Walcheren - OP INFATUATE. Researching 7/9th Royal Scot Action on The Grand Hotel Britiannia

Discussion in 'User Introductions' started by Keith Hume, May 18, 2017.

  1. Keith Hume

    Keith Hume New Member

    By way of introduction, I'm a serving Reservist in 6SCOTS and researching the 7/9th Royal Scot Action on The Grand Hotel Britiannia.

    I am looking to see if members have or resources exist on this action. Our Bn is organising a Staff Ride/Battlefield Study to Walcheren as our antecedent units all fought as part of the 52nd (Lowland) Division.

    I'm aware this is a one-way ask and I'm, therefore, not really contributing just taking info. For that I am sorry but in mitigation our Staff Ride/Battlefield Study is an act of remembrance.

    Thank you. Keith
     
  2. adbw

    adbw Active Member

    Hi Keith
    Here's a transcribed version of the 7/9th Bn's war diary for November 1944, which hopefully will be of some use. Appendix B gives a detailed account of the action but sadly is incomplete for whatever reason. On a more general note, I'm in the process of creating a website containing the war diaries for all the Royal Scots battalions during the various times they were in action in WW2, very much along the lines of a similar, recently-completed project dealing with the 15th Scottish Division (15th (Scottish) Infantry Division / War Diaries (June 1944 - May 1945)). Don't know if that might be of interest too?
    Adam
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  4. smdarby

    smdarby Well-Known Member

    Hi Keith,

    Unfortunately, the best resource Major Joe Brown of 7/9 Royal Scots, who was a regular on this forum, died a couple of years ago. He was actually involved in the action. You can search the forum for his past postings to see if you can find anything. He also put together this website Second World War Memoirs of JOE BROWN

    Shaun
     
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  5. Keith Hume

    Keith Hume New Member

    Adam, greatly received and indeed an asset to my research and the study. I may cast my net wider on this site [perhaps in more specific areas] in order to see if other also pick up. Yours aye, Keith
     
  6. Keith Hume

    Keith Hume New Member

    Hadn't seen this and once first brief glance looks outstanding. I will now dig much deeper with a view to quoting as part of my study. I have been tasked to conduct a 'serial' on the site of the old Grand Hotel Britannia as part of our tour. I'm looking for KIA/Casualty lists from the perspective of specific acts of remembrance of this action at the Bergan Op Zoom cemetery - any clues on what are of this site I should go into? Sorry to be a pain, as a newbee I don't want to ask others to do work just simply need directions so I can learn where to go to do it myself. Yours aye, Keith
     
  7. Keith Hume

    Keith Hume New Member

    Hi Shaun, many thanks for the response. I'll definitely dig deeper into the website. Yours aye, Keith
     
  8. smdarby

    smdarby Well-Known Member

    Keith,

    There is a good account of the action with maps and photos in "Walcheren" by Andrew Rawson - you can pick it up for less then a tenner on Amazon. Another book that has a few pages on this subject is "Mountain & Flood - The History of 52nd Lowland Div" by George Blake, but this is harder to get hold of and more expensive.

    Regarding casualties, both books say 20 or so were killed in the action. Two were Major J.D. Chater and Captain W.G. Thompson. A good way to find others is to do a search on the CWGC website. Find Bergen-op-Zoom cemetery, go to casualty list and refine search to the regiment and date (3 Nov 44).

    I've been to the site of the action a couple of times. Unfortunately, the "Grand" hotel was replaced with a concrete monstrosity that seemed derelict the last time I went a couple of years ago. However, if you go down the road at the back of the hotel you get a good view of the embankment 7/9 had to scale to attack the hotel. Also, the water tower that they took prior to assaulting the hotel is close by and a clearly visible landmark.

    There are a few other sites worth seeing close by. One is the memorial "Snipe" which Major Brown was involved with. Here is the link to his post about it: Flushing and Middelburg : Our Fallen Comrades Remembered

    Good luck with the research.

    Shaun
     
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  9. Pearsonbrowm

    Pearsonbrowm Junior Member

    Please note that I’ve transferred my dad’s war memoirs to a different domain name.

    They are now available at Second World War Memoirs of JOE BROWN

    I thought that name would help new researchers. The old name was getting very few visitors.
     
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  10. adbw

    adbw Active Member

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