7th Battalion Parachute Regiment - Normandy - German Field Hospital

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by WW2Nation, Jun 9, 2017.

  1. WW2Nation

    WW2Nation Member

    Good Afternoon,

    I was wondering if anyone might be able to offer some assistance / guidance. I am currently researching a gentleman sadly killed in action with the 7th Battalion Parachute Regiment shortly after jumping into Normandy on D-Day.

    He was initially buried in Dozule and I am trying to find out if there is any information about a German Field Hospital or regimental aid post located here as he died of his wounds after being taken prisoner.

    The other question, which is to do with his training at Ringway - does anyone know if the records from the two weeks training courses carried out for those wishing to gain their wings, still exists today? If so, where are these kept and are these accessible? As I could not see any reference at Kew.

    Thank you in advance.

    Lawrence
     
  2. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Lawrence,

    I believe the parachute jump records for Ringway are held at Duxford. See this thread:

    Parachute Course Records - how to access?

    As as an example I'll attach the report for the 41st jump course that someone kindly sent me. I had to compress it to upload here, so not the best quality. If allowed you might be better off going to Duxford yourself and photographing relevant documents.

    I'm not sure what German units were at Dozule on June 6th. Although a little south of the coast Dozule is near the area held by the 711th Infantry Division. How is your French? There are French civilians witness accounts of what occurred at Dozule on the Dives River Association site.

    Dozulé

    Regards ...
     

    Attached Files:

  3. WW2Nation

    WW2Nation Member

    Evening Cee,

    Thank you for this information, I really appreciate it. I have since contacted the team at Duxford who has kindly provided me with relevant course details / records at Ringway.

    My French sadly is not great so I will do what I can - but it is a massive help, something I had never would have found on my own.

    Regards,

    Lawrence
     
  4. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Lawrence,

    My French is mediocre at best but I'm usually able to muddle through with the help of Google Translate. As far as I can tell none of the Paras in the witness accounts are named and I have yet to come across any that were wounded or killed. There were incidents in the town on D-Day (or thereabouts) which involved gunfire.

    The major incident happened on the Saturday when the Germans captured 18 Paras at the Postel Family farm near the edge of the woods southwest of Dozule. After a firefight in which no one was wounded the Paras surrendered. Eugene Postel was roughed up and the Paras were marched into town.

    According to M. Georgelin Lucien"s account:

    "The arrest of Mr. Eugène Postel took place before the evacuation because he was harbouring paratroopers. He was taken to the Kommandantur opposite the church and then to the girls' school where the Germans stayed in the barracks that were built for them. On the Sunday after his arrest, there was an explosion in the courtyard of the school. I was working at the bakery in front of the school and I heard the explosion. As I was part of the passive defense, I rushed to the scene. There were wounded. Eugene Postel was there to help. We transported the wounded to the German infirmary located in the Salle des Sapins at the Saint-Joseph school. The infirmary for civilians was at the Landry Foundation."

    Two German soldiers were seriously injured when they carelessly emptied a sack of ammunition captured in the raid on the Postel farm resulting in an explosion. Yvonne Postel also gives a more detailed account of what occurred at the farm and afterwards.

    The school named "Saint-Joseph" with the infirmary could possibly be here on Google Maps. I may have missed it but have yet to find any mention of British or Canadian Paras treated there.

    Regards ...

    Edit: Corrected map location based on Ludo's post #26.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2017
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Might be worth contacting member Ludo as he is French (speaks & writes very good English) and also has a big interest in Para's that dropped on D-Day

    TD
     
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  6. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Chuck,
    Are you able to source parachute course 126? I've got my grandads one line report but keen to see who else was on it.

    Alex
     
  7. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Alex,

    Sorry mate that is the only one I have and I agree it is quite interesting to see the full course report with all the men included. I'm not sure if Duxford would allow you to go in and photograph full reports or not. I somehow doubt it? Since Lawrence didn't name his man I put it up on the remote chance he would find him there.

    Regards ...
     
  8. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    I do know Pte Wood was on 126 as I made contact with Geoff Wood last week. Kind of cool to know his dad and my g'dad were on the same course.
    I went to Duxford but they only gave me the general course notes and my g'dads remarks. They said incase anyone on the course is still alive. I'm fairly certain I now am aware of all remaining 7th BN survivors!
     
  9. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Alex,

    Yeah that's great! Funny I was just thinking about Geoff the other day - hope he is keeping well.

    Regards ...
     
  10. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    I've done some research recently on the Ardennes op and have pin pointed 7th battalion grid references on the modern day map. A grid is given for the incident involving his father on the 3rd Jan 45, so we will probably go there together and explore !
     
  11. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Good stuff Alex. If it does happen let's us know how it goes. Lawrence is probably scratching his head about now wondering what we are on about.
     
  12. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    The world of 7 para offspring ! I did message Lawrence offering contact with Michael P-C who I'm sure would offer some info.
     
