Casualties of the Defence of Tenby

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Skoyen89, Oct 31, 2018.

  1. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Whilst going through the War Diary for 36th Independent Infantry Brigade I came across an account of an officer and three 'Other Ranks' killed on 13th February 1941 in a minefield on Tenby South Beach. The minefield was adjacent to Penally Ranges. One other was wounded (CSM R Paramour 6283799). They were with the 5 Buffs (Royal East Kent Regt) - one of three Battalions in the Brigade. They were killed by beach mines apparently after taking a short cut from the firing point of the range.

    They were:

    2Lt Sydney Dennis MELLING (124505) - buried Exeter

    Pte Ernest John Alfred WOOD (6289442 - buried Sheerness

    Pte Robert TIMPSON (6289175) - Timson on CWGC - buried Queenborough Kent

    Pte Gomer JAMES (6288893) - buried Glyncomwg (Cymmer) Cem'y Glamorgan

    Then on 28th June 1941 a civilian was killed in a minefield on the same beach!

    Interested in finding out more about the defences of Tenby - there seems to be nothing remaining
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

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  3. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Hi I have used that thesis. great piece of work but doesn't have much on Tenby area.
     
  4. ChrisR

    ChrisR Senior Member

    There was another minefield casualty at Tenby -
    Corporal James Lancaster of 16 Bomb Disposal Company Royal Engineers trod on a mine laid in 1940 at minefield No.50-51 at Tenby on 7 April 1943. (Unfortunately I do not have a map of minefield numbers in the area.)
    There were a number of other Royal Engineers BD personnel killed on minefields in Wales, (4 at Sully, 3 at Newgale, 2 at Aberavon, 1 at Newport, 1 at RAF Llanwrog, 1 at Pembry, 3 at minefield location not yet known to me), but the other one closest to Tenby was a few miles to the east at Marros Sands, where L/Sgt Albert Hemingway, also of 16 BD Coy, was killed on a minefield, (No57), on 15 March 1943.
    That minefield's location gets a mentioned on the net - 'Payetts Well and Hammers End farms are now abandoned, and their former fields reverting to scrub. Later, more anti-social land-use includes the sowing of mines near Payetts Well against the threat of sea-borne invasion during the Second World War.' See -
    Archaeology in Wales - Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Dyfed - Dyfed Archaeological Trust

    See also Tenby’s war-time defences
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2018
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  5. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

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  6. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Thanks Tim and Chris. I like the description of 'anti-social land use' in the archaeological summary for sowing minefields on the coast at time of great threat. I would have thought not defending the coast and waving the Nazis in was more 'anti-social'!
     
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  7. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Looked at the aerial photos for Tenby taken in 1946 at the RCAHMW in Aberystwyth but nothing of the defences, apart from the battery at St Catherine's Fort is showing. Pretty frustrating.
     
  8. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

    Tenby_01.jpg

    Tenby_02.jpg
     
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