hello Pete have you tried to obtain his Army records Army Personnel Centre - British Army Website post any photos you have im sure other forum members will be able to add to your research
Is this your father? Lance Corporal A.S.Croombs, Army Number - 14423366, Ox & Bucks L.I. If so, then unfortunately his POW number and Camp are not listed in POW British Army 1939 -1945 book. My suggestion to you is, go the National Archive at Kew and see if your father completed a Liberated POW interrogation Questionnaire - File WO344. Maybe forum member - ADM199 can give you the exact file number. Good luck.
Is this your father? Lance Corporal A.S.Croombs, Army Number - 14423366, Ox & Bucks L.I. If so, then unfortunately his POW number and Camp are not listed in POW British Army 1939 -1945 book. My suggestion to you is, go the National Archive at Kew and see if your father completed a Liberated POW interrogation Questionnaire - File WO344. Maybe forum member - ADM199 can give you the exact file number. Good luck. Yes that's him. Gives me another avenue to search, thanks for the tip
Just joined. My father was in the Ox & Bucks and went into action at Hazebrouck - Bren gun against panzers. Taken prisoner during May and marched initially to Stalag VIIIB. Same experience as JohnT's father I would think. Have also recently visited Cassel and seen the memorial. Don't have any documentation, unfortunately, but do have a few stories.
Hi Jim and welcome to the forum. Can I recommend you try and get a copy of Hazebrouck 1940 by Michael Heyworth. Have a search around, I'm sure the battalions war diaries for May 1940 are posted somewhere on this forum. Cheers Andy
Hello and welcome to the forum Jim, feel free to share your fathers' stories as they would be most welcome on this thread.
Please remember these stories were told to me in my teens - which is rather a long time ago - so time may have diminished the accuracy. Here goes: Just before he went into action apparently a senior NCO addressed them and said 'Now lads we're going into action - for some of you it will be the 1st time. Not all of you will see tomorrow morning .....' Perhaps if Fabio had used something along the same lines ......?? Will try to look up a copy of the book, Andy.
Just joined. My father was in the Ox & Bucks and went into action at Hazebrouck - Bren gun against panzers. Taken prisoner during May and marched initially to Stalag VIIIB. Same experience as JohnT's father I would think. Have also recently visited Cassel and seen the memorial. Don't have any documentation, unfortunately, but do have a few stories. Hey Jim, like you and JohnT, my grandfather was also captured at hazebrouck and sent to Lamsdorf Stalag VIIIb (later 344 I believe). He was captured May 28th, 1940 and was eventually released late 1943. I would be very interested to see if anyone knows of him or if he is mentioned in John T's father's notes. His name was Sgt. Alan Percival Jessup but I'm not sure of the batallion/regiment (although he was a kentish man born and bred!). I have attached one of the only things we have from those days which is a cartoon drawn by fellow prisoner Roland Ford. Any knowledge of my grandfather or stories from fellow servicemen regarding the experience would be fascinating. Cheers and thanks for the great site! Mark
I have lent someone the book about T-Force but I seem to remember that the Ox & Bucks had an element amongs them... I may be wrong but perhaps someone else might know. Dee
My father-in-law, 5378629 Sgt Joe Cripps, HQ Coy., 1st Btn. Ox. & Bucks L.I. (Bucks Btn) TA, was also at Hazebrouck, and while trying to break out, under orders, on the 28th May with a small party of men, was hit by MG fire in both legs and fell in the road. The remaining members ran back inside the Convent(?) being used as Btn. HQ. His nephew Frank Knight was inside, and asked " Where's Uncle Joe?" On being told, he very bravely dashed out into the road risking death or injury, and picked Joe up, carrying him back inside to, comparative, safety. He was put with other wounded in the cellar, the roof of which subsequently collapsed under enemy bombardment. Many of the wounded died there, but fortunately for Joe, his pal CSM Pat Badrick had gone down to the cellar to comfort him and was able to assist in getting Joe out. There is a discrepancy in our history here, as in the book by Michael Heyworth mentioned above, Capt. Saunders, D Coy Commander, reports (page 173) being cut off in a house, NOT Btn HQ., and some distance from it, having a cellar conference on the 28th May at about 2130, amongst whom was CSM Badrick. We have difficulty with him being in these two places, Btn HQ, where we KNOW he was with Joe Cripps, and also in D. Coy HQ., separated by extremely dangerous ground covered by enemy artillery, panzer, and small arms fire. Joe was subsequently captured, and taken to St Louis hospital in St. Omer, where one leg was amputated on the 20th June, and where he credited the Nuns with saving his life. After many months in various French hospitals he was sent to POW camps. We believe he was initially in Stalag 9C, Schleiz, and then Lamsdorf as POW 33155 where his carpentry skills were in great demand making wooden legs for other amputees. He was repatriated in 1943, and went on to run the family building firm in Waddesdon, Bucks until his retirement, living in his bungalow called, of course, St. Omer, continuing to climb ladders if required despite his disability. He suffered a total of three amputations on his leg. He never, ever, grumbled or complained at his lot, and was a true stalwart who I loved dearly. My own father, C.V.M. Inward, was then a CSM with B Coy 5th Btn. Q.O.R.W.K. with the BEF, and escaped from Dunkirk, thanks to men like Joe Cripps who held the line against German panzers with virtually nothing, long enough, with Hitler's help, to allow a large proportion of the BEF to escape and fight again.
