Sergeant Christopher Cyril (Pete) BARWICK, 2nd Ox&Bucks, "D" Company, Normandy: 07/06/1944

Hi !

On june 7th 1944, 10 soldiers of 6th Airborne, 2nd Ox and Bucks, were killed during the fighting to take control of the village of Escoville, about 4 kms from Pegasus and Horsa Bridges.

Almost 80 years later, the municipality of Escoville would particularly like to honour two of these brave men :

- Private William Sydney WILKINS, 2nd Ox and Bucks, Service number 5682457 ;
- Sergeant Christopher Cyril (Pete) BARWICK, D Company, 2nd Ox and Bucks, Service number 5383457.

We know very little about Private Sydney WILKINS despite a thread
5682457 Pte (William) Sidney WILKINS, 2nd Ox & Bucks: 07/06/1944, Escoville, Normandy created on July 26th 2022.
So, if someone could help us in our research, we would be extremely grateful !

Sergeant Christopher Cyril (Pete) BARWICK.

Sergeant BARWICK was part of Ranville and Benouville bridges Coup de main.
He took off from Tarrant Rushton Airfield a few minutes before 11PM on june 5th aboard HORSA n°4 (Captain PRIDAY unit). The glider was supposed to land close to Benouville bridge, but it unfortunately landed at a wrong place (close to Varaville Bridge). Captain PRIDAY, Sergeant BARWICK, and their comrades were finally able to reach the bulk of the Battalion, in Ranville, in the evening of June 6th, and for a few others, in Escoville on June 7th.
It’s on June 7th, that Sergeant BARWICK was killed in action in Escoville…
Concerning Sergeant Barwick, we were able to obtain photos available on the Internet, but we would like to have more information about his military career and find testimonies of his actions on June 6th and 7th, 1944.
It would also be very important, if possible, to know - as precisely as possible - the circumstances and the exact place of his death. The few testimonies we have now are indeed too imprecise to consider installing a commemorative plaque...
This year again, on June 7th, a few meters far from the main entrance of the Ferme de Beauvoisin, we noticed a little wooden cross on which his name was marked … Could it be the place where Sergeant BARWICK was fatally injured ?

To conclude, as for Private WILKINS, it would be a great honour for the municipality of Escoville to be able to contact one or more members of the BARWICK family and to host them in Escoville on June 6th, 2023 or 2024.
Thank you in advance for your help !!
Kind Regards,

Franck

 

Hi !
A little over a year and a half ago, I published the previous post, looking for information about Serjeant Christopher Cyril "Pete" Barwick. This announcement did not really work, but, despite everything, we are now able to tell you - in 8 "episodes" - the destiny of an extraordinary man ...

Good reading to you!


EPISODE 1 - "The Cross”

It all begins with the discovery of this «Remembrance cross», on July 13, 2022, on the bank of a little road in the Norman countryside. This little wooden cross, lost in the middle of a grassy slope, a few meters from the Beauvoisin Farm at the eastern exit of the village of Escoville, is a surprising discovery.

What happened there, 78 years ago? The contrast between this quiet and sunny area of the countryside and the obvious violence of a past event is confusing …

This cross is not so old and was probably placed there a year before. But from whom? Would there be someone who wished, almost 80 years after the cataclysm that was the Second World War, to honor the memory of one man, or several? The desire - the need - to understand grows…

By examining carefully this wooden cross, appears a handwritten mention, barely readable, washed out by rain and sun: «In memory of SJT Peter Barwick KIA 07/06/44».

A name, a date … Two“little white pebbles”, which will be the first in a long series. The starting point for an investigation that will take us – virtually – to Great Britain and the United States, highlighting the extraordinary and tragic fate of a man about to be forgotten.

 

Memory Tracks,

It is a fact some threads get views and no responses, let alone help. About to walk the dog, so if I can help in the next few days I will be back!

 

I have added to the thread on WILKINS on his own thread.

Now to BARWICK. He is named as being a particular glider in Post in this thread (for context). See Post 10 in: 2 Ox & Bucks Airborne & PoW help

There is a regimental museum for Oxfordshire units. Perhaps they could help? See: Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum – Conflict & County

His CWGC entry is (not id'd by Service No. oddly IMHO) and has no listed relatives: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2633481/christopher-cyril-barwick/

I assume the picture you have is the one below; it appears on a Barwick family name website, which has two wedding photos: Christopher Cyril Barwick(Pete) circa 1942



I note it cites for his WW2 action:

He married on 29/3/1943 and had a daughter M.C. Barwick (no other details shown on the website). His wife died in 1987.

