Lance Serjeant Harry Thomas Hallsworth, 1st Bn Grenadier Guards

Discussion in 'The Brigade of Guards' started by Paul Harding, Sep 1, 2011.

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  1. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    I'm not sure how all of this works, but I can tell you the story behind the casualty of Harry Thomas Hallsworth, Lance Serjeant in the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guard, who was killed in action in the early hours of 5 September 1944 near Leuven, Belgium. He is buried at the Heverlee War Cemetary, details to be found at CWGC :: Casualty Details. My dad, Herbert Henry Harding, also Grenadier Guards, was his comrade in arms, in fact they had joined the Guards together when they were quite young. My dad, who passed away in 2001, lost his good and dear friend that night, and he would return to his grave in Heverlee many times, as my Dad would settle down in Belgium after the war, in Aarschot only ten miles away from the cemetary. In the early hours of 5 September my dad was preparing to relieve his good friend Harry Hallsworth, who was on guard duty. Suddenly he heard a couple of shots fired, answered alsmost immediately by the sound of Brengun machine fire. He rushed on to the scene to find his friend shot, and a bit further away two German soldiers, who had been machine gunned. These German soldiers had driven up on a motor cycle, carrying a white flag. But when Harry Hallsworth left the safety of his hideout the Germans opened fire on him, killing him on the spot. In retalliation the Brengun swept into action. My dad would move on the next day to liberate the nearby town of Aarschot, where he was to meet what would later become my mom.
     
    Paul Harding, Sep 1, 2011
    #1
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  2. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hello and welcome to the forum Paul.

    I've moved your post to a thread of its own. Many thanks for adding your father's recollection of his friend's death.

    Do you have any photos of his time in the Grenadiers that you'd care to share here?
    Has anyone in the family ever applied to Wellington Barracks for a copy of your father's service records?

    Regards,
    Diane
     
    dbf, Sep 1, 2011
    #2
  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    From The Grenadier Guards in the War of 1939-1945, Forbes, pages 116 - 117:

    Sept 1944
    Fate was kind to the Grenadiers in handing them the chance of liberating Louvain, because it was from this town, after the invasion of the Low Countries, that they had been forced to start their retreat to Dunkirk in 1940. Then the civilians lining the road back to Brussels had worn on their faces the distracted look of men and women about to undergo life imprisonment. For the Grenadiers it had been a ghastly experience, too, like abandoning a sinking ship in the full knowledge that there were people still on board who could not swim. But much water had passed under the bridges since then, and when the Grenadiers drove back to Louvain four years later the scene was reversed. In every village which the Group passed through the civilians came bursting out of their houses to wave a welcome instead of a farewell, and their faces were lit up with smiles. Not a single German fired at the tanks between Brussels and Louvain, a fact which was noted with satisfaction by the civilians, one of whom said in broken English to an officers what amounted to "When you were in the same predicament as the Germans you put up a better show."

    In Louvain itself the main garrison had fled and the Group seized the big bridge over the River Dyle with little difficulty, although there was a switch on the far end which would have exploded a 500-lb. bomb. One platoon inflicted severe casualties on a large group of Germans at the railway station who were apparently waiting for the next train home, but, apart from an occasional group found hiding in the houses, snipers appeared to be the only other Germans left behind in Louvain. As luck would have it, the leading brain specialist of Belgium was at hand and he immediately operated on a victim of a sniper, a sergeant who was badly wounded in the head and who, under normal battle conditions, would have stood no chance of recovery.

    Sept 5-6
    The Grenadiers remained in and around Louvain for the next twenty-four hours, carefully clearing each street and sending patrols backwards and forwards across the surrounding fields and woods to round up a number of Germans who had hoped to evade being captured. Wireless communication with Brigade Headquarters in Brussels was very bad indeed, and at about 11 p.m. on the second day in Louvain Lieutenant D.W. Fraser, the Liaison Officer of the 2nd Battalion, was sent back to Brigade Headquarters at Brussels to find out what the situation was. Reports had been coming in from all sides, including the Brussels radio itself, that the war had come to an end, but when Lieutenant Fraser returned he brought no confirmation of any such news. He had been told that the Division was to advance toward the Albert Canal the following morning, the 32nd Brigade going via Diest to seize a crossing near Beeringen, and the 5th Brigade travelling father north via Aerrshot, to cross near Bourg Leopold. The Grenadier Group was to lead the 5th Brigade and to be followed by the Coldstream Group.

