Hello all, A friend of mine who is a Second World War veteran has spent the last few decades trying to hunt down the final resting place of a friend of his who was killed in action in May 1945. Sadly despite extensive research he has been unable to - so I was wondering if anyone here may be able to. Ron remembers the name of his friend - Joseph Smalley, from the North West of England, and that he was KIA at the start of May 1945 as they advanced into Germany as part of the Cameronian Scottish Rifles. We have scoured the CWGC database but there isn't anything that jumps out. Any help will be much appreciated.
Hello the name does not come up so is there another spelling? Was he attached from another regiment look at Geoffs search engine which gives you loads of options to search example put in Sma with a date range Geoff's 1939-47 Search Engine The Cameronians - Scottish Rifles
The only one I can find at the moment is UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 Name: Joseph Smalley Given Initials: J Rank: Lance Corporal Death Date: 19 Feb 1945 Number: 3776360 Birth Place: Blackburn Residence: Blackburn Branch at Enlistment: Infantry Theatre of War: Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45 Regiment at Death: Royal Welch Fusiliers Branch at Death: Infantry Germany, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Name: Joseph Smalley Death Date: 19 Feb 1945 Cemetery: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery Burial or Cremation Place: Kleve, Klever Landkreis, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Has Bio?: N URL: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-... TD
Just looking at alternative `sound alikes` Theres a `John Smillie` 5th HLI 17th Feb 1945 ? Theres a Rfn J Sorbie 7th Cameronians wounded Jan 1945,a 5052035 L/Cpl J Bailey 6th Cameronians wounded 5th April 1945 but no Smalley ,one `Small` but thats D.Small ? Kyle
This would be his birth certificate details England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2005 Name: Joseph Smalley Mother's Maiden Surname: Pickering Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1916 Registration district: Blackburn Inferred County: Lancashire Volume Number: 8e Page Number: 533 Which ties in with detaiols of him being 28 when killed TD
death registered for the below but aged 68 SMALLEY, JOSEPH 68 GRO Reference: 1946 J Quarter in BLACKBURN Volume 08E Page 333 list of all J Smalley via Geoffs search engine 001 SMALLEY JS 4986719 5TH BN 12/09/1943 SHERWOOD FORESTERS (NOTTS AND DERBY REGIMENT) II. B. 45. 002 SMALLEY JS 4803876 1ST BN 21/07/1945 WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT (PRINCE OF WALES'S OWN) 2. D. 20. 003 SMALLEY HJ 1197077 12 SQDN 16/01/1945 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE COLL. GRAVE 1. B. 15-18. 004 SMALLEY JRF 226414 10TH 2ND BN THE TOWER HAMLETS RIFLES BN 16/12/1944 RIFLE BRIGADE 3. E. 17. 005 SMALLEY JG - SS WIDESTONE LONDON 17/11/1942 - - 18/11/1942 MERCHANT NAVY PANEL 119. 006 SMALLEY JR 883466 1ST 25/07/1944 ROYAL TANK REGIMENT, R.A.C. XVII. A. 27. 007 SMALLEY JH 1250416 - 16/11/1940 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE SEC. A. GRAVE 236. 008 SMALLEY J 3776360 4TH BN 19/02/1945 ROYAL WELCH FUSILIERS 51. A. 15. 009 SMALLEY J 7932136 5TH BN 23/11/1943 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE REGIMENT II. B. 1. 010 SMALLEY CJ 92876 AND NO 5 28/03/1942 MANCHESTER REGIMENT PANEL 13. COLUMN 2. 011 SMALLEY J 321902 1ST LOTHIANS AND BORDER HORSE 05/06/1940 ROYAL ARMOURED CORPS PLOT 2. ROW A. GRAVE 3.
If you haven't already then i would consider checking the Missing Personnel file for the Cameronians. WO 361/617 - North West Europe: The Cameronians; missing personnel You can get allsorts of info in these type of files, including Missing Nominal rolls, Acquittance Rolls, Repatriated POW lists, etc They also include statements & proforma's of how people became posted as missing, which can include lists of others involved who did not become casualties. You never know what you'll find in these type of files though, but there might be something in there that might hint at a different spelling of his name or give you other avenues to explore.
His parents: Married 28 Dec 1907 at the Parish Church of Feniscliffe, near Blackburn. 1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION Smalley Household (2 People) 31 New Wellington Street , Blackburn C.B., Lancashire Joseph Smalley 04 Sep 1877 Cotton Weaver Betsy J Smalley 05 Feb 1884 Unpaid Domestic Duties
sorry to ask but is he completely sure of the name Smalley Is this the Father death registered for the below aged 68 SMALLEY, JOSEPH 68 GRO Reference: 1946 J Quarter in BLACKBURN Volume 08E Page 333
If CL1 is right and the name is wrong. Try CWGC search. Leave name blank and enter Cameronians in the Regt box enter a date range then run the list past your friend. Tim
the name is not showing as a casualty in that period for a Cameroon Scottish Rifle try Geoff's 1939-47 Search Engine which is great for sorting out names variants et al you can check by regiment and secondary regiment
I was thinking the same thing. I've come across a couple of cases in missing personnel files where witnesses have made statements making out as if they were certain people were KIA in an incident, only for them to turn up a few pages later, appearing on a Red Cross POW list or repatriated POW UK list.
Hello all, thank you so much for the help so far. I shall try and speak to Ron again this week in order to get some more details from him to help woth the above. He is sure that he was KIA though as - so far as I can remember - he was shot right in front of him. I shall check though and come back with further details.
Evening all, I have finally been able to catch up with my friend. He said that he was part of 9th Battalion which was a wider part of the 15th Scottish Division? He still believes that it was on the last day of the Second World War as well. Any help much appreciated.
100% 1945 as they were advancing into Germany at the time. Again he is 100% certain he saw him KIA right in front of him. Thanks for replying though. Damn! This mystery just seems as if it may never be solved. Very much a shame as Ron is into his 90's now and wanted to try and visit before it was too late.
