Royal Berkshire & Black Cat

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Mark Sproule, Aug 15, 2017.

  1. Mark Sproule

    Mark Sproule New Member

    my grandfather served from June 1940-1946 (approximate)
    Raymond Kenneth Bennett 1920/April/03

    His epulette shows R.Berk and has a black cat. I did hear from him some time back him mention a kernel BAIRD and being attached to him. He was part of the 10th battalion if I remember correct.

    -Is there a way to request his service records or find out where he would have travelled?

    Any info on his unit would be welcomed.

    Thanks,
    Mark
    mark_sproule@hotmail.com

    His regimental #5344844
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    10th Royal Berks war diary can be read day by day here. War Diaries - The Wardrobe housing The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum I think the printed version sold out. The black cat is the 56th Divison sign. Apply to the MoD for service records. Requests for personal data and service records: a detailed guide - GOV.UK edit. printed copy of transcribed war diary is still avialble. The Royal Berkshire Regiment in the Second World War - 10th Battalion - The Wardrobe housing The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum
     
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  3. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    Definitely a Royal Berkshire Army Number as you know...

    10th Royal Berkshire Regiment's time with 168 Brigade in 56th (London) Division from August 1942 to March 1944 is well documented - Iraq, Egypt, Sicily and mainland Italy. The 10th Bn left the division after Anzio with its men redistributed amongst other units. I know that some joined the 1st Bn London Irish Rifles.

    I attach a photo taken last year of Marco (sicily43 from this site) placing a poppy cross at the Royal Berkshire Regiment Memorial on the side of ss 114 near Fosso Bottaceto, north of the Simeto river and to the south of Catania airport, near the area of the 56th Division's abortive assaults on 17th/18th July 1943,

    best wishes
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Aug 15, 2017
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  4. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Just from a quick bit of googling, I think the officer would have been Colonel Ian Robertson Baird.
     
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  5. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

  6. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Lt Col Baird was quite a character and had numerous awards for gallantry. Sadly, he died in 1947.

    During the battle for Monte Damiano in Jan 44, he stood in full view of the enemy directing his Companies.

    Regards

    Frank
     
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  7. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Mark.

    I am a battlefield guide and am taking a group to the Garigliano and Anzio on 7-10 Jun 18 to look at these two battles. 10 Berkshires were involved in both and we will look in detail at some of their actions. We will look at their crossing of the Garigliano and their battle to secure the awesome Monte Damiano. Then we will head north to Anzio, as they did, and see how they got on in the gruesome beachhead.

    How your grandfather survived the whole of the war as an Infantryman is impressive.

    If you are interested, do get in touch.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Regards

    Frank
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2017
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  8. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    Here's are two of Lt-Col Baird's citations - for DSO
     

    Attached Files:

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  9. Mark Sproule

    Mark Sproule New Member

    Incredible find. What a guy by the sounds of it. Thank you for putting these up.

    Regards,
    Mark
     
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  10. Mark Sproule

    Mark Sproule New Member

    Thanks everyone, you all have helped a lot. I am continuing my research, who knows what I'll find out :) every little piece of info helps as you know. I'll keep you posted on what I find.

    Thanks,
    Mark
     
  11. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Mark.

    You should join me for the 7-10 Jun 18 trip. That will certainly help with your research.

    Regards

    Frank
     
  12. TomRoma1

    TomRoma1 Member

    Hi,

    do you have any records on Sgt. James Edward Lawton Who died at Anzio on the 07/03/1944?
    He served in the Berkshires at this time and was supposedly killed trying to save his fellow men.
     
  13. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    You have that date wrong.
    CWGC says 5/2/44
    Casualty
     
  14. TomRoma1

    TomRoma1 Member

    Ok thankyou,

    do you know if anywhere I can find some more about his career and how he died?
     
  15. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

  16. Roger Tanner

    Roger Tanner New Member

    Can anyone help with giving me some idea of how I go about finding where my father William Charles Tanner was captured in Italy.
    I have managed to put together the following information and have researched the prison camp but cannot find where in the Italy campaign he may have been taken prisoner.

