4036045 Thomas GAMSBY, 8 Royal Scots: 31/10/1944

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by gamsby, Jul 28, 2014.

  1. gamsby

    gamsby Member

    Hi everybody,

    My father has been looking into the military history of our family and whilst speaking to the remaining family members it has come to light that very little information is known about one member.

    This came to light when the question was raised why he was buried at Nedersweert and not Arnhem where he was killed.
    The only information the family know is from a photograph of his head stone, as listed below:

    Casualty
    Name : Thomas Gamsby
    Rank : Private
    Service Number : 4036045
    Date of Death : 31/10/1944
    Age : 27
    Regiment : Royal Scots 8th Bn

    If anybody could answer the above question and also confirm what role he and his regiment had in the war prior to his death and how he died would be very much appreciated.

    Sorry I don’t have anymore information, but having looked thro’ a few of the forums there are some very helpful people out there that might be able to help.

    Many Thanks

    Lee Mason

    Ps it’s my father’s uncle that is mentioned above
     
  2. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Lee.

    I chair the Veterans Section of the 8th Battalion The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) and was interested to learn that your Great-Uncle Thomas Granby was killed at Arnhem. Can you kindly tell me more about this. The Battalion was not involved in the Arnhem landings (Market Garden). Do you have a copy of his service record?

    The 8th Battalion fought from Normany to within a few miles of the Baltic with great valour and bravery. I can send you a copy of their brief history as well as a DVD that tells of their battles in Western Europe. If you would like to have a copy please send me by personal message your address.

    Joe Brown.
     
  3. gamsby

    gamsby Member

    Hi Joe,

    Thanks for the speedy reply.

    I have no mere information than i posted previous.

    I went onto the Commonwealth War Graves Commision web site to try and see if there was any more information
    listed there than what my father could find out from our relatives.
    My father only had his name Thomas Gamsby and service number 4036045.

    It has always been thought that he died in Arnem but we have no record of this.

    How would i find out how and where he died, this is all new to me and i have been aske to find out as much as possible about him as i have access to the internet.

    No i do not have his service records, and nobody else in the family does either.

    This is why i put the question ot there

    Many Thanks

    Lee Mason
     
  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Name: Private Thomas T Gamsby
    Death Date: 31 Oct 1944
    Burial Place: Nederweert Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands


    UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 about Thomas Gamsby
    Name: Thomas Gamsby
    Given Initials: T
    Rank: Private
    Death Date: 31 Oct 1944
    Number: 4036045
    Birth Place: Birmingham
    Residence: Warwickshire
    Branch at Enlistment: Infantry
    Theatre of War: Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45
    Regiment at Death: Royal Scots (Royal Regiment)
    Branch at Death: Infantry

    I can find no other links in Ancestry to this person

    TD
     
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Further for anyone who can translate German:

    http://www.weltkriegsopfer.de/Drucker-Ausgabe-_Print_1_487726.html

    7/28/2014 Druckversion des Kriegsopfers Thomas Gamsbyvom Soldatenfriedhof.de
    http://www.weltkriegsopfer.de/Drucker-Ausgabe-_Print_1_487726.html 1/1
    Ausdruck zu der Gedenkseite von:
    Gamsby, Thomas
    Das Opfer, die Truppe, die Ruhestätte: Daten über Wohnort und mögliche Auszeichnungen:
    geboren : 00.00.0000 letzter Wohnort :
    Geburtsort : United Kingdom Straße :
    Dienstgrad : Private Auszeichnung 1 :
    Erkennungsmarke : 4036045 Auszeichnung 2 :
    Truppenteil : 8th Bn. Royal Scots Auszeichnung 3 :
    Todes- /
    Vermisstendatum
    : 31.10.1944 Auszeichnung 4 :
    Todesland : Niederlande
    Todesort : ist uns nicht bekannt !
    Todesart :
    Erstbestattungsort :
    Ruhestätte / Stadt :
    Grablage : II. G. 8.
    Sonstige Info : Folgende 10 Soldaten aus der Einheit von Thomas Gamsby starben ebenfalls am
    31.10.1944 und wurden auch auf diesem Friedhof bestattet: Lance Corporal Anderson,
    Private Attwood, Private Browne, Private Chetham, Private Dadswell, Private Harkness,
    Private Hodkin, Private Lines, Private Ridley, Private Stewart.
    Diese Daten wurden Ihnen vom Soldatenfriedhof.de zur Verfügung gestellt!
     
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2961505/GAMSBY,%20THOMAS :poppy:


    He died after OMG and there's some good clues on CWGC regarding how he may have died:

    http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2105290/NEDERWEERT%20WAR%20CEMETERY

     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Looks like he was killed by Artillery or Mortar fire. From the units war diary WO 171/1362 8 Royal Scots 1944 Jan-Dec [​IMG]
     
    dbf likes this.
  8. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Lee.

    I am sure - like me - you are extremely grateful to Drew and TD for their expertise in finding the answer to your family's concern to know what occurred to cause the death of your Great-Uncle Thomas Gamsby and where he died bravely serving his country. The Germans were fighting tenaciously to hold on to their positions in Holland in order to delay our advance into their homeland. Clearly, the 8RS came under very heavy artillery and mortar fire and from their very powerful rocket-firing Nebelwerfers. The Battalion lost 4 officers and 48 other ranks killed or wounded during this time, and sadly your Great-Uncle was killed by this enemy action.

