Gheel the Last battle/ Help wanted

Hi Peter

Firstly welcome to the forum.

I would suggest you obtain a copy of his service records https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records#how-to-apply-for-service-personnel-records this will tell you his 'official' military history,

I would also suggest contacting other members on here who provide a service of copying War Diaries at The National Archives, they are (in no particular order) PsyWar.org (website is http://www.arcre.com/) and Drew5233.

If you need some genealogical hunting done for relations then perhaps I can help you.

TD

 

For what little comfort it may bring, I knew the WO1 who was in charge of post War exhumations and reburials in Gheel and the surrounding areas.

It was all done meticulously and made a lasting impact on him, to the extent that he returned every year to meet with the people he stayed with while carrying out his task, and the many friends he made there. The Hockley RBL Pipe Band (as it then was) made frequent visits to perform at Gheel Cemetery and at Arnhem etc so please take some comfort that these men were accorded every possible dignity in their reburial.

As a band member, I can also personally vouch for the respect and care that is still provided for the graves and that their sacrifice is still honoured by the townsfolk of Gheel. They made us very welcome and we always had a strong turnout in support at the commemorations.

 

Hello Peter,

Your Great Uncle's service number is from the Durham Light Infantry's block of numbers, so he was a County Durham lad serving in his local regiment. The 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry was brigaded with the 6th and 9th Bns Durham Light Infantry, 151st Infantry Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division; the most experienced and battle hardened British Infantry Division of WWII.

From his service number I glean that it is likely that he enlisted post Dunkirk, i.e. post June 1940, but probably the second half of 1940. If he had been a pre-war territorial [the 50 Div was a pre-war territorial division), it is likely he would have served with the 9th Bn, as this was the Gateshead battalion - known as the 'Gateshead Gurkhas'.

If I am right about his date of enlistment and assuming he served with the 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry throughout his service, he would have seen action in the Western Desert, including the 'Gazala Gallop', the 2nd Battle of El Alamein (including Operation Supercharge which finally broke the Axis defences), Battle of Mareth (aka Wadi Zigzaou or 'Wadi Zigzag'); as an assault Division and brigade in Operation Husky (the invasion of Sicily) and throughout the campaign; as an assault Division and second wave brigade on Gold Beach-D-Day, the fighting in Normandy and thereafter.

The 8th Bn Durham Light Infantry led the 151st Brigade assault crossing over the Albert Canal at Steelen on 8 September 1944, with the purpose of capturing the town of Gheel and it would appear that your Great Uncle was killed or died of wounds received in the early part of this operation. The battalion history - '8th Battalion The Duham Light Infantry 1939-1945' (Majors' Lewis and English - The Naval & Military Press) has no specific mention of his death, albeit he is mentioned in the Roll Of Honour. It does have an account of the battle.

What is odd is that he is buried at Brussels Town Cemetary, which is very curious given that of the 75 to 80 men of the 6th, 8th & 9th Bns Durham Light Infantry killed during this battle only two are buried here; the other is Major CL Beattie, MC. Major Beattie was badly wounded in the early part of securing the bridgehead on 8 September 1944, with a few of his men being killed or wounded. He was evacuated to hospital, where he died the following day. I suggest that, given the place of his burial, the same fate may have befallen your Great Uncle.

As suggested by TD, I recommend that you obtain his service records as these will give you his service history; but not the circumstances of his death. If you rquire any asistance with interpreting his service records post them on this thread and someone will be along to assist you.

All the best,

Steve.

 

Episode IV of
'My project to prove Dutch Resistance Group 'Orde Dienst-Tholen' fought 5 days 7Km behind enemy lines against a Company of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 6'
FJR 6 (autumn 1944) - The retaking of Geel
:

All 9 episodes so far.
From Beeringen up to Reusel.
Mind that the Resistance Group has not come into view yet.
It will on Oct.29 1944.
The 6 days of fighting are always put down as a skirmish.
For historical purposes we put German Parachute Regiment 6 in the foreground, as it was their opponent.
To prove that a 6 day skirmish against this Regiment is absolutely rediculous.
Counting in hours it was 5 days though :


On Oct.30 1944 the Orde Dienst-Tholen came under command of Canadian 4th Armoured Division and was ordered to secure the ferry at Oud-Vossemeer. In the process they not only secured the ferry at Oud-Vossemeer but also the whole Isle of Tholen and several German POW's.
In their third fight they ambushed one third of a Company of German Parachute Regiment 6 and formed a small front behind the German Main Battle Line that formed a serious threat.
At a very unpleasant moment as FJR.6 was in the process to embark for the Walcheren Causeway, 5Km to the NW. at Beneden-Sas.
Now going around Tholen Island and close to Stavenisse coast in full view of the Observation Post (now in Resistance hands) and cross the Easter-Scheldt unseen, would become too hazardous for this precious Regiment.
Instead it was evacuated to Numandsdorp.
The remaining German Para Company at Nieuw-Vossemeer was forced to stay and make sure the Canadians wouldn't use the ferry to attack the Main Battle Line from behind in support of their attack on Steenbergen.
That German Battle Line held for 5 days and then moved to the north and gave Kampfgruppe Chill (including the rearguard III./FJR.6) just enough time to evacuate over the Maas River themselves on Nov.9 1944.
The Resistance Group Tholen then served for 4,5 months on the outer tip of the Western Front Line and was sent home in March 1945 after a brief parade never to hear from it again.
They never received any kind of recognition or awards nor any mentioning in history books.
Not even the Dutch Resistance Cross.
To my surprise and unknown to us, my Granddad opened up for a short while and told me about this during the WW2 commemoration in 1994.
When I asked him about if he received any rewards he answered in shock; "That's not why we did it".
"And no, I don't know who those German Troops were".
"If you want to find out, you'll have to do your own research".
After that he didn't want to talk about it any more.
He didn't want to remember being a forced laborer in Cologne Germany, Escapee & Wanted Men by the Germans, a Resistance Fighter and a Stormtrooper.
Finally on november 2017 footage of the Resistance Group popped up with a lot of German POWs, which proved it was not just a story.
It was wrongfully edited after the war though and nobody could make sense of it.
Showing it to my Aunt she recognized her father in the footage.
Later I managed to get hold to the rest of the footage and discovered my Grandmother is in the footage too.
Took some time to figure everything out and put all the dates in correct order.
However there is no footage of the NBS Forces after that in this sector as far as I know.
After seeing this youtube series I hope you'll agree it's quite an exceptional story.

 

Hi Peter, i am Cpl Peter Davidson,s, nephew, im 53, My Auties Sarah`s maiden name was Blakley, she had 2 Brothers (Eddie & Sid) and 3 Sisters (Alice, Mary & Harriet), Peter had one Daughter Maureen, who sadly died a few years ago, 1 Grand daughter and 1 Great Grandson, she never re-married and lived in Gateshead all her life.

 

Phil Peter hasn`t been around the forum since 2014 so he won`t see your reply I`m afraid.

Cheers

Kyle

 

Thanks, just found it myself, might look into the information a bit further