Operation Blackcock - Posterholt

Hi every body,
In 2009 I bought a house (with my wife) in Posterholt, the Netherlands.
When we start to rebuild it, we discovered some scars from the second world war. Some shrapnels were stuck in the wooden beams in the roof, stairs and floors.
I also heard from my neighbours wife, who grew up in our house, that a English soldier died in our basement on the 25th of January.
When we were finished with our home improvement, we start searching for the man, who died in our house.
This seemed to be James Frederick Ryder (4037041), lance corporal of the 9th bn Durham Light Infantry. We have found a lot of information about him and after starting a post on this site (search of James Frederick Ryder) I eventually got the name of his grand daughter. We send her a lot of documentation about her grand father. Unfortunately she aborted the conversation before she sent us a photo of her grand father..

But there are also three other soldiers, who gave there lives in our village in the second world war.
I hope there is someone, who can help me finding more information about those men.

On the 29th of January 1945,Thomas Heyes (14671595), gunner of the 65 (the Norfolk Yeonmary) anti tank Regt, Royal Artillery died in Holst, an outside area of Posterholt. He was 19 years old. He was initially buried near a farm house and reburried in the Jonkerbos in Nijmegen.

On the 8th of february Joseph Donaldson (4460551) of the 9th Bn of the Durham Light Infantry died, after being in a fight with a german patrol. When he and his team were redrawing to our village a german artillery started firing towards our village and hit some houses near the church. Donaldson was killed in this artllery attack. Donaldson was 28 years old.

On the 20th of february Ernest Brooks (1559995) of the Army Catering Corps died when he was working in the kitchen of the 9th Bn of the DLI. This happened on the sidewalk in front of our youth house (then KJV-huis, nowadays the KA-huis). He was 22 years old and was married on the 24th of January 1945.

Ryder, Brooks and Donaldson were initially burried a little further on our road before reburrials in the Jonkerbos in Nijmegen.
I want to know, who these men were. Can somebody help my finding relatives, documents, pictures, etc. of thes men?

Paul

 

Hi,
It looks like Gunner Thomas Heyes was in 260 Battery, 65 Anti-Tank Regt.

War Diary entries for two of the Batteries attached.

Regards

Danny

 

Hi Danny,

thank you for the war diary. I didn't see it before. The war diary from the 260 Battery is the one, where Heyes belonged to.. I don't know mutch about Thomas Heyes. He died on the other side of the village and I the first time of him when I got a copie of a letter, that the maire of our village send to the Red Cross for reburrial.

 

UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: Thomas Heyes
Given Initials: T
Rank: Gunner
Death Date: 29 Jan 1945
Number: 14671595
Birth Place: Wigan
Residence: Wigan
Branch at Enlistment: Royal Artillery
Theatre of War: Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45
Regiment at Death: Royal Artillery
Branch at Death: Royal Artillery

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
Name: Thomas Heyes
Registration Date: 1925
Registration district: Wigan
Inferred County: Greater Manchester
Re-registration Year: 1925
Mother's Maiden Name: Hughes
Volume Number: 8c
Page Number: 93

TD

 

UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: Joseph Donaldson
Given Initials: J
Rank: Private
Death Date: 8 Feb 1945
Number: 4460551
Birth Place: Durham (County)
Residence: West Hartlepool
Branch at Enlistment: Infantry
Theatre of War: Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45
Regiment at Death: Durham Light Infantry
Branch at Death: Infantry

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
Name: Joseph C Donaldson
Registration Date: 1916
Registration district: Easington
Inferred County: Durham
Re-registration Year: 1916
Mother's Maiden Name: Carver
Volume Number: 10a
Page Number: 955

England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Joseph C Donaldson
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1944
Registration district: Durham Eastern
Inferred County: Durham
Spouse: Hannah Davison
Volume Number: 10a
Page Number: 1009

1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Joseph Donaldson
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single
Birth Date: 26 Apr 1916
Residence Year: 1939
Address: 7 Oxford Street
Residence Place: Seaham, Durham, England
Occupation: Butcher (Salesman)
Schedule Number: 280
Sub Schedule Number: 4
Enumeration District: FFYI
Registration district: 552 - 2
Inferred Father: Ernest Donaldson
Inferred Mother: Mary A Donaldson
Household Members:
Name
Ernest Donaldson
Mary A Donaldson
Ernest Donaldson
Joseph Donaldson
Elsie Donaldson
Mary Donaldson

