Waldron West War Artist

Discussion in 'General' started by Uncle Target, Jul 10, 2021.

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  1. Cpl Hadaway

    Cpl Hadaway Active Member

    To add, of the other new DLI officers in the LG of 12/1/43, these are the ones who have left a mark in the casualty lists:

    Reid, Lt Robert Emblem, 253704, DLI.
    Commissioned DLI, EC, LG 12/1/43:
    https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35857/supplement/262/data.pdf
    Reported wounded (remaining at duty), Italy, 3/8/44.

    Could have been on the same reinforcement draft to North Africa as Smith/Yates/Barnett: 16 DLI were just back the Middle East at this point and not yet in the line in Italy, so he must have been wounded with another unit, possibly 1 DLI?

    Yorke, David Garning Downing, 253705, 11 DLI.
    Commissioned DLI, EC, LG 12/1/43:
    https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35857/supplement/262/data.pdf
    Reported wounded, NW Europe, date not reported, circa 6/44.
    Date wounded 27/6/44 according to WD

    The 70 Brigade site records the following:

    Yorke David Garnett Downing Lt 253705 - 70 Brigade

    Posted as Cadet to 164 OCTU. Joined The Durham Light Infantry - granted an Emergency Commission as a 2/Lt 28/11/1942. Posted to the 14th Battalion DLI 28/11/1942. Posted to the 11th Battalion DLI 5/12/1943. Served Normandy. Posted to No. 52 Regimental Holding Unit. Posted 101 Reinforcement Group 6/5/1944 - return to 11th Battalion requested 27 May 1944. Posted to the 11th Battalion DLI 5/6/1944. Evacuated wounded to No 3 Casualty Clearing Station 27/6/1944. Posted to the 14th Battalion DLI. Unemployed list 1947. Relinquished Emergency Commission on appointment to a Commission on the TA General List 1/9/1948. Posted as a 2/Lt - Cambridge and County School Contingent Combined Cadet Force 1/9/1948. RARO Lt (Hon Lt) 1/4/1950. Resigned Commission 31/8/1952.
     
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  2. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Captain F S Smith died on 22nd September 1943 having transferred from 16 DLI to 5 Sherwood Foresters reverting to his substantive rank of Lt . Both Battalions were in 139 Brigade 5FS were short of officers.
    Two others also transferred: 2Lt Clark LW and 2lt Crane K. (Fate unknown).

    See my post: 5th Sherwood Foresters Salerno September 1944

    I want to separate this from the painting thread.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2021
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  3. Cpl Hadaway

    Cpl Hadaway Active Member

    Now I'm confused:

    Portrait of Lt Francis, (Frank) Hemsley Smith, MC 1918 -1940 | Artware Fine Art

    'The drawing is a study for the original painting which currently hangs in the Worcester regimental museum building. It was presented to the Worcester Artillery regiment in 1940 [misprint for 1980?] by Major T.E Averill a local to Worcester and president of the Dunkirk Veterans Association. The painting is dated 1940 and shows the same subject seated above the cliffs of Dover in the same pose with distant plumes of smoke coming from across the Channel. Lt Francis (Frank Smith) received his MC one month after D-Day, he died from an infected wound and is buried in Lille.'


    Somewhat garbled for sure: this Lt Smith received his MC 'one month after D-Day' [I assume they mean he died one month after Dunkirk] and yet he died on 12/7/40. The painting worked up from the sketch is apparently dated 1940 and yet the inscription on the reverse below is dated1941.

    I reckon the gallery has the wrong man, since it's impossible to paint a subject in 1941 who died in 1940. So, back to our Frank Smith. Except that this man in the drawing, see the inscribed reverse below, is already a Lieutenant in 1941, which rules out the 16 DLI Frank Smith who wasn't commissioned until late 1942....

    Second Lieutenant Francis Michael Hemsley Smith | War Casualty Details | CWGC

    ltfranksmithmainbyWaldronWest.jpg
    ltfranksmithinscribed.jpg
     
  4. andyyellowtail

    andyyellowtail New Member

    Hello Uncle Target, how much cost a Sherwood Foresters War Diary?
     
