What happened? Researching MV Derrycunihy deaths on 24 June and I came across a block of 53 REME deaths, all buried at Lenham Cemetery. Was this a V1 hit? I can't quite understand how so many could be killed in one incident. CROFT WALTER LANE PERCY ALFRED NANSON NORMAN McGINTY STEPHEN MILLS ERIC GEORGE McKENZIE DAVID HAMILTON MORLEY ERNEST MAURICE JACKSON LESLIE LAZARUS LEWIS LONG FRANK EATON WILLIAM HENRY ELLIS ARTHUR ERNEST COPELAND GEORGE ALFRED DUGGAN BERTRAM CHARLTON HENRY JOHN FISHER ERNEST BENJAMIN DOWDELL DESMOND EDWIN CLARK HENRY CHEEVERS CHARLES ANDERSON JAMES FERGUSSON HUDSON DAVID JOHN HANDLEY HUBERT DOUGLAS HATT JAMES RICHARD HAYES GORDON ANTHONY FOSTER FRANK RONALD HOBSON LEONARD GORMAN ANDREW HEATH CHARLES KENNETH HALL THOMAS SALVESEN GEORGE WILLIAM PALMER BENNETT SAMUEL TOWYN SCARBOROUGH HAROLD PEGG JAMES WILLIAM POCKLINGTON FREDERICK PORTER SIDNEY QUANE PATRICK BARTLETT FRANCIS ARTHUR JAMES BENNETT REGINALD THOMAS BULLEN ALBERT WILLIAM JOHN BATES GEORGE ALBERT BROWN HAROLD BURGESS PETER LAURIE CARLEY MICHAEL BELL FREDERICK WYATT ARTHUR PERCIVAL STONE (SMILER) WESTWOOD JOHN BALLARD GEOFFREY STILES JAMES MODEN DOUGLAS BERT CHILCOTT FRANK ALBERT TAYLOR ARCHIBALD HANCOCK ARTHUR WILLIAM LE PIEZ WILFRED THOMAS Can anyone explain as this seems a little known incident and I'd like to know more, as it must have had some impact on availability of repaired or fresh tank supplies for Normandy
From CWGC http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/40166/Lenham%20Cemetery Google results about the V1 on 24th June 1944. https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?hl=en&tab=mw#hl=en&q=v1+24th.june.1944+reme one says https://sites.google.com/site/6thguardstankbrigade/home/reme http://rotherhamwarmemorials.weebly.com/bramley-st-francis-church.html
From 6th Guards Tank Brigade, Forbes; Pages 12 & 13: Now entered in WW2 Day by Day database http://ww2talk.com/forums/page/Databases/ww2_day_by_day.html/_/uk-v1-bomb-kills-over-50-men-from-reme-6-guards-tank-bde-wksp-r422
Hi guys Today, on quite a different errand, I visited a village cemetery at Lenham near Maidstone in Kent (UK). I was surprised to see so many CWGC headstones, and there were a few more that I only noticed while driving out. There were about 30 graves of Canadians who died in 1919 or a bit later. This explained by the fact that there was indeed a hospital nearby, under the Downs, apparently built by (or for) the Canadians in WW1. How do I know? Well, I have been familiar with that area for years and can remember seeing the hospital in the past and also, my next door neighbour used to work there and was aware that it had been a military hospital at one time. One assumes that these guys were brought back to UK but died of their wounds after the war was over. There were also some 35 headstones, and a memorial cross with over 50 names on it, all referring to the personnel of 6 Army Tank Brigade Workshop who all died on the same day in 1944, I think in July which must have been just before they went to France. Was there some disaster or a bombing raid to account for this considerable carnage? I was interested to see on each headstone this old REME badge (shown below), presumably the first one. I was not even aware they had changed their badge, but this is quite unlike the current one. It was also interesting to see the ranks of the casualties; Craftsmen of course, which I would have expected, but also Drivers and Privates (and of course various NCOs). The rank structure of REME in the early days must have been a bit different from now! Chris
I'm sure we had a thread on it awhile ago. I'll look & edit link in here later. that was quick. http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/53756-no-6-tank-brigade-workshops-24-june-1944/
Many thanks Owen. My guests from New Zealand (who were looking for quite a different grave) are leaving tomorrow and will be interested to hear the facts. Very quick indeed! Chris
Went to the REME Museum at Lyneham this afternoon & saw this model of the Memorial Gates which reminded me of this thread. Apologies for rubbish quality of photos taken on my phone.
Couple of photos on the REME Museum FB page showing gates & graves. The REME Museum The REME Museum The REME Museum
My name is Fred Fox and I am a friend of Dean Road and Manor Road cemetery in Scarborough. My interest is military history and I do research for the friends of the cemetery of those buried there and remembered on a family headstone. Walter Croft, who is listed in the post dated June 16 2014 as buried in Lenham Cemetery is, according to cwgc, buried in Hermanville Cemetery. His mother was initially informed that he was wounded and missing at sea and it wasn't until August that she was told that he was now presumed dead. Could he have been on the Derrycunihy? He is remembered on a family headstone and I would like to include his story on one of the guided walks around the cemetery.
