24 Field Company , Royal Engineers

Hi,

I'm looking for information on the involvement of 24 Field Company , Royal Engineers during Operation Aintree the Battle for Overloon and Venray during October 1944 , if anyone can help it would be very much appreciated,

Regards

Paul

 

With Respect.....Hi I took part in the battle for Overloon and Venraij. But 24 Field Company RE? have you got the number right??? I know of no 24 Fld Co RE, at, or in operation Aintree. ?

that does not mean that they were not there. In battle the meetings are very rare so that you can be alongside another company, and never know who they were.
My company was 246 Field company. RE. if that is of any help at all. The Engineer companies involved in Aintree, were all of third British infantry divs Sappers they were 17th... 246... and 253....plus the 15th Field park company RE (supplies) No others took part as far as I know????
I do have a great deal of knowledge about this operation, for shortly after, my war ended from those places. If I can be of any further help please get in touch via these pages, or by a PM. We lost a lot of men at Overloon and Venraij. plus the mines like the dragons teeth, put one in the ground and they multiply a thousand fold
Sapper

 

Hi Brian,

My wifes Uncle was killed on 17/10/1944 whilst serving with 24 Company and is buried in Venray due to the date and the area i was was working on the assumption that probably he was killed during Op Aintree but as you say i could find no mention in any orbats of 3 Div etc mentioning the Company.

I have recently been in the area and have visited the Overloon museaum also , my Uncle was also involved in the Battles here with 4th Coldstream Guards.

If you can shed any light on this company Brian and what exactly they were involve din at that time it would be of great help,

all the best

Paul

 

A strange one as there doesn't seem to be a 24th Field Company in the RE WW2 orbat :-

http://www.orbat.com/site/uk_orbats/files/6/RE%20World%20War%20II.pdf

There was however a 24th Airfield Construction Company. Could he have been listed with them and serving with a field company at the time ?

Is it this chap ?

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2054383/JACKSON,%20GEORGE

 

The main armour was 11th armoured div. I don't think there ever was a 24th field company RE. Time is possibly at fault here? memory? I hope I am not wrong. But this one escapes me completely. though lets be honest, the fog and smoke of war can be a very disconcerting thing, There may be your own brother near by and you would never know... Sadly with the knowledge I have in this case I cannot help. But I would be very interested to find this company, for if they were there, they would be fellow Sappers.

 

It's a little odd but using Geoff's search engine, I've found a number of casualties in NW Europe attributed to 24 Field Coy. RE Excuse the crude cut / paste. Were these men with 24 Field Company or 24 Bridging Platoon and CWGC have slipped up ?


COLDHAM WJ 229365 24 FIELD COY 25/10/1944 ROYAL ENGINEERS

CRIDLAND GC 14567136 24 FIELD COY 23/11/1944 ROYAL ENGINEERS

FAGAN H 2069557 24 FIELD COY 25/03/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

GALLIFORD RE 1878400 24 FIELD COY 24/03/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

JACKSON G 1873958 24 FIELD COY 17/10/1944 ROYAL ENGINEERS

LEWIS G 2122845 24 FIELD COY 25/12/1944 ROYAL ENGINEERS

LOWE F 121085 24 FIELD COY 25/03/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

MERRIMAN FJB 1868881 24 FIELD COY 25/03/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

SNELLING KH 1949906 24 FIELD COY 25/03/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

STEPHENSON R 1949850 24 FIELD COY 07/09/1944 ROYAL ENGINEERS

WARDLE A 1941539 24 FIELD COY 24/03/1945 - - 25/03/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

 

Hi gents,

Thanks for the help the 24 Coy comes from the CWCG and Rich you are correct that is him George Jackson , i don't have any other info on his unit but do have a photo where he appears to be wearing the Africa Star ribbon,

cheers

Paul

 

very odd one this . There can be nothing worse than denying those that gave their olives for their land. I wish I could help more, but according to everything I have, 24 was not mentioned anywhere.That makes it even worse for the casualties of the company .That prompts the question.., What ever is going on that there are such conflicting info? But my best wishes in your search.

 

That is interesting. As you say Owen there's a 24 Company RE listed in both Italy and NW Europe for the period 1944-46.

On my next visit to Kew, I'll take a look at WO 171/1521, 24 Company, RE war diary for October 1944.

Lee

 

24 Company RE war diaries for NW Europe:

*** ARCRE WAR DIARY SEARCH RESULTS ***

WO 171/1521, 24 Coy. (1944 Jan.-Dec.)
WO 171/5434, 24 Coy. (1945 Jan.- Dec.)
WO 171/9352, 24 Coy. (1946 Jan.- June)

(Downloaded from ARCRE War Diary Search Engine: http://www.arcre.com/wdsearch - 2013-12-29 08:17 GMT)

Note: There's also a 24 Bomb Disposal Company RE in NW Europe

 

24 Company RE war diaries for Italy:

*** ARCRE WAR DIARY SEARCH RESULTS ***

WO 170/1612, Companies: 24 Coy. (1944 Jan., May - Dec.)
WO 170/5159, Companies: 24 Coy. (1945 Jan.- Dec.)
WO 170/8075, Companies: 24 Coy (1946 Jan.- June)

(Downloaded from ARCRE War Diary Search Engine: http://www.arcre.com/wdsearch - 2013-12-29 08:25 GMT)

 

Looking through the casualties listed under "24 Field Coy" in CWGC, all are buried in North West Europe, mostly Holland or Germany.

 

So two 24 Coy , one operating in Italy and one on NW Europe at the same time but with all the casualties listed in Holland and Germany , very odd !!

 

May not be related but there was in the 1970 - 80s a 24 Squadron based in Chatham at Kitchener Barracks.
Not to be confused with the RSME across the road at Brompton Barracks.

 

I've enjoyed this thread well done Owen and Lee.

 

Yes thanks guys Owen and Lee for your replies and Lee i'd very much appreciate it if you could look at the War Diary

 

Some new information on George is that he had been stationed in Malta for most of the seige there before coming back to fight in Holland.

Whether he was with 24 Field Company in Malta or not i don't know.