127 Light AA Regiment 12 June 1944

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Sheldrake, Dec 1, 2014.

  1. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    The CWGC lists several soldiers from 127 Light AA Regiment on the wall for the missing who died on 12 June 1944. This unit provided the detachments which served the Light AA guns on Mulberry harbour. Were these men killed as the result of some disaster constructing the harbour? Does anyone know what happened to them?
     
  2. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    I have just today been reading the War Diary and reports for 76 AA Brigade, of which 127 LAA was a part. The only casualties mentioned for 12 June were from a searchlight detachment on shore.

    127 LAA did lose several men during the storm a week later. These were on a Phoenix which had not yet been positioned and was laying with a tug outside the harbour. It capsized with some loss of life. I have not yet any more details.

    Mike

    PS. War Diary says 12 men missing. Report says says there were four survivors.
     
  3. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    There are 12 men of 127 LAA Regt listed as having died on 12 June 1944. 10 listed on the Bayeux Memorial, one buried in Lanarkshire and one in Hampshire.
     
  4. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    There are five men buried in Bayeux CWC with DoD 18-21 June who look like the casualties from the storm.

    The CWGC lists nine on the Bayeux memorial with DoD 12 June from 440 Battery/ 127 LtAA and one from 127 Lt AA There are no dead from 127 Lt AA Regt from this date in any cemetery in France, but Gunner Gerald Miles died the same day and is buried in Gosport cemetery, (curiously there is no age or additional information about him, or Gunner Alexander Wood listed on the Bayeux Memorial and no additional information about two others from 440 Bty.
     
  5. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    I still have 200 pages to read yet. However 76 AA Brigade had a large number of units at various times and the detail on individual units is thin. Nice plan of the LAA layout on the Mulberry units though.

    Mike
     
  6. idler

    idler GeneralList

    The RBL-produced book We Remember D-Day includes an account of a very similar incident (probably the same one) by a gunner from 416 Bty, 127 LAA Regt. Fourteen gunners are mentioned:

    The gun detachment:
    Mick Crossley (author) - survived
    Sgt Wallace Newcombe
    Cpl (Bdr?) Bottomley
    Jack Capstick
    Jack Crabtree - CWGC 21/06/44
    Bill Farrell - survived
    Tom Hannon CWGC 20-21/06/44
    Arthur New - survived
    Alf Holmes (cook) - survived
    Bob Beldon - survived
    Illingworth

    Bty HQ personnel:
    Ernest Martin (orderly) - CWGC 21/06/44
    Fitton (clerk) - drowned
    One unnamed - CWGC Cooper A D ?

    Plus two sappers and two RN ratings.

    It's far from a 100% match with CWGC, unfortunately.
     
  7. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    Interesting. So are some of these men missing from the CWGC or did they in fact survive? .

    The soldiers who died on 12 June .were all 440 Battery less for Lt Sitwell. and one of the men gunner McCallum is buried in Cambusnethan Cemetery and a second in Gosport. This looks like losses en route for Normandy
     
  8. idler

    idler GeneralList

    The date of Mike's report may help - perhaps four were brought ashore in Normandy and were counted as survivors, the ones taken back to the UK still being 'missing' at the time it was written?
     
  9. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    Idler,

    I was just about to suggest this. It would depend on who picked up survivors and bodies and where they were headed. The report does say four survivors so far.

    Two Phoenix units were lost while crossing the Channel. I do not have details of these.

    The War Diary for 127 LAA would probably be of more help. I do not have this one yet.

    Mike
     
  10. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    I have checked the date of the report of 76 AA Brigade. It goes up to 28 June and is an appendix to the June War Diary. There is no date on the document itself.
    It records arrival of units and sub units but not the non arrival. The despatch, arrival and installation of Phoenix units was erratic. The units could only be sailed in good weather.

    Mike.
     
  11. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    From Naval Staff History, Battle Summary No 39, Operation Neptune.

    On the night 11/12 June E boats torpedoed and sunk a Phoenix unit. This would have a detachment from 127 LAA Regiment on board. The rule was that survivors, casualties and bodies should be taken to France if picked up by outward bound vessels and craft, or to UK if picked up by homeward bound vessels or small craft and rescue craft operating from the south coast.

    Mike
     
    Buteman likes this.
  12. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    Thank you. Mystery solved.
     
  13. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    An image of the names from Geoff's Search engine.

    G.M. McCallum is buried in Cambusnethan Cemetery in Lanarkshire and G. Miles in Gosport (Ann's Hill) Cemetery in Hampshire. The other 10 men are commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial.

    [​IMG]

    Image of M.H. Sitwell from the Bayeux Memorial. Panel 11, Column 1.

    [​IMG]

    Image of Panel 11, Column 3 with names of:-

    Lance Bombadier's C.R. Burgin, J.J. Caterer and C.G. Parker
    Gunner's P.M. Cave, F.G. Mellish, A.R. Simpson, J.H. Weston, A. Wood and W. Wright.

    [​IMG]

    Provided that Gunner G. Miles was part of this event and he was found and taken back to the UK, I show below his headstone photo from Gosport (Ann's Hill) Cemetery.

    http://s873.photobucket.com/user/rahonour3947/media/MILESG_zps6359a259.jpg.html][​IMG][/UR

    L]

    I don't have a photo of G McCallum's last resting place from Cambusnethan.
     

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