6th Bn. Gordon Highlanders 1944

Hello, this is my first posting to the forum.
An old friend has asked me if I could find out more about his father who was killed in action in Italy in November 1944. He never met his father, and wishes that I could find a photo of him, maybe with his army unit.
I’m trying to trace his movements during 1943-1944.
I can post copy of four documents which is all we have at this time.
The information, to me anyway, is a bit confusing so I’ve come on this forum for help.
Pte Malcolm Paton 14642989
I can see he enlisted for the TA 01/07/1943, Gordon Highlanders.
ID form says he was in UK until 27/03/1944.
ID form says North Africa 28/03/1944 – 07/11/1944 (but he must have got to Italy, see below)
Statement of Services says he has a record of absenteeism !!
He was killed in action in Italy 07/11/1944, his unit was 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders.
He is buried in Faenza Cemetery, Italy (near Bologna).

So my first question is: what were the dates/movements of the 6th Bn, Gordon Highlanders from 28/03/1944 – 07/11/1944?

John Wright

 

Documents

 

Here is s start.

On 28 Mar 44, 6 GORDONS were at Anzio. They had landed there on 22 Jan 44.

There is a book on the Battalion by a chap called Edward Grace.

Frank

 

Thank you to Andy for pm about the war diaries. And thank you Frank. Looking at the ID sheet (above) for the soldier, I think it says 'Home' until 28/03/44 (?) so I have assumed he was still in Britain until then. From then it says he was in North Africa, but we know was killed in north Italy, so I'm confused about that. I see there are copies of the book on Abebooks for about £12 and even less on ebay, so I think I'll go for the book, it'll maybe explain things.

 

His service sheet says 'Absent of embarkation' 02/02/44, presumably he eventually boarded a ship before it set sail, maybe he was leaving Britain, or leaving North Africa, or in Italy by then?

 

Edward Grace was a young Platoon Commander at the time.

Frank

 

Hello John

Try not to get too worried about what it says on one of the service sheets. My father served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy but one of his service sheets said he was in North Africa until July 1944, when I know he had been in Sicily and most of Italy by then!

Lesley

 

Lesley, thanks for that, this is what I've suspected with our soldier's service sheets. So I'm going to get what I can about 6th Bn. Gordon Highlanders in1944, from the book and from what Andy provides.

John

 

John,
I'm away from my
laptop at the moment. Let me get back home & have a look at the war diaries for the 6
Gordons for the period that you have mentioned.
Regards
Stu.

 

John, some back ground to your friends father's who was killed in action with the 6 Gordons. Before i carry on, I'm far from a expert, Its just that i have a soft spot for this regiment. My Grandfather's platoon seemed to follow them through the Italian campaign. He was a machine gunner with the 2/7 Middlesex Regiment. The following is my take on what happened to your friends father.

From the River Arno, through the hills north of Florence, the 2/7 had fought some forty miles. But towards the end of October 44, orders were received that the First British Division were to take over another sector immediately south of Bologna. The Battalion withdrew to the assembly area at Borgo San Lorenzo, from where the brigades moved up to relieve the Americans. The first brigade to move up, in the first few days of November, was 2 Infantry Brigade, which 6 Gordons was one of the other two regiments. The others being, 1 Loyals, & 2 North Staffs. With them came `B' Company 2/7 Middlesex. The new sector was in mountainous terrain about 12 miles south of Bologna, the extreme right flank was Monte Grande.Source: "Middx. Regt. 1919-52".

1 Loyals, after numerous adventures, delays by floods & a miserable, wet journey, reached the new area on the 3rd November, and took over Monte Grande on the 4th, coming under command U.S. 350th Regimental Combat Team (equivalent to a British Brigade).
19th Field Regiment RA of the First Division had moved up on the 2nd November and 4 Platoon 2/7 Middlesex on the 3rd.........
the conditions of the roads caused all other moves to be postponed until the 5th. It does say the same in the war diaries of the 6 Gordons that i will show later..Source: "History of the First Division Florence to Monte Grande"

On the 5th November HQ 2 Brigade and 6 Gordons with 6 Platoon (that being my Grandfathers) of 2/7 Middx. arrived. 6 Gordons took over Monte Calderaro, & 2 Brigade assumed command of the left sector from 350th Regimental Combat team....equivalent US units were, of course, moving out at the same time, and various installations being cleared. On the 6th November 2 North Staffs arrived with 5 Platoon of 2/7 Middlesex, to complete 2 Brigade. Source: History of the First Division. The diary below may give a answer? Look between the 5th, & 8th of November (a lot of O.R's was wounded.) Click on all images to expand if needed..


The next page seems to show no O.R,s wounded..

The map below is taken from the History of the First Division Florence to Monte Grande August 1944- January 1945. Its not shown in the diaries of the Gordons.


