Sgt Harold Cammidge - 1st KOYLI

I am new memebr trying to research information on my great uncle Sgt Harold Cammidge who was killed in action on the 1st May 1945 and now rests inthe CWGC in Hamburg. I am currently waiting for his sevice record and also for Kew to let me have a cost for the war diary for the regiment covering the period of his death however if anyone could assist with information they already have in respect of either Harold or the 1st KOYLI during April / May 1945 I would be very grateful.

 

Hello and welcome to the forum.

By all means get a quote from the National Archives for the cost of the war diary, but I can assure you they will be expensive. There are a couple of members on here who can copy you the diary you want at a fraction of the cost if you are interested, and I am sure they will be along soon to help.

Lesley

 

Thanks for the welocme and the information Lesley much appreciated - as a Yorkshireman I am always open to saving money.

 

Surveyor1967.

Do you know when your great uncle joined 1 KOYLI?

I ask because as a Sgt it is likely that he served with the Battalion during their time in Italy. They left Italy in Jun 44 and moved to Palestine to rest and refit before being sent to NW Europe in Mar 45.

My interest is their involvement in the crossing of the Garigliano, to the west of Monte Cassino, in Jan 44 and then their move up into the Anzio beachhead in order to reinforce VI (US) Corps got into difficulties. Horrible times for them.

Regards

FdeP

 

FdeP

Sadly I know very little about Harold especially his military service but I did suspect that as a Sgt he must have served for some time indeed I am wondering if he was a regular in the pre-war army. I do know he was born in Sheffield in 1911 an had an older step brother who served in the KOYLI & 9th Btn Lancashire Fusillers in WW1

I will be happy to copy any sections of his service record for you should you find that of use.

Mark

 

Owen, many thanks for the recommendation.

surveyor1967, happy to help with copying the 1 KOYLI war diary for you. I usually come in at least a tenth of the price of TNA for anything over about 100 pages.

Drop me a line here or through my website if I can help.

All the best,

Lee

 

Owen

Many thanks for the response and recommendation and for taking the time to search your records on my behalf it is much appreciated.

Lee

Thanks for the note I will contact you shortly via your webpage for a fee quote.

Mark

 

Owen

That is fantastic thank you it would appear you have potentially identified the village in which Harold was killed. It will now be down to his service record and the war dairies to confirm the details.

Again thank you for your time.

Regards

Mark

 

Owen - My KOYLI History is 1939 to 1942. Idler may have the later one.

 

Ok much to my surprise Harold's service record has arrived after only 6 weeks. Immediately we have questions which I hope the enlighted people here can assist with.

We know Harold was sadly KIA on 1st May 1945 in Potrau it now transpiers that he was also WIA on 13/7/43 in Sicily but this where things get a little confusing. His psoting sheets lists postings to MEF from 8/3/43 to 13/11/43 then BNAF from 14/11/43 to 18/6/44. Therafter he went back to MEF then CMF the NWE.

His X list record shows him as X (ii) from 13/7/43 to 9/10/43 the X (IV) to 21/1/44 then back to X(ii) to 16/2/44.

My question would be following his wounding where would he have been transffered for treatment and does this tie in to the posting to BNAF?

As alway any help greatly appreciated.

Mark

 

Coming to this topic late, but after Owen tracked down the location, it seems it was a pretty nasty little engagement, with 1KOYLI taking about 10 fatalities (Bates may have been killed the next day in a separate incident, or DoW)
BANKS, JACK. Rank: Corporal. Service No: 4692995. Date of Death: 02/05/1945. Age: 25.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 2A. D. 5. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY

CAIRNS, THOMAS EGBERT. Rank: Serjeant. Service No: 4686852. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 36.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn. Awards: M M
Grave Reference: 2A. H. 7. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY

CAMMIDGE, HAROLD. Rank: Serjeant. Service No: 4687495. Date of Death: 01/05/1945.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 8A. D. 10. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of George and Ellen Cammidge; husband of Elsie Harriet Cammidge, of Dinnington, Yorkshire.

DEWHURST, ANDREW. Rank: Private. Service No: 14632583. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 35.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 2A. H. 10. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Joseph and Elizabeth Dewhurst, of Gatcshead, Co. Durham; husband of Frances Jane Dewhurst, of Gateshead.

HAWKES, RONALD. Rank: Private. Service No: 4694413. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 28.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 8A. D. 7. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY

HOBSTER, MATTHEW. Rank: Private. Service No: 1792134. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 23.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 1A. A1. 1. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY

JOHNSON, KENNETH HAROLD VILLIERS. Rank: Private. Service No: 4698238. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 23.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 2A. H. 11. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Charles Edward and Sarah Elizabeth Johnson, of Liverpool.

McLAREN, HUGH. Rank: Private. Service No: 4544917. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 29.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 2A. H. 9. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of John and Mary McLaren of Glenboig; husband of Hazel McLaren of Saltburn by the Sea.

MULLINDER, ANTHONY. Rank: Private. Service No: 14658437. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 20.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 8A. D. 8. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Frederick and Alice Mullinder, of St. Anthony's, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

PENMAN, JAMES HENRY. Rank: Private. Service No: 1571545. Date of Death: 01/05/1945. Age: 32.
Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 1st Bn.
Grave Reference: 8A. D. 6. Cemetery: HAMBURG CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Richard and Elizabeth Penman; husband of Mary Elizabeth Penman, of Kelbrook, Lancashire.

As these are reburials (I assume) it almost looks as if two groups, each led by a Sergeant, were ambushed or caught in machine gun or grenade explosions.
Such a pity that there was so much determined resistance even so close to the end of the War.

I'll leave you to track down his progress before NWE....

 

kevin

Excellent thank you. As you say tragic he got so close to the end. He had joied up at 18 in 1929 and served in India until 1936 before going into the reserves between 1937 and 2/9/39 when he rejoined and served right through the war.

I will be in Potrau and Hamburg this weekend to trace his footsteps and pay our families respects at his grave.

Mark

 

Owen - Thank you very much.

 

I am the Son in Law of Private Hugh McLaren of D Coy 1KOYLI, who was killed in action on 1 May 1945. I happen to have a few letters written by Hugh just prior to his death and other letters written by his friend, Private Norman Allen, to Hugh's wife, Hazel, which she received soon after the end of the war. Norman Allen was also from D Company but had gone home to Luton on leave just prior to the the crossing of The Elbe over the pontoon bridge at Lauenburg

 

My father was serving with 1KOYLI as a junior NCO at this time and took part in this last action the Battalion was involved in. A few months later, in the Autumn of '45, when based in Wolfenbuttel, he wrote a poem which describes his company returning to the front line in Italy in '44; some verses describe individual soldiers, and one of these is Sgt Cairns who died with Sgt Cammidge in the action:-

Here’s Sergeant Cairns, hurrying along,
His features drawn, haggard and grey,
I think only I know his nerves nearly gone,
Poor chap, he gets his on the very last day.

These last ditch stands infuriated my father and I'm sure the other soldiers involved as Hitler was already dead and further resistance pointless - though currently the received wisdom is that Donitz delayed surrender for a further week to give German soldiers facing the Russians some chance of escaping westwards and being taken prisoner by the Allies. This certainly did happen in the sector to the east of the Elbe that 1KOYLI were responsible for in the immediate aftermath of German surrender, as the War Diary is full of detail of the Battalion's role in taking and guarding large numbers of Wehrmacht fleeing to the Allies.