5 th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment

It's good to read of research revealing so much. I look forward to seeing the photos and report.

It's going to be quite a moving trip for you.

 

Have a great trip Ken.

Glad to read the diaries were of use to you-It makes the service worthwhile knowing it contains answers for families.

Don't forget to come back with pictures to share with us.

Regards
Andy

 

Hi all I also am researching this incident as my Grandfather in law was one of these. I spoke breifly on Northampton radio and asked for help in anything personal. I was given the name Gordon Isom who was there.

I phoned him and he said the echalon parked up on the crest of a ridge with the high ground to the left. When the planes attacked he dived for cover under a statioary carrier. He saw the massive fireball as the amunition truck went up. It is thought that Jack Dolton was under the truck resting in the afternoon sun prior to the start of the attack.

He also said they lost all their doc.s from Africa then. He thought the echalon was clear to see compared to the rest advancing further down the slope.

He also said it was odd that the echalon was so close to the front.

 

Hi Ken not sure what got through to you via Email but have put most of the info on my thread that I have got.

john-dolton-royal-army-ordnance-corps-

Will put up research doc's when I get back from work. Will try to contact you on Saturday if not cool runnins

 

Via the internet I booked a car and driver to take my wife and I on a road trip, this is the culmination of the research into my Uncle's last days which was started by this thread.
On the 22nd. September we first went to the Catania C.W.G.C. and found the last resting place of Private S.F.Footman, a picture of the Cemetery and his stone is in an Album of pictures covering my trip.
Album>> Following my Uncle Ken's last journey.
I have with the help of the C.W.G.C. now formed an accurate casualty list of the incident which claimed the lives of 10 members of the 5th. Northants, this will follow in a seperate reply.
The next stop was the location a short distance south of Palagonia. This spot was used as a Concentration area after their journey from their landing at Cassibile.
(pic. in album of Conc. area)
At the beginning of my research I thought the air attack on the supply train happened at this point, some info was given to me by Nick Duncan who is also researching the same incident, this consisted of a letter from the then Battalion Padre and an eye witness account. This led us to a position overlooking Catenanouva on the lower slopes of Mount Scalpello.
From Palagonia we travelled up the same route they took but a break for us in Ramacca for a welcome cold drink, then on to their next stop in Castel Di Judica. a small long but narrow Town clinging to a ledge on the side of Mount Judica with a commanding view over the valley. (see pic's in album).
Having plotted all the positions occupied by the Battalion in and around the Town, I have come to the conclusion that the advance to attack Catenanouva was across country on a track which skirted the west side of Mt. Judica from a Town road presently called Via Roma, this track reaches a valley floor before climbing the ridge to the western side of Mt. Scalpello.
It was here that we believe the 'B' Echelon was attacked by German fighter/bombers.
( again pic's in album).
Having paid my respects and taken the photos, we drove through Catenanouva and out towards Centuripe.
The next stop was at a point on the road which saw a sharp action between the 5th. Batt. and the withdrawing German troops. 2 Second Lt's and 8 other ranks were killed on or near this spot.
A little further along we halted above a small side valley in which the 5th. Battalion rested for a couple of days, here they buried their dead, subsequently after the War they were finally laid to rest in the Catania Cemetery.
In front of us Centuripe sat on it's steep sided ridge, the road wound up the east side of the valley before comming out on the north side of Centuripe, this road has the buildings to the left of us and a steep drop to the right, a stop on this road allowed us to take the photos which finish off our journey.
As a footnote. We stopped in Catenanouva Town Square for a coffee on the way back. I had printed off a number of small pictures of my Uncle Ken with a caption underneath which read
Private Kenneth Reginald Wootton
5886248
5th. Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment
Killed near Catenanouva 30-7-1943
Contact (my e.mail address)
I had left one at Catania Cemetery and pinned some others onto trees around Catenanouva Town square, I may get a local contact from them or possibly a telling off from the Municipal Council.
The next task is to get a idea of what Ken did between joining as a Territorial, going through the B.E.F. evacuation from Dunkirk, the landings in Algeria and finally Sicily
For me this has been a 'pilgrimage' of sorts, just something I HAD to do.

The others killed in that action,
Lt.(Quartermaster) A.G. Beardsall 294290 age 32
W/O Class II W.R. Stedman 5886160 age 30
Private L.M. Morris 5886535 age 28
Private F.A. Pook 13030708 age 25
Private R.S.W. Vergette 5886242 age 23
Private K.R. Wootton 5886248 age 23
Private S.F. Parish 5887099 age 25 (buried Catania C.W.G.C.)
Private H. Stringer 5890723 age 37 (buried Syracuse C.W.G.C.)
Sgt. J. Dolton 7642843 R.A.O.C. age 33
Cpl. H. Bould 7632390 R.A.O.C. age 30
All, apart from Parish and Stringer have no known graves but any remains found were intered where they fell.
Mount Scalpello is their gravestone.

 

Very nice report and photo captions. Thanks for posting.

Lest we Forget...

 

Ken -
a worthwhile pilgrimage which will settle your mind as to where and what all the action was at that time- and the conditions in that hot summer..

Glad to be of some assistance.

Cheers

 

Here is the account of the incident from The History of the Northamptonshire Regiment: 1934-1948 by Jervois:

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=70498&stc=1&d=1324639123

 

We have a Word doc. giving a detailed account of our research and reasoning so far detailing this fighter/bomber attack on the 5th. Northants and the ensuing casualties
If anyone would like a copy of this please let me have your e.mail address and I will gladly send.
There are now 3 families in touch with each other who lost Relatives in this incident and we are pooling our findings with each other.
Although we have come a long way, the most important goal for us is to find an accurate location of the burial place where our respective Relations lie.
We believe we now know the location to within 1 mile but may-be with a bit more work we will obtain our goal.

 

Hello my mother is the Daughter of Frances Pook one of the eight men killed in the explosion that you explain and aware off . Likewise my mother has not known where her DAD has been burried untill now . With years of research and studying to find out where their unit was fighting and to what part of the campaign these Brave men took part . As you probaly know special units had been set up with volenteers such as 1st airbourne brigade , special airlanding divisions as we know now as the SAS and the Parachute Regiments . To cut along story sort without seeming rude , yet i can provide the imformation needed if you would require to know more . With your imformation and other important documents withh records of these mens death it's been possible to trace their grave and grave site to Catania cemertery Plot 3 G 20 where Eight soldiers known unto God are layed to rest , records tell of where collected from to being reburried once again all together. A simple D.N.A sample taken from the grave site with D.N.A samples from living relatives would prove this to be true or false. As the grandson of Frances Pook , with all that i know through reasearch and imformation through word of mouth listening to true soldiers who have told myself many things unwritten knowlegde only known to those who had witnessed and been apart off such units . Please think about all thats written here privided by yourself and others so these men can have their 'NAMES ABOVE' so to give peace to others in knowing where they lay .

 

Hi there,

I have visited Cassino with Frank and here is the info collected so far on my relative "Walt Williams"

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/40986-history-of-my-relative-help/