Walter Pritchard 10th Royal Hussars Italy

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by andalucia, Jun 5, 2014.

  1. andalucia

    andalucia Senior Member

    http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2076780/PRITCHARD,%20WALTER

    A Friends Uncle, Walter Pritchard. I have advised them to order his service records and Death certificate.

    Now the family story says that they dont know how he died, the army said it was an accident but the family never believed them. Not sure what the service records or death cert will tell. Wondering is there anywhere I could look for any other info on him.

    Cheers

    Ant
     
  2. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Andalucia

    One or two two clues here on this case first 10th Hussars were in 2nd bde of 1st Armoured division- and had been sitting in Tunisia since their last

    battle as right flank guard to the joint attack on Tunis to end that campaign in May 1943….they were called forward to Italy in late summer of 1944

    to assist at the Gothic line battles of Aug /Sept of 1944 - so in the June '44 they were probably just landed in Italy and were still at Bari - where

    something happened for the chap to die as there were no battles around there nor air raids as by that time the Luftwaffe were all back in Germany…

    your best bet is to find the war diaries for that period when he died as there should be a mention of it somewhere…see Drew or phys org for diaries

    Cheers
     
  3. andalucia

    andalucia Senior Member

    Thank you Tom
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  5. andalucia

    andalucia Senior Member

    Thanks Owen

    Never had any luck using NA, but will try this one. Just can not get my head around how you order.
     
  6. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    There are a couple of members who copy war diaries at a fraction of the cost NA charge. PsyWar.org and Drew5233 are the ones who can get them for you. Lots of members have used them and they offer a great service.

    Lesley
     
  7. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    In the regimental History, written by a committee chaired by Brigadier Dawnay after the war in 1948, there is only a 7932529 Trooper H. Pritchard and he is listed as wounded in action on 11/5/43, while the regiment was fighting in Tunisia, firing some of the last shots of the North African campaign. No trace of Walter Pritchard, but the regimental history isn't perfect on that score. As Tom said, the 10th Hussars began the move to Italy on 13th May and the history is sketchy here, but they arrived at Naples on board the Durban Castle on 27th May 1944, moving first to a transit camp 6 miles outside the city, then by slow railway transport to Matera, 25 miles south of Bari. The tanks arrived at Taranto.

    I can only assume that Trooper W.Pritchard must have died of illness or an accident during this move - the next date referred to in the history is 11th June when the regiment, minus 'B' Echelon, moved to Gravina. Someone may well have the war diary for the period in question.
     
  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Give me a shout if you want a copy of the war diary. If it was me though I'd wait until the service records arrive so you have chapter and verse on his service and the units he was with.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  9. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Usual good advice from Andy - he may have been transferred from another unit fairly recently before he died and not even got on the books, so to speak. Also, the regimental history is a document very much in question and shouldn't be regarded as definitive in any way.
     

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