The website has a contact us option: Contact Us

There is a Margaret C. Barwick, b. 1944, in Warwickshire (the county then included Erdington, Birmingham where her parents married) and her parent(s) are shown as Jones. Alas there is nothing else readily found on the genealogical website I use or online.

 

Hi,

Sgt. Barwick (22 Platoon, 'D' Coy) made a fatal mis-identification which is covered in chapter 5 of Denis Edwards' book. Presumably MT covers that in a later episode/post so won't steal his thunder here ...

Sgt. Barwick from unit photo.



Regards ..

 

“EPISODE 2 – The burial”

So, on July 13, 2022, we have “a place”, “a name”, “a date”. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
78 years earlier, on June 7, 1944 (but also during the weeks that followed), Escoville was the scene of very violent fights between British airborne troops and German soldiers of the 21st Panzer. The British losses were very important and almost all the soldiers who lost their lives were later buried in Ranville, 4 kms away. Strangely, «one» British soldier was buried in the cemetery of Escoville, a few meters from the Church. Would it be this «Peter Barwick» whose name appeared on the cross?

About ten kilometers separating Caen and Escoville, it was easy to go check on the spot.
When we get there, we quickly see that it is not. The name on the headstone is not Peter Barwick’s. The lonely grave of the small cemetery is that of a 6th airborne soldier, Sidney Wilkins, killed at the age of 22…
Why was he there, « lonely » , buried far from his brothers in arms ?!
The question intrigued us a lot for nearly a year and a half. However, here again, thanks to the magic of the Internet and a combination of circumstances, we were able to find his story. But we’ll talk about that later in another story—

Even before consulting the names of the 2,201 British soldiers who rest in Ranville, an idea emerges : to go to the communal cemetery of Hérouvillette, about 1 km from Escoville.
There’s a square at the back of the cemetery where 27 British soldiers are buried— Would it be possible for Peter Barwick’s name to appear on one of the gravestones?
The suspense is not long: there, on the right, against the south wall of the cemetery, on one of the gravestones, an inscription, "Serjeant CC Barwick - The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry – Airborne – 7th June 1944".
Same surname, same rank, same date of death. That’s it, we found !

Certainly, the initials «CC» (for «Christopher, Cyril») do not correspond, but more than a century ago, it was common in Great Britain - as in France - that the usual first name differs from the name or names appearing on the civil status documents.
We now know that for almost eight decades, «Peter» Barwick has been resting one kilometre from where he lost his life.
We must now try to discover his face, to know more about his life, about the circumstances of his death. And - we can always dream – to find one or more family members …


More tomorrow ...

 

Hi David,
Thanks a lot for your help and the links ! Your information is accurate, "Pete" Barwick had a daughter, Christina, just before D-Day. She is living in the USA (VA). I met her last year !

You will discover the full story in the next days... ;-)

Kind Regards,
Franck

 

Hi Cee,
Thank you for your message !
Yes, I red the book too and understood that there was a terrible tank identification error in the afternoon of June 7th in Escoville...
As I wrote to David, you are (probably) going to now more about SJT Pete Barwick in the next few days...
Kind Regards,
Franck

 

And Thank you for not "stealing my thunder" !!!

 

«EPISODE 3 - Peter's face»

Discovered on the tombstone, the full name («Christopher Cyril Barwick») and the service number allow to go further and to start a search on the Internet with some chances of success.
In fact, search engines immediately lead us to two types of websites: those devoted to the engagement of British airborne troops during the Second World War (Paradata, Pegasus Archive, WW2Talk, etc.), and some family genealogy sites.

The first shock is the discovery of photos of Peter.
The first one is a military photograph on which one discovers him in uniform of «Serjeant» of the «2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Battalion», the second, more intimate, shows him - still in uniform - the day of his marriage (March 29, 1943) posing before the Church in which he had just married Margaret.
These photos are disturbing. Going from a simple name on a cross to a face, from a few letters engraved in stone to the memory of a love that we know will have a tragic end, is not nothing…
The family tree we discover refers to Peter’s ascendants and collateral, but also to a descendant. The information is unfortunately very incomplete: just two initials and no date of birth.
It’s not much, but it seems that despite the brevity of their union – 14 months – Peter and Margaret had a child.
As for his military career, the information is also rather terse, but they all refer to this fatal day of June 7, 1944…
This new collection of information is a very big step, but we must obviously try to go further. This is especially the time to count on luck and to use the technique of the «bottle at sea». So «classified ads» are left on some British websites dedicated, in whole or in part, to the history of the 6th Airborne Division...

