Arthur would have been my uncle, he was killed at Ficcule cemetery on 15th June 1944 and is buried at Orvieto War Cemetary. My mum told me about him when I was a kid and I remember reading a book about the yeomanry when I was a teenager that had some pictures taken at the time, I can't find anything on the net about the book (maybe Yeoman, Yeoman?) but there is mention of the action on the BBC website with "Mac" mentioned by name. I would like to find out more if I can pending a visit next year to Orvieto, I think he belonged to 1st Troop, B Squadron Warwickshire Yeomanry, part of 9th Armoured and along with Mac, the troop commander Lt Willoughby Harvey and Trooper Henry Boynton died in their tank. What German unit opposed them? Any further information regarding vehicle, serial number etc would be gratefully received. I'm only sorry I didn't take more interest when I was younger......... Dave
Cant help specifically with Warwicks Yeo but looking in books on 78th Div & Wilts Yeomanry I'd say they were up against 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division I'd try & get someone to copy the war diary for you. .WO 170/838 Warwickshire Yeomanry1944 Apr.- Nov.
Hi Dave and welcome to the forum. Idler may have the regimental history to add some meat on the bones for you. Failing that I'm at the National Archives for 3 days next week and can copy the diary for you if you want. Just click the red link below or PM me for further details. Cheers Andy
The book is indeed Yeoman, Yeoman. I have a copy but not readily to hand. Can check it if you need further references.
Thanks Phil, I had a feeling it would be. My memory is that it had some pictures of the knocked out Sherman's and the German AT gun. I would really like to get copies so is it possible to see if there is an acknowledgement on the pics? Does anyone know if the B Squadron tanks were named?
Hi Dave, ive been researching my great uncle who was with the Warwickshire Yeomanry and died 18th June 1944 - also buried at Orvieto. Im actually flying out to Orvieto this weekend for the first time. Most of my research was done at the Warwickshire Yeomanry museum in Warwick. Philip is extremely helpful and has an abundance of information - including photos taken throughout 1939-45 that have been handed to the museum by relatives or the soldiers themselves. It is worth contacting them. Lee
Hi there my Dad Dave Snell (B squadron) must have been with Arthur in that same conflict. Dad was clearly a close friend of Arthur's and was devastated by his loss. Years on Dad achieved his ambition in going back to Orvieto cemetry in 1991 to remember his lost friends and he often talked abouit what a great bloke 'middy' was. I too would love to know more about the scirmishes at Orvieto - Dad only talked briefly about this but they saw some awful sights of what the Germans did to Italians that fraternised with the allies and he never ever forgot what he saw. I too plan to visit Orvieto next year.
Re naming of tanks = I always understood the tanks had the silver New Zealand fern leaf on the side and also Dad was in at least 3 different tanks called 'Maine' after the USA state. I have Dad's medals including Africa and Italy star and would love to know the dates and details of his wartime history. I know they went abroad on boat called Largs Bay but this boat went on at least 3 convoys again so the date of Dad's departure with B squadron eludes me.
Given that Warwicks Yeo have Ficulle, San Fatucchio and Trasimene Line as battle honours, I think that they were supporting the advance of 78 Infantry Division in June and July 1944 as they pushed north from Rome to Orvieto, around the western side of Lake Trasimeno and on up to Arezzo before heading down the River Arno to Florence. Busy time. I was guiding in that part of Italy in early Oct. Fascinating. FdeP
Hello Naal, There weren't any skirmishes at Orvieto itself - it was an 'open city' due to the efforts of the Bishop who negotiated this status with Major Richard Heseltine, 3rd Hussars, and the German commander whose name I don't remember. (Try 'googling' Major Heseltine and the story should come up.) The nearest fighting got to the town of Orvieto was at Bagnoregio (6 South African Armoured Division) and Ficulle - British 78 Division, who were following Route 71 to the Trasimene Line. What throws a lot of people regarding Orvieto is that CWGC state in their blurb that the cemetery was a 78 Division battlefield cemetery whereas in fact most of the casualties came from the Trasimene Line (20 -30 June). You might be interested in the Friends of Orvieto War Cemetery website orvietowarcemetery.weebly.com . I am a founder- member of this group. We hold a Remembrance Day ceremony in the cemetery every year. Regards Vitellino
Thank you for the information - plan is to visit next year so any information much appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Naal, hopefully a forum member with a subscription to the newspapers can print this is full for you, but I found Arthur mentioned in the Warwick & Warwickshire Advertiser on 11 Oct 1940 under the title More Warwick Men Serving With The Forces "...defences and has seen plenty action in air raids in the Yeomanry. Before being called into the Regulars, Private Arthur Midwinter, of 51 Beauchamp Road, Warwick served for three years in the Warwickshire Yeomanry and was an officer's batman for a time. He is still with the Yeomanry and has been stationed in Palestine since Christmas. Few letters have been received from him so far, but he is enjoying Army life. Private Midwinter was educated at All Saints School Warwick and was keen on sport, particularly football and swimming. He played for All Saints football team and plays for an army team. At swimming he obtained his certificate ? his six brothers and sisters. Private Midwinter worked at the Emscote Foundry from the time he left school until he was called up at the outbreak of war. Three of his brothers have registered, but have not been called up since they are engaged on work of national importance. His father served all through the last war in Salonika, first with the Royal......"
