8 Bn Parachute Regiment D-Day Casualty In Watchfield Cemetery

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by sparky75, Jun 8, 2014.

  1. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    Thanks very much for the replies. The war diary extract is very interesting and fills in some more gaps for me. It's also nice to know that the likes of my uncle aren't forgotten and their contribution is remembered. It's gratifying to know that others are paying their respects. I'll scan a photo of him and also sort out some other details of his service etc. and will add them in the next few days. Many thanks again to all of you.
     
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  2. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    As promised, here are some additional details about my Uncle, Bill Richardson. I'll also upload some photos etc. after this post...

    Private William ('Bill') Richardson.
    Army number 3600656.

    Born 20th September 1918, Trimdon Grange, Durham.
    Enlisted 15th September 1939, whilst living in Cleator Moor, Cumberland.
    Posted to the Border Regiment Infantry Training Centre.
    Posted to 5th Battalion The Border Regiment 17th January 1940.

    The 5th Battalion was a 1st line Territorial Army unit that was serving with the 42nd East Lancashire Infantry Division and was sent to join the BEF in France in April 1940. They were evacuated at Dunkirk. After returning, they went on home defence.
    It was decided to convert the 42nd Division into an armoured division due to a shortage of armoured troops and the division became the 42nd Armoured Division with the 5th Border becoming 110th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps.

    In September 1942, Bill married Phyllis Maisie Gould in Skipton, Yorks. and they subsequently had a son, Denis, who was born in the summer of 1943.

    In December 1943 the 110th Regiment RAC was disbanded but prior to this, on the 27th October 1943, Bill transferred to the Army Air Corps with Major George Hewetson, as he was serving as his batman.

    He qualified as a parachutist and joined the 8th (Midland Counties) Parachute Battalion on the 14th December 1943 and continued to act as batman to Major Hewetson.
    He was subsequently Killed In Action, as previously mentioned in this blog, on the 6th June 1944.

    I hope this helps to put a face to the name and thanks again to everyone for the earlier replies and information. If anyone does, by chance, have any additional information about my uncle, I would be glad to hear from them.
     
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  3. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    Photos...
     

    Attached Files:

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  4. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    More photos...
     

    Attached Files:

    brithm likes this.
  5. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    Copies of letters...
     

    Attached Files:

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  6. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hello,

    I've gone through the thread and I don't think this witness account of Pte. Bill Richardson's death has been mentioned. Pte. John Russel, No.7 Platoon, "C" Company, 8th Parachute Battalion, was on the same aircraft as Richardson and gives a fairly detailed description of what occurred. It's down the page under "D-Day". Hopefully not too disturbing to surviving family members if they have not come across it before.

    Private John Russell

    "D-Day

    Page (8) Private Richardson was Major Hewetson's batman & was seated No.2 on the starboard side opposite the open "door". I believe No.4 was Private Cooper (all kit-bag men were seated near the exit.) It was dark there when we boarded & very little was spoken on the flight (by anyone!). I was No.6. C.Q.M.S. Peters (No.20) came along during the flight, to Pte Donovan who was having problems with his kit-bag; I believe he was No.7 (he was slightly forward of me in the aircraft, not opposite). We approached the French coast - I could see what looked like the Le Havre peninsular & the R. Seine mouth (looking past No.4 & the "door" opening). A bloke, perhaps No.9, suddenly asked, "What are those flashes?" Someone answered, "Flak." Silence. Then came a tremendous "crack" like a greatly magnified rifle bullet going past. (I presumed it was an 88 shell passing.) Exploding shells could be heard, but their "Karumph"s seemed some distance away - then came a much closer "Karumph" & shortly after a terrifically loud metallic-sounding "Bang" (or "Klang") as a fragment hit nearby. Richardson gave a short gasp. Silence. Then either No.1 Major Hewetson or No.3 came across, & with No.4 unhooked Pte Richardson. Low voices; then the plane violently switched from side to side as the pilot took evasive action. Damn night slithered off my seat as the kit-bag lurched about. I braced feet & shoulders whilst holding my kit-bag with right hand & pulling No.4's kit-bag against the seat to control that for No.4 was holding Richardson presumably to prevent his body going slipping towards the exit. The aircraft kept jigging about & all of us were concentrating on first staying seated. Either No.3 or No.5 muttered "Bugger this!" & those were the only words to reach me - otherwise nobody nearby spoke. I don't recall hearing any noise from the wounded man. The plane steadied & the "Red" came on, we stood & waited for the "Green". Richardson was on the floor just ahead of me it seemed. He gave a low moan or groan, then exhaled a sigh, followed by a deeper sigh, that ended in the "death rattle" as his lungs emptied."


    Regards ...
     
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  7. Ppower

    Ppower New Member

    Thank you for this information, I have been trying to find out what I can.
    Charpoybasher, are you still active on here?
     
  8. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    He was here AM today, as this is his only thread hopefully he checked it. He may even have sent you a PM; you cannot use that function until you have posted five times. I wills end him an alert.
     
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  9. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    Hello all,

    I am still here. although I haven't been active since my last posts, wherein I provided some information about my uncle.
    Therefore, it came as something of a surprise this morning when I received Owen's message, referring me to Cee's original post about Private Russell's account of the events of the 5th/6th June 1944, in relation to my uncle's death.

    Whilst this made, in some respects, for difficult reading; at long last, it seems like I now have the final piece of the story and for this, I am extremely grateful. I had often wondered whether he passed away during the flight, or if he had survived and still been alive when the Dakota returned to England. This of course confirms that he did in fact die over Normandy and thankfully, it happened very quickly and he didn't appear to suffer for too long.

    I'd assumed that, being Major Hewetson's batman, he would have been near the front of the stick but thought that maybe shrapnel had pierced the side of the aircraft where he was sitting. However, it's interesting to learn that he was actually sitting opposite the open 'Door'.

    I shall now read Private Russell's full account (thanks for the link), as I'm very interested to know what happened to my uncle's comrades in the days subsequent to his death and to learn something about what he would have experienced had he landed in France on that day. I also intend to visit his grave in Watchfield cemetery on the 6th June this year, to pay my respects, as it's some time since I last did this.

    Once again; many, many thanks for providing the information which I'll now share with my brothers and sisters, as I'm sure that they'll be interested to know what really happened to their uncle Bill on that, "Day of days".

    Regards,
    John (Charpoybasher)
     
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  10. Ppower

    Ppower New Member

    Thank you
     
  11. Ppower

    Ppower New Member

    Hi

    Thank you for the information you (and others) have posted, and thank you for the pictures.
    I started to do a little bit of digging, as I too am a relative of Pte Richardson, so all this information is new to me, and it's incredibly sad to hear.
    I hope to maybe get to visit the grave one day myself
     
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  12. Charpoybasher

    Charpoybasher Member

    Hello all,

    I paid a visit to Watchfield church earlier today, to pay my respects to my uncle. Here are a couple of photos, one of which includes a young chap who turned up and appears to keep an eye on things in the cemetery!

    Thanks again to all who provided the information previously.

    Regards,
    Charpoybasher. Pvt. William Richardson, Watchfield cemetery 6th June 2022_a .jpg Pvt. William Richardson, Watchfield cemetery 6th June 2022_b.jpg
     
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