Great Uncle Lost 1940 Dunkirk

Discussion in '1940' started by ciderlion, Nov 6, 2011.

  1. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Driver Leonard Somerfield
    RASC attd HQ I Corps
    Service Number 115116
    Date of Death 02/06/40
    Commerated column 139 Dunkirk Memorial
    and that sadly is all i know,
    I would like too know what happened to him or any information out there about Len. His twin my nan is still going at 92.
    Regards
    John
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I can tell you that he may have been left behind, possibly wounded in a Casualty Clearing Station but that doesn't explain the unknown grave.? That said, someone must have seen him die or be killed for there to be an exact date of death - I'm now thinking he may have been on a ship that was sunk during the evacuation.

    I believe all of the I Corps HQ units had left France by the end of May 1940.

    Not sure I'll have time now but I'll do some digging for you.
     
  3. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Welcome to the forum and good luck with your research.

    The supporting corps such as RASC are often harder to pin down than straightforward infantry battalions.

    Drew will be the person to help here if it is possible to ascertain in which 'missing men' file he might appear.

    I'd expect the relevant war diary to be WO167/135 - 1 Corps Supply & Transport but the diary will be very much a picture of the HQ movements and not necessarily all of the sub-units.

    1 Corps HQ RASC would have had vehicles bearing the 1 Corps spearhead, with an 'Arm of Service' marking bearing a number '39' in white on a diagonally divided RASC Red / Green background.

    Generally speaking, I'd have expected most of 1 Corps HQ to have been evacuated via Dunkirk but his presence on the memorial doesn't mean that he was definitely lost there. The date too can often be inaccurate with 1940 missing cases.

    Do you have his service records ? They may give further clues.
     
    skimmod likes this.
  4. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Thanks Gents
    I have often wondered about their being a date of death and the commeration plaque. I realise this does not mean Len was lost at Dunkirk and the date may be incorrect.
    Sadly i dont have his service records. Something i have been meaning too look into.
     
  5. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    John, advice on getting service records here:
    service records army
    There is a long wait apparently but it is a 'must do'!
     
  6. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Thanks Mike appreciated.
     
  7. graeme

    graeme Senior Member

    Hi

    All I have on him is that he was born in Walsall to Frederick John and Elizabeth (nee Manson) Somerfield of 2, Brook Yard, Marlow Street, Walsall, his father being a malleable iron caster.

    He is commemorated on the Walsall WW2 rolls in the Town Hall.

    You dont have any pictures of him by any chance, do you ?

    Regards,

    Graeme
     
  8. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Graeme sorry for the delay in replying. No i dont but i am going to see my nan in the next few weeks, i will see if i can get some
    Regards
    John
     
  9. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Ciderlion - dates of death are often inaccurate for all sorts of reasons. In this case doubtless due to confusion and misplaced or lost records. Units often rewrote their war diaries later on or after the war -in the cases I have been investigating the date of death is out by days and I have no less than six accounts of a death all varying wildly in time and place and two of them from people who were in the same unit. An officer may have taken scribbled notes from someone who saw something, then recounted that to someone else....etc etc
     
  10. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

    The only information I have been able to find to date merely confirms what you already know, from the UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945:

    Name:Leonard Somerfield
    Given Initials:L
    Rank: Driver
    Death Date:1940
    Number:115116
    Birth Place:Walsall
    Residence:Walsall
    Branch at Enlistment:Other Corps
    Theatre of War:France and Belgium Campaign, 1939/40
    Regiment at Death:Royal Army Service Corps
    Branch at Death:Other Corps

    This info might help Drew5233 with sourcing further information, from CWGC:
    Name:SOMERFIELD, LEONARD
    Initials:LNationality:United Kingdom
    Rank: Driver
    Regiment/Service:Royal Army Service Corps
    Secondary Unit Text:attd. H.Q. I Corps
    Age:21
    Date of Death:02/06/1940
    Service No:115116
    Additional information:Son of Frederick John and Elizabeth Somerfield.
    Casualty Type:Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference:Column 139.
    Memorial:DUNKIRK MEMORIAL

    Mark
     
  11. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Thanks Gents
    Sadly my visit to my Nan didnt turn up any photos. She only has one of Leonard as a 14-15 year old, and thats it.
    She did add something, that for some reason she had never mentioned before, Maybe it was too painful. She heard from a chap sometime after the war, that leonard was on a vessel being evacuated which was bombed, and men including Leonard went or ended up over the side. (He could not swim). So this could account for a date of death. Very sad..
    So i will pursue the records and see what i can come up with.
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    If that is the case there is a very good chance he will be mentioned in one of the missing files at Kew that carry the title of a ships name. I've got a couple of these files already on Crested Eagle and Devonia and they can be quite detailed. PM me on a Sunday and I'll look at what ships were lost on the day of his death.

    No body and a date of death is a strong indicator that this could be the case. His death must be documented somewhere due to there being an exact date.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  13. skimmod

    skimmod Senior Member

    Morning all,
    I'd like to throw another thought into the mix. I have an RSF man listed on the Durkirk memorial, but after much digging, I find him in a personal letter of someone captured at the Ypres-Comines canal that he was killed there.
    There was so much confusion especially with drivers spread over such a wide geographic area, he may never even have reached Dunkirk.
    Good luck with your search.
    Iain
     
  14. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Thanks Gents i agree with the confusion issues so wether he was on a vessel or not who knows'
    Andy i will pm you cheers.
     
  15. ciderlion

    ciderlion Member

    Never did get those records, i didnt think it would give me much more insight, probably a bit silly of me. My old nan passed away in June this year aged 98. Clearing her house we found a short letter from Leonard to Evelyn ( nan) , whilst he was in France on April 15th, 6 weeks before he was killed. Poignant letter talking of his nephew ( my dad) who was 1 at the time, learning french to impress french girls, beer, postal orders and chocolate are also mentioned. Proper Phoney war topics lol.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2017
    skimmod likes this.
  16. skimmod

    skimmod Senior Member

    Never too late to apply for his service record. Go on.... you have nothing to lose.
     
  17. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    Hi John, sorry to hear about the passing of your Nan. Do get his service record, it will be worth it.

    In the meantime I've found 2 entries for him in the Findmypast collection of Casualty Lists, one dated 1940 and the other from 1945. You get 14 free days trial at FMP or hold off a while as I know other members here have a subscription findmypast.co.uk
     
  18. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

  19. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

    Strangely, he's also listed here:

    Conflict World War 2
    Record set Prisoners Of War 1715-1945
    Archive reference WO 361/172
    First name(s) Leonard
    Last name Somerfield
    Year -
    Service number 115116
    Rank Driver
    Regiment -
    Ship name Royal Army Service Corps
    Country of imprisonment -
    Ship or corps Royal Army Service Corps
    Prison camp or ship -
    Archive The National Archives
    Document details Far East: Singapore; dead prisoners of war at Changi Hospital; list compiled by Reverend Chambers
    Category Military, armed forces & conflict
    Subcategory Regimental & service records
    Collections from Great Britain, UK None
     
  20. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    That Changi reference is most odd Harkness. Looks like we have ourselves another mystery! Really curious to see his service record now.
     

Share This Page