Recce Photo ID - 3rd Division?

Great to finally know where photos were taken.

Cheers
Paul

 

Really enjoyed this thread & learnt quite a bit, but I am slightly confused with time lines.

The 1st photo showing Merriman with his ribbon bar, shows he has the following:

MC
1939-45 Star
F&G Star
TD

He was originally commisioned into the Royal West Surrey Regiment (I assume with 4th Bn Territorials) & earned his Military Cross with them in 1940.

The 4th was to be redesignated to Searchlight Bn RA in July 1940, which sets him up to transfer to Recce Regt.

The photos of him at Bensberg date from September 1945 if my reading is correct of the previous posts, yet what he is not wearing is the ribbon of the DSO for which he was gazetted in July 1945.

Could he have just not have had it up for the photo?

It is just one of those things that bugs me, can anyone offer a reason?


Regards

Simon

 

Third Div and the uniforms are post war.

 

Really enjoyed this thread & learnt quite a bit, but I am slightly confused with time lines.

The 1st photo showing Merriman with his ribbon bar, shows he has the following:

MC
1939-45 Star
F&G Star
TD

He was originally commisioned into the Royal West Surrey Regiment (I assume with 4th Bn Territorials) & earned his Military Cross with them in 1940.

The 4th was to be redesignated to Searchlight Bn RA in July 1940, which sets him up to transfer to Recce Regt.

The photos of him at Bensberg date from September 1945 if my reading is correct of the previous posts, yet what he is not wearing is the ribbon of the DSO for which he was gazetted in July 1945.

Could he have just not have had it up for the photo?

It is just one of those things that bugs me, can anyone offer a reason?


Regards

Simon

Here's Merrimans citation details:

The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Search Results=*

I have both of them if anyone is interested in reading them-I see he got his MC when he was with 5 Queen's in France with the BEF.

 

Hi Richard , Thanks for the help located all four photos thanks going to try and print group photo to see if I can locate my father. Many thanks Neil

 

Found this picture at:
Northumberland Fusiliers Group 1



In front of same building as the other pictures, and the window above the door has been repaired. 3 Recce spent 5 -30 May 1945 at Schledehausen (about 8 miles E of Osnabrück), then Freckenhorst (near Warendorf) until 3rd September. Probably taken at one or the other. Have “Googled” the two locations for images of old buildings with no luck.
I sent a message to the person who put the photo on the website, but no reply yet.
P.S. Have you seen the state of the CO’s boots!

Richard hi..Apologies if this is not the correct way to reply to you but I came across your post quite by accident and found it riveting..I'm the person that sent the pic to that site but have never received any replies from yourself more the pity.. My father..Sgt H.Jeffries is in the third row up from the bottom and second in from the right hand side as you look at the pic.. The pic of this beautiful building as it is today and then made my day and especially where the Regt was at certain times.. I have every intention of visiting it soon if possible.. I have another pic of just the sergeants in front of the building if it is of any interest to anyone.. Thanks to you and all that contributed to this...I've had a great hour or two pouring over it. Kind Regards...Lyn..

 

Another pic at the same location...This time of the sergeants ..My father is seated front row second in from the left as you look at the pic..(and I hope I've done this right).. Cheers and regards to you all..

 

Lyn welcome to the forum and thanks for posting photo.

Cheers
Paul

 

Lyn,as Paul says, welcome to the forum and many thanks for posting the picture. Have you any idea of which Squadron your father was in? Good to have another interested in 3 Recce here.
Apologies for posting your picture here without your say-so, but not hearing anything from you via circlecity.co.uk, I took the liberty of putting it here anyway. Obviously my message was not forwarded to you. (I’ve sent you a Private Message with my message of November 2010).


Simon, your missing DSO ribbon question. Part I Orders of 9 Jul 45 http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachments/unit-documents/44301d1296059646-3rd-reconnaissance-regt-nf-war-diaries-3-recce-1945-07-09-pt-i-orders-pdf refer to a shortage of campaign medal ribbons, although I appreciate that a DSO is hardly a campaign medal.


