private percy deverill no5680979

thanks for your help ,ricky

 

For one day in uniform he would have at least been entitled to the war medal.

 

Ricky I don't know if you still visit this forum?

I'm getting the photo and making a point of visiting the military range tomorrow.

It's a shame that there is no more specific info regarding the location...Dymchurch is a rather long stretch of coastline.

Cheers
Andy

 

Hi,

I really touched lucky on this chap. I went to the cemetery and got a picture of your mans grave and another of all eight together. I assume the others were buried at other locations at the families request.

As for the location...I went to the range and spoke to the Range Officer and in true fashion he was a bell end like all the other civilian range staff I have met in my travels- failing greatly in the civilian communication skills dept. Anyway I went to the cemetery with one last possible chance of finding the location. A neighbour to my parents (Ex RMP with 22 in) suggested I try the local British Legion Club at Dymchurch. So on the way back I popped in and spoke to a rather nice chap who I believe is the club secretary there. He asked a few locals having a luchtime pint and after scratching his chin he suddenly clicked his fingers and said Vic will know!

Off he went and got a local telephone directory and rang Vic for me-Vic was a boy during the war growing up in St. Marys Bay (The village next to Dymchurch). The phone was handed over to me and Vic proceeded to tell me about the terrible accident that took place and that his dad had come home that day and told him what had happened. I got the impression from briefly talking to Vic that the whole village shared in the tragedy that happened that day.

I asked him if he could remember where it happened and he told me it was on the ground that is now the local rugby club. As you will see I've took some pictures of the field where it happened although there is no real trace of it today. There is no memorial either and we (Me and my Family) think it would be nice to have a plaque placed on the sea wall that is very close to where the men died. If you want any help or local research in doing this I am only to happy to help.

I would like to extend a heart felt thanks the British Legion at Dymchurch and Vic for their help in this matter as I promised I would.

Anyway the pictures:

The eight men from The Somerset Light Infantry buried in Shorncliffe Cemetery. Lt. G. B. S. Wilson is buried on the left row, 3rd back.
1.


2.


Three shots looking across the ground where the men died. Now a Rugby club training ground at St. Mary's Bay. The sea wall can be seen on the left of Picture 3.
3.

4.

5.


Regards
Andy

 

Just to put things into perspective here's an aerial of the land where they died.

The buildings in the bottom of the field do look pre-war and could quite well of been where the men were billeted.


Cheers
Andy

 

well i cant thank you enough for what you have done for me i will show my mother the photos and thanks again it is nice to know their are still very nice and helpful people about like yourself ,god bless you

ricky grandson of percy deverill............

 

You're more than welcome mate.

Regards
Andy

 

Just a thought Ricky...If you did want to commerate something along the sea wall people do have proper benches with a plaque fitted to it along the wall. My parents have one written in there wills to be placed on the sea wall.

Anyway its up to you and your family mate.

Cheers
Andy

 

somerset regiment blown up on dimchurch beach kent with 21men from his battalion, does any body remember this or any other facts ,i would liketo know what campaigns he would have gone on before this any imformation would be apprecaited ..

Hi Ricky2910,
I was interested to see your post about the Dymchurch tragedy. My Mothers younger brother was killed in that incident 5 days after her 22nd birthday. He was 19 years old William Gibbs, or as she always referred to him; Bill. My Mother is 86 now and still with us but unfortunetely she has Alzheimer's and getting her to talk about what we want her to talk about is difficult so I cant get any information from her about the incident.
There is a webpage (http://brew.clients.ch/lucky.htm)
by Terry Brew whos father served with the SLI and in his memoirs he does mention the incident in passing.
I'm surprised that the tragedy is not more widely recognised because it is still in living memory and it was a tragedy in its own right even against the backgroung of war.

 

Hi Vulcan,

The 'whacking great big house' used to be a rather POSH sea front hotel that is now just a foundation after being knocked down some years ago. I believe it is going to be redeveloped in the not to distant future for new housing.

We were soon on the move again, down to the coast near Dymchurch, at St Mary's Bay. We were posted to a whacking great big house overlooking the sea, and we even got beds again! The hot water was rationed by our orderly, “Indian Summer”, as we used to call him owing to his dark complexion. His real name was Chuckie Harris, and he made sure we never got it too luxurious! We were chosen by Montgomery to do some tests, two miles in two minutes, and ten miles in two hours, in full kit. Before we left we got our pulse taken, then once we got back our pulse was taken, had to do an assault course, fire five rounds, and throw a grenade through a window. There was no question of cheating on the run, as at every corner was a C.S.M., and if you failed the run you had to do it at a later date. I did it in one hour fifty-eight, Mucky did it in one hour fifty, including stopping for a pee! He was one tough bloke. Our stay at St Mary’s came to an end after that, and we moved back to Dymchurch. We received a new intake, and they became known as the Bodmin Boys, and we could not have wished for a better bunch of blokes. Our battalion was by now made up of young men, Dave Evan's, Dick Evan's, Ken Tremaine, Johnny Martin, Baby Riley, Jack Keevil, Debbage, Warr, Duke, Ward, in fact the average age was just nineteen, and I felt really old at twenty seven! Johnny always said I was like a father figure, and I felt that was a really touching remark. A few days after we left St Marys Bay, a terrible thing happened there, when Lt Wilson was demonstrating Hawkins Mines, and one exploded, killing him and, I think, twenty eight men. The battalion was shocked, as Lt Wilson was well liked by his men and fellow officers.


Cheers for sharing the link,

Regards
Andy

 

“Indian Summer”, as we used to call him owing to his dark complexion. His real name was Chuckie Harris
Sounds like one of the Romani Harris's

 

Whilst on my last visit to my parents I did a bit more digging regarding this incident and found out the following from a local history book.

A little known tragedy took place on the sea wall at Dymchurch on 29th May 1944 in which one officer and twenty one of his men were killed and several more seriously wounded. Three boxes of anti-tank grenades exploded while the men from the Somerset Regiment were being trained how to use the weapons.

An inquest was held on 1st June by Coroner Major C.F. Crabbe, with Mr J.E. Chapple as assessor. In evidence, Company Sergeant Major H.J. Smith said his men were being given instruction in anti-tank measures. Later he heard an explosion, rather too loud for one grenade. 'I saw debris in the air where they had been. I ran to the beach and could see a number of men had been killed and others were lying injured'.

Corporal C.E. Oxby, one of the men in the platoon said, 'Lieutenant Wilson was giving instruction. Sergeant Hill supervised the seating on the wall steps. The boxes of grenades were on the step infront of us; the detonators were in a flat sealed tin. Lt. Wilson told us we would have to throw two grenades as a prepared charge. The lids of the grenade boxes were open. He took out a grenade, removed the pressure plate, threw the plate down and put the grenade back in the box. He then cut off a bit of safety fuse eight inches long, took a detonator and, with a jack-knife, cut off the sealing wax. He showed us how to insert the fuse into the detonator and into the grenade. He then removed the fuse and detonator and put the grenade back in the box. Lt. Wilson then showed us how to light the fuse the correct way. He took a box of Vestas from his pocket. He took the fuse and held it in his left hand with a match. With his right hand he struck the matchbox downwards. The first match went out without lighting the fuse, so he took a second match from the box and struck it the same way. The fuse began to burn. Lt. Wilson was talking to us when there was a terrific explosion'.

The Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

 

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