Seeking info on two RE veterans - Capt Astles and L/Sgt Bloodworth of 13 Fd Sqn RE

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by Old Git, Aug 12, 2015.

  1. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Capt. (T. Maj.) R. G. ASTLES M.C. (95028)
    L/Sgt JOHN R. BLOODWORTH MM (2193931)

    Both these men served with 13 Fd Sqn RE, 11th Armoured Division and I am especially interested in the events surrounding the advance towards, and attack on, Osnabruck/Eversheide in April 1945.

    I have read the war diaries for 13th Fd Sqn, 11th Armoured Division and 3 RTR but I am especially interested in any personal memoirs from either veteran, if they exist? I'd also like to get in touch with any descendants, if that's possible?

    I think Sgt Bloodworth died about 2012 and I may, have a line on his descendants but Capt Astles I know nothing about and would dearly love to. I've already checked with the RE museum and they have little to no info on either so I'm hopeful that a shout out on the net's best WW2 forum might elicit something of value!


    Rgds

    Pete
     
  2. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    Might be him.
     

    Attached Files:

    Tricky Dicky likes this.
  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Pete

    Do you have any further info on the 2 men, approx date of birth, place of birth, details that will help narrow down the search???

    TD

    edited to add:

    for example is R G Astles - Robert George?????
     
  4. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Fantastic find Amberdog, whereever did you turn this up? I'm pretty sure that's him! Thank you!



    Tricky Dicky, so far that is as much as I have. I can't eeven be sure both men have passed on (although Sgt Bloodworth's medals are with the RE Museum and some of his personal effects were up for Auction in January 2013). Not being a relative, and without death certificates I can't apply yet for their Army Personnel records! Although, Amberdog's find should narrow down the search for Capt Astles (he was a WS Capt. during the war and only confirmed a Capt with seniority dated from June 1946). He commanded 13 Fd Sqn towards the end of the war as a Tempoary Major. I've got the RE Museum checking on who donated the Sgt's medals and I have a query in with the auction house who auction off a small Lot of his personal effects in January 2013. In the meantime I was sure the lads here could be relied to turn up something new and interesting!

    Whilst, we're at it does anyone know of any personal memoirs left by Lt Wadsworth MC of 3 RTR, again for the same advance on Osnabruck? Got the war diaries just seeking something more personal if it exists? Again, I have a query in with Bovington but you guys always turn up something interesting!
     
    Ramiles likes this.
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Marriage cert for the newspaper clip above:

    Name: Robert G Astles
    Spouse Surname: King
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1941
    Registration district: Wensleydale
    Inferred County: Yorkshire North Riding
    Volume Number: 9d
    Page Number: 1417


    Name: Lysbeth W King
    Spouse Surname: Astles
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1941
    Registration district: Wensleydale
    Inferred County: Yorkshire North Riding
    Volume Number: 9d
    Page Number: 1417



    BUT there is another marriage for a Robert G Astles:

    Name: Robert G Astles
    Spouse Surname: Currall
    Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1943
    Registration district: Stafford
    Inferred County: Staffordshire
    Volume Number: 6b
    Page Number: 51

    This is the seconds tree info

    Robert George Astles

    Birth: 1 Jan 1916 - Staffordshire, England
    Death: Feb 2000 - Stafford, Staffordshire
    F: George Astles
    M: Mary Ann Bull

    Birth details:

    Name: Robert G Astles
    Mother's Maiden Surname: Bull
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1916
    Registration district: Stafford
    Inferred County: Staffordshire
    Volume Number: 6b
    Page Number: 14

    I am also not sure how this Robert G Astles fits in as he was born in Kingston, Kent (near Canterbury), but the family may have moved North ?????
    Name: Robert G Astles
    Mother's Maiden Surname: Lees
    Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1916
    Registration district: Kingston
    Inferred County: Kent
    Volume Number: 2a
    Page Number: 923

    TD
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    The only John R Bloodworth I can find that would possibly fit your man is:

    All England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007

    Name: John Richard Bloodworth
    Birth Date: 19 Sep 1919
    Date of Registration: Dec 1984
    Age at Death: 65
    Registration district: Hendon
    Inferred County: Middlesex
    Volume: 13
    Page: 698

    I cannot find any UK reference to his birth at the moment.

    TD
     
  7. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Hi TD,

    Wow, thanks for all this, are you getting all this from one of the genealogy sites? I'm pretty sure that the first Robert Astles is our chap, the reference to the Royal Engineers would seem to confirm that. I shall keep the second reference in case the first one doesn't pan out but I'm pretty sure that it is him. Since you posted that cutting I have found on the London Gazette for 1947 that he was living at Leyburn, Yorks at the end of the war, I think he also went to Merchant Taylors public school as an earlier version of the Gazette has him listed as joining the RE direct from the M-T cadets. So I'm hopeful that I can now track down his descendants, if I can get place and date of death (assuming he has passed away) then I can get this death certificate and try for his army personnel file.