    This move, as well as the one that followed it - up to the Escaut Canal - was conducted in quite difficult circumstances from those to which the Division had grown accustomed during the past two weeks. There were no lightning dashes, no sensational liberations; frequent orders were equally frequently cancelled, and progress was made only by small steps. The reason for this was that the Germans were making a very determined effort - considering their resources - to slow down the British advance so that it would be overtaken by winter weather before it reached Germany. They had few cards up their sleeves, but those they held were aces - a whole string of ports, stretching from Brest to Antwerp. Without these the British High Command was finding it increasingly hard to keep the forward troops supplied, and for the time being no more units could be sent up to assist the Guards and 11th Armoured Divisions which were well in front of the remainder of the Second Army. Supplies still had to be landed on the beaches of Normandy or at Cherbourg, several hundred miles away. Ten thousand trucks covered this distance each day, and the most urgent supplies were flown over in Dakotas from England, but they were naturally unable to fulfil the needs of the whole of the Second Army, which, had the ports been free, would have been sent forward towards Germany straight away. The 11th Armoured Division and the Guards Armoured Division had therefore to be left to fight their way across the Albert and Escaut Canals as best they could.

    Sept 7-9
    The move from Louvain to the Albert Canal went without a hitch. At Aeroshot No. 4 Company and No. 1 Squadron, who had been sent on had sent on ahead to capture the bridge and had spent two nights there, took over the lead and the advance proceeded uneventfully.
     
    dbf, Sep 1, 2011
    #3
  4. Oldman

    Oldman Very Senior Member

    Paul
    Thanks for the post, wonder how many times they had tried and got away with that kind of action before.

    Ps Welcome on board
     
    Oldman, Sep 1, 2011
    #4
  5. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    I'm sorry I have misspelled the name of Lance Serjeant Harry Thomas Hallsworth (double "l"), also the year should be 1944 instead of 1945.
    I would like to apply for my father's service records. Do you have an address?
    I can remember my father telling me he swam across the Albert Canal.
    I do have a few pictures taken during the war with his fellow soldiers in them. How do I upload them?
     
    Paul Harding, Sep 2, 2011
    #5
  6. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    dbf, Sep 2, 2011
    #6
  7. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    Here are a few pictures of 1st Bn Grenadier Guards, GAD, 4th Coy during WWII. Two are taken during the libeartion Brussels, the other one shows Guardsmen Bolton, Alland and Reid in or near their Bren Gun Carrier on the road to Sandbostel (Germany - Concentration Camp) on August 29, 1944.
     
    Paul Harding, Sep 6, 2011
    #7
  8. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    Judging from the graves in the cemetery of Saint Charles de Percy (Normandy) a lot of Guardsmen were killed in action on the same date, i.e. August 11, 1944. I've counted 50 or more. I've been scouring the internet to find out what exactly happened that day, and I think the casualties had to do with operation Bluecoat, but nowhere can I find an exact account of that sombre day. Yet I recall my dad telling me about it in terms of how awfull it was. Can someone let me have the full story?
     
    Paul Harding, Sep 6, 2011
    #8
  9. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Paul
    There was a Brigade action that day between Vire and Vassy. My father's battalion, 3rd Irish Guards, were supported by a troop from 1st Armd Bn Coldstream in which Boscawen who wrote Armoured Guardsmen participated. See here for part of their war diary covering Normandy http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/coldstream-guards/19276-war-diary-1st-armoured-battalion-coldstream-guards-jun-aug-1944-a.html

    The Irish came off the worst during this attack which is known as Soudeval, with over 100 casualties from 2 Companies (ie. dead, wounded missing). I have some info up already in relation to their part see post 66 onwards http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/irish-guards/13742-irish-guards-roh-ww2-casualties-awards-7.html#post141206

    All my father will say about this is that the place gave him the creeps. One of the men killed that day was from his training squad and he remembers vividly hearing Eric's name jump out of the list of dead called out during drumhead service.
    CPL P DOOGAN’S SQUAD, OCTOBER 1943
     
