5683212 Pte Ernest James SAWTELL, 2nd Battalion Somerset Light Infantry: Italy 23/06/1944

Apologies in advance if this is posted in the incorrect place, Mods feel free to move where appropriate.

One more apology if this has been covered in depth before, i have used the search function but far too many entries to narrow it down.

I've stumbled onto this forum for the first time today, and am posting this in the hope of getting any shreds of evidence or breadcrumbs to help me piece together some history of my relative Ernest James Sawtell. If anything rings a bell for you, please link me to threads, webpages, documents etc that may support me. I would hugely appreciate it

PTE Ernest J. Sawtell served with 2 Battalion Somerset Light Infantry, he was awarded The Africa Star, and the Italy star (KIA somewhere near Lake Bolsena 23/24 June 1944) Initial records state he was buried at "SHC" 24/6/44 and later reburied at Bolsena War Cemetery on 24/4/45. We dont know where "SHC" refers to.

We are unsure of a lot details, however his service number 5683212 belongs to the Devonshire block, which i'm told is not uncommon as a mere administrative assignment and we can guess with some confidence he would of been with 2 SLI pretty early on (being from Congresbury)

I have applied for his service record from the MOD but have been advised this could take up to a year to process!

Any similar stories or info would be greatly appreciated, so that I can build a tentative story with high probability of where and what he might have been/done.

Many thanks,

JC


Mod edit
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1707436/ernest-james-sawtell/
PRIVATE ERNEST JAMES SAWTELL
Service Number: 5683212
Regiment & Unit: 2nd Bn. Somerset Light Infantry
Date of Death: 23 June 1944
Age 34 years old
Buried or commemorated at BOLSENA WAR CEMETERY
Grave Reference: I, C, 8.
Location: Italy
Additional Info: Son of John and Mabel Sawtell; husband of Greta May Sawtell, of Congresbury, Somerset.
Personal Inscription: HE IS GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. SWEET THOUGHTS ALWAYS LINGER WHERE HE IS LAID

 

JC,

Welcome aboard.

The GWGC Concentration Report shows his initial place of burial in June 1944 with a Map Reference Grid Number and his reburial in April 1945 at his current resting place. See: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/f...ls/1707436/ernest-james-sawtell/#&gid=2&pid=2

It would help your research to check for the deaths amongst 2nd SLI in April-May 1945, especially if they too are buried and later moved to the same cemetery.

By 1942 the army had a manpower shortage, especially for infantry, this got worse once the Italian campaign began and even more so after Normandy D-Day in June 1942. Accordingly individuals and sometimes whole units were transferred to other units (once this led to a mutiny).

An extract:

From: Somerset Light Infantry - Wikipedia

The 2nd was a 'regular' battalion, but I expect some soldiers were transferred out and replaced before 1944.

There is a clue as to when he moved regiments, as the 4th Devonshire were in Gibraltar alongside the 2nd SLI:

From: Devonshire Regiment - Wikipedia

If you search online with: "somerset light infantry" + "italy" site:ww2talk.com that will identify a number of threads for 2nd SLI. Plus, other units. Hopefully some clues are there, perhaps even what they were doing in June 1944.

The relevant 2nd SLI War Diaries (WD) from a 2011 post are:
WO 169/16329 2 Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) 1944 Jan., Feb.
WO 170/1479 2 Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) 1944 Mar.- Dec

Note a 2023 thread post states their WD are at the museum. Incredibly a late member posted the 1944 WD on: 2nd SLI 1944 I have not looked to see if they cover your date!

Their museum is @ Taunton: Somerset Military Museum

Some research tips via Pm next. Good luck.

 

Hi David,

Thank you very much for this, with such a small amount of information to start with its been a real challenge to dig up anything meaningful. Your point around the 4th Devonshire being in Gib alongside the 2nd SLI is a really good one! We weren't sure if the service number was just one of those western command recruitment administrative quirks on account of the rapid expansion of the British army at that time. We leant pretty heavily on him being SLI early on, but this gives some plausible evidence to the alternative pathway. Thanks!!

Recently, i've learnt with some certainty that he was likely KIA around Poggio del Papa on 24th June 1944. I managed to find some photos of war diaries and a map enlargement of Banami ridge showing entrenched german positions with MGs which described heavy fighting on that day.

2nd SLI 1944 For credit.

 

5683212

Army Number Block Allocations

Somerset Light Infantry 5662001 - 5718000

Devonshire Regiment 5608001 - 5662000

 

Casualty list state that he 'died of wounds', this could mean that the incident may well have happened earlier and that he possibly died in a hospital or first aid post etc. The concentration report on CWGC gives his initial burial as map reference A4559, this location is within the town of Orvieto and is here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PQXNLhDy4ZuB5PycA

 

See Pte Albert Henry Brooks (note number should be 5679499), it mentions a hospital.
Roll of Honour - Orvieto War Cemetery

What I can't tell you is why some were reburied at Bolsena and some at Orvieto, sure there is an explanation.

ps. May be worth correcting the surname in the post heading.

