contributed on: 08 May 2005 BRIDLINGTON 1943 - Special mission to Yugoslavia Radio operators and officers, from both 23rd Hussars and 24th Lancers, were asked to volunteer for a special duty. I was among the four radio operators who volunteered from the Lancers. Together with others from the Hussars we were taken to a parachute battalion barracks in Oxford. Here we were given full details of the operation to parachute into Yugoslavia to assist the resistance partisans - but then they realised they had forgotten to test us radio operators for our proficiency in morse!. We were taken to a tent and seated at a long table with morse keys in front of each person. A sergeant then told us he would give us a ‘warm up’ and sent a message at a reasonable speed which we all managed to get. Then an officer came in and the sergeant saluted and said “I’ve given them a warm-up and they were all OK”. The officer took his place at the morse key and sent a message at such a speed that I, for one, couldn't even get the first few letters, let alone any of the words. However, two of our Lancer friends did take the message perfectly correctly and one of them was such a 'natural' that he didn’t write each word as it came but waited and wrote a sentence at a time!. Therefore out of our group of half a dozen or so there were only two who were capable of doing the job!. After saying our goodbyes and good luck to them they went off to join other men who had been accepted from other regiments. It now dawned on the officers of the unit that here was a group of men who had all been completely briefed on the complete operation but were not now taking part. There was only one solution we would all have to sign the official secrets act and then be confined to the camp until the operation had been mounted. For some seven or eight days we hung around the camp enjoying the excellent food and reveling in the comfort of having bed sheets at night. During that time we heard that one of our friends had been killed doing a practice jump and an officer from the 23rd hussars (Captain Stephenson) was killed on the flight over. Then we were given a forty-eight hour leave pass, and travel warrants to re-join our units in Bridlington. When we arrived back at our unit we rejoined our squadrons and settled down to normal work. Then, some three weeks later at breakfast our intelligence officer came over to my table and, after getting the friends I was sitting with to move to another table, he said "I've got some news for you about the Lancers who were accepted for that special job you went for in Oxford. A report has come through from a liason officer with the Yugoslav partisans that, as they landed, our men were shot by communist resistance fighters to get their equipment". Standing up to go he added “Don't forget, there are still some of our people out there so don't let on what we've been talking about will you?". Len Bolden" Edit: Captain "Jack" Saggers is briefly mentioned here... https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe...-escape-story-never-told-20180314-p4z4e4.html
Re. (J=John) Bruce Millar (ex-24th Lancer) Casualty Details I recently (only just) noticed the black and white picture here... Book by Dutch author remembers heroism of Dereham soldier during the second world war Which I guess, perhaps, potentially, was him? And associated thread: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/dutch-author-remembers-dereham-soldier.36510/#post-444400 With... Also on the postings here (with first name beginning with J (John) ): 24th Lancers Regimental Nominal Roll and Postings August 1944
Re. Lieut A.C.Hawkins (nicknamed "Jack") Print reversed by Ramiles posted Jan 25, 2016 at 2:05 PM There are one or two mentions of "Jack" Hawkins in None Had Lances (The Story of the 24th Lancers) albeit not much, it does however say that A.C.Hawkins chaired the 24th L reunions after the death of Brigadier Anderson, from 1973. Lieut A.C.Hawkins was my grandfather's troop leader (i.e. he "Jack" was the tank commander of the 1st troop of "C" squadron, whilst my grandfather was the tank commander of the 2nd tank of the 1st troop of "C" squadron). Gd. "nicknamed" him though as "the Hawk" Gd. mentions that Lieut A.C.Hawkins was wounded in the arm, fairly early in the Normandy campaign I think and... 24th Lancers Regimental Nominal Roll and Postings August 1944 Has him then being transferred, when the 24th L were disbanded at the start of August 1944, into the 4/7 RDG. Where he became the Second-in-command of their "A" Squadron.... Ref: p188 https://www.amazon.com/First-Last-Regimental-Narratives-Unofficial/dp/B000P1MYEE "The first and the last : the story of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, 1939-1945 Further information compiled from the regimental war diary, squadron diaries, personal narratives, and the unofficial "Actions of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards in France" by Major J.D.P. Stirling, illustrated with maps drawn by Trooper S. Oxley."
Re. Trooper Len Eades - There's quite a bit (of varied info.) about his time with the 24th Lancers at: BBC - WW2 People's War - How I learnt to drive - anything His wounding in Normandy though: "Five days after the landing, I remember lying in small hole which I had dug to shelter in when I was hit in the foot with shrapnel. Although I was not seriously wounded, I was sent back to England." I think means he was not on the nominal roll at: 24th Lancers Regimental Nominal Roll and Postings August 1944
Cpt I Kerr 26/6/44 aged 26 Tpr R Quinn 17/6/44 aged 23 Tpr J W Brown 12/6/44 aged 21 Tpr J Simpson 8/6/44 aged 29 LCpl T W Mintoft 12/6/44 aged 36 Tpr G C Dean 26/6/44 aged 19 Cpl W C Armstrong 13/7/44 aged 35
Tpr T H Rowland 25/6/44 aged 20 Tpr J F Stevenson 25/6/44 aged 25 Cpl H J Turvey 26/6/44 aged 24 Tpr F G Wagstaff 8/6/44 aged 30 L/Sjt G A Taylor 8/6/44 aged 24 Cpl A P Packman 9/8/44. Aged 30 Cpt A H Poole 7/6/44 aged 34
Tpr E R Newnham 10/6/44 aged 22 Tpr H P Compton 10/6/44 aged 20 Tpr G A Giles 12/6/44 aged 20 Cpl F J E Kirby 12/6/44 aged 36 Tpr P Lee 12/6/44 aged 28 Tpr C A Brindley 9-10/6/44 aged 32 Sjt F J W Fielder 11/6/44 aged 37
Cpl W J Gillman 1944 Tpr L G Attwood 1944 Tpr L G Derbyshire 1944 Tpr S P Hearnh 1944 Tpr W Heath 1944 Tpr W C H Mant 1944 Tpr T S Turner 1944 Tpr N Vetter 1944 Tpr R F West 1944 Tpr A C M Wager 1944
Tpr J W Brown 12/6/44 aged 21 Tpr N Robinson 12/6/44 aged 27 Tpr R J Stephens 12/6/44 aged 34 Sjt S Norton 17/6/44 aged 32 Tpr C W Bullock 11/9/44 aged 35
all the above photographs of the 24th lancers headstones were taken by me during a visit in June 2015 and June 2017 the resolution have been reduced so I could post it to the forum. If anyone ever wants a higher resolution copy please feel free to contact me via this forum and I will email the original to you.
Shaun Thank you most sincerely for posting the images of the headstones. A very fitting tribute to those brave men who gave their tomorrows for our todays. We will remember them.