Evening, looking for some information on the circumstance of my relatives death or details of the Battalion at the time of his death while serving as a Guardsman in Holland in late 1944. SPEED, Thomas William Rank: Guardsman Service No: 2623174 Date of Death: 05/11/1944 Age: 22 Regiment/Service: Grenadier Guards 4th Bn. Grave Reference V E 10 Cemetery: Mierlo - Noord Brabant, Netherlands Would really appreciate any information, thank you
Hi, If you aren’t already aware you will be able to obtain your relatives service record from RHQ, GG, Wellington Barracks, London. You should be able to look up 4th (Tank) Battalion GG activities in Holland November 1944 via the Regimental History via this link - Good Luck Steve PS I’ve copied the pages covering the date of death. The Grenadier Guards in the war of 1939-1945, by ... v.1. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library
An excellent read thank you, I scrolled down briefly to the section on 5 November, seems TW Speed may have been one of a number caught out in the bog under fire.
Just to add here is a link to his CWGC record - Casualty If you look at the concentration report you will see the map reference for the location of his original burial - presumably on the battlefield. Steve
Thanks all, enlightening to say the least and evidently Gdsm Dan Carlan died potentially alongside Thomas... and to lose 4th 23 of its 48 tanks, hard to imagine the whole thing really.
Hi, If you search CWGC you’ll find 6 4th GG were killed 5th November. Gdsn Carlan and Speed buried in Mierlo and the other 4 at Mook Cemetery. Steve
All this information, it really is excellent that you’ve all pointed me in the right direction and shared images, thank you it really means a lot to the family. So I’m all set for a journey into the big smoke to the RHQ of the GG’s. One query I have is for those who have already been before me, should I email my query for the SR before going or just doorstep it and hope for the best?
Hi, You won’t get personal access to GG Archives at Wellington Barracks. You need to apply by post - here is a link with information.... Find a Grenadier Ancestor - History and Archives - Grenadier Guards To be on the safe side I’d complete the usual 2 forms that are required for MOD applications and include a covering letter. Get a copy of military service records: Apply for the records of someone who's deceased - GOV.UK Steve