    PRIVATE WILLIAM CHARLES TANNER
    10th Battalion THE ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT
    Service number 14543824
    Duty Location ITALY
    Date of action 08/02/1944

    Casualty List No. 1392 - Recorded as MISSING to War Office Casualty Branch 13/02/1944
    Casualty List No. 1396 - Revised to Prisoner of War in German Hands (Germany) 17/03/1944
    Prison camp Torgau (Elbe) STALAG 4D
    Casualty List No. 1746 – Now NOT POW. Previous Theatre of War, Central Mediterranean - Italy
     
  17. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    You could always look on Ancestry to see if he completed a POW liberation questionnaire on return to UK.

    If you draw a blank and you know names of who he was taken POW with (usually shown together on the official casualty list) you could look for their questionnaires.

    Steve
     
  18. Pat Atkins

    Pat Atkins Well-Known Member

    Good idea, Steve.

    The 4-digit number to the left of the date posted missing is the original casualty list, in William Tanner's case 1392. (image courtesy of Find My Past)
    upload_2023-10-30_20-28-22.png
     
  19. Roger Tanner

    Roger Tanner New Member

    Thanks you Steve & Pat, I shall follow up on your advice.
     
  20. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Roger.

    Here is the story of how your father was captured on 8 Feb 44 - a challenging night for 10th Royal Berkshires during their time plugging holes at Anzio.

    10 Royal Berks went ashore at 0400 on 2 Feb 44 into a Concentration Area four miles north of Anzio, just to the east of the Anzio-Albano road. From there, on the night of 3-4 Feb 44, 168 Infantry Brigade, of which 10th Royal Berkshires were part, was placed under command 1 Bristish Infantry Division and moved further forward to a new position one mile south of the Flyover where they were ordered to wait and to prepare a stop line behind 1 British Infantry Division with 1st London Irish on the right of the Anzio-Albano road, 1st London Scottish on the left and 10th Royal Berkshires in reserve. All three Bns dug in in the pouring rain.

    Comd 168 Inf Bde reported to HQ 1 BR Inf Div on arrival and met Lucas the VI (US) Corps Commander whose comment was:

    ‘Say Brigadier, I am mighty glad to see you. You’re the last pea in my pod.’

    The first attack of the German counter offensive had started at 2300 on 2 Feb 44 and, by early morning 4 Feb 44, a wedge had been driven into the base of the Campoleone Salient. Whilst both the flanks held: 1st Irish Guards left and 6th GORDONS right – but only just, 3 Infantry Brigade in the top of the salient were in grave danger of encirclement.

    Having withstood the initial attack on the salient, 1 BR Inf Div concentrated all its efforts on improving its defences and, if necessary, on evacuating 3 Infantry Brigade. Initially, 10th Royal Berkshires moved up to support 5th Grenadier Guards on the left base of the salient and dug themselves in to cover the western approaches to Carroceto, the 1st London Irish moved up to defend the Factory and the 1st London Scottish came forward to reinforce what remained of 6th GORDONS on the right of the salient – just a solitary B Company, because they who had already lost three of their four Rifle Companies. 1st London Scottish put in a very successful attack that stabilised the situation and regained the ground lost by 6th GORDONS. On the night of 4-5 Feb 44, 3 Infantry Brigade was successfully evacuated back to Carroceto, under fire and for a lot of time in contact. 1s KSLI brought back their heavy weapons, 2nd FORESTERS and 1st DWR did not. 1st DWR could not account for 11 Offrs and 250 men.

    With 3 Infantry Brigade now out of the salient, 10th Royal Berkshires and the remainder of 168 Infantry Brigade were moved to a new reserve position two miles south east of Carroceto where they remained throughout 5 Feb 44.