  5. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Wish I could have one too. I only have these pages. If I had the WD I wouldn't need to post this. Certainly not on this thread.
    I was hoping someone else could post a bit more info. I have moved on to the battle of Salerno. It looks to be an interesting story. I have read about the 16 DLI in Italy. Voices from the Front and got hooked.
    The painting has to wait for the service records.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2021
  6. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Take it easy my friend, Rome wasn't built in a day it will all come out one day. Nothing is ever as simple as we think. Certainly not as simple as I thought it was!
    Take a look at the 5th Sherwood Foresters, thats interesting but read about the 16th DLI in Italy to get the feel of the campaign.
     
  7. Cpl Hadaway

    Cpl Hadaway Active Member

    There's a quite a few long interviews with 5th Sherwood Foresters soldiers, officers and men, on the Imperial War Museum site. The summaries aren't always accurate regarding names mentioned in the actual interviews This one with Wally Binch, who was the secretary of their Old Comrades' Association, is a good place to start with:

    Binch, Wally (Oral history)

    ......REEL 7 Continues: Aspects of period as private with 2/5th Bn Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt (Sherwood Foresters) in North Africa, 1943: re-posting to anti-tank platoon; night manoeuvres; motorcycle ridden; duties as dispatch rider; opinion of posting; 20th Birthday and friendship with Eddie Hallett; mountain training; details of open air concerts given including singing of Two Little Anti-Tank Guns; involvement of Sergeant Jock McKay; other people who helped out; make-up of audience; start of reputation; music sent from Nottingham; strings sent for ukulele; parcels from home; details of mail; activities on leave in Algiers; relationship with brigade troops; relationship with Royal Army Service Corps; period at Bizerta; story of running out of petrol during journey to Bizerta; knowledge of posting in Italy; preparations for invasion; contact with HMS Aurora's crew; transport in platoon; voyage to Salerno including opinion of K Rations and news of Italy's capitulation and reaction. Aspects of operations as private with 2/5th Bn Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt (Sherwood Foresters) in Italy, 9/1943-2/1944: arrival and disembarkation; movement inland; first impressions of Italy; setting up of anti-tank gun and search of abandoned house; withdrawal with infantry; halt of withdrawal; search of abandoned house and gramophone records found; reaction to minenwerfer fire; sighting of anti-tank gun; proximity to Hospital Hill and sound of action there; wounding and evacuation of "Heavy" Edwards. REEL 8 Continues: evacuation of Jock McKay; reporting to Captain "Black Flash" Shaw; proximity of Regimental Aid Post to front; messages delivered to anti-tank gun position; weapon carried; story of German motorcyclist; length of period in forward positions and knowledge of German positions; position occupied above Pregiato; relationship with civilians; passing through of armour; story of reaction to minenwerfer fire; loss of motorcycle; piano taken from damaged house; return of Captain Johnny Walker from hospital and gun given to him; state of Salerno; journey to River Volturno; position occupied during crossing of Volturno; impressions of German POWs; capture of Captain Walker; posting of Captain Shaw as platoon officer; reinforcements; return of Eddie Hallett from hospital; reason for disbanding of anti-tank platoon; employment of platoon; impressions of Gurkha troops; posting in A Company at Mount Tougon; accommodation; proximity to German troops; story of mountain sheep; story of a patrol with Captain Lord; withdrawal from hill; nicknames among troops; memories of Captain Walker; reactions to coming under fire; journey to Port Said. Aspects of period as private with 2/5th Bn Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt (Sherwood Foresters) in Middle East, 2/1944-7/1944: arrival in Egypt; leave in Cairo including visit to fortuneteller; weapons training with reformed anti-tank platoon. REEL 9 Continues: song about Vickers training; song about Salerno; song about King Farouk; concerts including reflections on.......
     
  8. Cpl Hadaway

    Cpl Hadaway Active Member

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