Been doing a bit of work on Captain R H Stevens of the 1st Forward Observer Unit (Airborne) RA for the 151/156 Association tour in September who at Arnhem was attached to them as their FOO. By the 23/09 he was in command of a scratch platoon of 156 men fighting in the Oosterbeek perimeter. On 23/09 according to the war diary: 1500 - A counter attack was attempted, but was halted. Capt Stevens, the commander was killed. The Bn then dug in on the new line, and was heavily mortared for the rest of the day. This comment is taken from the war diary was written a few days later on his return south of the river by Major G Powell (OC C Company 156 Parachute Battalion) In the book From Delhi to Arnhem it says Captain Stevens was wounded several times in this attack of the 23/09 and died the next day. The CWGC gives his date of death as 24/09/1944 and he is now buried at Oosterbeek 29A2. As his first burial spot is given as the Hemelsche Berg area which is south of the Hartenstein is a fair guess to say he might have been taken to the RAP at the Hartenstein and died there? Any thoughts anyone? By the way there is nothing in the Reinders booklet on the FOU regarding Captain Stevens apart from the Powell comments which don’t really answer my question. Anyone also got a picture of Captain Stevens?
Captain Stevens was shot by the germans in the area of the train station in Oosterbeek and fled in a local house where he was hidden in the basement by the residents. They tried to give him medical aid but he died a day later. The residents gave him a garden burrial and after the war he was reburried at the oosterbeek war cemetary. My sister and her family live in this house. We come back every year during a memorial walk (airborne wandeltocht) and always put a flower on his grave
To be more specific, captain Stevens was shot in the 'Paul Krugerstraat near te 'Mariaweg' junction. Critically wounded and bleeding heavily he tried to return to HQ Hartensteijn, where the staff resided. He collapsed in the 'De la Reijweg' in front of nr13. The residents quickly took him into their house and hid him in the basement (nr13) so the Germans couldn't find him. They tried to give him medical aid but he was to badly injured and died during the night in that basement. They burried him in the garden of nr11. Now my sister lives here with her husband and kids (nr11) and her parents-in-law live at nr13. A few times they saw foreign people walking by and stared/stopped at their house, they always wondered if these were possibly relatives to captain Stevens.
Captain Stevens, together with 2 other members of 156 Parachute Battalion and 1 from 10th Parachute Battalion, were recorded as being first buried in the garden of a house in De La Reijweg, Oosterbeek which is a turning off Paul Krugerstraat
Berdy. Thanks for the additional in formation. Next Thursday and Friday a number of family members of 156 Parachute Battalion veterans will be conducting battlefield tours in Oosterbeek, including the area where your Sister lives
These other men, I understand they were also temporarily burried on the same location? Meaning, my sisters garden? We knew about captain Stevens, but this was unknown to me. Can you give me the names of the other men? I would really like to do research on this
Berdy The Graves Registration Unit record shows all of these men being recovered along with Capt Stevens from the same location which was described as "grave, garden de la Reyweg". The others were: 1) Pte C H Creasy, 156 Parachute Bn now Oosterbeek 32.B.10, 2) Pte W H Smith, 156 parachute Bn, now Oosterbeek 29.A.1 3) Cpl L H Waite, 10th Parachute Bn, now Oosterbeek 32.B.9
Wow thanks! I will try to do some research on them. Hopefully, the elder people living in the street/area can tell me more
