Pte Richard Thomas Brayne 1st Bn Royal Norfolk 1/3/45

While researching my grandfathers service, I came across the form that was sent to him and his father notifying them that his brother was killed in action in western europe on 1st march 1945.

Since Finding the form I've managed to find where he was was part of the Normandy landings at Sword beach and that he was buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany:

Casualty

I'd noticed that some people have access to some 1st Battalion's war diary scans and was wondering if they might have something from the end of February / 1st March 1945 range that may explain what happened to him.

Thank you in advance!

Name: Richard Thomas Brayne
Service Number: 5116194
Died: 01/03/1945
Age: 29
1st Bn. Royal Norfolk Regiment

Edit: I did notice the Grave registration scan shows at least 11 others from the 1st battalion passing away on the same day.

 

Murmannshof Farm

He was previously wounded on the 14th October 1944

 

Owen,
He was.

 

Thank you both so much for your help, this gives a far better idea of what happened than the "Killed in western europe" I had before hand, Thank you.

I don't want to push my luck, but in regards to my grandfather Arthur Brayne (The brother of Richard Brayne) He survived the war, but never spoke of his time in service, until recently all i had to go on was a picture of him as a young man in uniform with a pyramid behind him.

Using the link you gave for army block allocations His ID 4034822 shows him as being in the The King's Shropshire Light Infantry.

Yet his marriage license has him in the Hertfordshire regiment and then findmypast.co.uk shows him as being in the York & Lancaster Regiment.

Is there any chance you could point me in the right direction to pinpoint his specific unit? I'm trying to figure out where exactly he was during the war, all he mentioned to my mother was about a case of malaria he had (not sure if that would be the reason for the 1944 injury record?)

Thank you again, even if you can't help with this, the help with my mother's uncle is so very appreciated, over the past 24 hours we've gone from knowing nothing to having a very good idea as to what happened and knowing where his grave is in germany, been a humbling experience.

 

Will do, thank you!

 

Norfolk memorial at the Molen Beek (Loobeek), which was crossed by the Norfolks on 16/10/44. Pte Brayne was probably wounded in the woods just to the north of here. The first photo was taken a couple of years ago with my back to the Loobeek, so north is behind the monument.