 

The regimental archive of the SLI is held by the South West Heritage Trust.
https://somerset-cat.swheritage.org.uk/guides/sli

I can also give some idea of when he joined the army from the tracer cards of soldiers allocated SLI numbers who also served in the Royal Artillery. NB: This does not imply that Ernest served in the RA at anytime.
5683059 joined army 19 March 1942
5683078 joined army 19 March 1942
5683212
5683217 joined army 15 May 1942
5683315 joined army 18 June 1942

One of the family trees posted on the ancestry website that he features on, has a post that says he is remembered on a war memorial at St Paul's Church, Cwmtillery & has a picture of a memorial. The same tree mentions that he was pictured in the South Wales Gazette 4th August 1944.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-t...llery?galleryPage=1&tab=gallery&sort=-created


Travers

 

Burials of men who fell on the Trasimene Line 20-30 June 1944

4 Division
Most of the battlefield casualties are in Assisi War Cemetery. The battles were fought along the hill ridge which separates Lake Trasimeno from Lake Chiusi. Assisi is not a battlefield cemetery - men were brought in from local cemeteries and temporary cemeteries associated with field dressing stations etc.

The wounded were taken to field hospitals/dressing stations along this ridge, mainly at Villastrada. The seriously wounded like Private Brooks and presumably Pte. Sawtell, were sent to hospital in Orvieto and then on to Bolsena War Cemetery. See Concentration form with map reference and part of Sheet 130 Orvieto.

78 Division
Most of the battlefield casualties are in Orvieto War Cemetery, which was a battlefield cemetery.
Most of the battles were fought along the road which skirts the western shore of the lake and in its immediate vicinity, though the opening battle was at Villastrada (36 Brigade) at the southern end of the ridge.

For battle details see my book The Trasimene Line:June-July 1944.

Vitellino

Edit to say that both cemetery websites are mine

 

In the third week of Jun 44, 4 BR Inf Div had been brought forward from reserve to strengthen the XIII (BR) Corps assault and it was deployed south of Vaiano with orders to take over from 36 Inf Bde on the left hand side of 78 BR Inf Div on 22-23 Jun 44. They were to pass through 36 Inf Bde and advance up the Vaiano-Gioiella road with 6 SA Armd Div on their left and 78 BR Inf Div on their right.

The main defence line incorporated the villages of Frattavecchia, Casamaggiore and Gioiella and extended to the northern shore of Lake Montepulciano. Forward of this main line were a series of well prepared outposts which, for 4 BR Inf Div, included Lopi and Vaiano. The whole German position had considerable depth, it was secure on both flanks with the Chuisi Ridge on their right and Lake Trasimeno on their left and was adequately dug in with large numbers of anti-tank weapons, mortars, artillery and nebelwefers. Three German Divs held the sector – Hermann Goering Pz Div facing 6 SA Armd Div, 1 Para Div facing 4 BR Inf Div and 334 Inf Div facing 78 BR Inf Div.

On 24 Jun 44, 4 BR Inf Div led off with 28 Inf Bde - which was made up of 2 SOM LI, 2 KINGS and 2/4 HAMPS. The Bde advanced along a main ridge, which formed the watershed between Lake Chuisi and Lake Trasimeno and carried a road running NW from Strada through Vaiano to Gioiella. This was 28 Inf Bde's axis of advance and they led the attack on Vaiano from where the Germans withdrew on 25 Jun 44. 28 Inf Bde then advanced two Bns up - 2/4 HAMPS on the left making for Gioiella and 2 SOM LI on the right making for Badia.

On 23 Jun 44, the day that Pte Sawtell is recorded as KIA, the 28 Inf Bde WD reported:

'2 SOM LI and 2/4 HAMPS patrolled by day to ascertain strength of German positions around Vaiano.'

He may have been killed on one of these patrols.

On 24 Jun 44, the 28 Inf Bde WD reported:

'In the morning, 2 SOM LI attacked east of Vaiano but were held up by several MG posts and a great deal of shelling and sniping. By 1300 hrs they had advanced as far as Pt 306. The intention of this attack was to facilitate the clearing of the Div axis - Vaiano-La Villa-Lopi-Gioella.'

If Pte Sawtell was killed on 24 Jun 44, then it would have been during this operation around Vaiano. Poggio del Papa is a hill feature 700m due north of Vaiano and conforms with 2 SOM LI later pushing on to Badia.

I have walked that ground and it is hard on the infantry.

Regards

Frank

 

2 SOM LI in May 44 would have put Pte Sawtell at the Fourth Battle of Cassino.

2 SOM LI had a very nasty time in the 28 Inf Bde crossing of the Rapido/Gar river on the night of 11-12 May 44.

Regards

Frank

 

I have walked it many times, Frank, especially when I was collecting testimiones for my book. I lived along it too, just to the east of Frattavecchia, hence my name Vitellino.

I concur with what you have said about difficult terrain - not only for the infantry but also for the tanks, in particular those of the 3 Rivers Regiment (Canadian). Apart from steep slopes they had to contend with high corn, vineyards, olive groves and isolated farm houses, many with a machine gun placed strategically on the kitchen table (kitchens were upstairs in these houses, the ground floor was reserved for the cattle). One of these, during the advance form Vaiano to La Villa (on the way to Gioella) on 26 June, was responsible for mowing down a platoon of infantry from 2/4 Hants who were subsequently buried in a neighbouring olive grove. before being taken to Assisi. Two photos attached,

Regarding the 2 Somersets, I have attached a photo I took during one of my battle field tours back in 2013 of the slope they had to confront in the assault on Vaiano. Banami, mentioned in their war diary was a farmhouse to the right of the photograph, that is, on the track leading from Vaiano down to the lake at Sanfatucchio, where 2 London Irish Rifles (78 Division) had been successful in breaking the line on the 21st -22nd June.

Regards,

Vitellino