East Yorkshire Regiment, 5th Bn.

Hi Steve,
Please don't think i am being critical of Andy's service I appreciate his dilemma, he don't know the amount of pages until he has got the records from the NA, but I did not want to put him to all that trouble and find the cost is more than I can afford. He said it could be anything from £10 to £100 each and as there is 9 possibly 10 that could be outside my budget. I did wonder if anyone else who had got the diaries might be willing to share them at a cost other than that, my son goes to London on business occasionally and I could hitch a lift with him and go to the NA with my camera! What idea do you have?
Regards,

Graham

 

Hello Graham,

Andy can't foresee how many pages there will be in the War Diary until he's doing the research for you and he has certain fixed costs - hence the reason why he can't quote a specific fee and the cost to you is open ended.

That said, I have used Andy's services to track down the circumstances of an Uncle's death and I was surprised, both, with the extremely positive result and the reasonablness of the charge. What Andy does is, delivered promptly and without any headaches. The cost won't be reasonable to everyone, but will be to most... I recommend the servce he (and Lee) provides.

Let's go to PM (private message) if you wish to discuss further... I do have an idea!!!

Best,

Steve.

Hi Steve,
I have sent you a PM

Graham

 

Hi Steve,
Please don't think i am being critical of Andy's service I appreciate his dilemma, he don't know the amount of pages until he has got the records from the NA, but I did not want to put him to all that trouble and find the cost is more than I can afford. He said it could be anything from £10 to £100 each and as there is 9 possibly 10 that could be outside my budget. I did wonder if anyone else who had got the diaries might be willing to share them at a cost other than that, my son goes to London on business occasionally and I could hitch a lift with him and go to the NA with my camera! What idea do you have?
Regards,

Graham

Hello Graham,

Just back from work...

I didn't think you were criticising Andy's service, I was just trying to explain why he can't be definite about the cost to you, etc.; but I see you already appreciate that.

My idea was that, either, other 5th Battalion regulars may have the War Diaries and would be willing to share, or I could contribute to the cost because I would like copies also.

Let's take this to PM and find a remedy.

Best,

Steve.

 

I'm happy to charge you both half price ie 5p a page but will only send copies to both of you when both have paid

 

I'm happy to charge you both half price ie 5p a page but will only send copies to both of you when both have paid

Thanks Andy that seems very fair. I am talking to Steve and Paul Reed (away at the moment) on the matter.

Graham

 

Hi Graham
I'll check through my video footage and see what I can find. I'll also ask my nan to see what other stuff there is. Thanks for including the image of the address. What an amazing record of a moment in time! God bless them all.
Mark

 

Hi Graham
I'll check through my video footage and see what I can find. I'll also ask my nan to see what other stuff there is. Thanks for including the image of the address. What an amazing record of a moment in time! God bless them all.
Mark

Hi Mark,
I think it is amazing too, to find such a record is priceless. I have a few more things I am working on (hope to put the whole thing in a document or book) it would be great to find a connection to any of the names listed especially if your granddad knew my uncle, James (Jim) Shaw. Look forward to anything you find out.

I have just made a connection with another piece of the jigsaw; he went AWOL for 2 days in December 1943 and it coincides with his fathers death and I believe he went absent to attend his funeral. He was confined to barracks for 8 days and lost 3 days pay! He was training for D Day at the time and I think all leave was cancelled.

I would like to know what company he was in, it's not in his service records, so if anyone knows how to find this out it would be most welcome.

Regards
Graham

 

At last I've found a forum which may be able to help. Like many people, I'm trying to find any information on a specific soldier; Lieutenant John Laverack Sykes, 5th Bn. East Yorkshire reg. He was killed on 11th June 1944 just outside Tilly. I found by chance an account of the action which cost him his life in a description by Jack Craddock from the BBC site in 2004. I'd like to know anything more about him or the whereabouts of the battle in which he was killed. A photo would be the icing on the cake. The back story to me pursuing this soldier is full of coincidences and serendipity.....it would take a lot of your time but I'd be very willing to share it if anyone is interested.
Thanks in advance.

