I have both these units present in North Africa in April 1941, but when did they arrive? And when did they leave please?
Not sure if these are the same units, but hope it helps (found in a pdf of all Royals Engineers units in ww2): 551st Army Tps Coy RE Active by Sep 1940 when nominated for overseas service. Arrived in N Africa ca. Dec 1940. In Egypt by Jan 1941 (under Cairo Base Sub-Area by end of month). As corps unit destroyed installations in retreat to Egyptian frontier. With Tobruk Fortress Apr –Nov 1941. With Eighth Army at Gazala May 1942, and again in Feb 1943. Served in Italy 1943-45. Disbanded Sep 1945+. 552nd Army Tps Coy RE Active by Sep 1940 when nominated for overseas service. As corps unit destroyed installations in retreat to Egyptian frontier. With Eighth Army Troops for Operation CRUSADER Nov 1941. Served in N Africa 1942-43. (Helped repair Tripoli port Jan 1943 under Eighth Army.) No other details on service.
My father was in the 552 Army Troops company from 1st December 1944 to 31st Jan 1945. I had a research company scan the records at Kew for me. They show nothing ! It's as though they weren't in a war at all. Just routine work. From his personal war diaries, there is the same routine but for dates covering any operations, eg Arnhem, he made no entries. That ties in with all the big operations from Joe's Bridge right through to Berlin. He once told me he went to Arnhem "but arrived a few days after ". That would be with XXX corps, as he was the MTO for that operation. His driver was killed, again no record in the monthly return. All very odd. His boss was Colonel Heseltine , but I cannot find anything about him either. When in Antwerp, two of the companies batmen/drivers were killed in a V1 attack. He helped pull them out the rubble of a café, again , no record of casualties in the monthly return ! He had spent all of 1943 in the UK at various training camps (BTRE) training for water crossings and bridging work,aswell as mine clearance and demolition and heavy plant work. From his diaries, he was at all the major canal/river crossings, Son, Vegel, Grave, Wesel etc, but again, nothing in the unit diaries. I have to wonder if there were two different types of diary ? War time records seem very difficult to track down ! Was in 4th L of C RE from August '44 to 1st December for those wondering............ Regards, Terry.
Hello Terry was the below the Colonel Heseltine Colonel Rupert Dibdm HESELTINE (7939), late Corps of Royal Engineers Colonel (temporary) ' https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38405/supplement/5038/data.pdf Also from Geoffs search engine(have a look at the search engine its very good) 001 BALDOCK R 1879606 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 17/04/1941 ROYAL ENGINEERS 002 BROWN JM 125631 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 10/06/1941 ROYAL ENGINEERS 003 BUNKER SG 2616775 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 18/10/1943 ROYAL ENGINEERS 004 CRUMPLER AWS 153552 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 28/06/1942 ROYAL ENGINEERS 005 DANCE D 1905832 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 05/10/1940 ROYAL ENGINEERS 006 DOCHERTY W 3237163 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 30/01/1940 ROYAL ENGINEERS 007 DUNCAN FM 4538995 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 10/06/1941 ROYAL ENGINEERS 008 GRADY A 2110612 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 21/01/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS 009 HAMPSHIRE G 2113696 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 21/01/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS 010 MACDONALD D 1893395 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 08/04/1941 ROYAL ENGINEERS 011 PAXTON DFE 1870233 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 22/06/1942 ROYAL ENGINEERS 012 ROCK LW 1882673 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 08/10/1940 ROYAL ENGINEERS 013 SEATH SL 2120958 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 10/05/1942 ROYAL ENGINEERS 014 SEDDON HL 1922058 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 08/10/1940 ROYAL ENGINEERS 015 SMITH JA 2000642 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 02/07/1941 ROYAL ENGINEERS 016 THOMPSON VS 1906794 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 02/07/1941 ROYAL ENGINEERS 017 WRIGHT A 2067801 552 ARMY TROOPS COY 17/10/1943 ROYAL ENGINEERS regards Clive
Clive, that's amazing !. I find the various records too complex and difficult, there's so much of it. Grady and Hampshire were the two driver/batmen killed in the V1 hit in Antwerp.My fathers' diary states the rescues were lead by the "Civil defence people", I assume that may be the NFS overseas column. Interesting to see details of Colonel Heseltine, there is little about him in the diary except a comment he was a "bit of a stickler for the rules". It's a mystery as to why the two drivers were not listed in the monthly return , signed by Col Heseltine. Thanks for the post, most interesting. Regards, Terry.
Hi, I posted a group photo I have that includes Lt Col Heseltine here :- http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/re-officers-1943-photograph.54467/ He was the father of the politician Michael Heseltine. Pete
Interesting photo, so well staged to become symmetric. Army "bull***t " in action ! Maybe it was directed by LtCol Heseltine himself,who does look somewhat austere. It's possible he was also in the first war and not wishing to be there ? Thanks Pete, good to see the face of "the boss". Regards, Terry.
