79th Armoured | Post '45

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by Luke Blaney, Mar 18, 2022.

  1. Luke Blaney

    Luke Blaney New Member

    Hi All,

    Apologies if this is in the wrong place. I'm a new member today.
    My grandfather Walter William Blaney was a Royal Engineer, but was attached to 79th Armoured Division as a tank driver.

    He didn't like to discuss the war much, but he did have an odd story after the war. While I never met him, the story given to me goes like this:

    After the war, Bill's service revolver was used by his best friend to commit suicide. Due to this suicide, Bill was asked to remain for about 8-9 months of so pending investigation. While remaining in Germany, Bill was billotted to live with a German woman named Freida who's husband had died in the war.

    Now there are a few areas I am stuck with. I have all his army records that show it was true he never returned to blighty until '47 (Somewhere between June and September) but nothing on his repramand log to say he was caught up in any suicide (just late returning from leave a few times) and i know he wrote and visited my nan frequently so not sure if he was also having it off as they say with a german lady, or whether the truth was as there were limited barracks for BAOR he was really billeted to live with a German lady.

    I have a photograph of his Churchill Avre (one of 3 he drove as 2 were shot from under him) parked outside a house in what we believe is Germany. On the back it reads "The Passion Wagon outside Freeda's house". He couldnt spell so Freeda was likely Freida but hey ho. It's a poor quality photo but he brought it home with him. I doubt he would have done that if he was having an affair, and he told my nan all about Freida apparently and how she was very pleasant but there was no conversation of any affair.

    Anyway, long story short, can someone help me to work out what the 26th Assault Squadron needed a tank driver for post war (46 - 47) and whether anyone can find records or reasoning to suggest my grandads line of events is true, and that there was a suicide etc.

    If it helps, i have records from 1946 that he was transferred to BAOR and before that was at Jesteburg and Luneburg as he wrote on the back of several photographs with those locations. It appears 26th Assault Squadron was his last unit served in. Any help much appreciated.
     
  2. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Luke,

    Welcome aboard. Others may come along and help. Always apply for his Service Record, even if the turnaround is reported as a year plus now. See: Request records of deceased service personnel Upload the records here once you've obtained them and then the forum can get to work on them. Please do not pay for any site on the internet who promise you his service records they will not have them, and you would have wasted your money. (More via PM).

    There are only three threads here that mention the 26th Assault Squadron. Given your focus they may be peripheral for your research: Petard Mortar , Thomas Brown, 85 Field Coy, Royal Engineers, June 1944. and Op Overlord unit patches

    There is an active member here who has recorded BAOR after WW2: New website - britisharmyingermany.com and his own website would be the first place to check on the 26th's movements.

    On the suicide issue I investigated a New Zealand officer who post-war used a colleague's revolver to commit suicide in England, this was subject of Court of Enquiry (very short) and a Coroners Inquest. Remaining in Germany for months seems implausible.

    You could be in luck; the 26th's CO has donated his papers to the IWM, though a visit will be needed to read. The IWM Precis states:
    Link: Private Papers of Major General A E Younger DSO OBE

    Assuming this Order of Battle for D-Day remains valid the 26th were part of 5th Assault Regiment, so locating their War Diary / records could help or doing some online research. From: Assault Regiment, RE, 79th Armoured Division, 1944

    Note on Google hit refers to the 26th having Buffaloes, note not Churchill AVRE (others may know what an Assault Squadron consisted of.
     
    Deacs and Historic Steve like this.
  3. Historic Steve

    Historic Steve Researching 21 Army Group/BAOR post VE day

    Luke

    Post VE Day locations – 26 Armoured Engineer Squadron
    Meppen north-west of Osnabrück
    10 May 45 – Coevorden-NL north-east of Zwolle-NL
    19 Jun 45 – Stelle south-east of Hamburg-Harburg
    15 Jul 45 – Marl south-west of Münster
    19 Jul 45 – Holsterhausen south-west of Münster

    As davidbfpo pointed out the squadron was part of 5 Armoured Engineer Regiment but that was disbanded 21 Jul 45, however the squadron remained as follows:
    14 Army Group 19 Jul 45 – 18 Army Group 11 Oct 45 – joining 42 Armoured Engineer Regiment on their arrival from the UK 23 Mar 46
    Holsterhausen south-west of Münster – Hameln 23 Mar 46
    29 Nov 45 – 1 Troop – Ludinghausen north-east of Holsterhausen – Cappenburg east of Holsterhausen 2 Jan 46
    1 Jan 47 – redesignated 26 Assault Engineer Squadron:
    13 Mar 48 – United Kingdom

    Do not have war dairies for the squadron only for 1 Armoured Engineer Brigade and the higher command Kew documentation, hope this helps.

    21st Army Group later British Army of the Rhine (under construction)
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2022
    Deacs likes this.
  4. Luke Blaney

    Luke Blaney New Member

    Thank you for your replies (and sorry for lack of reply). This is amazing to see where they were based etc, and the Netherlands side makes a lot of sense as we have a photo of his tank outside a house and a war specialist once said he felt the house looked of Netherlands origin not German. He was definitely back before Mar '48 but that may just be that he left the unit then as he came home for good 10 months before my Dad was born.
    Where would I get the war diaries from?
     

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