Hello, My name is Antoon Meijers from the Netherlands and I am looking for some information about a landmine accident. On 23 August 1945 on the heath-land at Heeze in the Netherlands Serjeant W. Powell, Lance Corporal E.M. Le Bihan and the Privates A.J. Hunt and A.C. Morton, together with two civilians, where killed when a truck full of landmines detonated. The men are buried at the Mierlo war cemetery in the Netherlands LCpl Le Bihan belonged to59 General Transport Company, RASC. Pvt Morton to 37 Port Ammunition Detachment, RAOC. The other 2 men belonged to the RAOC, but the burial registers do not mentioned which unit. Who knows till which unit Serjeant William Powell. 7605200 and PvtAlbert J. Hunt, 10590372 belonged?
If it is of any help, here is the war diary for 37 PA Det, held at the National Archives: WO 171/6914, ROYAL ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS > Port Ammunition Detachments > 37 Det. (1945 Jan.- Dec.) This might be the correct one for the 59th? WO 171/6751, ROYAL ARMY SERVICE CORPS > Transport Columns > 59 Coln. (1945 Jan.- Dec.) There might be something in one of these diaries about the incident. Drop me a PM if you want the August sections copied. Lee
Goeden avond, I'm writing in Dutch, becouse I want to talk espessialy to anton. Goeden avond Antoon, Ik zie dat jij het een en ander aan het uitzoeken bent in Nederland. Ik zit met eenzelfde onderzoek naar een fosforbrand in een munitiedump bij mijn woonplaats. Heb jij misschien nog van het RAOC de oorlogsverslagen? Eventueel kun je met me contact opnemen via: markvld@home.nl mark
had a quick look and theres no record of which unit they belonged to on forces war records (using it just now till its up)
Have been in touch with Mark privately via another site What we are both looking for is details of 54 Independent Ammunition Ordnance Company RAOC who could have been the custodial unit at a fatal accident involving 215 Company Pionier Corps at Tubbergen in Holland in early September 1945 (there is no War Diary for the unit in the WO 171 Series at Kew)
Dear Borneo72, I have contact the RLC museum, but they didn't have any information about it. I'm busy to look in the archive of the RLC gazette online, but I didn't found anything. Some information about the 6th. Canadian Casulty Clearing Station is welcome too, because we found the name in the investigation too. Greats
Well if Antoon is still on this site, I can confirm that both Powell and Hunt were also members of 37 PAD working at Heeze since 29 June 1945. The War diary reports the 6 people were killed in a premature explosion on the demolition ground. This indicates that they were undertaking the deliberate clearance of abandoned ammunition, both British and German natures when the accident happened. A Court of Inquiry was held on 31 August but no details in the WD.