TD

 

UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: Ernest Brooks
Given Initials: E
Rank: Private
Death Date: 20 Feb 1945
Number: 1559995
Birth Place: Newcastle-on-Tyne
Residence: Lancashire
Branch at Enlistment: Other Corps
Theatre of War: Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45
Regiment at Death: Army Catering Corps
Branch at Death: Other Corps


Possibly
1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Ernest R Brooks
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single
Birth Date: 4 Jul 1922
Residence Year: 1939
Address: 3 Kew Road
Residence Place: Formby, Lancashire, England
Occupation: Farm Labourer
Schedule Number: 64
Sub Schedule Number: 4
Enumeration District: NUTH
Registration district: 455A/1
Inferred Father: Thomas E Brooks
Inferred Mother: Sarah J Brooks
Household Members:
Name
Thomas E Brooks
Sarah J Brooks
Glady J Brooks
Ernest R Brooks
Vera J Brooks

TD

 

Hi TD,

that's a lot of information!
On the remembrance-certificate of the Jonkerbos cemetry is written, that Joseph Donaldson is the son of Ernest and Polly Donaldson. Is Polly a nickname for mother Mary or is Mary / Polly the new wife of Ernest Donaldson?

From Ernest Brooks I know, that he married Margaret Clark in Westmoreland on the 24th of January 1945 and that maybe they became a son Nicholas R Brooks, who has been born in oct-nov-dec 1945 in Bath-Somerset.


Paul

 

England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Ernest Brooks
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1945
Registration district: Westmorland South
Inferred County: Westmorland
Spouse: Margaret Clark
Volume Number: 10b
Page Number: 1375


There were 2 x Brooks born in 1945 to a mother whose maiden name was Clark
Name: Nicholas R Brooks
Registration Date: 1945
Registration district: Bath
Inferred County: Avon
Re-registration Year: 1945
Mother's Maiden Name: Clark
Volume Number: 5c
Page Number: 643

Name: Frederick Brooks
Registration Date: 1945
Registration district: Boston
Inferred County: Lincolnshire
[Boston is in Lincolnshire UK, not Leicestershire nor Rutland]
[Boston is in LINCOLNSHIRE for the 2nd time of updating]
Re-registration Year: 1945
Mother's Maiden Name: Clark
Volume Number: 7a
Page Number: 778

Your guess - I would suggest that obtaining a copy of a birth certificate may have details of the father thereby confirming [or not] if one of them is indeed Ernest's son.

TD

 

Hi TD,

don't know, where I can find a copy of a birth certificate. If you see the names of father, mother, Ernest and his sisters, than I think, that Nicholas R Brooks is our man...
Thomas E(rnest) Brooks --> Ernest R(…) Brooks --> Nicholas R(…) Brooks
Sarah J(…) Brooks --> Glady J(…) Brooks
--> Vera J(…) Brooks

But your right...This is a assumption..

Paul

 

You would need to contact the Registrar at Bath, details of how to obtain a copy certificate are - http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/births-marriages-and-deaths/copies-certificates there is also the contact details, I have always found all Registrars dept's to be very helpful if you contact them and explain.

Sometimes confirmation of assumptions is necessary in order to move on successfully to the next step

TD

 

Lancashire Marriages: 1914
BROOKS, Thomas E
PILKINGTON, Sarah J
St Andrew's, Southport


Births

Brooks, Alice L Pilkington Ormskirk Jun 1915
Brooks, Thomas J Pilkington Ormskirk Jun 1916
Brooks, John V Pilkington Ormskirk Dec 1918 (died 1921)
Brooks, Gladys J Pilkington Ormskirk Sep 1920
Brooks, Ernest R Pilkington Ormskirk Sep 1922
Brooks, Vera J Pilkington Ormskirk Sep 1926


1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION
3 Kew Road, Formby U.D., Lancashire
NAME DOB OCCUPATION
Thomas E Brooks 17 Mar 1894 Builder's Labourer
Sarah J Brooks 20 May 1892 Unpaid Domestic Duties
Gladys J Brooks 23 Jun 1920 Solicitor's Clerk
Ernest R Brooks 04 Jul 1922 Farm Labourer
Vera J Poole (Brooks) 10 Jun 1926 At School