  13. WW2Nation

    WW2Nation Member

    Good Evening Chaps,

    Haha not at all. It is great to see the camaraderie past down from generation to generation so to speak.

    Duxford Archives kindly gave me a copy of the relevant Ringway Course that I was looking for.

    Thanks for the link, I have contacted a friend who is French and she has kindly offered to assist with translating.

    The chap I am researching for the family is from B Company, 6th Platoon. His name is George Sidney 'Ginger' Roberts. If anyone has any contact info for any surviving veterans from 7th Battalion members, B Company or even amazingly 6th Platoon I would love to know and try and reach out to them to see they would be happy to speak with me about their wartime experiences.

    Alex I will PM you the Stick List for this group as Michael was kind enough to email this through to me.

    Thanks

    Lawrence
     
  14. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi Lawrence,

    Would your "Ginger" Roberts ever have gone by the name Robbo. I have a few pics of a Robbo, one on a bike and another with his wife sent to parents. He is fair haired, could be a ginger? Otherwise I don't have a clue who he is other than perhaps being an old army friend. I'll upload pics by PM as there is no point putting up here if it is someone else entirely.

    Regards ...

    Edit: Sorry Lawrence don't know what I was thinking as your Roberts didn't survive the war. I just assumed these were postwar photos - unless the pics were taken sometime before that ... not sure?
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  15. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Frank Pendergast was B Coy, he is still alive and lives in S.E London.
    B Coy lost a lot of chaps on 7th April 1945, I'll check the names against those lost.

    Alex.
     
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  16. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

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  17. WW2Nation

    WW2Nation Member

    Thanks Alex - it would be incredible to speak to any surviving members of 7th Battalion if at all possible.
     
  18. WW2Nation

    WW2Nation Member

    No problem at all. Yes sadly George was wounded in action, captured and taken to a German MO but succumbed to his wounds and died on 11th June 1944. Thanks for the links though, very helpful, especially the Dozule information.
     
  19. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Here's some general info on Pte. Roberts' stick:

    Airfield - Fairford
    Squadron - 620
    Aircraft Number - LJ.849
    Chalk Number - 142
    Unit - 7th Parachute Battalion
    Location - Dropped near Pont L'Eveque
    Brigade - 5th
    Intended DZ - N
    Aircraft - STIRLING
    Serial - 14
    Glider/Para - Para
    Pilot - F/L. Thring
    Passengers:

    "Pte. Maskery (P/W), Pte. Newham (P/W), Pte. McGoughey (P/W), Pte. Shute (P/W),
    Pte. Sykes (P/W), Sgt. Amey (P/W), Sgt. Gobold (P/W), L/Cpl. Town (P/W), Cpl. Sheldon (KIA), Pte. Millen (P/W), Pte. Southwell (P/W) Pte. Galloway (P/W), Pte. Coates (P/W), Pte. Roberts (DOW) "

    Up (take off) - 23.45
    Down (return landing) - .03.15

    -------

    I'm not sure on the accuracy of the drop location listed as Pont L'Eveque? There is an account by stick member Lance-Corporal Eric "Bill" Sykes on ParaData of his drop and the subsequent efforts of his small group to make it back to Allied lines.

    Lance-Corporal Bill Sykes

    According to him, "I landed in an apple orchard somewhere between five to ten miles inland from the coast and to the east of the River Dives." I don't' think he knew where he was most of time. After capture on the 13th day of evasion somewhere west of the Dives River they were interrogated and eventually transported to a schoolhouse in Pont L'Eveque.

    At the bottom of the page he lists the other members of his stick:

    "These are the names of members of 6 Platoon, B Company, that I parachuted with from a Stirling Bomber, (Chalk# 790), (?), into Normandy, France, on the night of the 5th/6th of June 1944: #1. Sgt. Amey. #2. Sgt. Godbold. #3. L/Cpl. Millen. #4. Pte. Coates. (Johnny). #5. Pte. Shute. #6. Pte. Crabb. #7. Pte. Roberts. (Ginger). Killed in action 11th of June 1944. #8. Cpl. Sheldon. (Charlie). Killed in action 10th of June 1944. #9. Pte. Maskery. #10. Pte. Galloway. #11. Pte. McNabb. (Francis)). #12. Pte. McGoughy. #13. Pte. Southwell. (Ernie). #14. L/Cpl. Sykes. (Bill). #15. Pte. Newman. (Geordie). #16. L/Cpl Town. #17. Pte. McInerny. #18. Sgt. Locke. (Bob)."

    Regards ...
     
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  20. WW2Nation

    WW2Nation Member

    Thanks for this, there are a couple of things here which I had missed so I appreciate you posting these details. Yes I had been heavily using Bill's account as well as a couple of other sources to try and map the Stick's movements. It is incredible how far wide they were dropped.
     

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