JLS

 

UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: John Sykes
Given Initials: J L
Rank: Lieutenant
Death Date: 11 Jun 1944
Number: 287781
Birth Place: Lincolnshire (Epworth)
Residence: Doncaster
Branch at Enlistment: Infantry
Theatre of War: Western Europe Campaign, 1944/45
Regiment at Death: East Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of York's Own)
Branch at Death: Infantry


Web: Global, Gravestone Photograph Index, 1265-2014

Name: John L. Sykes
Birth Year: 1918
Burial Year: 1944
Burial Place: Epworth, Lincolnshire, England
Death Age: 26
Cemetery: St Andrew
Relationship: son of Rbert John Sykes
Original URL: http://www.gravestonephotos.com/public/location.php?location=Epworth&area=Lincolnshire&country=En&scrwidth=1258


There may be some confusion here about his birthplace, as I have a J L Sykes born 1918 in Leeds, am having trouble locating a birth for 1918 in Epworth, Lincs

TD

 

Bon dieu, that was quick. Thanks for the info TD. I had most of it but not all, it all helps to build up a picture. I'm hoping to find someone who has a photo of him or firsthand account of their time during the battle for Normandy. It would appear that he had no near relatives who could visit his grave after the war as his parents were either elderly or died soon after. I hope I'm wrong in this.

 

*
From 'The Story of The 5th Battalion The East Yorkshire Regiment TA' (LM Garwood), Page 147.

"...Audrieu was reached at 1600 hours [11 June 1944] and th 5th East Yorkshires established a firm base for an attack by the armour. The tanks, having passed through Audrieu, the [6th Bn] Green Howards followed on. At 1800 hours, as they approached Les Hauts Verts, the Green Howards came under heavy fire from small arms and Spandau from Oristot. A fierce battle ensued. The Germans launched a counter-attack with tanks and the 5th East Yorkshires were called in, sustaining casualties; Major JHF Dixon, the acting Commanding Offcer, died of wounds; Major HC Cocking and Lieutenant JL Sykes were missing, (later found to have been killed in action), while ten O.R.s were missing; twenty five were wounded."

Not sure how Lt. Sykes went from being KIA in Normandy to being buried back in Lincolnshire. A mystery in itself!

Best,

Steve.

 

*
And indeed, he wasn't buried in Lincolnshire...

SYKES, JOHN LAVERACK
Rank: Lieutenant
Service No: 287781
Date of Death: 11/06/1944
Age: 26
Regiment/Service: East Yorkshire Regiment, 5th Bn.
Grave Reference: II. F. 1.
Cemetery: HOTTOT-LES-BAGUES WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Robert J. and Lila Sykes, of Epworth, Yorkshire.

 

Thanks, both, for the info. This is all very interesting. I've found out more in 12 hours than in the last few months! He is buried in Hottot les Bagues, we payed our respects to him in June this year. The headstone in St Andrews, Epworth, is for his father and mother with his name added. We've been trying to find any living relatives to get more information on him but as yet to no avail.
Thanks again.

 

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
Name: John Laverack Sykes
Probate Date: 24 Jan 1945
Registry: Lincoln, England
Death Date: 11 Jun 1944
Death Place: Lincolnshire, Lincoln, England

Seems his probate was given to Robert John Sykes a produce merchant - so potentially he survived the war and could have had children - this is the fun part of research

TD

edited to add
Forgot to add the image




** Perhaps the Robert John Sykes mentioned is his father

 

There could be family trees on Ancestry for his father:

Robert John Sykes

Birth: Abt 1888 - Yorkshire, England
F: Robert Martin Sykes
M: Lucy Laverack (Johns grandmother)

Note the maiden name of his mother

TD

 

Looks like Robert J Sykes b 1886 ish married in 1915


Name: Robert J Sykes
Spouse Surname: Glen (Should read Glew, not Glen)
Registration Year: 1915
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration district: Thorne
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Yorkshire West Riding
Volume: 9c
Page: 2071
Records on Page:
Name
Eliza Glew
Robert J Sykes

Checking births for Sykes born to a mother with maiden name Glew:


Edwin D Sykes
Oct-Nov-Dec 1917 Thorne Yorkshire West Riding

John L Sykes
Oct-Nov-Dec 1917 Thorne Yorkshire West Riding

Kathleen M Sykes
Jul-Aug-Sep 1920 Thorne Yorkshire

TD

 

This is all great stuff. Being new to this it's been a long slog so far. His father was Robert John who died in 1947 aged 61. This all started for us with a book from a charity shop which was given to Robert John as a child and then passed to John Laverack as a child. Amazing where the simplest thing can lead. It's become a repayment for the debt of gratitude we feel we owe to him, especially as we came from the same village. The Kathleen Sykes b.1920 could well be a sister as they were originally from Thorne. I'll keep looking for a link there. Thanks again.

 

John

There is another family tree on Ancestry for Edwin D

Edwin Donald Sykes
Birth: 8 Nov 1917
Death: 30 Nov 2000
Marriage: 6 Sep 1949 - ENG (England)
Spouse: Elise Holdsworth
F: Robert. John. Sykes
M: Eliza. Lila. Glew

Having trouble with Kathleen so might leave that to you

TD