 

EPISODE 4 - "Member of the Bridges Coup de main party...”

The feedback from requests for information left on specialized sites was not very numerous but, very quickly, a classic search on the Internet allows to go a little further.
Peter Barwick, we knew, belonged to the «2nd Ox and Bucks Battalion», which was, in 1944, part of the 6th British Airborne Division. It is also known that, on June 6, 1944, the bulk of the Battalion came into action at the very end of the day, around 21:00, when its gliders landed on the Landing Zone W, near Saint Aubin d'Arquenay.
But it appears that Peter Barwick had begun his war about twenty hours early, just minutes after midnight…

Serjeant Peter Barwick belonged to D Company, commanded by Major John Howard, which had been chosen for a very special mission: the capture of the bridges of Bénouville and Ranville by a commando of 180 men handpicked and deposited on the site by 6 gliders.
Peter Barwick was therefore one of those exceptional men who had trained intensely to carry out an operation still considered as one of the riskiest and most successful of the Second World War.
The list of the men who participated in the raid being quite accessible on the Internet, we noted that Peter was aboard the glider number 4. This glider will have a special destiny: it will be the only one of the group to miss its goal since it will land 12 kilometers from his Landing Zone.
So what happened between 6 June 1944, around 00:15 am - the time of the landing of glider No. 4 - and 7 June, when Peter died in Escoville?
It has been said, the ads on specialized sites have been a little disappointing in terms of feedback, but a wink of fate will change everything...

Picture : men of D company. Peter, "Pete", is in the first row, the second from the right.

More tomorrow... ;-)

 

EPISODE 5 – "Contact !”

After the war, Major Howard confided that June 7, 1944 in Escoville had been the most terrible of his military career :
"I never got over the devastating shock of what happened to "D" Company in Escoville on 7June 1944. I never again entered that village without experiencing a feeling of loss and grief and it even overshadowed the triumph of "Pegasus Bridge" for me althought I rarely shared this emotion with others" ("The Pegasus Diaries - The private papers of Major John Howard" - Pen and Sword Editions).
That is why, every time he returned to Normandy to celebrate the anniversary of the Bridges «Coup de main», he also wanted to return the next day, the 7th, to Escoville. No - this time - to celebrate a military success, but to remember this painful day and its fallen men.

After his death in 1999, his daughter, Penny, took up the torch of memory. She is now supported by her own daughter, Kerry, and both are “in charge” of the celebrations each year, both in Bénouville on June 6 and in Escoville on June 7.
Knowing that “Serjeant Peter Barwick” was part of Major Howard’s company, it was clear that Penny or Kerry were – potentially – top-notch sources of information to continue our research. Without imagining that they could directly give us all the answers to our questions, we thought that their privileged contacts with the British military authorities could be decisive...

What was our surprise when, in response to our email informing her of our research, Kerry told us that one of her friends, Paul, was none other than Peter Barwick’s nephew !
Contacted in the wake, Paul Barwick, was particularly interested in our approach and immediately focused on collecting and communicating all the missing information.
The life of Peter Barwick, from his birth until his death in combat on June 7, 1944, would finally pass before our eyes. A life that, you will see, deserves to never be forgotten…

More tomorrow...

Photo: Major John Howard

 

EPISODE 6 - « Pete the Magnificient».

Christopher Cyril Barwick - known to all as Peter, or « Pete » -, was born on July 9, 1921, he is the second of nine siblings, including seven boys.
Gifted for boxing, he excelled very young in the rings and became a real protector for his cadets. He quickly became a « model » for his brother and sisters. Later and forever - he will become their «Hero».

