5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards May 1940

Chas Bevan Junior · Jul 14, 2024

Sam Cantor said: ↑

Hello everyone! I'm related to Tosh Baker on my mother's side, and studying history at university. If anyone has any photos of him or could point me towards any information at all it would greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Sam
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. Sam I found this in my father’s mementos it is from your Grandmother I think as it mentions Tosh? Charles Bevan

Chas Bevan Junior · Sep 6, 2024

Quarterfinal said: ↑

Indeed.

I spoke with one of Suggit’s sons on Wednesday. He was astounded that any image of the destroyed carrier existed, with understandable mixed emotions.

He had his father’s photo of the three wargraves at the start of this thread, with the wreaths laid during his final visit, in late May 1991, during an annual DVA commemoration at De Panne.

View attachment 283877

There was no diary as such, but some records, herewith gisted.

Suggit and some other seconded members of the ERY had departed Southampton for Cherbourg/Libercourt on 5 December 1939, joining the ‘Skins’ on the 6th at Verlinghem.

Suggit carried a small camera that fitted into a cigarette packet and had taken quite a few photos in France. He lost the camera when captured, together with recently taken film. However, there was a photo of the B Sqn SNCOs at Turcoing in February 1940 annotated with some names on the reverse, presumably those with face to camera.

Sgt Jack Clayton - ? - Sgt Crighton - Sgt Workman - ? - WO3 Holt - ? - Sgt Charlie Bevan
(Includes George Chun, but not identified)

View attachment 283878

but seemingly none of the carrier or crew, unless its registration was RMV 45?

Afternote (2023): Regimental Secretary Captain Jim Boardman wrote to Suggit in December 1978, telling him that he had seen Jack Clayton (living in Colchester) and Charlie Bevan (living in Uttoxeter) and had passed them copies of the photo, which they remembered very well. They said George Chun had died some years previously, but the letter did not mark him out on the snap.

There were undated pages in an autograph album, one of SNCOs (presumed all B Sqn):

View attachment 283883
and one annotated by some of its junior ranks:

View attachment 283880

including both Arnold and Griffiths, but not a Carr.

There was a POW Post prestamped Air Mail folding letter, the equivalent of a ‘bluey,’ that had been sent to Suggit in Stalag 383 on 8 May 1944 from Maj AC Gibson at Welham Hall, Malton, Yorks. A lieutenant in 1940, he had been one of the B Sqn troop leaders. Gibson pens that he had been delighted to have been passed a letter that Suggit had written and which had initially been received by Colonel Scott, who had been OC B Sqn at that time.

Clearly correspondence was subject to stringent censorship (a few words were redacted) and mails destined for Germany presumably more so, but Gibson states: “.... it was most interesting to hear first hand of how you were taken.... we feared the worst for a long time until we heard that you were a p.ofw..... There is little that I can tell you so keep your pecker up and who knows it may not be long now.” Bowley is mentioned being a serjeant and also a ‘Vic’ . The letter looks forwards to a reunion.

There is a photo of Maj Creagh Gibson in ‘Tracks in Europe’ when OC C Sqn. Sadly, it also lists a Sgt W Bowley being a fatal casualty on 5 September 1944 (interred in Miero War Cemetery Vl C1.) I wonder if he had been the wireless operator in Suggit’s carrier?

Suggit penned his memoire between 1990-92 and focused on his PoW days because following the end of the Iron Curtain, the possibility had arisen of more easily visiting locations in East Germany and Poland. What began as a list of dates and places for an itinerary grew into a book, with much encouragement from former comrades. He died before he could make this trip, but had first revisited some of the locations from April-May 1940 - including the general area of his carrier’s destruction - when he took his widowed mother on a trip to Europe in 1950. However, his Memoire’s draft notes offered no additional details of events before being shot-up and captured.

There was some of the correspondence Suggit had had with Jim Boardman, including one about the copy of a letter he had come across and sent to the latter, as written home by a soldier on the eve of Waterloo in 1815, not that far from the events of 1940. That soldier (Heron, sometimes written Herron) was attributed to Capt Maddon’s troop and did not survive that battle.

