Gothic Line - Royal Fusilier KIA 14 Sept 44

Can anyone help me find out more about my Uncle -Thomas Edwin Buckland (Ted) of 9RF City of London Regiment. KIA, possibly at Coriano Ridge, buried in Montecchio. His Service No was 6347389.

Several members have provided info already via my "intro posting" - many thanks to them.

I will be travelling to Italy, flying into Rome, and onto Anzio for 1 night, onto Monte Cassino for 2nights, Salerno for 2 night then up to Pescara for an overnight stop then onto Montecchio for 1 night before heading back to Rome. I might re-arrange the route to allow 2 nights in the Montecchio area

Elsewhere on this forum I have found a reference to my Uncles unit being involved in the Salerno Landings - can anyone confirm that, please and offer any suggestions as to where they would have been prior to that?

Although I am on a very tight schedule and have the wishes of my mate to consider, if I can be of assistance by taking photos of headstones, then please ask and if I can, I will.

Regards

Evader

 

Evader

As I pointed out in your other thread your uncle's unit was a part of the 56th Division which indeed landed at Salerno on the 9th September '43 along with the 46th Division in Xth Corps attached to

the US 5th Army...they then followed on from there through Naples to the various battles and over the Volturno and up to the Garigliano River and then a spell in Anzio....they then had a rest in Egypt

until they returned in time to join the battles for the Gothic line where your uncle was killed at Croce in the Coriano Ridge area....

Therefore I would respectfully suggest that you take the time to visit that area rather than two nights in Montecchio which is little better than a cemetery.....

Depending on when your uncle joined 56th Div he MIGHT have served in Palestine prior to joining 8th Army at Enfidaville in Tunisia in around the April of '43....a clue will be if he has the Africa Star as he

obviously had the Italy Star...PM me for a map of that area.....

Cheers

 

Evader
Just noted that you are living at Highcliffe ,Christchurch as we did in the 70's to 87' when we returned to Canada - things have changed no doubt in the interim - but next time you are passing

the Doctors office - pop in and give my best to Drs. John and Amanda Pillinger - old friends of mine - Amanda was at Boscombe Convent with my Daughter Elizabeth...

cheers

 

Hi Tom - I had noticed the reference to Bournemouth in your profile, but it is interesting that you were actually in Highcliffe. We are between Smugglers Lane (north) and the main Lymington Rd, not far from the golf course. I do know of the Drs Pillinger, but we use the surgery at Purewell Cross, as it happens it is behind the War Memorial by the small roundabout. It was a derelict farmhouse several years ago.

My wife and I have been to Canada several times as her younger brother is married to a French-Canadian and with their son and daughter they live on the southern end of Montreal, very close to the St Lawrence river. Right now we are planning a trip for Sept 2014 to drive through the Rockies from Vancouver to Calgary then fly onto Montreal - about 4 weeks in total.

Back to business - a great nephew of mine (aged 10) has elected to do a project on WW2 for school next year - his parents are also very interested to improve their knowledge of those times and young Harry will be concentrating on the Italian Campaign and Uncle Ted's involvement specifically.

I very much appreciate and respect everything that you contribute to my interest and that of others. I hope to re-arrange my route to enable 2 nights in the appropriate area - I really only stated Montecchio as an area as I can see, with help from yourself and others that there is more to do than a cemetery.

Many thanks and regards

Evader

 

Owen

It's not all bad as the 8th and 9th Fusiliers were in the same bde in 56th Div - your WO 170/131 will be a biggy though....



Evader.....small world - I find the longer I live - the world gets smaller - we lived just off Smugglers near to Idris and Gladys Braithwaite who owned the SunSeekers yacht Co - the sons are now selling

it to the Japanese - step mum Gladys will be spinning....our "local" was the Chewton Glen which Daughter uses when visiting her aunt at New Milton - let me know when you are coming this way and i

can make you up an itinerary as most tourists do it all wrong - meanwhile it looks like you will need minimum of 14 days for the Italy trip...

Cheers

 

I've found some info for you in 'Always a Fusilier'. I'm just struggling to find the time to type it up for you !

 

Tom - even smaller, as my wife's late father - who I never met - was instrumental in helping the Braithwaites get up and running with Sunseeker in the very early days. He worked in outboard motors and used to race hydroplanes in the 1940's.

Evader

 

Owen

you are right about the fierce fighting all along those Coriano Ridges - even 1st AD was broken up for spares in the October - we in 21st ATB lost five tanks on the 17th - making up 30 for the

month long battle...no spares handy so we and Gerry's 25th ATB were cannibalised before Christmas....

Evader
As I mentioned - the longer I live the smaller the world gets...you probably know Professor Vincent May as well as he lives around there..but of course many are going off such as The Branaghans - Tuckers - and too many more....

Cheers

 

From WO 170/1391 9 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers September 1944. Looking at the entries (not they are very good) I think he may have died from his wounds.

 

Owen - many thanks for your quote from Always a Fusilier - should I assume that Ted was one of the casualties of the 13th and died on the 14th - as per the reference to 'some casualties' in the War Diaries supplied by Drew5233?

Drew5233 - many thanks for supplying the War Diaries content. I realise that Owen provided a reference to them, but I have no knowledge how to get access to those details, assuming that one can access them online.

Tom - once again, many thanks for your inputs and comments - nothing better than hearing it as it was - much appreciated. Ted's last surviving sibling is now in her mid eighties and has lived in Australia since the mid-60's.

My Itinerary for this trip is now - fly into Rome, 1 night at Anzio, then down to Salerno for 2 nights (where I understand Ted would have landed), then up to Cassino / Monte Cassino for 2 nights, up to Coriano for 2 nights, then back close to the airport to fly home next day. I will, of course be visiting Ted's grave at Montecchio.

 

No problem - No they are not available online, you have to view them in person at the National Archives ....... A 400 mile round trip for me from Leeds

 

I have just been informed by a cousin that Ted was in 13 Platoon Royal West Kent Regiment, but I do not know how that ties in with being in City of London Regiment - would that have been at the time of being called-up and later moved to CoL Reg?

Also as it seems that he was in Africa with the 56 Div and they landed at Salerno, would he/they have been in Sicily between Africa and the Salerno Landings.

Many thanks for any help.

Evader

 

Get a copy of his service records-It will all be in them

 

Evader

To answer your question - in posting #16.....NO the 56th Div did NOT land in Sicily....their first battle with 8th Army was at Enfidaville in Tunisia where they didn't do so well and Monty was not pleased.....so they were then transferred to X

corps to land at Salerno with 46th Div.....they finally rejoined 8th Army for the Gothic Line with 5th Corps and were heavily involved at Gemmano.....


GERRY - you MIGHT have the wrong thread as it would be better with the thread on the casualty of 12th RTR who was wounded near San Martino around the 8-9th taken to the CCS at Ancona and subsequently died and buried at Ancona CCS

cemetery on the 10th September '44...

Cheers
Tom

 

Hi Gerry - you really had me going there for a while and I was thinking 'wow so much detail, we really are getting somewhere now', but after a few mins I realised that it didn't fit with what I thought I already knew. It was at that point that I scrolled down and found Tom's response, but many thanks anyway.

Tom - many thanks for clearing up that point for me, much appreciated.

I have been told that Ted's medals were received and were being held by a brother, but he has since died and their whereabouts are no longer known. Does anyone know to what he would have been entitled - my guess is the Africa Star, Italian Campaign and the 39 - 45 War Medal?

Evader