As a newcomer on this thread i would say the 2 in the above pic are the same chap.have a look at the ears!
Hello both, I have just stumbled upon your message thread with great interest. I believe that the pictures you have posted are of Donald Douglass. My reasoning is that I believe the attached photo to be John S Douglas. This photo is my grandfather, he was killed before my mother was born and she never knew him. She never even knew his name or anything about him as her mother didn't tell her anything. Recently, my mother has asked me to help her try and find out more - all we have to go on is this one photo with the following words handwritten on the back "Capt Duglas" and what looks like "ar cow" - maybe, arnhem casualty of war ? I think that the written spelling of Douglas must be a typo as I have not found a single Captain (or any soldier) with that spelling. Hopefully, this helps confirm for you that your photos are of Donald. Can either of you tell anything about the uniform worn by John in my photo? It might help confirm that I have correctly identified my photo. I knew next to nothing about Marketgarden until a few days ago, but all of the information I have read in the last few days is extremely interesting and very moving. Dan
Hello Dan, Welcome to the forum. Thanks very much for posting the picture of your grandfather. As far as I can tell it's the first time a pic of John Douglas has been posted anywhere! If you'd like to PM or email me I'd love to "chat" about him. All the best...............
Hello Philip, Thanks for your observation. Do you know whether I can search for US casualties online by name? I am by no means certain that the photo is John Douglas, but that is my best guess at the moment based on this logic: - the photo says "Capt Duglas" on the back - my grandfather died (I believe) between May 1944 and Feb 1945 - I have only been able to find 2 possible Capt Douglas's that fit these dates: John Shewell Douglas, Parachute Regiment & Keith Castellain Douglas, Royal Armoured Division - The only things my mum "knows" about her father are: - he met my grandmother in North Africa, she was a physiotherapist in the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (?) and he may have been a patient - they both spent some time in Italy The locations - North Africa, Italy - and the time period - 1943-1944 are what lead me to conclude that it must be John Shewell Douglas To be honest, I hadn't considered that he might not be British. I guess i'll explore that possibility further... Dan
Dan welcome is this the same guy and do the names of the relatives help? Surname Douglas Forename:John Shewell Unit:11 Bn Rank:Captain Number:228396 Date Of Death: 21st September 1944 Age:23 Gravesite:Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Netherlands 2.B.1 Additional Information:born Hertfordshire son of Charles Shewell and Dorothy Douglas,Harpenden,Hertfordshire B.A. KIA Arnhem.John Shewell Douglas - PARAS - Special Forces - Roll Of Honour This makes two 11 BN enquiries in recent days very intresting!
If so here is a picture of his grave. ParaData | A living history of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces
wtid45, Many thanks for this info. Unfortunately, it doesn't help much as I only have a name to go on - Capt Duglas or Douglas. Based on input from Paul and Philip, I am now starting to think that I have wrongly identified my photo. I thought that my grandfather had been injured in North Africa and had been in Italy but it seems that this does not fit with the movements of 11 Para 'B' company. Also, it has been suggested that the uniform in the photo is either a Staff Officer or a US uniform. Dan
Dan I'm fairly certain that you're correct in reaching the conclusion that it's not Capt Douglas from 11 Para. He joined 11 Para from the Hampshires at the end of May 1943 at which time they were in Rhemat David, Israel. They stayed here until November 1943 when they commenced their journey back to the UK arriving at the beginning of January '44. At this time his rank was still Lieutenant. He was promoted to Acting Captain in February 1944. I've had a quick look at the American Battlefield Monuments Commission web site but there doesn't appear to be anyone listed there that would fit the bill either. John
Hello chaps, I recently found this pic of a Pte Gilbert Anderson of 11 Para. It would seem that the guy from the S.Staffs pic can now be confirmed as Pte Osmond Goodger although the two are strikingly similar and it is easy to see the confusion! Anderson is on the left and Goodger is on the right. All the best............
Goodafternoon mr. Pariso, The man on the first picture is my uncle. pte Gilbert Anderson of the 11the battalion. The photo was saved by my father. We have send this photo to ROH and to Paradata. With the photo we also added a letter of my Dad. With this letter we want to let everybody (incl. Gilbert Anderson) that we have not forgotten what happend at Arnhem. Kind regards Tanja
Goodafternoon mr. Pariso, The man on the first picture is my uncle. pte Gilbert Anderson of the 11the battalion. The photo was saved by my father. We have send this photo to ROH and to Paradata. With the photo we also added a letter of my Dad. With this letter we want to let everybody (incl. Gilbert Anderson) that we have not forgotten what happend at Arnhem. Kind regards Tanja Hi Tanya, Thanks very much for your post. I have seen the picture of your Uncle on Paradata and it has helped to clear up the confusion concerning Pte Goodger and your Uncle. I think you will agree that there is a striking similarity between the two men and it is easy to see how the two got mixed up. Best regards, Paul.......... PS I have PM'd you also.........
OK Ladies and Gents, any ideas as to the identity of these men. The pics were taken in Nijmegen following Op. Berlin to rescue the remnants of the 1st AB Div. I've added the names that I know already. All the best..............
Hi Mate, Some of them have got to be in Johnny's photo just looked.. I think it could be one of the Border Man... Cheers Tom
Hi Mate, Some of them have got to be in Johnny's photo just looked.. I think it could be one of the Border Man... Cheers Tom That's where I got the names from mate..............
Dan I'm fairly certain that you're correct in reaching the conclusion that it's not Capt Douglas from 11 Para. He joined 11 Para from the Hampshires at the end of May 1943 at which time they were in Rhemat David, Israel. They stayed here until November 1943 when they commenced their journey back to the UK arriving at the beginning of January '44. At this time his rank was still Lieutenant. He was promoted to Acting Captain in February 1944. I've had a quick look at the American Battlefield Monuments Commission web site but there doesn't appear to be anyone listed there that would fit the bill either. John I think we can finally "put this one to bed" now. In the new 11th Battalion book there is a group pic of the Officers Mess from Feb 1944. Standing second from the right in the middle row is Capt J. S. Douglas. It's obvious now, when you compare the two pics that they are NOT the same bloke. All the best..............
OK chaps, who are these four? I'm sure I've seen the man on the far right before but can't remember where............