    The info you've given me on L/Sgt Bloodworth is also very useful and confirms what I suspected. The RE museum emailed me this morning to confirm that they have had his medals for 20 years and that would seem to tie in with the date of death you've given. The RE have a 20 year old contact details and I've asked if they could see if the descendants are prepared to talk to me about the L/Sgt's wartime experiences.

    See, this is why this is the best WWII forum on the net, bar none! Once again TD, thank you for all your help here, you're an absolute star!
     
  8. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Interestingly enough, BT's online telephone directory lists only one Astles for the whole of Yorkshire! I wonder if I'm rude enough to just call him and ask if he's related to our chap!
     
  9. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Old Git

    Just to clarify it was amberdog45 who posted the newspaper cutting. The info comes mainly from Ancestry but I do use other sites as well as in the last few years the companies bid for certain databases and use them to promote their and try to increase their user numbers, before the database becomes common access, a prime example is Findmypast being the highest bidder for the 1939 'Census'

    As to giving the phone number you have found - why not call, the worst they can say is 'No'

    TD
     
  10. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Apologies to Amberdog, I should have remembered it was she who posted the cutting, mea culpa!

    TD, thanks for the info on Ancestry, I did have a login in there but let it lapse when my cousin took over the research of the family tree. It may well be time to reactivate it methinks! Funny how I was happy using Ancestry to researrch my own ancestors but it never occured to me to use it to locate someone elses descendants, doh!

    I have a postal address and a phone number from the directory so maybe I'll write first, a letter somehow seems less intrusive.

    Thanks again to Amberdog and TD, you've both been a huge help!
     
  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Old Git

    It should read 'she' not 'he'

    TD
     
  12. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Thanks TD, mea maxima culpa! Edited and noted for future reference,
     
  13. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    No problem. I sourced the article through the news archives at findmypast. I gave in waiting on the 1939 ID reg going on line and wanted to look up a news article, so I took out a months subscription. I noted the same birth, marriage and death details as Tricky, but had the same concerns regarding the info as there are a few with the same initials. I didn't turn up any births using the maiden name of the bride in the news article. Was this the same on Ancestry Tricky?
     
  14. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    I can find no Astles born 1941 - 1951 with a mothers maiden name of 'King' or 'Astle' - I noted this as the mothers maiden name is sometimes 'exchanged' on official records as her married name - confusing I know but it does happen. So that diminishes the possibility of children.

    TD
     
  15. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

  16. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

  17. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Incidentally, Capt. R.G. Astles is definitely Robert Geoffrey according to his medal card at Nat Archs. So I'm pretty sure that the newspaper cutting is indeed him, great find Amberdog! The RE angle fits as well! His wife's reversion to her maiden name in 1949 does seem to indicate a divorce (I'm sure a widow would keep her husband's name out of respect) and moves back to the family farm (Lilac Farm, Mickley, HG4 3JE - sold in 2014 and now a B&B I think) in Yorkshire? I know Capt. Astles was wounded at Osnabruck between April 6 - 8 1945 and evacuated but the London Gazette has him being made up to a full Captain in 1946 so his wounds could not have been fatal. It's just a case of what happened to him after that? Presumably there'd be records of the divorce that might give an indication of where he was living at the time?

    Pete
     
  18. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    These are her birth details - I think - no family trees though

    Name: Lisbeth W King
    Mother's Maiden Surname: Daglish
    Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1916
    Registration district: Leyburn
    Inferred County: Yorkshire North Riding
    Volume Number: 9d
    Page Number: 1201

    TD
     
  19. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Pete

    The only info extra to above I can find on Robert Geoffrey Astles is a death which may or may not be him ???

    Name: Robert Geoffrey Astles
    Birth Date: 28 Feb 1916
    Date of Registration: May 1996
    Age at Death: 80
    Registration district: Surrey Mid-eastern
    Inferred County: Surrey
    Register Number: 2A
    District and Subdistrict: 7561A
    Entry Number: 247

    TD
     
  20. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Thanks for that TD, it is at least something to go on. It may well be him and perhaps the only way to know for sure is to search for his Obit in the local press for that year. If it is him then his death certificate, along with Sgt Bloodworths, should give me enough to ger their Army Personnel file.

    I found a site on-line that has the Army Officer lists from 1939 - 46 and I'm searching through it now, but there appear to be only one officer in the British Army called Astles and with the initials R.G. so hopefully he'll be easy to track down. Thanks to both you and Amberdog I now have a much easier way forward!
     

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