7959728 Trooper John SIMPSON, 'A' Squadron, 24 Lancers: 08/06/1944

Re. Trooper John Simpson - 7959728

"A" Squadron of the 24th Lancers

(Nb. His next of kin, his father, at the time, lived in Sunderland, County Durham / Tyne and Wear).

- My current query / question / mystery here is how did Trooper John Simpson - 7959728 - of "A" Squadron of the 24th Lancers come to be buried on Point 103?

- Speculatively - he was perhaps buried there by the Germans, or an - as yet unknown - allied unit - albeit were he buried by an allied unit they would presumably have made more of a note of this and kept at least one of his dog-tags.

He seems to have been both kia and buried some time prior to Point 103 actually being held - firmly - in allied hands, which perhaps suggests that he may have been there on reconnaissance, or else taken there and perhaps buried there by the Germans.

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Trooper John Simpson | War Casualty Details 2219177 | CWGC

TROOPER JOHN SIMPSON
Service Number: 7959728
Regiment : Royal Armoured Corps. 24th Lancers
Date of Death: Died 08 June 1944
Age 29 years old
Buried or commemorated at TILLY-SUR-SEULLES WAR CEMETERY. I. E. 1France
Country of Service: United Kingdom
Additional Info: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Simpson, of Sunderland, Co. Durham.
Personal Inscription:
DEARER STILL AS YEARS DEPART HIS MEMORY LIVES WITHIN OUR HEARTS.

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In terms of the 24L welfare list, the name of Simpson appears between that of Trooper Mant and that of Trooper Wager...



Wager was also reported kia 8d6m1944, but unlike Simpson - Wager has no (currently) known grave.
Below Wager - in the 24L Welfare list - is Attwood.
Attwood like Wager was in "C" Squadron, 24L...

Unlike Wager, Attwood was reported to have been kia 9d6m1944.
Attwood also has no known grave.
There is a slight difference - however - in the 24L Regimental History - "None Had Lances" / NHL - which references Leonard Attwood as kia on 10d6m1944 - page 90 in NHL and in the Roll of Honour on p233, rather than the now "official" 9d6m1944.

NHL describes the day thusly... (below)



...evidently Trooper John Simpson was known (at some point) to have died on 8d6m1944 and was re-buried on Point 103 two days later by Padre Skinner - or his shallow grave was found two days later by Padre Skinner, it's a little hard (now, unfortunately) to determine which is correct.

Quite often the CWGC has a grave registration with an - initial burial - map reference but unfortunately such details are absent in this case, fortunately Padre Skinner drew a map. Unfortunately it is rather hard to correlate this hand drawn sketch map with actual features on ww2 maps or match it to photo reconnaissance.

The SRY's Padre Skinner draws a lane on his map - said to be going between Audrieu and St.Pierre - as travelling roughly east-west, for example, whereas the main road travels more southwest to northeast, although there are lots of small east west lanes dotted about they don't travel directly between Audrieu and St.Pierre.

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P77 of James Holland's "Brothers in Arms"



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There is a reference here...

https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/t...ouglas-and-the-sherwood-rangers.152608/page-2

I found a while back... see also...

24th Lancers - Roll of Honour

To the location of Trooper Simpson's original battlefield grave on Point 103, as Trooper Simpson was originally found by Padre Skinner, who was with the SRY.

There is possibly uncertainty.. however... on the hand drawn map
"Keith Douglas is #1. Simpson #2 and Pepler #3"





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The Frontline in Normandy - circa 8d6m1944...

716th Static Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - Wikipedia

 

The area is described in some detail - at around the midpoint, and onwards in this... Trooper Simpson is mentioned at around the 31min mark...

 

Object 50 - Chaplain Leslie Skinner's notebook

 

This (below) overview map appears here -

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edit...map+of+point+103+normandy&printsec=frontcover




It places the 12SS Recce Battalion at the spot where the grave of the 24L's Trooper John Simpson was later found -
Unfortunately history doesn't - yet - seem to record how Trooper Simpson came to be there. Though it perhaps resides in some record(s) that I haven't - yet - come across.

The 24L's Trooper John Simpson was presumably buried there by somebody who came to be in the area, but whether it was the Germans or the soon to be arriving allies it is now very hard to ascertain.

The fact that he was relatively easily identified - as being there - perhaps suggests that some care was taken to keep things clear, but further details - now - may be lost in the fog of war and the mists of time...

 

Incidentally - this file - exists in the UK National archives -

[North West Europe: 24th Lancers, Royal Armoured Corps; missing personnel | The National Archives] (North West Europe: 24th Lancers, Royal Armoured Corps; missing personnel | The National Archives)



Nb. The folder itself is only around a half dozen pages - which are mostly blank and contain the names of the 24L individuals already known to have been first reported missing and then subsequently "found".

Unfortunately - "the supporting statements from eyewitnesses" mentioned - are not actually included in the file.

So it doesn't really help to clear up any mysteries - even though the rather "gutted" file still exists.

 

There are other names included in the "missing/found" 24L file -

Trooper Cyril Brindley - for example -

See also the details at - My Grandfather in 'C' Squadron 24th Lancers 1944

- this (below) is what the 24L missing persons file at Kew - "has" - currently -

i.e. it "only" notes the date that Trooper Cyril Brindley was reported MIA - then notes presumed KIA - and his 24L Squadron - "C".

So - again - unfortunately - without the "supporting statements from eyewitnesses" mentioned there doesn't seem any chance there - yet - of clearing much up.

 

There is this account (see below) - that mentions that a "tank and carrier were ambushed. Lt McCaie was killed by a grenade thrown into the turret and the crew of the tank and carrier were taken prisoners." - at around a similar time and in a quite similar area.

Albeit it is perhaps more indicative of the types of things that were going on rather than something which might currently be tied to how the 24L's Trooper Simpson's body eventually ended up on Point 103.

341 BATTERY - 86TH FIELD REGT RA (HERTS YEOMANRY) - WAR DIARY
June 9th
The Battery moved up and established a position around a farm on the northern outskirts of Martragny. Our Machine Gunners had occupied the position the night before but had moved on as the advance continued. Except for an occasional farm woman the village was deserted. There was a considerable amount of firing during the day - enemy concentrations at Buceéls and in a wood S of Lingévres were shelled and a Divisional target was fired on a cross roads which became known as Jerusalem Cross Roads.
Our OPs were now established on the crown of a hill overlooking Tilly-sur-seulles, a feature marked on the map as Pt 103. The enemy were still in the woods and villages on the lower slopes and the OPs were not in a very happy position. To reach them it was necessary to go across country, the main roads and lanes being either in enemy hands or under enemy fire. Lt C.B. McCaie our A/CPO had to take a Sherman tank to the OP and took with him TL.B's carrier to bring him back. Unfortunately nothing further was heard or seen of this party. Later we learned that the tank and carrier were ambushed. Lt McCaie was killed by a grenade thrown into the turret and the crew of the tank and carrier were taken prisoners.
A welcome sight was the arrival of our first mail. The letters had been written on 31st May and only just reached us - but it was a welcome sign that the Army Post Office was now functioning.

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Nb. It mentions there that - "our A/CPO had to take a Sherman tank to the OP and took with him TL.B's carrier to bring him back. Unfortunately nothing further was heard or seen of this party. Later we learned that the tank and carrier were ambushed. Lt McCaie was killed by a grenade thrown into the turret and the crew of the tank and carrier were taken prisoners."
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https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2336309/charles-bowman-mccaie/