le parc de bois londe (boislonde)

Hi all over the last few months I have been researching the last movements of my grandad and I now know he was kia around the parc de boislonde. It took me a while but I believe I have found the area where this was in 1944 it now looks like farmland and a farm where the Chateau boislonde was. I have decided it is about a mile north of Fontenay le Pesnel but has anyone else ever researched this area? And if they have would they be willing to share their findings with me. As im planning a visit next year to lay a plaque for my grandad around the area and I want to get it as close as possible. Also on my visit I woild like to see point 103 I think I know where that is but its always nice to get others views. Thanks in advance

 

Norton

Please PM me. I have quite a lot of information including period maps. Please also confirm your grandfathers name as there were several Nortons in 24L

Oops: now realise we are talking about Sidney Norton per previous posts in July?

 

Parc de Boislonde is, as you say, about a mile north of Fontenay Le Pesnel. You can see the wooded area and Chateau on the period map although they are not labelled as such.

Point 103 is on the road leading north from St Pierre to Haut Adrieu. Easy to find when you are there because there is a water tower and some recently installed wind turbines (horrible things!). Easy to find on Google Earth etc.



Shaun: send me a PM and I will email you a guide to 24th Lancers territory so you know all the key locations to visit. Also don't forget to visit the 24th Lancers Memorial which is in the gardens of the small Museum in Tilly sur Seulles. Also the memorial plaque next to the door of the church at Tessel (aka Le Manoir on WW2 maps).

 

Sorry steve, ive already emailed you a few minutes ago but now I look at the map again im not so sure im right. Is point 103 where it is marked .103 on the map? Definitely sounds like a stupid question even to me whos asking but I was going to turn right from st pierre before le haut Audrieu but now im wanting to keep on the road? Its a good job im not planning any attacks.

 

I can see the wind turbines now on street view and that area definitely looks like it is a elevated position. Good job I have still got 8 months of research time left.

 

Shaun,

More detailed 1:25000 wartime maps are available commercially from www.battlefieldhistorian.com if Steve hasn't got them.

The snag is that on the 1:25k sheets, Tilly / Pt 103 is one of those battles fought at the junction of four maps, with Tilly on 37/16 SW, Parc de Bois Londe on 37/16 SE and Pt 103 on 37/16 NE:

 

Shaun and Idler

I don't have the 1:25000 maps. The image in my earlier post is 1:50000.

 

Thank you idler I can do some scalings and it will give me a good idea of just how large the parc area was. Cheers shaun

 

The 1:50000 map in post #3 has 1km squares.

Having visited the area many times (the last time I was there was in June for the 70th anniversary), its only a few minutes drive from Point 103 to St Pierre, Boislonde and Fontenay le Pesnel etc. Poignant when you think it took the Lancers et alia over 6 weeks!

 

Steve would u be able to tell me if the guys in this photo are 24th lancers? My grandad is sitting on the ground on the right. He was originally in the 17/21 lancers and joined the 24th from the start all the others in the picture are sergeants but I cant see my grandads arm to see if he was a Sergeant as well at the time which would mean they probably are 24th lancers. Im just unsure of the hat he has on as well as all the 24th pictures ive seen of him he is wearing a beret not that one so maybe its a pre 24th photo?

 

Shaun

Must be an early photo because of the mix of caps/berets. I can't make out the cap badges: photo too fuzzy. Could be any of a number of regiments!

 

Yeah the original is fuzzy also. But I'm going to take a very wild guess and say that they may have swapped caps as I've never seen my grandad in this cap before and a few of the guys with the berets have them on very tilted like they were having a joke. Guess it's time to check his war records and do a army cap Google search to see if it's any of the regiments that are listed in there. Cheers Steve

 

Shaun

The building in the background, which has clearly seen better days judging by how long the grass has grown, will help to confirm the location especially if it is 24th Lancers as their whereabouts and dates are well documented and they didn't get to many UK locations. Still a bit needle in haystack but at least it's a smaller haystack!

It's certainly an early photograph (assuming that they are all from the same Regiment) because of the mix of berets and side caps. Your Grandfathers Service Records are key here. If you want to take a quicker approach, contact the Tank Museum at Bovington with his name and service number and they will send you a copy of his Tracer Card. It costs, I think, £5 and only contains basic details but is well worth it for family record purposes.

Problem with identifying the cap badges is that the 17/21 Lancers skull and crossbones badge and the 24th Lancers roundel with crown badge will look very similar when 'fuzzy photographed'.

 

Steve, I certainly don't have any problems with his regiment in this photo on his wedding day 1942

 

Oops forgot to attach the file

 

Shaun

That photo is mindblowing: apart from the detail, which is incredible, that is the only photo I've ever seen with the full laurel-wreathed arm badge being worn. Those badges were/are exceptionally rare and, according to the authority on war-raised Regiment badges (Peter Seaman), there is no record or recollection of one of those badges ever being worn even though a small number were produced! That photo clearly now blows that theory out of the water! Amazing. I suggest you contact Peter via the Military Badge Forum: I am sure he will be very interested!

If you've still got the badge/uniform, don't ever let it go. It's 24th Lancers priceless and would be a sought-after Museum piece.

 

Steve, that's fascinating to France hear I will search out peter and contact him, I know my dad has his original standard cap badge. But I've never seen the other one but I'll ask my nan. But I would have thought my dad would have had all she owned of my grandad.

 

I wish I read through that before posting as I have no idea where the France came from?

 

Here is the 1:25,000 Map. GSGS4347, Sheet 37/16NE Thaon.



The full map is on the British Library site here. Unfortunately I haven't found the adjoining sheets online.

Regards,

Richard

 

Richard

Brilliant map and I hear what you say but the Parc de Boislonde is, I believe, on the sheet immediately below/south of this one.

Steve