    I would like to send for the family a brief history card of the 8RS and a much longer DVD that outlines the heroic actions fought by the Battalion, and to let you have a copy of our last Newsletter.

    With sincere regards and my sorrow at the loss of a loved-one, which the Veterans of the 8th Battalion remember with respect and honour.

    Joe Brown.
     
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  9. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Gamsby,

    do you still need help with the translation of the German text above?
    I can do it tomorrow.

    Stefan.
     
    Tricky Dicky likes this.
  10. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Hello Lee,

    Whilst Pte. Thomas Gamsby was serving with the 8th Bn Royal Scots when killed, his service number is from The King's Shropshire Light Infantry block of numbers, meaning he was originally enlisted and probably trained with the latter regiment.

    You may wish to obtain his service records to plot his wartime (and any other) service. I cannot provide a link to the MOD, as I can no longer cut & paste on this forum (anywhere else, but not here), but I am sure someone will be along shortly and provide the pertinent link.

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  11. gamsby

    gamsby Member

    Hi every one,

    Sorry for the delay in replying to your messages but i only have access to the internet at work.

    I would like to thank each and every one that has helped in finding out how and where my Great Uncle was killed.

    Its been quite emotional reading all the replies and its nice to know that there are alot of very helpful and caring people who have helped me solving this mystery.

    Im looking forward to telling all the family and especially my fater and Uncle who both did national service in Malaya and Egypt
    that have a special interest in what happened.

    In Reply to Joe Brown yes i would love to have a copy of all the information you have and will send you a personal message with all my details.

    In reply to Tricky Dicky, Drew and Steve Mac i would like to thank for unearting the documentation that has answered our questions.

    In reply to HA96 yes that would be very kind of you if you could translate the information from German to English.

    Once again a big thank you to all and i will still be looking on the forum to see if anything else is uncovered.

    Lee Mason
     
  12. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  13. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Hi Lee,

    here we go:

    Translation of the German Original

    Print out of the Memorial Page of Thomas Gamsby

    The dead, the unit, the last resting place:

    Born: Unknown
    Place of Birth: United Kingdom
    Identification tag: 4036045
    Unit: 8th Bn. Royal Scots
    Day of death: 31st October 1944
    Day missing:
    Country: The Neatherlands
    Place of death: Not known to us !
    Cause of death:
    First resting place:
    Last resting place/town: Nederweert War Cemetery , NL-6031 Nederweert, Limburg
    Place of grave: II.G.8

    Data about the home address and possible awards:
    Nothing mentioned

    Additional Information: The following 10 soldiers from the same unit as of Thomas Gamsby also died on 31st October 1944 and were buried at this cemetery: followed by the names as above.

    This data was provided to you by Soldatenfriedhof.de !

    Stefan.
     
    Tricky Dicky likes this.
  14. gamsby

    gamsby Member

    Hi Stefan

    Thank you very much for translating that for me

    Regards

    Lee
     
  15. Martin Gamsby

    Martin Gamsby Member

    Hi,

    I’m hoping to gather information, pictures and excerpts from war diaries for my grandfather, Pte. Thomas Gamsby (4036045). I know he was KIA on October 31st 1944 serving in the Royal Scots. I believe it was the 8th battalion and he died at the battle of the Scheldt. I did see a photograph of a war diary from that night but it was very blurred and difficult to read. Any help or leads would be much appreciated. I would love to be able to share any information with my father (Thomas’s son).

    Many thanks,

    Martin
     
  16. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Have edited your title to include name and unit details.


    CWGC link
    Casualty
    Private GAMSBY, THOMAS
    Service Number 4036045
    Died 31/10/1944
    Aged 27
    8th Bn. Royal Scots
    Buried at NEDERWEERT WAR CEMETERY
    Location: Limburg (Netherlands), Netherlands
    Cemetery/memorial reference: II. G. 8.


    Original field grave co-ordinates are given on Concentration reports
    Leensel, Holland, Sheet 27, 1/25,000, MR 663122
    Screen Shot 2018-10-11 at 22.50.57.png


    Good luck with your research.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Oct 11, 2018
  17. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  18. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Merged threads on same person.
     
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  19. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    8 Royal Scots

    31 October 1944
    Near Liesel [ed: ?Liessel?]
    Situation normal during the morning.
    A & B Companies still under command 2 GLASGOW HIGHLANDERS.

    1200 hrs
    Battalion ‘O’ Group at Battalion H.Q.

    1445 hrs
    8 ROYAL SCOTS with A & B Companies with in support One Squadron 4 TANK GRENADIER GUARDS occupy promontory of wood 6612. No enemy encountered but during the operation there is intense fire from enemy artillery, mortars, and nebelwerfers.

    This operation cost the battalion in casualties 4 Officers and 48 Other Ranks Killed and Wounded.

    Locations:
    Battalion HQ 663125
    A Company 663123
    B Company 666123

    C Company 665120
    D Company 668120

    2100 hours
    Patrol from C Company finds suspected enemy post at 664117 had been evacuated, and position occupied.


    See Thomas Gamsby 8th Bn Royal Scots Died 31/10/1944 for edit with field grave co-ordinates from CWGC Concentration report.
     
    eryilmaz2010, Drew5233, CL1 and 2 others like this.
  20. Martin Gamsby

    Martin Gamsby Member

    Thanks so much. That’s great. Thought he was at the Scheldt but it looks like that was the 7th and 9th battalions.
     

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