 

Lancashire Marriages: 1925
HEYES, Thomas
HUGHES, Margaret Grace
St. Catherine, Wigan

Lancashire Births: 1925
HEYES, Thomas HUGHES Wigan (East)


1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION
21 Field Street, Wigan C.B., Lancashire
NAME DOB OCCUPATION
Thomas Heyes 26 Jan 1899 Colliery Hewer Heavy Worker
Margaret Grace Doherty (Heyes) 16 Nov 1896 Unpaid Domestic Duties
Thomas Heyes 04 Sep 1925 At School
Florence Hughes (Heyes) 02 Sep 1872 Retired

 

Wow guys,

I'm impressed.. Gonna try if I can find more about them!

Paul

 

Hi Everybody,

I have some questions about some soldiers, who fought here during operation Blackcock.
I've found out, that a pte R. Link 14743422 from 9 Bn DLI got wounded in action on the 25th of january 1945. That's the same day, that L/Cl Ryder died of his wounds after a fight, when he was send out on patrol to investigate the bridge a little further on the road, where I'm living. It's possible, that this private Link also ended up in my basement, after he got wounded, just like Ryder did.
I can't find anything about him, so I think that he survived the war.

Last week I've found another soldier, who was reported to be burried in Posterholt in a Field grave. He was pte F Dale, 11263654, also 9 Bn DLI and died on the 4th of february 1945. This grave was situated only 50 meters over the municipality boundary and is nearby my house. He is reburried on the war cemetry of Nederweert.

I want to know, who these men were. Can somebody help my finding relatives, documents, pictures, etc. of these men?

Paul

 

Fred Dale
Casualty

Original grave concentration



James Ryder
Casualty
Lance Corporal
RYDER, JAMES FREDERICK
Service Number 4037041
Died 25/01/1945
Aged 28
9th Bn.
Durham Light Infantry
Son of James and Martha Ryder; husband of Constance Winifred Ryder, of Stone, Staffordshire.



If Link survived the war then it will need DLI specialists to provide, if they can, more details on him, and also Dale as we only have his name and nothing else
TD

 

James Ryder - all I can find at present is his marriage which as least provides some details of his wife

England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: James F Ryder
Registration Date: Jul-Aug-Sep 1940
Registration district: Tenbury
Inferred County: Worcestershire
Spouse: Constance W Tomlinson
Volume Number: 6c
Page Number: 501

TD

 

Hi TD,

I've a lot of information of Ryder. Thanks to this forum (including your support) I found a grand daughter of Ryder. Unfortunately she stopped our email-contact.
He has been send on a patrol to investigate, if the bridge towards our village (Posterholt) was still intact and he had to find out, how much the German resistance was. He observed the bridge for a day from the house of a forester on the end of the road. On the 25th of january 1945 he reached the bridge by crawling through a ditch next to the road.
When he crawled out of the ditch he got shot, because of German Machine Gun fire. On the Posting order, you can see his name and the name of private Link, who got wounded that same day.

Paul

 

Nothing concrete but perhaps someone can find more?

Kyle

 

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
Name: Robert Link
Registration Date: 1926
Registration district: Leeds
Inferred County: West Yorkshire
Re-registration Year: 1926
Mother's Maiden Name: Bywood
Volume Number: 9b
Page Number: 620

1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Robert Link
Gender: Male
Marital status: Single
Birth Date: 16 Mar 1926
Residence Year: 1939
Address: 14
Residence Place: Leeds, Yorkshire (West Riding), England
Occupation: At School
Schedule Number: 142
Sub Schedule Number: 5
Enumeration District: KGIE
Registration district: 500- 2
Inferred Father: Clever Link
Inferred Mother: Mary E Link
Household Members:
Name
Clever Link
Mary E Link
Gladys Link
This record is officially closed.
Robert Link
This record is officially closed.
Lily Link


England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Robert Link
Death Age: 55
Birth Date: 16 Mar 1926
Registration Date: Sep 1981
Registration district: Leeds
Inferred County: West Yorkshire
Volume: 05
Page: 0741

IF this is the right man then you could obtain his service records to compare and see if he was wounded 25/1/1945

TD

 

Hi Kyle and TD,

I'm impressed again. I'm going to look, if I can find something more about him!

Paul