1 or 2 items on the Imperial war museum website. Their search engine is not the best but you can find a few items with a little persistance and a lot of patience, Find an object | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
There is more material. There are however as far as I am aware no photographs of 79th armoured engineers even though several units should be involved in the battle according to the War Museum Overloon. AVRE fascine, bridge laying Churchills and even a conger was present (though not used). There is an image of engineers next to a Westminster dragoons flail, however one of them seems to have a 3rd division insignia on his sleeve.
Cpl Harry Woolf, a 29 year old sapper from 617 Assault Squadron R.E. died on 16th October during the liberation of Venray. He is buried in the Venray Military cemetery (CWGC). The original grave has a map reference of Venray Sheet 5 758282. Could someone help me to identify that exact location please?
For the benefit of those reading this thread, the actions of the RE in the lead up to and liberation of Venray is covered in The Royal Engineers Corp History, Volume 9 which is available in pdf format on the internet. https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Corps-History-Vol-09.pdf Pages 434/435 refer to the 14-16th October 1944. In particular there are several mentions of 617 Assault Squadron RE.
Hi Philip, The location 758282 is just about on the marker. This is north west of Venray right on the egde of the Loobeek.
Thanks for this Ramon. Two sappers from 617 Assault Squadron RE were killed on the same day in that place just in front of the Loobeek. They were trying to lay a bridge over the 'beek' but it was swollen and the banks muddy/churned-up and had been mined on both sides. One was shot and wounded by a sniper and killed by a mine or mortar whilst trying to get back to his tank. The other we dont know, but probably died helping his colleague.
Loobeek was one nasty creek, after the heavy rainfall during the battle, the loobeek was now a 6 meter wide river. The germans even put mines on the bottom of the beek. Many british soldiers lost their lives not far apart from this small creek, we locals call it the bloedbeek (stream of blood)
I searched the Venray Cemetery on CWGC and on the 16th October, the day of the first main push to cross the beek, only about 15 allied soldiers are commemorated. Most of them died on the east side of the beek - after they had crossed. I was surprised that the number was so small. Of course this does not include German deaths, and there will have been many men 'missing'. But is there a reason why so few are commemorated on that day or even the day before/after? The wounded figure must have been high, given that the shoe mines took their toll. But maybe there were not so many actually killed?
On the 14th October, a group of flail tanks had to clear out the mines there, but all of the tanks got stuck in the mud. So the germans over the beek summond artillery on the tanks who are stuck in those fields. The 16th of October the infantry started their attack on the beek, however the allied artillery barrage was firing short which also caused many casualties. A lot went missing because of multiple factors: Bodies blown to pieces, There was water and mud everywhere, Many tanks were ripped to pieces by the German Panthers and Tigers who were awaiting them. Norfolks and Lincolnshires took the most casualties and wounded of the infantry in that attack.
