15th Scottish Reconnaissance Regt - C Squadron > Tracing 1944+ Path

Of course if he was WO II and a Squadron Sergeant Major he may have been in the Squadron HQ and not in one of the troops. The attached is a chart of my father's 56 Recce in Italy, September 1943.

 

Tony56 v thanks. I was actually wondering this too as in The Book I can;t find which troop he was attached to but on page 244 - 245 ... a bit of a dis... Nettlekamp attack:

It was thwarted ... by the resistance of... of the clerks, cooks, mechanics and 'odd bodies' of C squadron headquarters, who fought on under the leadership of Capt Liddell and Sgt Major Ward for hours after the troop positions had been over-run..."

But for Daddy's Action For Which Commended
On the night 14/15 April 1945, when 'C' Squadron, The 15th Scottish Reconnaissance Regiment were harboured for the night in NETTLEKAMP, 3? miles SOUTH of UELZEN, Sqn. Sgt Major WARD (WO II) accompanied his Squadron Leader around the defences of Squadron HQ. At approximately 23.30 hrs a fierce enemy counter-attack developed against the Squadron as a whole, commencing with the forward troops. On attempting to reach the forward positions, the Squadron Leader with Sqn. Sergeant Major WARD were held up by enemy spandau [Maxim LMG 08/15 machine gun which had a theoretical cyclic firing rate of 500 7.92mm rounds per minute?] fire covering the exits to the Squadron HQ...

Thank you very much, I think I will try getting his Service records

ps I will read about your Father's 56 Recce. You have been so kind about my Daddy, I wish to respect your courageous Father's regiment too.

 

War Diaries are now all posted. To the best of my knowledge your fathers Military Number should be the same as my father joined the Royal Engineers underage (his mother dragged him home) & he kept the same number.

4.5.1936 – 16.2.1937 Royal Engineers (underage)
20.6.1938 – 8.2.1941 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards
9.2.1941 – 31.12.1943 56th Reconnaissance Corps
1.1.1944 – 13.6.44 Royal Armoured Corps

Cheers
Paul

 

Thanks, great work!

 

Recce_Mitch - v thanks. Your father was so gallant joining underage and, his mother must have so missed heart beats with worry for him.

 

My father, Trooper Pearman was in 15th Recce, C Sqn from 1944 to its disolution in 1946

 

Is he the Tpr A Pearman pictured on page 63 of The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II?

 

Yes, that is him..

 

Thanks my grandad was in C Squadron James McDonald MM at the same time and his MM also awarded in the same action.

 

Im researching L.A Pearman in the 5th armoured division. Anyone any info?

 

Hi,

I'm not seeing a connection between (US?) 5th Armoured Division and 15th Scottish Recce - could you start a new thread?

 

Woke up this morning with a strange urge to find out more about my Grandfathers time with 15th Recce. He was also in C Squadron in Troop 2 and was captured at Nettlekamp. He never liked to talk about the war but always took us to the Imperial War Museum during the summer holidays. Would be great to be able to piece together some details of his time. Looks like the War diary’s will be a great source of enlightenment along with the Scottish Lion on Patrol. The author actually attended his funeral in 2008. But obviously wasn’t really in the right frame of mind to pick his brains at the time.

 

Full Disclosure: I've taken a copy of the Google map you created and will modify it to track my Grandfather's experience Up to Nettlekamp and see if I can find any details as to where he was sent and liberated from. Figure there might be a reference in the 11th Armoured Divisions Diaries.