Captain A W Ward

Discussion in '1940' started by jerrymurland, Aug 5, 2014.

  1. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    Ward commanded B Company at Louvain in May 1940 and was badly wounded. Does anyone have his Christian names please? I cannot find anymore about this officer and am curious to know what happened to him, anyone in the know about this chap?

    jerry
     
  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    From Ancestry I have a possible:

    Major A W Ward - Palestine - 2nd RUR 11/1/1947 - 11/7/1947

    UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 about A W Ward
    Name: A W Ward
    Campaign or Service: Palestine
    Service Date: 1945-1948
    Service Location: Palestine
    Regiment or Unit Name: Royal Ulster Rifles
    Regimental Number: 45210

    TD

    edited to add:
    Might be worth contacting - http://www.royalulsterrifles.com/#/2nd-battalion/4540122758

    or - http://royal-ulster-rifles-ww2.blogspot.fr/p/gallery.html
     
  3. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    That's helpful - thanks very much. Still no christian name for this guy! Arthur? Andrew? Archibald?

    jerry
     
  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Jerry

    I cannot be sure it is the same guy, although the coincidence may be high, as he was a Captain I assume during WW2 he may well have been promoted to Major just after it. It may be worth chasing down the service number to see if the Museum can help you out with that and either tie the two details up or discredit them.

    Good luck with further research

    TD

    Edited to add:

    It may be worth contacting member drew5233 as he is the 1940 expert and could have the War Diaries for this regiment which in turn may hold some information - TD
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Captain A W Ward was OC C Company according to the war diary nominal roll. Sorry no Christian names, just initials. No real details on him in the units war diary regarding him being wounded but reading between the lines it looks like he was wounded when his Company was bombed on the 14th May.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  6. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    No doubt, you've seen this in the RUR History - no first name, though:

    "At 11.30 on May 12th, after watching the city being dive-bombed, the C.O. with Tactical H.Q. and "A" and "D" Companies moved into Louvain to occupy the prepared defences along the main railway line on the east of the city. Battalion H.Q. and the two reserve companies moved later to positions west of the town.

    On the way into Louvain the first of many alarmist reports was received. Most of these originated miles behind at Corps or Division and were passed on without proper investigation. All, without exception, were proved to be false. This one was to the effect that the enemy was using gas; even the type of gas was known -chlorine. One officer rubbed protective white powder on his hands. It was not possible to stop this alarm becoming known and most of the Battalion arrived in Louvain wearing respirators, much to the astonishment of the few residents who were still there. The reason for the smell was that a factory making electric batteries had been hit. Subsequent alarmist reports of parachutists, arrows pointing at H.Q.s, enemy dressed as nuns and infiltrating German columns, were usually buried at Battalion H.Q. and did no harm. They were, perhaps, a natural phenomenon at the beginning of a campaign, but no better method could be devised of lowering morale. More care in sifting information before passing it on would have avoided the possibility of causing alarm and despondency.

    The front allotted to the Battalion was about 2,200 yards in length and extended from the cemetery, inclusive, on the right, to one hundred yards north of the bridge over the main Diest - Louvain road. The other main entry into the Battalion position was over the railway by the bridge on the Tirlemont - Louvain road. The approaches to this bridge had been heavily bombed on May 11th and 12th. Both bridges had, of course, been prepared for demolition by the Belgians. They were big, heavily constructed affairs, and written orders for their destruction were hurriedly produced. The sappers put in additional explosives just to make certain, and Major G. H. K. Ryland and Major Reid, commanding "D" and "A" Companies, rehearsed the drill for the final order to blow, which was not to be given until our own troops had all crossed, OR until the enemy had arrived.

    The position was an interesting one. A boulevard ran along most of the western side of the railway, which, on the south of the Battalion front, was in a cutting. Section posts could only be dug along the top of the bank. On the north, where the railway was on an embankment, the posts had to be sited within two or three feet of the rails. Fields of fire nowhere exceeded fifty yards and in the raillway station and to the north dropped to fifteen or twenty yards in places. The station, where Lieutenant P. B. Garstin's platoon had an unusual battle later, provided some difficult defence problems, which had to be solved.

    Moreover, on the extreme left of the Battalion a platoon position had to be perched on top of the bank where the near railway line acted as a rifle rest and the only method of access to the position was by a stout ladder with twenty-four rungs. This delectable spot was overlooked at a range of twenty yards by a tall building on the other side of the rails. It became known later as the Bala -Tiger post in honour of the subalterns who commanded it in turn Lieutenants Bredin and Lieutenant W. D. Tighe-Wood. The siting of reserve sections and platoons was not an easy task in such a position and on such a wide front, and the final result must have greatly resembled the " thin red line " of the 2nd Battalion at Mons in 1914.

