14672945 Lewis MAW, 2 East Yorks: D-Day Kia help required

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by Robert Wimpenny, Sep 25, 2020.

  1. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    I am searching for Information on behalf of the family of a D- Day casualty, Due to covid restrictions i am unable to visit local archives to search newspapers for an obituary, all information i have is taken from CWGC,
    Hoping someone may be able to provide any additional information regarding his units movements on the day and perhaps the days leading up to ?
    The person in question is Pte Lewis Maw (age 18 from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire) no 14672945 2nd Btn. East Yorkshire Rgt, he is buried at Hermanville war cemetery,
    without applying for his service records would it be possible from his service number to approxamatly date when he joined up ? as the family don't know, but seem to think he joined up with another family member ? name unknown.
    It appears the war diary at National Archives has not been digitised yet !
    any help, any pointers very much appreciated.
     
  2. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Members Drew5233 or Psywar offer a copying service and may be able to sort you out with a copy of the war diary.
     
  4. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    Thanks for posting the link, it is interesting, but as you say without his company info...... did look at others from his btn from the same day about 37 i counted in that cemetery, i was looking for similiar serial numbrers in case any other locals were perhaps casualties, found a close number who was from Bradford, but doesnt actually help anything. thanks for replying.
     
  5. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    forget about Drew, i got a diary off him once before
     
  6. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    From member ENGLANDPHIL

    The East Yorks on D-Day

    Between 0430 - 0600hrs the assault landing craft were lowered from the Empire Battleaxe and HMS Glenearn. Just after 0600hrs the seven mile journey to the beaches began. At 0725hrs the East Yorks landed on Queen Red beach where heavy mortar, machine gun and artillery fire were encountered.

    A and B companies supported by tanks were to break through the beach obstacles.

    A company, along with C company of the 1st Battalion South Lancs, would attack and eliminate the Strong Point Cod. This consisted of: One 75mm gun, two 50mm anti-tank guns, three 81mm mortars, a 37mm gun and 5 machine gun posts.

    B company were to move inland and assault Strong Point Sole with C company in support.

    The next task was to attack and eliminate the Daimler Battery, a heavily defended gun battery with four 75mm guns capable of firing onto the invasion beaches. This was the main responsibility of D and C companies supported by tanks of the 13/18 Hussars.

    Strong Point Cod was taken by 1000hrs and Sole was overrun by 1300hrs. Daimler Battery was put out of action by 1800hrs with little loss and 70 prisoners in the bag.

    The East Yorks continued on to the village of St Aubin d’Arquenay. They were relieved by the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. The East Yorks spent the night in a cornfield near Hermanville.

    By the end of the day the East Yorks had lost 5 officers and 60 men killed, and 4 officers and 137 men wounded.
    The above is from the link in Post #2 at
    D-Day and the East Yorkshire Regiment - i-Yorkshire Marketplace
    but originally posted by ENGLANDPHIL, posted on
    Chateau La Londe 27th June 1944

    links in the thread are dead unfortunately :(


    Kyle
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2020
  7. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    meant to say forgot !
     
  8. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    Thanks Kyle, links are interesting - the list of all killed on the 6th is nice to see compiled like this, and even though the links do not work all the info is there to search CWGC easily enough, appreciated
     
  9. Simon Painter

    Simon Painter New Member

    Hi Robert, are you related to Lewis Maw? It would appear that he was my Mum's cousin who was a Maw before getting married, Lewis was her Uncle Bill's son. My Grandad was also called Lewis Maw although he went by his middle name Fred (Frederick). I never knew anything of the young Lewis Maw before today.
     
  10. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    Hi. I am not related to the Maw family but it appears he was a good friend of my mum, i wrote a small piece for Holmfirth History Facebook , i include it here, he still has living family in the area as i let them have a copy of a photo of his grave, let me know if you are unable to view the screenshot, also i include this link to Maw family History, again let me know if unable to view Family Group Sheet for William Henry Maw / Gladys Firth (F673432) m. 10 Nov 1920 : Red1st
     

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  11. Simon Painter

    Simon Painter New Member

    Thanks for this Robert, I find it very interesting. Did you look at the copy of the war diary posted on the forum Chateau La Londe 27th June 1944?
     
  12. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    Hi Simon, yes i have read a lot about Chateau La Londe, also a distant family member was killed there on 28th June he was in an Anti Tank Regiment, sadly my family do not have a photo of Lewis, he was same age as my mum, every year she bought 3 poppies for 3 of the local lads killed, we assume Lewis was one of them as she kept a photo of his grave in a personal album.
     
  13. Simon Painter

    Simon Painter New Member

    Do you still possess a picture of the wooden cross, my Mum and I would be honoured to see it?
     
  14. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    I obtained the second grave photo after i had done the article in Holmfirth History, so didnt Include it, any information on Lewis growing up in Holmfirth, Schooling etc would be welcome, mum and her best friend Audrey Hill were part of the Holmfirth "In Crowd" very popular and fashionable with a love of dancing and a good time in general - would be nice to think Lewis was part of that group !
     

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  15. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    you may have seen this before, but if not....
     

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  16. Gareth maw

    Gareth maw New Member

    Hi interested in the thread but sadly have no information. lewis was my grandad Tom Simpson maw nephew I think. I think Simon's grandad Lewis fred maw was my grandads brother. Sad to say Lewis death in the war was never mentioned to me. I found out when doing some family research and managed to get a photo from cwg. I did visit Normandy in my school days and visited caen very close to hermanville where Lewis is buried and cannot belive gran and grandad didn't mention him. I did mention it to my dad when I found out about Lewis but dad didn't even know about my grandads brother.
     
  17. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

  18. Gareth maw

    Gareth maw New Member

    Hi Robert
    Thanks for that all very interesting.
    It was great to see you got the photo back to family.l hadn't seen the wooden cross before.
    Definitely on my bucket list to get out there and pay my respects. Think lewis was very unlucky my understanding was the younger members usually went in later waves.
    Thanks again
     
  19. Robert Wimpenny

    Robert Wimpenny Active Member

    Hi Gareth,

    their was a photo in my mums album very near the wooden cross photo but it was unnamed,
    thought it might possibly have been lewis because of proximity to the grave pic but the soldier looks older (to me) than what Lewis would have been,

    I posted it in Holmfirth History last year and with over 5000 members thought someone might recognise who it might be - no comments offered though

    have you ever seen a photo of Lewis ?

    I keep hoping someone will post a school class group which he might be on one day. (perhaps with my mum also)

    the link is here just in case.....? Facebook

    I would just like to put a face to the name one day.

    all the WW1 casualties have been well doccumented but the 100 or so from our area havent (at least yet)

    All the best
    Robert
     

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