There was also some correspondence from General Sir Cecil (Monkey) Blacker GCB OBE MC from 1972-4. A lieutenant and Adjutant in May 1940, one of Monkey Blacker’s responsibilities may have been compiling the Regiment’s War Diary for the CO. As his principal staff officer, he would also have been involved in the Regimental honours and awards process.

Monkey Blacker remembered Suggit and the reported engagement. As Adjutant General, he later attended a civic parade Suggit was involved with as a guest of honour. Afterwards, he had also met other former ERY/5DG veterans, including Sissons. However, whilst they doubtless reminisced in the Mayor’s Parlour, no snippets are available for offer here. Neither are there any from a later house call with Major General John Ward Harrison OBE MC DL near York, on Regimental Association business.

That said, the family did recall that General Blacker reminded Suggit about how he had gone searching round battle sites near Vimy in March 1940, to trawl for serviceable abandoned WW1 .303 ammunition for training, when stringent limitations had been placed on normal issued stocks at the time. He seemingly returned with a “truck full.” They also had sketches Suggit had made of the improvised B Sqn Guardroom of 27 Feb 1940, as sent to his mother.

For interest, a photo of Suggit taken just prior to an escape attempt is at:

Stalag 383

The associated postwar Stalag 383 journal ‘Barbed Wire’ may be seen at:

Stalag 383

with pieces on Suggit and other ‘gallopers’ on book pages 110, 111 et seq, which are at 56 on the above link).

There was also a copy of a now unclassified but one-time TOP SECRET M.I.9 MIS/Gen/MIS-X debrief Questionnaire completed on Suggit’s repatriation in late April 1945, as sourced from Kew. The pro forma and some associated items gave more detail to some of his experiences, plus a letter of thanks from another former escaper - and another which gave a rather curious, nuanced insight into how at least some staff in the War Office seemed to view other rank escapers.

Suggit’s last escape attempt was on 17 March 1944, a week before the Stalag Luft III mass breakout. It came to grief as he and an Australian dressed as German NCOs (again with civilian garb under their facsimile uniforms) exited the outer gates of Stalag 383 bound for the second nearest railway station.

They were very, very lucky to get away with 30 days solitary on bread and water. A German guard who let them through the inner gates also got two weeks confinement. Another, who had initially passed them through the outer gate, but then stopped them at riflepoint, was rewarded with two weeks leave.

Escape thereafter became more questionable. Risks, clearly, were reappraised after the Sagan killings became known. The Normandy landings had a bearing. In addition, reducing rations and malnutrition also affected scope, as did being placed on what amounted to be a special watch list by the ‘goons.’

Suggit would have received Gibson’s welcome but perhaps unexpected mail shortly after release from Clink. I wonder what he made of the ‘who knows it may not be long now’? He was eventually repatriated shortly before VE Day, after hunkering down when his camp was emptied and most prisoners marched off.
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Quarterfinal said: ↑

Hi Chas,

Welcome. Mentioned your joining to a friend who has since had a look to see if your Dad features on any more photos in addition to those posted earlier. Nil so far. Looking forward to your additions to the thread.
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Chas here can I ask a favour please? Is it possible to get a copy of the photo showing my father along with the other sergeants outside the building in Tourcoing please? I have just returned from a visit to Tourcoing and am trying to identify where this photo might have been taken? Thanks in advance

saintconor · Oct 3, 2024

I have a group photo of all WO’s, Staff-Serjeants and Serjeants taken in April 1934.

As an example I have attached a photo of “L/Sjt R Baker” who is possible the Reginald Baker mentioned in this thread.

If anyone would like a look up please let me know.

Conor

ww2ni · Oct 8, 2024

Chas Bevan Junior said: ↑

. Sam I found this in my father’s mementos it is from your Grandmother I think as it mentions Tosh? Charles Bevan
View attachment 387482
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