This post about Arthur Midwinter was started over two years ago and ‘Coors54’ (Dave) hasn’t been around since then. I have sent a message to him to let him know that the post is still active. In addition to the newspaper article in the previous post there are the following:- THE COVENTRY STANDARD, SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 1944 “YEOMANRY AT FOOTBALL A MATCH IN THE MIDDLE EAST A former member of the Editorial staff of “The Coventry Standard,” now in the Middle East, sends the following account of a recent football match he witnessed:- Warwickshire men in the Forces stationed in the Cairo area of Egypt recently met at the Alamein Sports Ground – Egypt’s “thank offering” to British Troops for their liberation of North Africa from the Nazis – to watch a Warwickshire Yeomanry association football team play a friendly match with a Corps of Military Police team. The Bear and Ragged staff – insignia of the Yeomanry displayed on a black beret – was a welcome sight for those Coventry and county men who, belonging to other arms of the Forces than the Yeomanry, have been exiled from everything of local significance for longer than they care to remember. The Yeomanry team was not entirely representative of the county, but Trooper Arthur Midwinter, of Emscote (Warwick) as right-back, Trooper A. Whitehouse, of West Bromwich, as left-half, and Lance Corporal Kenneth Williams, of Biggin Hall Crescent, Coventry, as inside-left (a former G.E.C. employee), gave a performance which amply upheld the sporting reputation of this area. The remainder of the team consisted of non-county men. The weather was ideal for football; warm sunshine, a quiet, cool breeze, and a soft (but not wet) pitch, giving the exiled spectator the feeling he was in England in late April – provided (of course) he did not look above eye-level to the minarets and domes of Cairo, clustered along the banks of the Nile. The teams were well matched and the game ended in a draw of one goal each – Warwickshire’s goal being earned by a Military Policeman putting the ball into his own net during a scuffle in the goalmouth.” FROM WARWICK AND WARWICKSHIRE ADVERTISER, FRIDAY, JULY 7, 1944 “ROLL OF HONOUR Trooper Arthur (“Mac”) Midwinter, whose home address is 51, Beauchamp Road, Warwick, is reported as having been killed in action on June 15th. An old member of the Warwickshire Yeomanry and a well-known local footballer and golfer, Trooper Midwinter served in the Army for 4 ½ years. He was an old boy of All Saint’s School, and later was employed at Emscote Foundry.”
Hi Naal, I had quite forgotten I had started this thread but it's wonderful to see it spring back to life and with so much new information, especially finding someone that knew Mac. Never before heard him called Middy, in the family it was always Mac but we all get different nicknames outside the family, some unprintable! I don't have any pictures that Mac took, they disappeared elsewhere in a very large family but if your Dad had any and Mac is in them I would happily pay for copies. I didn't make it to Orvieto last year, we finished up in Sicily but I hope to do something soon, let me know if your trip comes off. Thanks also to Tony and Amberdog for the snippets from the local papers, I had no idea these were available and I am now subscribing, it's a wonderful glimpse into the everyday from so long ago. The mention of my Grandad Walter serving in Salonika was interesting, I had it in mind he was on the Western Front, must get researching again. My thanks again to you all, this is going to send me down new paths. Regards Dave
Re pics I have some of my Dad Dave Snell with his mates but I have no idea if Arthur Midwinter 'Middy' was with him? I do know the surviving lads went back to Orvieto cemetry to say a 'goodbye' before they moved on further North. As I said I do know that my Dad Dave thought a lot of Middy and that final goodbye must have been a sad affair for all. At breakout of war - Dad was working at a barber shop on the left up the Rock in Warwick and literally put his clippers down mid haircut and went to sign up. Dad (Dave) did talk about Palestine and being on leave in Cairo and watching films out in the open and throwing empty beer bottles at the canvas movie screens which on hitting fell and smashed on the floor. I believe he made Corporal for a time but was busted down when he did time in the glass house (complete with sand hill as per the Sean Connery film) in North Africa for thumping someone with what Dad described as a perfect upper cut as this major so and so was bawling him out and as he did so was spitting in his face. Dad saw many terrible things in Itally including a whole family from Grandparents down to kids of 7 or 8 strung up across a farm driveway and passing hundreds of Canadian dead in the aftermath of Monte Cassino. The German tactics on the tight mountain ledge roads were to knock out the 1st and last tank to form a turkey shoot of the ones trapped inbetween - due to this it became the norm to draw lots to see who was leading tank for the day and it may be that Middy's tank was leading that fateful day. Dad did describe one Sherman being split straight down the middle like it had been peeled open but I think that tank may have passed over a 500lb bomb which the Germans left upturned in the roads as they retreated knowing the next to pass would be an allied vehicle. On his return to the UK Dad had a German 'Got Mit Uns' belt which he actually used for a while but as he spent time as volunteer part time guide at the Warwicks museum I think he may have ended up donating it as on his passing in 2000 on Xmas Day (his 79th birthday!!) I never did find it. Other mates of Dad's were Hancock (Bugler) and Doug Chamberlain and there were others I got to know but I just cant recall their names right now. Another name I recall is Bill Newstead who was a bit older than Dad and who was described as a bit of a father like figure. Any further info from both local newspaper or wartime activity and interest in what I'm writing purely from memory conversations with Dad is most welcome and my trip to Orvieto is in planning for Spring next year.