The adjutant who wrote the diaries for the all 1944 seemed to be some what temperamental.. Not sure if was the same chap for the all of the year? Different months contain more detail than others. No mention of the chaps below that you have provided..



Regards
Stu.


View attachment 227179

 

Stuart, thank you, that makes very interesting reading, and does seem to describe the action around where our Pte Paton was killed.
Looking at the graves list, the diary entry for the fatality on 8th Nov. may be Pte J Hamilton.
Pte Paton is recorded as died on the 7th Nov., he may have been one of those wounded on the 5th and died 2 days later?
Also three others died on the 10th Nov., though the diary for the 10th says 'No casualties', they may have been some of those wounded on the 8th and died 2 days later.

Regards,

John

 

John, I should have posted this below in my previous post... The poor (old Gordons getting it in the neck) again. That's after they had lost a shed load of men at Anzio.. I don't have the above book mentioned. The other book that i have is called THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS 1919-1945, by W.MILES. It only mentions a couple of pages taken from the above diaries..Clock the Appendix `A' below...They are second to the 2 RS of 66 Brigade. Sorry that i cant help you out anymore.

Regards,
Stu.

 

I have read through the War Diary pages with the son of Pte Paton, of great interest to him and very moving. We're thinking his dad was wounded on the 5th November and died on the 7th.

I also obtained, very cheaply, two copies of the Gordons book by Edward Grace which we will be reading soon.

Looking again at the service record sheet for Pte Paton, seems he went AWOL a couple of times (see detail in attachment below) and I'm thinking he even got separated from the his Gordons regiment for a while - looks like it says 11th A &SH 31/1/44 absent from embarkation - that date is after Anzio - and I assume A & SH is Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, so not sure what happened to him around January-February 1944.

And still with 11th A & SH when he went AWOL again 6/3/44 !!

Where were the 11th A & SH from 31/1/44 - 6/3/44 ?

 

The 11th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at this time were part of 45th Infantry Brigade - 45th Brigade (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

In turn this was part of 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division - 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

 

Here is a summary for the 11th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders:

11th (Argyllshire and Dumbarton) Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s) (T.A.)

28th Infantry Brigade – 3 September 1939 to 6 August 1940
The battalion was formed at Dunoon from the 8th Battalion with the first officer commissioned on June 12th, 1939. The brigade remained in Scotland.

154th Infantry Brigade – 7 August 1940 to 22 September 1941
On August 7th, HQ 154th Brigade aborbed the 28th Infantry Brigade and the battalion remained under command of the brigade in Scotland.

HQ Shetland Defences, OSDEF – 22 September 1941 to 14 October 1942
It left the brigade on September 22nd, 1941 and moved to Fochabers. It was then sent to Sumburgh in the Shetlands as part of OSDEF on airfield and coast defence duties. It remained at Sumburgh until the first half of October 1942.

44th Infantry Brigade – 14 October 1942 to 27 December 1942
The battalion served in the United Kingdom under the brigade.

45th Infantry Brigade – 28 December 1942 to 21 July 1944
The battalion served in the United Kingdom under the brigade. It served as a holding battalion from June 1944 onwards.

203rd Infantry Brigade – 23 July 1944 to 31 August 1944
It then became a reserve battalion and moved to Otley, Yorkshire where it came under the 203rd Infantry Brigade on July 23rd, 1944.

134th Infantry Brigade – 1 September 1944 to 31 August 1945

The 203rd Brigade was retitled as the 134th Infantry Brigade on September 1st, 1944. The role of the battalion was to train drafts for the Gordon Highlanders, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders and the Argyll

 

John,

If you are interested, i can send you both of the Histories of the First Division? They are rather rare and expensive when they come up for sale. They will go well with the two copies of Grace's book that (you have obtained rather cheaply!)

Regards,
Stu.

dryan67,

thanks for the above summary. Would i be correct in thinking, that the 11th A. & S.H was the only battalion not to write a history for the Second World War? I'm sure that all of the others did..

Regards,
Stu.

 

Can anybody make out the NOK address in the first document? I'd be checking the newspaper archive on findmypast in case the family posted something in their local paper.

 

Nearest I can get is; 16 Mole(dad)ine cottages, Newstone Scotland. not sure of the dad bit.

 

Sorry, that's residential not NOK address.

For £7.50 you can purchase 30 credits for the website Scotlandspeople.gov.uk

6 credits will open his 1916 Barrhead & Levern district birth register entry. This should give you his parents details, including his mothers maiden name, another 6 credits would open their marriage entry.

His Will is in the legal section (10 credits) and his death is also noted by the Registrar in the deaths area, as a Service Return (6 credits). The date attributed to his Will is 7 Nov '44.

This will leave 2 credits spare. If you can trace his NOK and where they likely lived, you might find them on the 1935 (property) Valuation Rolls, which will use up those last 2 credits.

 

I can't get any hints running the address through Google. His basic army Will should also give an address

Edit. Added Facebook link Neilston War Memorial Association