Hello everyone, My grandparents were bombed German 22 and May 23, 1940 while they lived in Aire sur la Lys Dessoly near the bridge. They had to evacuate, while British soldiers were defending the bridge before the blast, I do not know when! When they returned, and according to my family, six British soldiers lay dead. My research in the necropolis of the Commonwealth of Aire sur la Lys helped me find some tombs: Captain Wilfred Middleton killed on 05.22.1940, Huntington Firefighter Joseph killed 22/5/1940, Donald Tyson driver Franck died between 17 and 26 May 1940 Private pioneer John Unsworth died between 17 and 26 May 1940. I do not know where lie the other but there are two tombs of unknown soldiers nearby. I'm looking for information on the fighting that took place there (behind the station direction Thiennes-Hazebrouck). Thank you for all the help you could get and good evening to all. Sincerely, Hervé.
Captain W. Middleton CWGC :: Certificate Sapper Joseph Huntington CWGC :: Certificate Driver Thomas Frank Tyson CWGC :: Certificate Private John Unsworth CWGC :: Certificate
Hello, Thank you for these first elements, I think that this research will be difficult not having found answers in France, I rely on you who are still passionate about the fighting and battles since your ancestors were still present and that many lies here. Sincerely, Hervé.
228th Field Company , Royal Engineers were part of GHQ's orbat which makes things less easy to find out as many Royal Artillery and Royal Engineer formations were attached to other Corps in May 1940. I'll do a bit more digging.
I'm going to get the units war diary from the national archive on my next visit. There was only five officers allocated to 228 Field Company, RE in 1940 so there is a good prospect of his death being mentioned in the diary. Cheers Andy
Dear Andy, I am very grateful for any attempt to help me, this is a tribute to you, bravo to you! Sincerely, Hervé.
Hi, I attach the war diary for 228th Field Company RE for. My grandfather was a member of this unit in May 1940. It looks like there was a 'premature explosion' during the demolition of the bridge that cost the lives of a number of soldiers and civilians. Any more information on this unit would be greatly appreciated. Drew - what does orbat mean? Sorry, I'm not a WW2 enthusiast so I'm trying to learn more about abbreviations etc.
Thanks Owen Andy - do you have the names of the officers from 228 Field Company in 1940? What was the significance of the bridges in this area? Were they under immediate threat from the Germans on 22 May 1940?
Andy - do you have the names of the officers from 228 Field Company in 1940? Be awhile before Andy can reply, he's in hospital with a broken leg.
Thanks Owen. Do you know of any helpful publications or sites that will give some context to what was going on in this area during May 1940? I look forward to Andy's response.
Hervé, would you be able to let us see some photographs of the location as it is today ? This is turning into a fascinating thread. Somersetchap (can we call you by a shorter name ?), reading your extract from the war diary, it is clear that at that point, 228th were supporting the defences held by 137th Brigade who were part of the territorial 46th Infantry Division, a division who were under-manned and equipped and had been sent to France on Labour and training duties. The reference to 'West Yorks' is probably 2/5th Battalion. Things were quite desperate by this stage and the presence of the CRE (Commander Royal Engineers) GHQ so close to the fighting suggests that 228th were being utilised to literally 'plug the gap' and demolish bridges under the noses of the advancing Germans. There has been reference on the forum to this book :- Dunkirk 1940 'Whereabouts Unknown': How Untrained Troops of the Labour Divisions Were Sacrificed to Save an Army: Amazon.co.uk: Tim Lynch: Books I haven't read it but it should give you a good idea of what 137th Brigade were doing on that day. The war diary that you have is, like so many, one prepared back in the UK from notes as the original was lost. However, the diaries for the months beforehand would have been sent back via the chain of command and would have included weekly returns of officers. In the case of Territiorial units such as engineers, it is not uncommon to find lists of other ranks as well. My suggestion would be to wait until Drew is back on his feet and find out what diaries he has for GHQ as they may include copies of the orders issued to 228th Field which were lost from the unit's records.
Rich - My name is Sam. Thankyou for the recommendation - I will certainly be purchasing the book. As you suggest above, one of the later entries in the war diary describes the unit receiving orders to evacuate to Dunkirk and all documentation being burnt. The later entries also describe the O.C. of the unit desperately trying to locate the C.R.E. Thanks also for the other info you provided. My grandfather's wartime experiences have always been a mystery to the family so it's great to start to piece a few things together. However I've still got quite a way to go - May 1940 is just one month of his six years service! I look forward to hearing from Drew.
Hi All, It seems Rich has done most of the digging to date for me regarding units so I'll try and pull a couple of books of the shelf later and have a look see. I 'Whereabouts Unknown' and another one containing a brief account of Div's and Bde's during May/June 1940. I just can't get off the sofa yet. Sam, you may have more info than me as I have no related War Diaries as yet and my next trip to Kew has been postponed for some 6 months (God, that hurts saying that!) I'll come back to this thread later today hopefully. Andy
There doesn't appear to be much in the way of detail about the fighting in or around Aire in the 'Whereabouts Unknown' book. It gives a detailed ish account of an SS-VT unit attacking the town and engaging 20 French tanks at night and mentions a small amount to do with the BEF near the town, no units or names, not defending the area in depth and it being defended by support troops and not infantry/ worried about the bridges being blown before they got across them etc. A
Hi Andy, Many thanks for your posts and for looking through 'Whereabouts Unkown'. I will be able to make it to Kew in the next couple of weeks, so will try and look at some relevant unit diaries. Any suggestions at which ones I should be looking for. Is there a diary for the C.R.E or 137th Brigade? A pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated. Thanks again Sam
Here you do mate: WO 167/394 137 Brigade Headquarters There's quite a few CRE files from Corps to Sub Base Areas to Divisions but none listed under 46 Div. Andy
228 Field Company were GHQ troops and appear from the diary extract to have been in close contact with CRE GHQ Troops during the fighting in Aire. Thanks to Andrea's wonderful list, I think that this diary might be of interest. WO 167/30 General Headquarters (GHQ): Troops Engineers 1939 Sept.- 1940 Mar.-May
Brilliant. Many thanks to you both. I'm sure I will be coming back to you with some more questions once I've looked through these documents. Cheers Sam
Brilliant. Many thanks to you both. I'm sure I will be coming back to you with some more questions once I've looked through these documents. Cheers Sam We look forward to it !