    On the right of the Battalion were the 2nd Lincolns, old friends who were to fight many actions on one or the other flank of the Battalion throughout the war. On the left was the 7th Guards Brigade. A cyclist unit of the Belgian Army arrived sometime during the 12th and insisted upon moving into unoccupied section posts along the Battalion front. They were very welcome but neither then nor at any later time could any information be obtained as to how long they proposed to stay.

    During May 13th many units of the Belgian Army withdrew through the city; the Battalion defences were improved, mines laid and patrols sent out. Information from the east was remarkably scanty, but heavy fighting was thought to be in progress some miles away. The few inhabitants still left made up their minds to go or stay. The Belgian Liaison Officer searched for would-be quislings and refreshment for the Officers' Messes. As ' for the troops, they learnt how much, or how little, could be said on a Field Post Card and handed in many for despatch. Regimental-Quartermaster Serjeant Cadden, with a party of men, rejoined the Battalion from leave in U.K. after an adventurous journey, which included an unpleasant road accident, on their way up from Lille.

    The C.O. and Second-in-Command, with memories of the 1914-18 war, knew roughly what to expect within the next twenty-four hours or so; the remainder of the Battalion allowed their imaginations to tell them, but all waited confidently for the arrival of the Hun.

    Throughout the early part of the 14th the withdrawal of Belgian units and some British recce. elements along the two routes into Louvain was almost continuous. A regrettable accident occurred on "A" Company's front, where a Belgian ammunition lorry drove through a fence surrounding a small anti-tank minefield on the side .of the road and blew itself up, killing one N.C.O. and wounding five men. The lorry caught fire and exploding ammunition caused a thoroughly successful roadblock for the next two hours. Fortunately, a nearby street led directly to the southerly bridge which coped successfully with the added traffic. One casualty was caused by bombs dropped round Battalion H.Q. by low-flying enemy aircraft.

    In the afternoon traffic began to thin out and by 1500 hours, as a result of much questioning of the withdrawing units, it became reasonably certain that all our own troops and the Belgians had gone through. For an hour the deserted city was quiet until two very loud bangs indicated the destruction of the bridges. Shortly afterwards two Germans in a motorcycle and sidecar slowly rounded a bend in the road and ran into an accurately placed burst from a Bren. First blood to the Rifles.

    By dusk the same evening the Battalion was in contact all along the railway line and the enemy was trying to find a soft spot somewhere. The troops were introduced to the noisy spandau and to cleverly ranged mortar bombs which fell much too accurately on the forward posts of both companies and the Belgian cyclist unit. After dark there was a tendency to continue firing rifles and Brens whether or not a target was visible, and for a short time some ammunition was wasted. However, nerves were very quickly got under control, and. before the night was halfway through, both companies were as steady and reliable as their fathers and uncles had been twenty-five years earlier.

    An interesting development during the evening was the withdrawal of the Belgian unit, which, it will be remembered, was interspersed throughout the two companies. This was done as a result of sudden orders from higher authority, at a time when enemy mortar fire was particularly unpleasant. At about 2100 hours each section ran back fifty yards, leapt on its bicycles, and disappeared, leaving at least twenty dead along the front. This somewhat unusual operation was accepted quite calmly by the Rifles.

    By midnight several attempts to penetrate the line had been made by the enemy. Each was repulsed, but a Company- Sergeant Major and one Rifleman were reported to be missing, presumably captured. At 2300 hours it was decided to move "C" Company (Captain A. W. Ward) into the city to be available for counter-attack, and next morning "B" Company (Lieutenant R. A. Davis) also moved up into position in reserve in Louvain. Battalion H.Q. opened at the Town Hall at 05.30 hours.

    Dawn broke on May 15th with enemy artillery shelling the Battalion area. After heavy fire the enemy penetrated the position at the railway station, but an immediate counter-attack quickly restored the situation. Apart from intermittent shelling and mortaring the day passed quietly except at the Bala-Tiger post where there were some short but fierce engagements in which the platoon inflicted considerable casualties on the enemy, mainly by using hand grenades. Corporal Gibbons, in particular, displayed conspicuous bravery in these actions. On two occasions he broke up attacks on the platoon post by moving to an exposed position on the flank and opening fire with a Bren on the enemy forming up behind some railway wagons. He also rescued, under heavy fire, one of the platoon who had been wounded on the railway line. Corporal Gibbons was, unfortunately, killed later in the day.