Richard

 

Thank you Richard ...I seem to recall my father mentioning A Squadron but to be honest, he's been gone 22 years and I'm not 100% on that...It'd be good to see a clear pic of each squadron so that I could maybe pick him out... Thanks again for the stuff you sent me and for helping me learn a great deal more..I'd never have found any of this stuff without your site...I'm very glad indeed that you found the pic on Circle City and posted it.It's the first thing that caught my eye on the site... Very informative and helpful...

 

This is a pic of my late fathers close friend in 3rd Recce ..His name is Donald Duncan Macdonald 2933151 from Culduthel in Invernesshire. He was killed by a mine under his carrier on the 16th April 1945 and is buried at Becklingen War Cemetery grave no 15.A.11 My father told me about the day he dies and feeling sick a few days later when a birthday cake arrived for him from his wife... They couldn't eat it he said..
Taken obviously before he was promoted to sergeant but shows the insignia if it's any help to anyone or a relative ..

 

5 Stars to Everyone who posted on this thread can look forward with anticipation when i get my Dads records, brilliant.

 

Lyn thanks for posting the photo of Duncan.

Serjeant DONALD DUNCAN MACDONALD
2933151
Who died age 27 on 16 April 1945 Carrier ran over Mine
Son of Alexander and Ann Macdonald; husband of Beatrice Marjory Helen Macdonald, of Culduthel, Inverness-shire.
BECKLINGEN WAR CEMETERY 15. A. 11.

Cheers
Paul

 

Mitch...Thank you for the pic of Sergeant Macdonalds grave ..I hope to go and lay some flowers on it for my father if at all possible in the future..This is a great site and a lot of help for people like me...It IS appreciated...

 

Excellent picture of Sgt MacDonald....in colour too. Killed almost at the end, another three weeks and the war in Germany was over. Thanks for posting the picture Lyn.

 

3rd Reconnaissance Regiment RAC (8th Northumberland Fusiliers) locations collected so far post May 45

3rd Infantry Division
May 45 – Schledehausen near Osnabrück to Freckenhorst near Warendorf and Gütersloh to 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division Aug 45 to Guards Division – 32nd Guards Bigade Aug 45

A Sqn to Rheda May to Jun 45 – B Sqn to Gütersloh Jun 45 – C Sqn to Gütersloh Aug 45
CO: Lieutenant Colonel HH Merriman DSO MC TD

Guards Division – 32nd Guards Bigade
Aug 45 – Schloss Bensberg – A Sqn Rosrath to 147th Infantry Brigade of 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division Sep 45
CO: Lieutenant Colonel HH Merriman DSO MC TD from Sep 45 Lieutenant Colonel JK Warner MC

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division – 147th Infantry Brigade
Sep 45 – Northumberland Barracks Menden disbanded Feb 46

 

Excellent picture of Sgt MacDonald....in colour too. Killed almost at the end, another three weeks and the war in Germany was over. Thanks for posting the picture Lyn.
Thank you Richard...A small story told to me by my father about Sgt Macdonald if anyone is interested, My father Sgt Haydn Jeffries was the senior sergeant and always rode in the first carrier..On this day as the war was coming to an end, Sgt Macdonald asked my father if he could lead the troop into the next town (no idea of the name) ..They duly swapped places and within a short distance the carrier went over a mins killing Sgt Macdonald...(Talk about luck). My father buried him on the side of the road and always wondered if anyone had come back for his body ..He'd have been mightily pleased to see they did..As for my fathers squadron, my brother says he's sure it was B Squdron and not A as I had thought..Is there any way I can find this info out ? Many thanks to all the posters on here....It's a great help to people like me ...

 

I wonder can anyone identify all (or any more) of the men in the photo?? A long shot but be brilliant if we could crack it!!
Many thanks to Bernard Sarson for these. Fourteen out of nineteen names isn't bad after 67 years. Bernard also says that the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra came and performed in Schloss Bensberg when the Regiment was there.

Richard.

 

Great to have so many identified

Cheers
Paul

 

Curiously I went to War & Peace yesterday and uncovered another collection to 3 Recce, including the group photos again. Not had much of a chance to sort yet, but it also includes a photo of the unit taken pre-D-Day.