In 1937, when he was only 16 or 17 years old, the spirit of adventure pushed him to get on a motorcycle with his best friend and to go to a recruiting office in order, lying about his age, to join the 2nd Ox and Bucks Battalion.
Soon Pete was sent to India where he was stationed until the outbreak of war in Europe. Once back in England, his unit was selected to join the new British airborne forces.
In addition to military training, however particularly intense, Pete regularly wins boxing competitions organized between regiments.
His charisma, his allure, his military qualities quickly led Lieutenant Tod Sweeney to nickname him «Pete the Magnificent».
In early 1942, Pete met Margaret Doreen Jones, a beautiful female auxiliary stationed in the same camp, and on March 29th, 1943, both married in Erdington.
In 1944, the preparation of D-Day accelerated and, considered as the “best of the best,” Pete’s company, « D Company » commanded by Major John Howard, is selected for a special mission that will then be considered as one of the most daring and successful operations of the Second World War: the capture of the bridges of Bénouville and Ranville by an over-trained group of 180 men transported by gliders.

In May 1944, with all his comrades, Pete was already confined to the barracks of his unit awaiting the imminent outbreak of the airborne operation when his wife Margaret Doreen gave birth to a little girl, “Christina.”
Thanks to the intervention of Lieutenant Den Brotheridge, Pete can very fortunately «slip away» for a short time to take his daughter in his arms for the first time.
It will also be the last …

On June 5, 1944, shortly before 11 p.m., 6 heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force prepared to take off from the Tarrant Rushton airfield in the Dorset. Each of them is connected by a long cable to a Horsa glider aboard which 2 pilots and 28 men have taken place. 180 men are ready to fight less than an hour and a half later on the other side of the Channel.
With his comrades of Platoon number 22, Pete takes off at 23:00 aboard Glider number 4.
Captain Priday, Major Howard’s First Officer, and Lieutenant Hooper, are in command. Among the NCOs in his glider, Pete is the most senior.
Like gliders 5 and 6, the objective of No. 4 is to capture the Ranville Bridge, just 500 m far from what will now be known as the « Pegasus Bridge ».
The crossing of the English Channel took place in accordance with the plan and, just minutes after midnight, the French coast was reached. But the crew of the tug bomber mistakenly headed towards the estuary of the Dives and not that of the Orne.
Released in the wrong place, the number 4 glider landed shortly after, a few tens of meters from the bridge that separates Varaville from Périers en Auge, but a dozen kilometers from its objective, in an area flooded and controlled by the German army…

More to follow…

Pictures :
- Tarrant Rushton airfield, from which the 6 « coup de main » Horsa gliders took off at 23.00 on June 5th, 1944.
- Several photos of Pete’s Horsa (CN94) landed just near the bridge, between Varaville and Périers en Auge.
- The same place today. Picture taken from the bridge.

 

EPISODE 7 - "Escoville"

In his later account of events immediately following the violent landing, Captain Priday notes: “I sent Lieutenant Hooper to look at the bridge and, after another round look, I saw Sergeant Barwick in position to watch our backs.”
The “big brother protector” is still there…

A few moments later an exchange of fire occurred with the German sentries stationed near the bridge and the intensity of the fire prevented a dozen men, including Pete Barwick, from passing on the left bank of the Dives. Three of them lost their lives at that time and contact was broken with the main group led by Captain Priday and Lieutenant Hooper.
In his account, Captain Priday notes: "I went to the shore to try to make contact with the other group. But no response followed my screams (…) but I trusted Sergeant Barwick who was with them.”
This confidence is justified because, a few hours later, Pete and his men find the main group near Robehomme. But everything – or almost – remains to be done: reaching Ranville and the bulk of the unit through the marshes, while avoiding German patrols…
It is after midnight when the men of Platoon number 22 finally join the Battalion in Ranville. Soaked by the water of the marshes, they can finally give themselves a little rest. A rest that is nevertheless of short duration since, barely two hours later, around 3 am on June 7, the entire Battalion was ordered to check its weapons and to go towards Hérouvillette and Escoville to take control of them.

Herouvillette having been previously secured by company C at 04h30, companies A and B leave the locality around 08h30, company D following them shortly afterwards. All three progressed slowly and cautiously towards Escoville. For Pete and his entire company, it’s about taking a stand east of the village.
The three companies were quickly greeted by sniper fire, and it was only around 11:00 am that Company D managed to reach the center of the village despite fire from the German Grenadiers and from a self-propelled gun located 250 meters south of the Château.
It is in this context that Major Howard’s helmet is pierced by the bullet fired by a German sniper, but he miraculously escapes.
Around 12 o'clock the 3 companies are in position but under increasing fire of mortars, new self-propelled guns came in reinforcement, as well as armored vehicles…
Lieutenant Hooper is wounded, and Pete is now in command of the Platoon.
His men are then in position along the slope of this road, facing south, in the extreme east of the village.

