gritineye Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 A fiend of mine, George Taylor, has asked me to post this, it is on the back of an envelope that was posted to his father in April 1945. George is hoping someone may be able to tell from it what his father was doing at the time, any theories or WW11 pix of the place would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Seems he was an infantryman being trained in mine warfare, I see references to: S-mine at the top - IIRC a nasty anti-personnel mine that on detonation spat handfuls of shrapnel out at about 1m high Teller mine - anti-tank mine shaped like a dinner plate (from the German Teller = plate) Bar mine - anti-tank mine shaped like (but not the same dimensions as) a railway sleeper. Regal mine - never heard of it. References to anti-handling devices, colours, ignitors etc. In the last months of the war, 15/19H and a battalion of Cheshires formed one of Britain's first battlegroups as the concept finally cottoned on. Battlegroups were used on an ad-hoc by the Germans throughout the war and certainly established as a concept by the Americans in their Regimental Combat Teams. It's a long shot in suggesting the originator fought from Normandy to the Baltic alongside 15/19H but who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 Thanks for that amazingly quick reply, George will be pleased with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 There's a bit on Wikipedia about the Holz-sprung mine 4672. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Was he by any chance 24th Port Handaling company? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Was he by any chance 24th Port Handaling company? :n00b::n00b::n00b: The mind boggles:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 (edited) 24th Port Handeling company were a special unit of Royal Enginners and Infantry tasked with capture and repair of harbours and restoring them to use. I know they trained about that time in Wales, prior to going to the Channel Island's. One of the main concerns was booby traps and demolition charges, the 24th intrigued me.Several regiments were attached/detached before the Liberation force was finally formed. Right up to the actual surrender on May 9th no one was quite sure what Huffmier the comandant would do. Edited September 8, 2008 by Tony B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Was he by any chance 24th Port Handaling company? How on earth did you arrive at that ???? :??? Going by Private Taylor's army number, 14760893, he was enlisted in to the General Service Corps. On the envelope; 24 PLN Z Coy 5' Cheshire Batt My understanding of this is 24 Platoon, Z Company, 5th Cheshire Battalion. The last bit has me puzzled, should it have been 5th Cheshire Regt, or 5th (Cheshire) Battalion :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 From January 1943 5th Battalion Cheshire Regt were a training battalion for the Vickers mmg based at Trearddur Bay nr Holyhead, Anglesey, they remained at this location for the duration of the war so it would appear unlikely that they were ever part of 24 Port Handling Regt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Our posts crossed Richard, as you can see I think it would be 5th batt 22nd (Cheshire) Regt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 Many thanks for the input chaps, will pass it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 Having worked out where he was and when, has anybody got an idea what he was trying to remember here? It's too late for the gunpowder plot, so he wasn't helping Guy out! No medical answers needed, Jack won't like 'em :readbook: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Could be Power, Switch, Detanator ,explosive. The basic componets of a bang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Another document find from the bottom of a bag amongst Georges late father's belongings. And a couple of pix of the Screamer he drove, he told a story of breaking down in the snow miles from anywhere and having to burn the spare tyre to keep warm, this may have been in Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Another document find from the bottom of a bag amongst Georges late father's belongings. Hi Bernard, Interesting piece of history, to add to it, the lorry listed on the Pass was a Ford WOT6, similiar to the one parked next to my QL at W&P (opposite you ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Thanks for that Richard, another piece of the puzzle for George, that's a very useful document to a archivist I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Hi, Braunsweig to Paderborne would have been quite a journey in such a vehicle in those conditions i am sure he couldn`t of had war criminals for the whole journey:shocked: Ashley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 As a wild guess I'd think it is about the same distance as Moenchengladbach to Paderborn. In maybe Nowember 1977 Command Troop 15/19H (newly Amrs-Plotted into Paderborn) had to collect Saracen ACVs and Ferret Scout Cars from the Vehicle Depot in Moenchenstrapback (as we called it). We drove for hours in weather like we have today in the back of a four tonner. It was afternoon by the time we got ther. We had to fit Larkspur radios and harness (brought with us) before we could drive back with legally-required crew intercom. It was very cold dark and wet and we were very tired by the time we got back. We did one exercise in the Saracen APCRAs we had been given by mistake instead of ACVs, then we had to repeat the round trip to Moenchenstrapback to collect three ACVs, but this time it was worse because we had to do the outbound journey in the APCRAs we were returning, remove the harness and fit it into the ACVs. We also used to take a four-tonner with us to Bavaria for Ex Snow Queen (supposedly to learn to ski, fight and survive in snow: in reality, two weeks of downhill, thank you). One year I had the pleasure of returning from Snow Queen in the back of of the four-tonner. Not fun either. He gets my sympathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Ah but soldiers were soldiers in those days! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 George has found another photo (of a photo it seems, like the others) He's not sure if this shows his father, can any thing be cleaned from it? any ideas what vehicle? Strange effect on the windscreen, could be dusty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 It's a Karrier 3 ton 4x4 GS truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 Thanks Degsy, I have to admit to never having noticed one of those before, Like this one I presume? http://ccmv.fotopic.net/p27834688.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Thats it, the one in that pic is fitted with a 4.5 ton underbody winch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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