Captain C.A. HOOD, 140th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, POW, 1940

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by dbf, Jun 24, 2010.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Cheers Rob, she mentioned 367 so I think it's fairly certain that is who he was with at Cassel.
     
  2. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    Andy
    Think your on the money with 140FD!
    HAC to;
    11RHA
    12RHA
    13RHA
    86HAA Regt
    None of these listed with the BEF.
    Rob
     
  3. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    This is the one mentioned as a casualty on the Dunkirk Memorial.

    Andy/Rob

    If 11 RHA were not there, maybe an incorrect entry on CWGC?

    Name: CROUCH, LESLIE JAMES ARTHUR
    Rank: Gunner
    Regiment/Service: Royal Horse Artillery
    Unit Text: 11 (Honourable Artillery Coy.) Regt.
    Age: 22
    Date of Death: 25/05/1940
    Service No: 1397193
    Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Crouch, of St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex.
    Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 1.
    Memorial: DUNKIRK MEMORIAL
     
  4. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    Oflag V11B Eichstatt Bavaria:- 48:53:00N - 11:13:00E

    Consists of six large Barracks in Hilly District and built on two terraces. Refered to as Upper and Lower Camps. New Barracks in elongated rectangle.
    Road on two sides of River at one end and Village at the other. P.O.W. have access to a Football pitch and Ice Hockey Rink.
    Camp in Valley of Altmuhl, 1.5mls S/E Eichstatt covering an area 700 X 180yds.

    P.O.W. 28/2/1945 are made up of 1487 British; 87 Canadian; 108 Australian; 78 New Zealanders; 21 South Africans and 2 Indians.
    Total of 1784 All Ranks.

    Camp Commanders:- Oberst Ried until June 1944:- Oberst Bessinger at present. (28th February 1945).

    Ancestry have the 1945 P.O.W. Lists only. The 1944 give him in the same Camp.

    WO344/149/2 will give any other Camps and detail of capture providing he made a Report.
     
    dbf likes this.
  5. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Looked through the war diary relating to 367 Battery, 140 Field Regt and found........... Nothing.:(


    Ancestry have the 1945 P.O.W. Lists only. The 1944 give him in the same Camp.

    WO344/149/2 will give any other Camps and detail of capture providing he made a Report.

    Looked through WO344/149/2 and found................Nothing. :(

    Decided to order 140 Field Regt diary and see where that would lead me.

    I'll be back after the commercials.:lol:
     
  6. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Visited a client yesterday with the surname Hood. Asked if he had any relatives called C A Hood who served in WW2. My Dad says he. The exact same name. Was he an officer in the RA says I. No he replied. Home guard.

    What a coincidence that would have been.

    Anyhow to the task in hand.

    DSCF9419 (Large).JPG
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
  7. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    The movement order signed by the Adjutant is no less than C A Hood.

    DSCF9423 (Large).JPG
    DSCF9424 (Large).JPG
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
    dbf likes this.
  8. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Final confirmation. A copy of the officer nominal roll for 24 March 1940. Definitely not Honorary Artillery Company.

    DSCF9437 - Copy.JPG
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
    Drew5233 likes this.
  9. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD



    Rob and I thought you'd already had your share of spooky coincidences for this year after tracing that nominal roll for your Dad's battery :) ... well done on finding those documents. Excellent.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2020
  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    How Ironic. I just found a mention in a I Corps file to 140 A. Fd. Regt. RA.

    Serial 9: Allotment of Trps:

    140 Army Field Regiment RA allocated to 42 Division dated 20th May 1940.
     
  11. The Hen

    The Hen Junior Member

    Chaps....you are beyond description....utterly amazing, I have goosebumps.

    The Husband will be bowled over....
    I'm going to read it over again to digest...then can I fire some questions back so I understand properly?

    In the meantime - "Thank you" doesn't cover it - you are ace detectives!
    All best wishes
    Hen
     
  12. The Hen

    The Hen Junior Member

    Oooh - almost forgot - was the other Hood from Surrey? I wonder if he was part of the family - it's quite a big brood!
     
  13. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Hi Hen

    No relation to your branch of the family.

    Regards - Rob.
     
  14. The Hen

    The Hen Junior Member

    Rob

    Thank you so much - re-reading the text of the war diary this morning still has my skin in goosebumps - how amazing that we can see his handwriting after all those years have passed.

    I'm probably being v dim but can you tell me...

    What were they doing in March - how does that fit in with everything else that was happening? Did that lay the path for the outcome on 29th May?

    I'm confused about batteries and companies - should have paid more attention to history at school...and not read Shirley Conran in class.

    Who or what were 4 Coy RASC?

    Lastly - Lt Rowland was a friend of Cecil's - they called him Rowley - I could have remembered wrong..but think he was from Union Discount Co too.

    Rob - I will send you a PM about the extended notes....and thank you again - you were so kind to look for me.
    Hen
     
  15. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Hi Hen

    I'm online now, so if you PM that e-mail address. I copied the war diaries from March until May 1940 and can e-mail mail you them so you will get a better picture of what went on.

    RASC was Royal Army Service Corps. They helped support other units of the British Army with logistics, supplies etc. Bring up food, water, ammunition for the RA etc. Get the picture.

    Rob
     
  16. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Briefly, 140 Field Regt, RA sailed from Southampton on 5 March 1940 and arrived at Le Havre on 6 March 1940.

    It consisted of 2 batteries, 366 and 367.

    It was an 18 Pounder Regiment.
     
  17. The Hen

    The Hen Junior Member

    Hi Rob

    I have father in law on phone and internet! Very excited to see rest of diary!
    Hen
     
  18. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Hi Hen

    E-mails (8) sent with war diaries attached.

    Hope they are useful.

    Regards - Rob
     
  19. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hen when you get your breath back :), can we see what he looked like please? I love having faces put to names.
    All the best,
    D
     
  20. The Hen

    The Hen Junior Member

    Hi D!

    He is in a storage box! I'm having a bit of trouble tracking him down...we had building work last year and had to pack everything up...it will be in the last box in the bottom of the last pile!

    Sorry to keep you on tenterhooks!

    My Father in law (FIL) was ace on the phone this morning - telling him what all of you had discovered brought lots of memories back...

    1. There was a book published by the regiment(?) after the war which included cartoons drawn in pow camp by Cecil's cousin Peter Spearing.

    2. My FIL remembered 'Paddy' Sirkett, Ray Baxter, Jimmy Edwards (fellow pow and he of the moustache) Major Christopherson, Norman 'Tubby" Layton (apparently of Henley / Marlow who became a headmaster of a school in CLimping after the war).
    He also mentioned a Derek Crossman who was either HAC or POW with Cecil... it was Crossman who was responsible for the evacuation of Cecil's children and wife to Gloucestershire - to Berkeley Castle...then moved on to a nearby farm where my FIL enjoyed learning to drive a tractor (aged 7)!

    3. Lt Morris F Rowland was a neighbour in Surrey.

    Rob - Thank you sooo much for all the extracts - incredibly interesting...I need to read it again and digest.

    Is it possible to know how many of 367 were captured / made it back?

    Huge thanks
    Hen
     

Share This Page