British Field Graves of the men who were Buried close to where they fell in 1940

Discussion in '1940' started by morrisc8, Jan 30, 2016.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    What does it say on the back of the photograph?
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I was in Lille Southern Cemetery around 18 months ago.
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Thanks guys for the input its good to know they are not forgotten.
    Keith
     
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  4. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    One more came in the post today, would the germans just fill in the trench with the kia in them or did they have a team who would dig them out and put them in a marked grave.
    Photo taken near Douai.
    Keith british kia trench 1940.jpg
     
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  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    That's some photo. If I had to guess I'd suspect the Germans would use either British POWs or local civilians to move the bodies to a burial location or local cemetery.
     
  6. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    One more that came in the post. Grave has a photo of a wife? on the ground and bren gun stand in background with kit.
    Keith.
    bef graves with photo.kb.jpg bef graves with photo close up of photo..jpg
     
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  7. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    This one was on ebay. bren carrier bef 1940 photo.jpg bren carrier bef 1940 kia.jpg
     
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  8. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

  9. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    This is definitely a 'France & Flanders' image.

    Carrier T5754 is a Nuffield Scout Mk1. The markings are unusual (The '1' on a dark circle is not one that I've seen before).

    I suspect that our casualty is Frederick Smith, buried at Calais.

    2316047 Signalman Frederick Smith
    Date of Death 26/05/1940
    Age: 34
    Royal Corps of Signals - 5 Searchlight Bde. Sigs
    Casualty Details
     
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  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Keith-I know you've already sent me May's quota of images but can I post this image on my FB page as well please?
     
  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Signalman Frederick Smith :poppy:
    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I wonder if June and Colin are still alive.
     
  13. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Name: Frederick Smith
    Age: 34
    Birth Date: abt 1906
    Death Date: 26 May 1940
    Cemetery: Calais Southern Cemetery Fr 181
    Burial Country: France
    Regimental Number: 2316047
    Region or Memorial: France
    Other Records:

    UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
    Name: Frederick Smith
    Given Initials: F
    Rank: Signalman
    Death Date: 26 May 1940
    Number: 2316047
    Birth Place: London N
    Residence: London (not otherwise specified)
    Regiment at Enlistment: Royal Corps of Signals
    Branch at Enlistment: Royal Corps of Signals
    Theatre of War: France and Belgium Campaign, 1939/40
    Regiment at Death: Royal Corps of Signals
    Branch at Death: Royal Corps of Signals

    Re his children June & Colin
    June Kathleen Smith
    1935–1983
    BIRTH 29 JUNE 1935 • Southgate
    DEATH 4 DECEMBER 1983 • Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England

    Colin Frederick Smith
    1938–2010
    BIRTH APRIL 1938 • Barnet, Hertfordshire, England
    DEATH APRIL 2010 • Barnet, Hertfordshire, England

    Seems at the moment that June had one child from her second marriage to a Mr Jervis. I could (if the info is there) find out more ??

    TD
     
  14. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    It looks to me that the carrier has had some parts of it taken off, as a box is keeping it of the ground so as to remove the parts.
     
  15. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Casualty List No. 269 Dated 31 July 1940
    Expeditionary Forces / France / Missing
    Royal Corps of Signals
    2316047 Smith Sigmn F / 5 S.L. Bde. Sigs / Date Not Reported

    Casualty List No. 609 Dated 5 September 1941
    Expeditionary Forces / France / Killed in action
    Royal Corps of Signals
    2316047 Smith Sigmn F / 5 S.L. Bde. Sigs / 26.5.40
    (Previously shown on Casualty List No. 269 as Missing)

    Also appeared in the March 1941 ‘List of Missing’ circulated to POW camps.
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    The grave is sandy but there has been some plant re-growth so the photo presumably dates from the end of the summer. It could have been that the crew were trying to repair track and bogie or it could be that the Germans had robbed it to make another captured example mobile in the months after the fall of France.
     
  17. skimmod

    skimmod Senior Member

    I talked to an 90 year old farmer near Ypres and he said that they stole the road wheels off abandoned carriers for farm carts and machinery! he even showed me a wheelbarrow in the barn that had a carrier wheel on it!
    perhaps this is what happened here?
     
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  18. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    I would think that any booty looters if accused would have found punitive measures by the Germans...booty disposals would be only authorised by occupying power only after the equipment had been cleared as having no use by the Third Reich.Equipment declared to have no value to the Wehrmacht would no doubt be declared as scrap,as appropriate, for recycling.

    The Germans were quick to recover suitable armour and MT that was recoverable for their own use.It is recorded that the invasion of Russia included captured enemy gear which were proved to have the disadvantage of running out of spares when serving in battlefield situations.... Czech.. Polish... British and French et al equipment supplemented the German equipment.

    History records that the Wehrmacht went to war depending a great deal on horsedrawn transport so it was fortunate that for the Russian campaign the Germans could take advantage of captured booty.Later horsedrawn transport was a feature of the Normandy campaign.

    Postwar German generals were quick to criticise Keitel (nicknamed by them as Lakai...the Lackey) who they blamed for the inadequate MT provision of the Wehrmacht.
     
  19. jetson

    jetson Junior Member

    Read an article by an ex Wehrmacht officer some years ago where he said they took a Morris Commercial truck "weapons carrier" as he termed it and captured at Dunkirk to Russia on Operation Barbarossa; he said it never let them down!
     
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  20. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    hi,

    2 pictures taken in September 1940 in Dieppe area

    best regards
     

    Attached Files:

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