SOUTH STAFFS ARNHEM AIRBORNE PTE JOHN FELLOWS

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by Dave McIntyre, Jan 3, 2016.

  1. Dave McIntyre

    Dave McIntyre Pegasusred

    Hi All,

    I have been attempting to help an acquaintance of mine (who was born just a few days after his father was killed in action at Arnhem), discover more about the parent he never knew. We initially had very few "facts" to go on ; his name was John Fellows serving with the South Staffords and he was killed during the Battle of Arnhem. He went into battle in a glider which ditched in the sea and the family had an Italian bayonet which John had acquired at some stage (still complete with visible blood stains!!). It seemed to me much more likely that John had been serving with this airborne unit earlier in the war and that the ditching occurred during the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky).

    So, after a few months of investigation here is what we have :

    CWGC : John George Fellows (4917787) 2nd (Airborne) Bn., South Staffordshire Regt. Died 19th September, 1944. Age 25. Commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial, Netherlands.

    After checking the following publications : By Land, Sea & Air, Holland Patch and Image & Reality we came up with an entry as follows :

    By Land, Sea & Air Roll of Honour, Operation Market "19-09-44 FELLOWS, John G., Private 4917787, age 25, Bn HQ Int. Sec.. No known grave". this book also relates how a major portion of the Battalion was over-run on the 19th September and fragmented into small groups.

    Further delving also threw up more information in another publication, Worst Fears Confirmed by Graeme Deeley as follows :

    "1st Airlanding Brigade intelligence Personnel, 2 South Staffs 1942-43 Sicily & Italy Pte.J.Fellows 1944 Arnhem Pte. J.G.Fellows K.I.A.".

    A subsequent search at TNA, Kew did not show him listed amongst the missing personnel after Sicily or Arnhem but he is shown on a list of those who were killed in action (there is an erroneous mention of him dying in German captivity against his name but after further study I am pretty sure this relates to the man above him in the list). I do know from a glider manifest that two other members (Pte. R. Andrews & Pte.R. Etherington) of the Intelligence Section were present on Glider 294 at Arnhem but it looks as if the section may have been split up amongst more than one aircraft. Also, interestingly, all other members of the Intelligence section were taken POW's at Arnhem. They were the two men just mentioned as well as Lt.D.G. Longden, Sgt.L. Wheeler, Cpl.E. Bedson, Pte.S. Aston, Pte. A. Parry, Pte.A. Amos & Pte.H. Narborough.

    My friend has successfully applied for his father's service record which is very detailed and confirms that he was serving overseas at the time of the Sicily invasion as well as at Arnhem. In addition he has sent off a letter to the South Staffs Regimental Museum, in particular asking if R. Etherington (who was interviewed extensively for the book By Land, Sea & Air) might still be alive and in contact with them, but with no reply so far.

    I would be extremely grateful if any of you airborne nuts (and I include myself amongst them!) might have any additional snippets of information (such as glider manifests with his name on etc.) that could build a bigger picture of the man and which I will pass on to his son.

    Cheers
    Dave
     
  2. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Dave

    Ron Etherington was a very good friend of mine - I am sorry to say that he died a few years ago

    John
     
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  3. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Dave

    Just had a look at some of Ron's papers. In a list of "People known to me who died at Arnhem" he mentions "Jack Fellows, came from Walsall Staffs, and knew him well as he was in the Intelligence Section. Died 19th September 1944."

    John
     
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  4. graeme

    graeme Senior Member

    Hi

    Heres what I have on John who is on the Walsall RoH

    A native of Dudley, John was the son of John George and May (née Henshaw) Fellows of Dudley. His mother passed away in 1925 and his father then married Julia Surch at Walsall in 1931, residing then at 57, Wallows Lane, Walsall.
    Educated at Hillary Street School and then employed as a slater in Birmingham, John enlisted in the Army in October 1939 and was drafted to India in June 1940, returning to England in May 1940.
    John was married to Vera Dorothy Parsons at Henley, Oxfordshire in March 1943 and resided at Blount’s Court, Oxfordshire. His wife gave birth to a son on Monday 25 September 1944, a week after his death.
    Seeing active service in North Africa and Sicily, John was reported as missing at Arhem.

    No picture, unfortunately, in the local papers,

    Id be interested in the son's name, if possible, to add to the research and any other details you are willing to share.

    Regards,

    Graeme
     
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  5. graeme

    graeme Senior Member

    Hi

    Entries from Walsall RoH leather bound book

    DSCF1146.JPG DSCF1207.JPG


    Regards,

    Graeme
     
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  6. Dave McIntyre

    Dave McIntyre Pegasusred

    Thanks ever so much John and Graeme for your informative and speedy replies - my friend Mick Fellows (born Michael, he retained his father's surname as his mother never got over the death of his father and never remarried) will be absolutely chuffed with the information you have supplied already.

    John, thank you for passing on the knowledge that Ron had passed away a few years ago and that he still remembered his wartime friend "Jack". I know that Ron Etherington was with one of the smaller groups of survivors after the Battalion was over-run on the 19th September but did he ever mention, if before this, the Intelligence Section were all together at Battalion H.Q. as a cohesive unit or were they spread thin throughout the South Staffs - only a long shot question! I would also be interested if he ever mentioned what type of work they carried out within the Battalion.

