SS Clan Lamont/HMS Lamont D-Day 176 Workshop and Park Company movements

Hi, I’m trying to trace the history of the above Company which included my father in law, Ronald Wagstaff army number 14579049. He joined up 1st April 1943 and left the army July 1947. He was a millwright according to his service book but became a stores clerk in September 1944 up until July 1947.

After D-Day, he was in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

Looking at other posts in the forum, it seems that the company was split into 4 amongst a few different landings on Sword and Juno.

From information on the back of photos he can be placed in: -

L’Aigle – September 1944

Evreux – September 1944

Dieppe - ????

Gent (Gand) - February 1945

Goch – June 1945


Either side of these dates i.e. from when he joined up in April 1943 to D-Day and from June 1945 to July 1947, we can’t trace his movements as yet.

We’ll try applying for his military record but not sure what will happen with that application given the current circumstances.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Hi Nigel

Welcome aboard

You say 176 Workshop and Park - I am not sure what the Park bit means personally, its not something I have seen in this context before. I assume he was in the Royal Engineers, but Workshop covers a multitude of sins - could be Railway, Bridge, Dock etc etc they were all sections of the RE's that had various types of workshops and their War Diaries are normally noted as such, e.g 157 Railway Workshop Company.

If you have any further details or are there other notes on the photos or in documents that might help before the arrival of his service records. That is the best way to really start researching him, albeit the MOD/APC are, like all of us under some form of lockdown at the moment

TD

 

Hi, thanks for that, the Park refers to stores movement from what I’ve read on here and yes it was part of the Royal Engineers.

He seems to have been in places which were referred to as stores/dumps like La Delivrande and Dieppe.

There are a number of post cards which he bought but were never written on from different places so am not sure whether he was there for the day or stationed there for a period.

Typing in 176 Workshop and Park on this site bring up a number of ad hoc references referring to piecemeal landings with other groups and the first main reference is regarding the Company takin control of the main stores in Dieppe some time after D-Day. There is a Dieppe Liberation card dated 1sr September 1944.

 

You might like to try and contact member Iain D Dewar as he asked one of our War Diary Copying at Kew experts:

Iain D Dewar Hi Drew, I was hoping you may be able to help with WW2 diaries for the 176 Workshop and Park Company, Royal Engineers? I have found scant information on the company that my father David Dewar served with, other than time spent in Palestine, at Misson in early 1944 (presumable training for D day), and that he landed on Sword. any help greatly appreciated. Cheers, Iain.


Also might be worth contacting Drew5233 to find out if he was able to source anything

These can be contacted via the 'Conversation' option that appears on your account/profile page

TD

 

Member Trux is the site guru on all things D-Day (he has a section at the bottom of the home page WW2Talk) and the unit you mention appears in some of his postings such as

JUNO BEACH.
176 Workshop and Park Company.
42 men.

and

176 Workshop and Park Company.
2 15cwt with 4 crew.

This shows that these sections landed on Juno Beach in support of the Canadians - so perhaps that is another avenue to explore re D Day info

TD

 

Thanks for that, have sent message to Ian.

 

You may find some references to the 176 in this history of the Canadians in WW2 HyperWar: The Canadian Army 1939-1945: An Official Historical Summary it was they if I recall correctly cleared the northern coast of France so its possible your fathers unit was attached to them especially as you mentioned Dieppe

Liberation of Dieppe - Dieppe - Wikipedia - 2nd Canadian Division

2nd Canadian Division during World War II - Wikipedia

Might be worth a read

TD

 

Nigel, according to 1st Corps later 1st Corps District location statements:
176 Workshop and Park Company command 18 Army Group
3 May 45 – Goch south-west of Bocholt
5 Jul 45 – command 100 CRE Works with their HQ in Iserlohn but remaining in Goch
no more records found so the unit may have been disbanded and your father-in-law transferred to another unit
Hope this helps
https://britisharmyingermany.com (under construction)

 

That's great thanks Steve. He had his 21st birthday in Goch on 9th June, 41 bottles of beer, nine mates and food commandeered from all over the place This was from a letter to his parents so there may have been an under counting of the beer bottles!

Not being familiar with the terminology, is 1st Corps the full description of what I should look up further or is it 1st Corps of ?????

 

I've just found another photo with him and two other guys in the Crusade Club in Hamburg 27/03/1947. I've found a couple of brief references to the Crusade Club elsewhere on the net but not much detail.

 

Morning, I've just found this book upload to the net https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Corps-History-Vol-09.pdf

It is volume 9 of the history of the Corps of the Royal Engineers where it does give more history of the 176 Workshop and Park.

The book is available 2nd hand on the Abe Books site.

 

Nigel - nice find, I will be reading that sometime soon as I am trying to track/trace my cousins husband RE Railway engineers June 1944 - 1946 I am hoping that there is something in there to help me

TD

 

Hi again, page 424 onwards seems to cover it. Typing in "railway" as a search term shows 75 references so I'm sure you'll find something to help. The document cover a number of fighting regions, page 424 onwards covers North West Europe.

 

Good afternoon, looking through some of my Father in Laws documents, he has a book D-Day Our Great Enterprise by Lesley Burton published in 1984.

The book has an Anchorage Plan for the Final Assembly of the Invasion Fleet prior to 6th June 1944.

He's marked on it the Clan Lamont which had an advance party of the 176 Workshop and Park Company.

Later in the book there is a testimonial from L/Sgt George E Dixon (176) from Peterborough. He refers to being the admin sergeant landing with 20 others from the 176.

There is another testimonial BBC - WW2 People's War - My D-Day: With the Royal Engineers from Reg A.Clarke who was in the 176 and on the Lamont.

I'm trying to find out:-
1/ Was my father in law, Ronald Wagstaff (Clerk) one of the 21 who came off the Lamont
2/ Anymore information available on the Lamont. I've been through this site and found the postings by Trux which refer to the vessel.
3/ More about L/Sgt George E.Dixon with whom my father in law seems to have served with from at least D-Day through France, Holland, Belgium and Germany until 1946 and maybe 1947.
4/ Has anyone heard of a book by Ted Mills called "Nan Red" which is referred to by Reg Clarke?

Many thanks for any assistance.

 

Can Mods move this to the existing thread - 176 Workshop and Park Company movements

You would need to obtain his service records which should indicate the date he landed in France - which would then indicate if he was aboard or not

Abebooks show no results for a book called Nan Red
A google search for the book results in zero findings

TD

 

Nigel,

Where did you find the reference to Clan Lamont becoming HMS Lamont? On D-Day and for the following weeks, she was still s.s. Clan Lamont.

 

I have the units 1944 diary. Drop me a private message if you'd like a copy. All proceeds go to charity this and next month.

 

HMS Lamont

She was renamed before sailing as part of Force X at the end of July 1944 with Lothian, Glenearn and 4 of the Empire LSIs to help out the US in the Pacific. Sad story in many respects. Sailed from Sydney for the U.K. about March / April 1945 IIRC.

 

Thanks Ewen,

I knew about the Empire LSIs, but the Lamont was a new one on me.

Roy

 

Hi, I can't seem to find the pm function on this site. Where is it or could you send one to me please. Thanks.