5th Battalion Coldstream Guards

A Distant Drum has it (on the death aspect): Bunty Stewart-Brown received a head wound on the first day of GOODWOOD. Before moving off, Stewart-Brown had offered Pereira the cool front seat of their half-track. Pereira disagreed feeling that he hadn't done his fair share at the back. The battle of manners was decided by the toss of a coin and Pereira went up front. At Demouville, the column was stonked and the half-track hit at the rear. Stewart-Brown suffered a severe head wound and they 'never expected him to live as long as he did'.

Looking at his age - 44 - on the CWGC, I wonder if that was a major (no pun intended) factor in his sacking; was it more of a retirement?

 

A bit more from Howard & Sparrow: wnd 25/12/42, CO 2 Bn 24/02/43, 2i/c 5 Bn 13/10/43.

Between rejoining leaving the Bn there were no serious engagements so little opportunity to blot his copybook. I assume that if he'd cocked up before that he wouldn't have been posted back to the Bn.

So now it looks like age and ailments from his wounds?

 

There were 75 casualties in the tradgedy at DJ Brahim; so I'm guessing this probably contributed alongside age and other factors we don't know in the final decision. The shock to which the earlier diary from their medical officer alludes to in the earlier quote suggests that it wasn't anything to do with his injury, indeed he's mentioned post longstop (where he was wounded) and things seem fine, the posting was however.. abrupt.

Thinking back I believe I also may have read a comment about someone "not being surprised" at the dismissal although that could mean anything (and I can't remember who it was directed towards, although I think it was stewart-brown) i'll need to go back and have a look. I don't want to insinuate anything towards this man's character either, from what I read he did a terrific job in the Bn and was respected by a lot of people.

 

I am trying to find out the reason for death of the listing no. 204, R Turrell. It seems like nearly every other listing has a reason for death....either KIA or DOW, but nothing for R Turrell. Can anybody shed any light on this?

 

Hi, Firstly let me say thank you for the opportunity to view all this well detailed information and for the help and direction given to me.
My dad, Bill served with the support company (carriers) 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards in Normandy and throughout the western european campaign. He's still alive, but has no desire to re-visit the places where he went for obvious reasons. I though wanted to see a few places where he fought, before it was too late to ask him any questions, he, like his comrades doesn't often volunteer any information about events which happened. I was hoping to visit a Guard memorials and cemetery and will now visit a museum at St Martin des Besaces along with a modern memorial (50th Anniversery) and there's also another 2 memorials and a cemetery at St Charles-de-Percy I understand. If there are other Guards memorials in that area I'd love to know please. Also if anyone has any relatives that might have known my dad, please let me know.
Kindest regards, Mark Spearing

 

Diane
Many thanks for all your splendid effort a monumentous task.
Captain Liddell V.C. was a very brave Officer sadly he died just before War ended how did this happen?
Mike (rotherfield)

 

Hello Diane or anyone else,
Do you know if there are headstones of any 5th battalion Coldstreamers at the cemetery in St-Charles-de-Percy please?
Mark Spearing

Hi, Thank you but if I'd looked a little further I would have found the answer to my question already here.........I have to admire the work and research that some of you put into this in order to make it easier for other people. I will honour the guardsmen of the 5th battalion Coldstream along with all the others during my visit.
Mark

 

Hi Diane
A Happy New Year to you and all readers.
I am totally new to this, but am very impressed and moved by this thread, and your effort.
I am trying to find information on a distant relative of my wife:
Company Quartermaster- Sergeant - C.Q.M.S. H. Stevens
1st Company 5th Battalion
He is listed in the Orders of Battle for June and September 1944, but does not appear again in March 1945.
I cannot find him in the Roll Of Honour, CWGC or Army Deaths.
We are not next of kin, and know no other relations, so I wonder if you or any other reader can suggest the next step.
Regards
Dave

 

Hi Diane
Many thanks for prompt response.
There is no one alive who can tell us anything.
My wife recalls the family story that he was a Colour Sergeant and went to France after D-Day and was "lost in the war".
The Order of Battle seems to bear that out i.e. there in Sept 44 but not in Mar 1945.
I will trawl civilian deaths to see if we can find anything, and as you suggest I will contact the Archivist to see if he is able to provide any info.
Regards
Dave

 

Hi Diane
Many thanks for advice.
I will let you know what RHQ have to say.
Regards
Dave

 

Hello Diane
An update on my search for CQMS H Stevens.
The Regimental Archivist is unable to find any record of him.
I have read the books by Howard & Sparrow and Captain Pereira, which list him as CQMS of 1st Co., as does this site. By the way, I find Capt. Pereira's book absolutely outstanding for capturing what life and death was really like. I feel humbled by their sacrifice.
I am having sessions on civilian BMD records, but it is a very common name.
We seem to recall comments about him having family in the Coventry area, or the Midlands, so I am filtering records on that basis. He was referred to as Harry, but that could include Henry and Harold as well.
We think he was born between 1900 and 1915, so the search goes on!
Regards
Dave

 

Further to my search for CQMS H Stevens, I examined the War Diaries for 5 Bn last week. It confirmed him in post as already known, but was also recorded in post in the Nominal Roll of Officers and WOs, dated 2 Octobet 1944. However he was replaced by CQMS R Paterson in the next Nominal Roll dated 14 November 1944. I searched all available copies of the daily 5 Bn news sheet "Over to You", after 4 Oct, which listed daily info on KIA, wounded, evacuated, missing, POW and died of wounds. Unfortunately I found no mention of him. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might look next, please?

 

Hi Diane

This is really good, thanks!

For anyone interested here's Stan Walley's memories of Hunstanton, especially the sniper demonstration, from "From Normandy to Arnhhem: a Footslogger's War":

"We must have been all right because we did a demonstration as a sniper unit in front of the King and Queen and the two princesses in a place called Hunstanton in Norfolk. It was on the pier, a rickety old structure. There were some blue balloons about the size of a football which were attached to a screw on a length of cotton. They were chucked into the sea and we snipers had to fire at them from the shore, which was not easy as the balloons were small and bobbing up and down on the waves. We used tracer bullets so everyone could tell who fired which. I was a little bit further back in the same trench as the Officer in Charge and the Royal Family were three or four yards behind me. The officer was spotting for me and I must have been having a good day, as I managed to hit three out of three. The officer was dead chuffed and was egging me on, ″Come on! Come on!″ It didn’t bother me to fire the rifle in front of the Royal company (Field Marshall Montgomery and several other brass hats were there too), as I knew I could do it, but if it had been marching up and down, I would not have liked it. Montgomery addressed the troops in Hunstanton, he said he wanted to have a look at us and was quite sure that we would want to have a look at him."

Heather

 

Alpen:

....punctuated by heavy artillery barrages (known as stonks) on the advancing guards. After victory here, the 5th was rested in Schule from the 23rd of February to the 3rd of March. The next operation involved most of the division capturing the high ground at Bonninghardt; facing them was the 8th German Fallschirmjager Regiment. After very heavy fighting 105 German prisoners were taken. The 5th then held the position they had just taken for 3 days whilst the remaining pockets of German resistance were cleared...

Diane, did you have more for me ???