    Graeme, thank you also for all the magnificent information and photographs provided - that's certainly the right man - and some interesting facts about his earlier life unknown to us. Mick will be delighted that his father is mentioned on the Walsall ROH - he is also listed on one of the local war memorials in Berkshire. I will ask him if he minds me posting some of his father's army service record on the forum and I do know that he does also have a photograph of him which I haven't seen but he may be willing to share. I haven't posted photographs on this forum before but you obviously are in the know when it comes to this! I am au fait with scanning images or uploading from a memory stick but anything else is a mystery to me - yes you've guessed, I'm over 50!. If you could message me with any help it would be appreciated but anything related to John Fellows I will keep on the open forum for all to share.

    Once again, many thanks.

    Dave
     
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  7. graeme

    graeme Senior Member

    Hi Dave,

    Unfortunately I also am over 50 !!!!! (thanks for reminding me)

    I'll message you with my e-mail address in case Mick does not mind me having a photo of him, that would be absolutely brilliant, putting a face to a name.

    The RoH also takes the form of brass plaques in Walsall Town Hall. Not a brilliant photo but heres his name

    elson gibbs.jpg

    Can I ask, which memorial is he on in Berkshire ??


    Regards,

    Graeme
     
  8. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Dave

    In talking with Ron I gained the impression that the Intelligence Section were together as part of HQ Company. On the 19th September they did not take part in the advance along Bovenover towards the Museum but were in trenches near St Elisabeth Hospital. As the members of the Rifle Companies were forced to pull back Ron, and others, withdrew into the streets to the west of the Hospital and fought in that area. He then joined the other Staffords in their withdrawal and ended up in the Oosterbeek perimeter, where he was later taken POW after the rest of the Division had withdrawn on Op Berlin.

    John
     
  9. hillarystreet

    hillarystreet New Member

    hi i am the nice of John George Fellows 4917789 2nd Airborne South Staffs who died 19/9/44 the fact his mother May died in 1925 is wrong his sister my mom was born in 1928 Joyce May led to believe both John & Joyce both born in Walsall and they when to Hillary Street school Pleck Walsall the family story about Jack (John ) he was injured, and was hiding in a barn then captured then shot dead by the Germans, this is what was said in the family for years of courses i don't know if this is correct the family lost touch with Johns family, His father died in the early fifty's his only full sister 1989 he has two half sisters still living.
     
  10. Dave McIntyre

    Dave McIntyre Pegasusred

    A massive thank you for the information given above and Mick Fellows would very much like to get in contact with the lost branch of his family.
    From a military history point of view this has opened a can of worms and unanswered questions which I hope you chaps & chapesses may be able to help with ! My original assumption that the information given alongside John Fellow's name in a list of Arnhem missing of the 2nd South Staffs was erroneous now seems to be probably incorrect, having been backed up by family oral history. So I am seeking further clarification from more educated sources than mine!
    CWGC gives John Fellows date of death as 19/09/44 (no death presumed or dates between as with other casualties). The missing files of the 2nd South Staffords post-Arnhem states that he was missing 19/09/44 (ref GOT 254??) U.R. Cat 'C' ?? and "D.of Wds. while in enemy hands 28/09/44" which differs from others on the same page described as "died of wounds while a POW".
    Post-Arnhem, strenuous efforts seem to have been made to establish the fate of the missing from the battle - including the contact of POW's through the Red Cross (all of the other members of the Intelligence Section were captured at Arnhem) but no efforts appear to have been made regarding John which to my mind seems to suggest that some corroborating evidence had already been received (backed up by a definite date of death in the files of 28/09 - not assumed). The official airborne information produced - for internal military use - immediately after Arnhem appears to follow quite strict terminology regarding casualties so I would welcome any comments from others who may have researched more into the subject matter.
    As a sideline, this appears possibly to have been a war-crime that may or may not have involved others, but I would be obliged if anyone could point me in the direction of any possible research avenues if it was investigated post-war.

    I have recently received from Mick Fellows two clippings from newspaper articles from 1944 regarding his father (including a photograph) which I will scan and upload shortly - a very rare NEW image of an Arnhem casualty (not seen anywhere before) which proves that there is still information out there to be discovered, shared and honoured.

    Thanks in advance for any info.
    Dave
     
  11. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Dave

    You are reading the annotation relating to Pte Godfrey whose name appears immediately below Fellows. The annotation for Fellows states "Presumed (Pres) KIA on or shortly after (SA) 19.9.44". That is consistent with the entry on Casualty list 1954 (from Jan 1946)
     

    Attached Files:

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  12. Dave McIntyre

    Dave McIntyre Pegasusred

    Thanks for clearing that up with the entry on the casualty list ; so my original reading of the list was correct and I was just too eager to make the family oral history fit the wrong candidate!! However, that still makes me wonder why if he was only posted as "missing" why there is no record of anyone attempting to trace him post-battle (perhaps the latter files at TNA are not complete?).
    Cheers
    Dave
     
  13. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    Dave

    If you look at the casualty returns that cover Arnhem you will see that, initially, virtually everybody that did not return was posted as "missing". Then, as information came in from the Red Cross, postcards that prisoners were allowed to send to relatives etc this information was updated. My own Father, who managed to get back across the river after the boat evacuation had finished, told me that once the Staffords were back in Woodhall Spa they were asked about those "missing" men. If anybody had information about such a person he told of the circumstances in which he had last seen him. It was from such information that the fate of those that had not returned was established. The fact that Fellows' name did not make it into the continuing PWE enquiries, as the Prisoners of War were being released in 1945, would indicate that information about his death occurring on, or about, the 19th had already been provided to the satisfaction of the authorities.
     
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  14. Dave McIntyre

    Dave McIntyre Pegasusred

    Most helpful - thank you for shedding more light on the reporting of casualties and how the authorities collated information on them in the immediate post-battle and post-war period.

    Cheers
    Dave
     

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