    At 2100 on 5 Feb 44, 10th Royal Berkshires left their reserve position and moved to relieve B Sqn 1st Recce Regt on the right of the central sector on 1 BR Inf Div’s front on the junction of the Aprilia and Campoleone-Carano road via Carroceto. The position that 10th Royal Berkshires occupied had only been held by strong patrols and no defences had been dug – not a single trench, nor a mine nor a coil of wire existed. The Germans held a large wood, the Macchia del Casale, 350yds to their front. 10th Royal Berkshires now had to prepare their whole defensive position from scratch on flat ground where their positions had almost no cover. Their front was a mile wide bounded on either side by streams with deep ditches: the Fosso di Spaccasassi on their right and the Fosso della Ficoccia on their left. They therefore spent the night of 5-6 Feb 44 digging in, bringing up defence stores, erecting wire, siting anti-tank guns, building weapon pits and laying mines. Everything had to be manhandled because the mud prevented the use of vehicles. Fortunately for them, the night was quiet.

    These were their positions:

    upload_2023-10-31_16-32-27.png

    By the evening of 6 Feb 44, the 10th Royal Berkshires were ready for the anticipated assault although a strong German patrol attempted to infiltrate from the right flank through and round C Company and had to be stopped by a swift Company counter attack.

    This was what it looked like:

    upload_2023-10-31_16-34-5.png

    The German plan in front of 168 Infantry Brigade was for Combat Group Graser to be split into three prongs. In front of 1st London Irish, 29 Panzer Grenadier Regiment was to attack down the Fosso della Ficoccia, seize the cemetery north of the Factory and then the bridge over the Fosso at Guardapassi. 735 Panzer Grenadier Regiment was to strike south from the woods at Macchia del Casale towards 10th Royal Berkshires and 725 Panzer Grenadier Regiment was to advance down the Anzio-Albano road – also into 1st London Irish. 104 Panzer Grenadier Regiment would be in reserve. Meanwhile, Combat Group Pfeiffer would attack from the west down the embankment to Carroceto and over Buonriposo Ridge to the Flyover.

    During 7 Feb 44, the forward Companies of 10th Royal Berkshires: C and D Companies, were heavily shelled and casualties steadily mounted. The situation remained precariously in the balance all day.

    That same evening, 7 Feb 44, 1st London Scottish, having been withdrawn from their 6th GORDONS position once 3 Infantry Brigade had been extracted from the salient, moved up to a position directly behind the Berkshires and the London Irish. The plan was that they should relieve the London Irish in the Factory but this was switched to supporting the Berkshires when it was realised that a German breakthrough was possible on that part of the line. The London Scottish task was to despatch small forces to plug any gaps in the Berkshires’ forward positions.

    On the left of 10th Royal Berkshires in the Factory were the 1st London Irish and, on the right was C Sqn 1st Recce Regt which was reinforced with B Company 6th GORDONS on 7 Feb 44 on the area of the bend in the Campoleone-Carano road, 300yds south of the junction.

    The identification of 735 Panzer Grenadier Regiment on the right flank, 350yds away in Macchia del Casale, indicated that the Germans were wasting no time in building up their forces in this part of the beachhead – a mile of front for 10th Royal Berkshires. Many reports were received of tank and infantry movements in and behind the woods just north of 10th Royal Berkshire’s positions.

    On the night of 7 Feb 44 at 2135, the Germans attacked 10th Royal Berkshires in battalion strength and with four tanks in support. Their simultaneous attack had two prongs: one from the north east against C Company of the Berkshires’ right flank and the other from the north against D Company, extending to the 1st London Irish around the Factory. Within 20 minutes, the situation became serious and A Company, in reserve, were ordered to move up two of their three Platoons in support of D Company. The Carrier Platoon was also committed to support D Company. Fortunately, the attack was stopped. At the same time from the north east, the Germans attacked C Company’s right hand Platoon and overran hit wounding the Company Commander. 1st London Scottish responded by sending forward a Section of Carriers.

    The timing of the German attack from the north east was unfortunate because B Company was in the middle of relieving a much reduced C Company. Fortunately, OC B Company managed to gather the remains of C Company into a single Platoon and take charge. When he reported that the position was surrounded, the Commanding Officer's comment was simply:

    ‘You have got the men and the ammunition. Fight it out’.


    …which they promptly did with the help of the third A Company Platoon that had been sent to support them and had now arrived. 20 minutes of counter attacks drove the Germans off the combined B/C Company position and the situation was just stabilised before the second German attack struck at 2330. From 2330, for three hours, the Berkshires fought off every attack on their forward positions.