    The 7th Field Regiment, in support of the Battalion, did some magnificent shooting in these and other actions, and the Battalion mortar platoon, firing from the centre of the city at their maximum range of sixteen hundred yards with O.P.’s in houses overlooking the railway line, also gave prompt response to all calls for assistance. A heartening sight during the day was Captain M. L. Cummins riding through the streets on a white horse when visiting the Battalion Antitank Platoon. Lieutenant H. G. J. Coddington's two-pounders were well dug in and their crews most anxious to fire their pieces at worthwhile targets which, however, failed to present themselves.

    During the late evening an S.O.S. was received at Battalion H.Q. from "A" Company to say that the enemy was infiltrating through a gap between them and the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. There was some confused fighting in this area during most of the night, but by dawn on the 16th the situation had been fully restored. Captain Ward was severely wounded in the late evening and Lieutenant Garrett took over command of "C" Company."
     
  7. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    Bexley, many thanks for that - I have a transcript of the history but do not have the full title of the book, the author(s) and the date of publication. Can you help me with this one please?
    Ward appears to have been wounded during the counter-attack after his company were brought into Louvain by Knox. Its strange we can find no Christian name - although the army does still have this strange habit of relying solely on initials and ignoring individual names. infuriating really!

    jerry
     
  8. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-ROYAL-ULSTER-RIFLES-VOLUME/dp/B0007JKDHY

    http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Royal_Ulster_Rifles.html?id=L_AMPAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

    The Royal Ulster Rifles by Charles Graves Volume III:

    “Covering the period 1919-1948 and including a short account of the Battalions of The Regiment which served with the 36th Ulster Division 1914-1918.”

    Published by the Royal Ulster Rifles Regimental Committee 1950, Printed by the Times Printing Co., Ltd. Mexborough, Yorks. 1950
     
  9. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    He retired in 1959 as Lt. Col.
     
  10. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    That's fantastic Richard, many thanks. One last favour - can you give me the page number which this quote comes from?

    ‘after dark there was a tendency to continue firing rifles and Brens whether or not a target was visible.’

    Pete - thanks for the 1959 info - i'll track this guy down eventually!

    Thanks.

    Jerry
     
  11. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    It'll cost you.

    Don't know the exact page, but the account above is in Chapter IV between p 40 and 62. No doubt, someone else can oblige.

    I'm meeting with a former RUR officer in a week or so and I'll ask him then - clearly he's well known.

    best
     
  12. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

  13. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    The war diary leans more towards him being wounded by aircraft bombing Louvain than a counter-attack. Infact I don't remember reading anything to do with any attack counter or otherwise in the units diary on the day he was wounded.
     
  14. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    You may well be right - i'll have another look. The interesting thing about the counter-attack is the official history tells us it was carried out by the 1/KOSB but their WD mentions nothing about it. As far as I'm aware at least two coys of the 1/KOSB were wheeled south to fill the gap between the 1st Div and the Lincolns who found to their alarm there was no-one on their right flank.The RUF account tells us B and C Coys were brought into the city as counter attack coys. There were plenty of air raids certainly on Louvain and Ward was possibly a victim of one of these.

    jerry
     
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Jerry - have you got the units mixed up or a typo? Ward was with RUR not RUF.
     
  16. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    Sorry - typo! Louvain is proving to be a little more complex than I first thought! Desperately trying to get first hand accounts of the fighting there but not being particularly successful. RUR museum archives have sent me some stuff but nothing has yet surfaced from Knox - CO - or Bredin who I was hoping might have put pen to paper.

    Jerry
     
  17. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    I spoke to my RUR contact today and although he had quite a lot of detail about the service career of AW Ward (eg commissioned in 1935) he didn't have his first names.. doh !!
     
  18. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Checking through the Gazette website, found supplement page 5329, 3rd September 1940. A.W.WARD, promoted Lt - Capt. Forgot to note page number but he is listed 2nd July 1946 as Promoted WS Major. Hope it helps.
    Further found another entry. page 6422 reached retirement age issue dated 13 Oct 1959. Page 1522 11 Feb 1966 ceases to belong to reserve of Officers.
     
  19. jerrymurland

    jerrymurland Junior Member

    Thanks Guys - determined to find his name now!
     
  20. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    Had a look at the "Rifles are There" on Monday and sure enough...AW Ward..
     

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