14420223 Gerald Henry MOSS, 22nd Indep. Coy Parachute Regiment: 10/2/1945

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by Onno van meurs, Sep 11, 2020.

  1. Kmharrison

    Kmharrison New Member

    Ps. I’m not sure of the date of injury and recuperation with the Dutch hosts but can only assume this was some time before the fatal injury.
    Anyone, would be delighted to hear what progress was made with your inquires and thanks to the user who shared the diary which records his death. yours, etc...
     
  2. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Hi.
    Thanks for adding your info. I’ll have to re-check but I thought he died on the same day as being wounded? Unless he was wounded before the fatal day?
    Alex
     
    BrianHall1963 likes this.
  3. Hallo mr mrs? Harrison
    Do you perhaps have a photo of gerald. I know for sure that ka7en would be a very happy person.
    if you could find additional info about his first injury place and or period I could try to find the People but I presume that ka7en would me more than happy to assist you
    Yours
    Onno van Meurs
     
  4. Kmharrison

    Kmharrison New Member

    Thanks Alex and Onno for such prompt replies,
    My mother has a picture, I’m sure. I’ll ask her to dig it out. Who is ka7en and does she have a personal interest in the story, too? I’d love to compare notes.
    Let me ask the family Re the initial injury and get back to you.
    And yes it’s Mrs Harrison.
    Thanks both!
    K H
     
  5. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Read back through this post to see who Karen is. She said her dad/grandad was best friends with Mr Moss.
     
  6. Kmharrison

    Kmharrison New Member

    Ah thank you.
     
  7. Dear mrs Harrison
    There is a dutch facebook page , the venray war cemetery (a lot of info is in English) and there was a request in English,for information about private moss. I put the info I had about him on this forum and got a reaction from Alex. That reaction was posted to her and I told her what we found . Than she wanted to know how I did it because she by her self coudn!t find Anything. I told her about this forum and I presume she became a member
     
  8. Anne Mansey

    Anne Mansey Member

    I am Gerald Henry Moss’s niece and have enjoyed reading your posts regarding my uncle. The family called him Gerry and he was the beloved brother of my father Francis Brian Moss (he passed away 7 years ago). The story we have about Gerry’s death is that he was shot and then cared for by a Dutch family who nursed him for a few days before he died. As I understand it, they initially buried him until his body was moved to Venray war cemetery. The Moss family were very grateful to the Dutch family who looked after him and Gerry’s eldest brother (Stan Moss) often visited the family in the Netherlands. I no longer have any information about the family but feel a debt of gratitude towards them. I took my father to visit Gerry’s grave in 2009 and that was the first (and only time) I saw my father cry. It was so reassuring to see how well his grave, and those of the other soldiers, was looked after.
    By the time he was 22 years old he had completed 50 parachute landings into enemy territory and was in the Guinness book of records for the fastest landing and reasssemble.
    Actually he was only 22 years old when he died, his age is recorded incorrectly as his 23rd birthday was 23rd March 1945. My own son was born on 23rd March and he is called Gerald but of course we call him Gerry!
     
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  9. Anne Mansey

    Anne Mansey Member

    Only just realised that my daughter ( Kate Harrison) posted on Sunday.
     
  10. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Hi.
    Thanks for adding to this post. I’m trying to figure out if he was wounded, then fatally wounded at a later date. If you read the war diary entry for his unit it sounds like he was wounded and died soon after. Not to say there aren’t mistakes in official documents! Where did the info about the Dutch family come from if you don’t mind me asking?
    I’m familiar with the area where this all took place so can hopefully help finding them again.

    Alex.
     
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  11. Anne Mansey

    Anne Mansey Member

    Hi Alex, he was wounded and then died from that wound later. During the time from his bullet wound and his death he was taken in by a Dutch family. He died with them from the bullet wound. From what I understand (from my father, Brian, and Uncle Stan) the unit had had a successful mission but then he was shot in the back on his way back.
    It sounds like it could be members of your family looked after uncle Gerry-if this is the case, I am so grateful ( even though I never met him) because my dad loved his brother so much. Let me know what you discover. Regards Anne
     
  12. Hi Alex
    When reading the field report... he died when we carried him back,..... further it would not be logical if he was taken care by a dutch family because there was a fieldpost at the local school at Maasbree and also arround that time the hospital of Venray ,thats where i work ,was available and aprox 25 km of Maasbree. By the way behind the hospital is the cemetery where his final resting place is, what now is the parkingplace of the new hospital thats the exact location wherein ww2 the hospital was. Now you know why the cemetery is on this location The soldiers Who died in the hospital.........
     
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  13. Anne Mansey

    Anne Mansey Member

    Ok Onno but this is certainly not what my uncle Stan has told the family and, if it was true, why would he have visited the Dutch family during his life? My uncle always stressed what a brave family they were and I wish I had their name, my younger sister has a lot of correspondence from this time so I will research further.
     
    BrianHall1963 likes this.
  14. Did you read the fieldreport at the beginning of this topic. From that it would suggest that he was wounded at an earlier stage. If so we can try to find the location and if I know the location.. than its easy. I live in the aeria
     
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  15. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Onno van meurs Anne Mansey
    Perhaps the buildings used by his unit back from the river outposts were occupied by local civilians, maybe they tended to him whilst transport was organised to take him to the field
    Hospital? Then perhaps he died on the way as described.
    You’ll find in war diaries only short lines noting incidents. So although I’m surmising somewhat is isnt impossible how I described it.

    Alex.
     
  16. Hi Anne
    I saw your reaction that Gerald birthday was 23th of march.
    Do you have any records of that.
    The common weatlh wargrave commision would like to know that and if there are official documents about that they would correct that failure at ones.
    Tomorrow I allready planned a visit to the cemetery at my lunchbreak, ill put some flowers on his grave.
    We, here in Holland, also know what rememberance day is
     
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  17. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    The river bank at Hout Blerick is plenty far away from the field hospital at Maasbree, especially when you’ve been shot! My hunch is he was tended to by members of his unit and locals as they prepared him for full evacuation. Hopefully the letters between the family and locals with surface.
     
  18. Correct.. but the west bank off the river was free off germans.so than it would not be dangerous for the dutch familie anymore. On the other hand and you will have the answer I guess... when and where did they arrive in holland and what was their route to the Venlo region
     
  19. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Free of Germans but still in Artillery range. Most movements carried out in the dark as too dangerous otherwise. People could move about better from the “Napoleons Road“ being further west.
    The 6th Airborne Division got to Baarlo area 20th January 1945 give or take a day. They left exactly a month later. They arrived in Panningen before being sent to their river bank locations. They covered the line from Hout Blerick all the way down to Roermond.
     
  20. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    If you find Venlo on google earth/maps you’ll just see West (left) of the river a place called Hout Blerick. That’s the area that Mr Moss’ unit was and where he was wounded. I’ll check the grid references when I get the chance and narrow down the location as best I can.
    Alex.
     
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