    At 0330 on 8 Feb 44, Germans from 104 Panzer Grenadier Regiment attacked again, this time consolidating their gains on the right and occupying a house commanding the B Company supply line. Also at 0330, C Sqn 1st Recce Regt reported that 10th Royal Berkshire’s positions were still intact but by 0430 the Germans were observed digging in around the crossroads that marked the C Sqn-10 Royal Berkshires boundary. At 0400, the Germans attacked on the left down the Fosso della Ficoccia in D Companyy’s area but were stopped by the 1st London Scottish positions in depth and a troop of tanks.

    At dawn on 8 Feb 44, the position had held but the perimeter was smaller. D Company still had a strong position on the left but were worried about the situation in front of the 1st London Irish. B Company, less two Platoons who were missing, held on with the remains of C Company and the remains of the single A Company Platoon. The men were dog tired but 168 Infantry Brigade had no more reserves with which to allow the Berkshires to be withdrawn.

    At daylight, it was clear that the Germans were now firmly established astride the Campoleone-Carano road but that their progress had been stopped by C Sqn 1st Recce Regt’s armoured cars and anti-tank guns on the parallel road 1,000yds to the south west.

    In the round, on the morning of 8 Feb 44, 1 BR Inf Div was still firm around Carroceto and the Factory: if not very securely because both flanks were threatened. On the left, the Germans were firmly established on Buonriposo Ridge having swept aside 2nd N STAFFS and large parts of 5th Grenadier Guards and, on the right, a wide gap had been torn open, which was only precariously plugged by C Sqn 1st Recce Regt and the stubbornness of 10 Royal Berkshires.

    Commander 168 Infantry Brigade visited the Berkshires HQ at 1145 and moved D Company 1st London Scottish out wide to the right flank to support C Sqn 1st Recce Regt – this would reinforce the weak B/C Company position that 10 Royal Berkshires had. At the same time, all the Battalion Echelons in 168 Infantry Brigade were formed into a Brigade Reserve and placed on one hour’s notice to move.

    The Strength Return for the evening of 8 Feb 44 showed the Berkshires at just 340 ORs – a full strength Infantry Bn was normally 35 Offrs and 786 ORs.

    Throughout 8 Feb 44, 10th Royal Berkshires and the 1st London Irish positions astride the Via Carroceto into the Factory were constantly harried from the southern edge of the wood, especially by German tanks. Fortunately, wherever a breakthrough looked likely on other parts of the front, counter attacks were launched. The line held and later in the day B Company 6th GORDONS and a Field Company of Royal Engineers moved up to further reinforce the C Sqn 1st Recce Regt position between 10 Royal Berkshires and 1st LOYALS on the right.

    At 2200, 168 Infantry Brigade also moved A Company 1st London Scottish forward to support the 1st London Irish in the Factory. At midnight on 8-9 Feb 44, 10th Royal Berkshire's positions were heavily shelled in preparation for a new German four Regiment attack that came at 0135 on 9 Feb 44 against the 1st London Irish in the Factory and 10th Royal Berkshires astride the Via Carroceto. Attacking from the east and the north with tanks, elements of 735 Panzer Grenadier Regiment made progress into the Berkshire’s positions attacking the two forward Company positions. By making use of the Fosso della Ficoccia, the Germans were able to infiltrate around the left flank of D Company and using tanks they attacked B/C Company on the right. Both Companies on the right flank initially held but against constant attack throughout the night and the appearance of German tanks as daybreak approached, B/C Company was consumed and eliminated. With the loss of the Berkshires’ right flank, tanks came down the Via Carroceto and infantry emerged from the Macchia del Casale under the cover of smoke to destroy D Company. C Company 1st London Scottish reported that they had lost touch with the forward Berkshire Companies and that their own forward Platoon had been overrun.

    Regards

    Frank

    PS. 10th Royal Berkshires took a pounding at Anzio and this was immediately after what they had endured on Monte Damiano down on the 17-18 Jan 44 crossing of the River Garigliano.
     

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