Whilst searching for other things, I found this notice under In Memoriam section : From The Times, Friday, April 28, 1944 PIONEER CORPS. - Captain G. T. GARRATT, Sergeant W. MARLOW, Corporal H. ABRAHAM, Private L. ROSENTHAL, Private H. SCHWARTZE, who lost their lives in fulfilment of their duties on April 28, 1942. We honour their memory. - Five Sergeants of the Intelligence Corps. I found it intriguing and wonder if anyone has any idea what may have happened. Garratt http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2965717 Marlow http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2965726 Abraham http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2965708 Rosenthal http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2433518 Schwartze http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2965733
Top of my head I'd say Blitz -Just going to check the date in ATB's Blitz. Any idea who the 5 Sgt's in the Int Corps are ?
http://www.pembrokedock.org/Downloadable%20Documents/1814-1967%20new%20list.pdf 28th April 1942 , 19 men died following an accident in nearby Defensible Barracks.
Andy afraid this is a straight case of what you see ... thanks for checking. All but one of the men are buried in same cemetery in a coll. grave.
Pembroke County War Memorial - Pembroke Dock Mil. Cemetery photos of their graves one of the nineteen men killed during the mine explosion at the defensible barracks on 28 April 1942 He was one of the nineteen men killed in the mine explosion at the defensible barracks on 28 April 1942 He served at Pembroke Dock with 16 Bomb Disposal Company, Royal Engineers, and was one of the nineteen men killed during the mine explosion at the defensible barracks on 28 April 1942 and was one of the nineteen men killed while training in mine disposal techniques, when an explosion killed nineteen men at the defensible barracks on 28 April 1942. etc etc
Look out for row of seventeen graves towards the south of the graveyard. These are the graves of soldiers who died in an accidental explosion while practising the techniques of disarming mines. The incident occurred on 28th April 1942. The men killed were nine Royal Engineers, four men from The King’s Own Scottish Borderers and four who were serving with The Pioneer Corps. An incredible footnote – one officer escaped certain death that day when he chose to leave the tragic scene to answer the telephone! Untitled Document
H.Abraham:Corporal, Pioneer Corps (Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany) Age 23 A Baggaley: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 31 GK Crompton: Corporal, Kings Own Scottish Borderers W Duckworth: L Corporal, Royal Engineers Age 32 GT Garratt: Major, Pioneer Corps Age 53 RE Gilmore: Serjeant, Royal Engineers Age 33 G Jackson: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 32 JB Jones: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 25 WG Marlow: Serjeant, Pioneer Corps Age 28 JJ Parry: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 32 W Plant: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 32 JS Purgavie: Captain, Kings Own Scottish Borderers Age 29 H Schwartze: Private, Pioneer Corps (Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany) AJR Skeet: Corporal, Royal Engineers Age 23 R Thompson: LSJT Kings Own Scottish Borderers Age 25 D Whittingham: Corporal, Royal Engineers Age 26 WS Wilson: LSJT Kings Own Scottish Borderers Age 26 28th April 1942 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Nice one Owen....I wondered if it was disposal related. I've been reading George Cross citations and the circumstances all day and everyone I've covered bar one was mine and bomb disposal related. Cheers
Thanks Owen for ferreting out those refs. Super work. What still intrigues me is why the 5 Pioneer Corps men were singled out for recognition by the 5 Sergeants from Int. Corps. When I get a chance, after my other searches are completed, I will see if this was the only occasion for a notice, or if one was also placed in 1943.
H.Abraham:Corporal, Pioneer Corps (Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany) Age 23 A Baggaley: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 31 GK Crompton: Corporal, Kings Own Scottish Borderers W Duckworth: L Corporal, Royal Engineers Age 32 GT Garratt: Major, Pioneer Corps Age 53 RE Gilmore: Serjeant, Royal Engineers Age 33 G Jackson: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 32 JB Jones: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 25 WG Marlow: Serjeant, Pioneer Corps Age 28 JJ Parry: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 32 W Plant: Sapper, Royal Engineers Age 32 JS Purgavie: Captain, Kings Own Scottish Borderers Age 29 H Schwartze: Private, Pioneer Corps (Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany) AJR Skeet: Corporal, Royal Engineers Age 23 R Thompson: LSJT Kings Own Scottish Borderers Age 25 D Whittingham: Corporal, Royal Engineers Age 26 WS Wilson: LSJT Kings Own Scottish Borderers Age 26 28th April 1942 on Flickr - Photo Sharing! Here is a site with photos of all the headstones. Listed by alphabetically under WW2 halfway down. Casualties from WW1 and post WW2 are also shown on this page. Pembroke County War Memorial - Pembroke Dock Mil. Cemetery It appears to be an excellent site for those looking for details of men and women from Pembrokeshire who died in Military Service during WW1 & 2.
There are quite a few unanswered Q's if you dig deep enough. As a general rule of thumb Bombs were dealt with by the Army and Mines were dealt with by the Navy. The RAF just dealt with UXB's on the airfields. The mines seemed to be quite complex bits of kit regarding making them safe compared to bombs. So I wonder why they were training on live Mines. Just incase anyone didn't realise. Ref the Jewish Refugee's they were intially only allowed into labour units within the Pioneer Corps etc and were very restricted on what they could do ie. building camps, clearing debris from air raids, errecting timber buildings etc. I think it wasn't until 1942/3 that they were allowed to join other Army Regiments, Royal Navy and the RAF. Search 'Churchill's German Army' on this forum for more information. Cheers
Good detective work. One of the points on this thread illustrates that German nationals fleeing Nazi tyranny were always interned at the start of the war and on entry to Great Britain after the war started.Invariabily,after security clearance they were released and made to join the Pioneer Corps irrespective of their capabilities. Some then, after their worth had been proved found themselves able to join the intelligence services and many joined a wide range of military units,SAS and Royal Air Force for a start.The latter were used extensively as German fighter control system disrupters while flying as the 8th man with RAF No 101 Squadron with the job of generating "noise" on the German fighter control/fighter frequencies.Being German native speakers they had no difficulty in understanding the frequency band control language being used and changed their "noise" input into any new frequency which the fighter control/fighter might change to.
Harry, one of the more well know Jewish refugees shot and captured Lord Haw Haw in Denmark after just missing him at the Hamburg Radio Station where he used to broadcast from. Just incase anyone is interested: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/real-life-experiences/19252-churchills-german-army.html A brilliant documentary.
Old post I know however just a correction Royal Engineers also deal with mines. The mines they dealt with were anti tank and anti personnel all Royal Engineers were and are still trained in laying and clearing land mines. They laid and also recovered the beach minefields around the UK
Did not a RN officer and seaman first disable and defuse a magnetic mine out in the Thames marshes? They were decorated for their brave exploit and the seaman had to carry a note to say he had earned his award in case of enquiries by the military police as he used to socialise regularly in a local hostelry and no-one would believe he had been on active service.