The main counter-attack, led by units of the 21st Panzer Division, was launched from the south and east of Escoville around 3:00 pm.
Devoid of heavy weapons and without possibility of support, Sergeant Barwick and his men nevertheless face resolutely, but overwhelmed by the enemy, most men end up having no choice but to surrender or to die.
Armed with his simple Sten machine gun, Pete Barwick, whose determination was to be total, chose to face the German tanks until the last second of his life…

The tragedy experienced by No. 22nd Platoon seems to be linked to an identification error. According to the account of Denis Edwards "The devil’s Own luck" - light tanks of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment approached the position held by Pete Barwick and his men a few minutes before the German tanks overwhelmed it. And so it seems that Pete Barwick initially identified - by mistake - the enemy tanks as elements of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. When Pete became aware of this error, it was unfortunately already too late...

At 16:00, Companies A, B, and D were ordered to withdraw to Hérouvillette, with the support of Company C, who had come in support.
A few hours later, Major Howard ordered a patrol to retrieve the bodies of Pete and his fallen comrades that day.
Since then, Pete rests in the cemetery of Hérouvillette with some of them …

Map: June 7, 1944, early morning, axis of progression of the 2nd "Ox and Bucks" towards Escoville through the park of the Castle.
The circle n°8 marks the n°22 Platoon position.

Tomorrow, the «epilogue»: the tribute paid to «Pete» Barwick and to n°22 Platoon in Escoville on June 7, 2023

 

EPISODE 8 - Epilogue "The Tribute"

Since the discovery of the small wooden cross in July 2022, much had been done, much information had been collected and it was inconceivable for us to let the memory of Peter Barwick and his men of n°22 Platoon fall into oblivion again.
Also, very touched by his sacrifice, the municipality of Escoville decided to pay them a solemn tribute in 2023 and to erect a stele at the exact place where they fought and where Pete fell on June 7, 1944.

To unveil the plaque, a name immediately and naturally came : "Christina", Pete's daughter…

Thanks to Paul Barwick, we were able to get in touch with her in the United States (VA), where she has lived for many years.
If Christina could feel the warmth of her father’s embrace only once, a few days before D-Day, her father’s values – passed on by Margaret – very clearly guided her life and the tribute desired by the Municipality of Escoville went straight to her heart.
It is therefore with great joy that we welcomed her to Escoville, as well as several members of her family, on June 7, 2023.

Early in the afternoon, under a radiant sun, Christina walked to the memorial in memory of her father and the men of n°22 Platoon, and an immense emotion gripped everyone as she unveiled the plaque on which is now inscribed:

"In memory of Serjeant Christopher Cyril "Pete" Barwick and his comrades who fell at this spot on June 7th, 1944, during a ferocious battle against elements of the German 21st Panzer Division.
22 Platoon - D Company - 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
6th Airlanding Brigade - 6th (BR) Airborne Division".

"A la mémoire du Sergent Christopher Cyril "Pete" Barwick et de ses hommes tombés en ce lieu le 7 juin 1944 lors d’un violent combat livré contre des éléments de la 21e Panzer Division.
6e Division aéroportée Britannique - 6e Brigade aérotransportée
2e Bataillon "Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry" - Compagnie D - N°22 Platoon"​

After the ceremony, the goodbyes were really difficult, but the essential was now accomplished: the memory of Peter Barwick and of the men of n°22 Platoon was preserved.
So if - one day -, you visit the Caen Region, do not hesitate to make a detour to Escoville, to Hérouvillette cemetery, and remember…

The men of no. 22 Platoon are now all on "the other side", but if you are related to one of them and/or if you have additional information on what they experienced between their takeoff, June 5 at 11:00 pm, and the days following the Escoville tragedy, do not hesitate to contact me !

Kind Regards - Franck

​

 

Well done MT,

Such an excellent effort by you and all concerned in preserving the memory of Christopher Cyril "Pete" Barwick and comrades who lost their lives in the Battle for Escoville.

Regards ...

 

Thanks a lot Cee !!!