First time I've read that account of Sgt Joe Cripps and I remembered why I would have easily missed it. Cheers for posting Shackeng.
First time I've read that account of Sgt Joe Cripps and I remembered why I would have easily missed it. Cheers for posting Shackeng. Your having a laugh November last year he posted that, and I posted the link to it 5 mins ago! thank you Jason......... thats ok Andy
Hi Came across this thread as I was looking for any on-line info about the Oxford & Bucks LI 4th Bn. My grandmother's brother died at or near Cassell on 30th May. His details (per CWGC) are: DILLWYN, COLIN LEWIS Rank: Second Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Unit Text: 4th Bn. Age: 27 Date of Death: 30/05/1940 Service No: 91368 Additional information: Son of Rice Mansel Dillwyn and Harriet Florence Dillwyn, of Bridgend, Glamorgan. M.A. (Oxon.): Queen's College. Student and Lecturer in Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford. Grave/Memorial Reference: Row 3. Grave 19. Cemetery: OYE-PLAGE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (I have a photo of his grave, thanks to the War Graves Photographic Project.) I would be interested in any info surrounding his service.
Your having a laugh November last year he posted that, and I posted the link to it 5 mins ago! thank you Jason......... thats ok Andy I was in Hospital when it was originally posted
Hi Came across this thread as I was looking for any on-line info about the Oxford & Bucks LI 4th Bn. My grandmother's brother died at or near Cassell on 30th May. His details (per CWGC) are: DILLWYN, COLIN LEWIS Rank: Second Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Unit Text: 4th Bn. Age: 27 Date of Death: 30/05/1940 Service No: 91368 Additional information: Son of Rice Mansel Dillwyn and Harriet Florence Dillwyn, of Bridgend, Glamorgan. M.A. (Oxon.): Queen's College. Student and Lecturer in Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford. Grave/Memorial Reference: Row 3. Grave 19. Cemetery: OYE-PLAGE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (I have a photo of his grave, thanks to the War Graves Photographic Project.) I would be interested in any info surrounding his service. If you remind me on Sunday moring by way of a message I'll look through the missing men file for the Ox Bucks and see if he's listed. Bit of a strange one this, as Cassel or Dunkirk for that matter isn't that close to Oye-Plage. One of the Green Howards Bn's were fighting there. I think someone else was looking for a Ox Bucks chap in Oye-Plage last year-Not sure of the outcome though. Type Oye-Plage in the forums search engine in the meantime to see what comes up Cheers Andy
DILLWYN, COLIN LEWIS Rank: Second Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Unit Text: 4th Bn. Extract from Padre Wild's Letter received on the 14th April, 1941 by Mrs J Thorne Could you pass on such other news as I have, in answer to queries from home? Joe Pearman Smith died in hospital at Courtrai (Eric Keen was there). No one saw Godfrey Wykeham hit, but we heard of him first wounded, then died. Likewise no one saw Bertie Falkiner, Colin Dillwyn or Jimmie Graham killed, but I saw a private, who buried Jimmy, and Douglas Whinney has his watch. Charlie Clarke Brown, who did quite splendidly, died (? at Le Touquet hospital). Og Noel Ruck Nightingale we have no news at all. All these casualties occured on the 30th May. As all survivors were taken prisoner at once, we know little details of casualties among other ranks. We lack news of Sergeant Green and Jones and forty-six others, all of A Company, missing after the morning of the 19th May. All were here, Clutsom, Whinney, Molloy, Purchon, Whistler, Bourne, Forster, Duncan, Onions, Keen, Lightfoot, Wynne, Hicks and Harry Vernon. I hope it will not be too long before we can tell you personally of Joeseph. Dillwyn actually gets a total of nine mentions in the book so it may be worth getting a copy.
Does anyone have any details of when 2nd Lt. R.D. Purchon joined the 4th Ox and Bucks in France in 1940 and what role he filled by any chance, please?