    dbf, Sep 6, 2011
    #9
  10. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    Thanks, Diane. It is nice to know someone can fill in the gaps in a tale of history that is perhaps relevant to only a small group of people. It is even more gratifying to find that that particular person is actually taking time and effort to do so.
    Obviously it is pitty that my dad isn't around anymore to fill in the blanks of the story himself. I feel if blame is to be shed (which it isn't!) both father and son are culprits. Dad, because he didn't start recounting his experiences during the war until he was quite advanced in years (he refused to tell us these stories when we were children - probably he didn't want to be reminded of them himself); me, because I could have pressed him a bit more, when he eventually did start talking about the war.
    Luckily I did take him (and my mom) on a tour of Normandy a few years before he passed away, to revisit - for the first time - some of the places that held a special meaning to him, where he for instance had had a lucky escape of where they had found themselves in a pickle, and such.
    But even then he didn't reveal all that could be revealed, and obviously you would respect that.
    I'm trying once again to upload a few pictures from his archives, hopefully I will succeed this time. The first one is a picture of him in uniform when he was about 18. The following two are pictures that were sent to him by a professional photographer, who as an inhabitant of Brussels, was taking pictures during the liberation. The last one was of his comrades-in-arms on the road to Sandbostel in Germany (concentration camp). Their names were on the back of the picture and if I can decipher his handwriting correctly, they should be: Bolton, Alland (or Allard) and Reid, all probably 4th Coy, 1st Bn Grenadier Gaurds.
     

    Attached Files:

    Paul Harding, Sep 8, 2011
    #10
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  11. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Paul
    Super photos, your Dad looks so young. Thanks for uploading them.

    I am still working on some of my Dad's stories. I can't remember a time when he didn't talk of them, and yet I still need to ask more daft questions of him. I think he's told me just about all he wants to so in a way I guess we will all have different regrets. The main thing is that you know something and have something of his. Sadly others never had the opportunity of growing up with their father around.

    Do you have a copy of the GG History for NWE campaign or, a copy of the War Diary for 44-45? Having these types of sources helped me fit some jigsaw pieces together.
     
    dbf, Sep 8, 2011
    #11
  12. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    Paul
    Do you have a copy of the GG History for NWE campaign or, a copy of the War Diary for 44-45? Having these types of sources helped me fit some jigsaw pieces together.

    I've just ordered a copy of the War Diary (1944-1945) for 1st Bn Grenadier Guards from the National Archives and I've apllied for a copy of my dad's service record with the Regimental Archivist HQ Grenadier Guards. Where can I obtain a copy of the GG History for NWE campaign?
     
    Paul Harding, Sep 9, 2011
    #12
  13. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    dbf, Sep 9, 2011
    #13
  14. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    The National Archives have supplied me with a copy of the War Diary (1944-1945) for 1st Bn Grenadier Guards. Dear me! This is far more than I had bargained for. It’s going to cost me a whole lot of time (time I now can’t afford) to get through this huge stack of documents. It will have to wait until I retire (hopefully 8 years from now).
    Moreover having glanced over them, the documents are riddled with military lingo I can’t possibly decipher. But hey, the main thing is that the source is now within hand’s reach, and that at least is a comfort for the time being.
     
    Paul Harding, Feb 5, 2012
    #14
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Paul, out of curiousity, can I ask how much you paid for the diary and how many pages you got?

    Cheers
    Andy
     
    Drew5233, Feb 5, 2012
    #15
  16. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    Paul, out of curiousity, can I ask how much you paid for the diary and how many pages you got?

    Cheers
    Andy

    Andy, I paid £129.44, shipment costs to Belgium included. I got more than 1000 pages.

    Cheers
     
    Paul Harding, Feb 6, 2012
    #16
  17. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Cheers Paul - And just to confirm, the National Archives copied the file for you?
     
    Drew5233, Feb 6, 2012
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  18. Paul Harding

    Paul Harding Junior Member

    Cheers Paul - And just to confirm, the National Archives copied the file for you?
    Yes they did, Andy, in A3 size. Quality of the copies is not always very high, but still decipherable.
     
    Paul Harding, Feb 7, 2012
    #18
  19. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Cheers Phil....Looks like they have dropped their prices by about 75%.
     
    Drew5233, Feb 7, 2012
    #19
  20. Claudy

    Claudy Junior Member

    Hi Mr. Paul Harding,

    What a surprise I found the picture of of you father's friend, Lance Sergeant Harry Thomas Hallsworth killed on the 5th Sept.1944 near Leuven. I wrote a book about the liberation of Belgium and specially about the region of Landen (Vlaams Brabant ). The picture is just the same as the first one of the group of 4 pictures at the end of the page. I found this picture by inhabitants of the village of Waasmont (actually : Groot-Landen). That means that Lance-Corporal Harry (as I wrote because I had no other name) was billeted with the 1st grenadier Guards in the village of Waasmont before be killed somewhere in the neigborhood of Leuven. I have a lot of pictures of the 1st Bat.Grenadier Guards but the people knew this chaps only by their first name! What I know that is that they stood several week in that village before marchhing on to Leuven and furtheron.
     
    Claudy, Mar 20, 2013
    #20
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