New Member (Englishman living in Holland)

Hello all.

My name is Lee Steventon and I am a family historian now living in Holland (for some 9 years at the time of writing this). When I moved to Holland, my interest in family history was not as involved as it is today. However, once I dug into my grandfather's past and more in depth of his activities during WW2 as a Corporal in the 7th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 49th Division (Polar Bears), I realised that I was living about a 30 minute drive away from where it all happened in Arnhem / Nijmegen.

My interest in this forum is any further information I can seek out with regards to my grandfather and his brother (who was killed in Tunisia and was a Pte in the 44th Recce Regiment, now buried at Enfidaville) as well as their regiments and any comrades of theirs.

Regards

Lee

 

Welcome.

I trust you are aware of the book on the 49th Div in Nw Europe that came out some years ago..was it by Delaforce? Monty's Polar Bears......

 

Hello Lee and welcome.

 

welcome aboard!

Roxy

 

welcome to the forum

 

Welcome to the forum,

Steven

 

Welcome and enjoy.!!!

 

Hi Lee and welcome to the forum

 

Welcome to the forum Lee.

Regards
Peter

 

Welcome Lee,

I presume this is your Grandfather's Brother:-

Name: STEVENTON, THOMAS
Rank: Trooper
Regiment/Service: Reconnaissance Corps
Unit Text: 44th (7th Bn. The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regt.) Regt.
Date of Death: 23/04/1943
Service No: 10601536
Grave/Memorial Reference: VII. E. 5.
Cemetery: ENFIDAVILLE WAR CEMETERY




Photo from Findagrave.

PS - I have sent you a message regarding the 49th Division.

 

Hi Rob,

Yes this is indeed my grandad's brother's grave although this is the first time I have seen that photo!

Many thanks!!!

I saw your PM and replied.

Lee

 

Welcome to the forum Lee.

There is a lot of information about Recce Regiments on this forum, including some about the 44th Recce. Just do a Search '44th Recce' and the relevant threads will appear; Search is very easy to use.

Best,

Steve.

 

Welcome to the forum always good to have another Recce person on board


Cheers
Paul

 

Well, I'm actually living in the area where it all happened. So welcome to the forum Lee, hope you'll enjoy.

 

Welcome Lee enjoy!

 

Welcome. There are lots of Recces here!

Lesley

 

Hello again, Lee.

The 44th Recce was nealy broken up along with the 44th Division not long after El Alamein, but got a reprieve. The 56th Recce had been given to the 78th Division, with 1st Army; and the 56th Division were being moved from Iraq via Egypt and Libya to Tunisia with the 8th Army. The 56th Divison needed a Recce regiment and got the 44th Recce.

The 44th Recce moved from Egypt and Libya to Tunisia and arrived at Enfidaville on the 24 April 1943. The 56th Division entered its first battle on the 28 April 1943 and sufferred a lot of casualties, and presumably the 44th Recce were involved.

What I can't find out is why your great uncle was killed before 44th Recce got to its destination. Perhaps an accident, mine, desultory artillery fire????

Hope this is helpful.

How much information have you got on the 7th Bn Duke Of Wellingtons?

Best,

Steve.

 

Hello, Lee.

You are on a roll - if you haven't got it already, the DWR's regimental history is a bargain compared to most.

There's a big Recce presence here who could help with your great-uncle. Watch out for the Arnhemaniacs, though...

 

In May 1943, the war in North Africa came to an end in Tunisia with the defeat of the Axis powers by a combined Allied force. The campaign began on 8 November 1942, when Commonwealth and American troops made a series of landings in Algeria and Morocco. The Germans responded immediately by sending a force from Sicily to northern Tunisia, which checked the Allied advance east in early December. Meanwhile, in the south, the Axis forces defeated at El Alamein were withdrawing into Tunisia along the coast through Libya, pursued by the Allied Eighth Army. By mid April 1943, the combined Axis force was hemmed into a small corner of north-eastern Tunisia and the Allies were grouped for their final offensive. The Eighth Army attack on the position at Enfidaville on 19 April captured the village, but strong resistance meant no further progress was possible. Attacks further north met with greater success and Tunis fell on 7 May, Bizerta on the 8th. By 11 May, the position at Enfidaville was surrounded at resistance ceased on the following day. Most of those buried at Enfidaville War Cemetery died in the final battles from March to the beginning of May. The cemetery contains 1,551 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 88 of them unidentified.


CWGC :: Cemetery Details