Wiltshires with the Glosters at Imjin.

Discussion in 'Korea' started by Owen, Jan 4, 2009.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    In a couple of my books on The Wiltshire Regiment I've read that in 1951 that a party of 100 men from 1 Wilts under Lt AE Carter were sent to Korea. They were split up into three parties , one being sent to 1 Glosters two days before the famous Battle of Imjin.
    Forty of that party were posted as Missing.
    I know there is an Imjin Roll , has anyone got it and are the Wilts lads listed there?
    Anyone know what happened to any of them and did any die, either in battle or as POWs?
    I know Sgt Eames won a MM at Hill 327 and was Killed at Imjin.
     
  2. Verrieres

    Verrieres no longer a member

    Hi
    Owen check this site it will give you a full Roll of Honour I cannot see The Wiltshires mentioned but if you know the soldiers names you may find them on their attached regiments list.Theres a full Alphabetical and regimental list on site .good Luck
    Regards
    Verrieres
    Roll of Honour: The Korean War 1950 to 1953

    0535 Sgt Eames
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Cheers for that, I was hoping someone had this book.
    I can't afford to buy everything.

    The Imjin Roll () - Soldiers of Gloucestershire

    A chapter of the book is given-over to a roll of the men who fought in the battle and what became of them. The record also includes the names of attached personnel.


    [​IMG]
     
  4. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    In a couple of my books on The Wiltshire Regiment I've read that in 1951 that a party of 100 men from 1 Wilts under Lt AE Carter were sent to Korea. They were split up into three parties , one being sent to 1 Glosters two days before the famous Battle of Imjin.
    Forty of that party were posted as Missing.
    I know there is an Imjin Roll , has anyone got it and are the Wilts lads listed there?
    Anyone know what happened to any of them and did any die, either in battle or as POWs?
    I know Sgt Eames won a MM at Hill 327 and was Killed at Imjin.

    Owen.

    Have you tried this:

    Roll of honour | Armed forces memorial

    Don't think you can search for regiments on line
    but I can :rolleyes: from my computer shack.
    I'll look this evening for you.

    geoff
     
  5. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Your Sgt is there:



    Surname
    EAMES

    Forenames/Initials
    Kenneth David

    Rank
    Sgt

    Service
    Army

    Service Number
    14076869

    Regiment/Corps
    GLOSTERS

    Decorations
    MM

    Place of Birth/Home Town
    London

    Date of Birth
    01 July 1927

    Age
    23

    Date of Death
    26 April 1951

    Cemetery Name
    UN Memorial

    Cemetery Address
    Pusan
    PUSAN

    Grave Section
    24

    Grave Row
    7

    Grave Number
    1770

    Included on Armed Forces Memorial
    Yes

    Included on Roll of Honour
    Yes
     
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Cheers Geoff, I've been going through that list one by one that Verrieres linked to then searching for the one that you linked to.
    Alot of young lads who must be National Servicemen, a few older hands who must be WW2 Veterans, but no sign of any possible Wiltshires as yet, only on names with C at the moment.
    Seems a shame that some of the men who survived WW2 ended up being killed in Korea.
     
  7. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Cheers Geoff, I've been going through that list one by one that Verrieres linked to then searching for the one that you linked to.
    Alot of young lads who must be National Servicemen, a few older hands who must be WW2 Veterans, but no sign of any possible Wiltshires as yet, only on names with C at the moment.
    Seems a shame that some of the men who survived WW2 ended up being killed in Korea.

    Sgt Eames is listed as Glosters is that right? Were the Wiltshire lads recorded as Glosters there?

    Perhaps I need yet another Search Engine?..............................
     
  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Maybe Eames had transfered this is what I have from Martin MacIntyre's book.

    Sgt Eames , who had been the Sergeants' Mess caterer at Krefeld , was already serving with the Glosters . He won the Military Medal at the Batle of Hill 327, but was killed in action at the Imjin.

    So I'd say he was ex-Wilts??

    In the same book are some chaps in Korea with Wiltshire shoulder titles.
    Then another with some Wilts NCOs on return from Korea with Gloster cap badges.
     
  9. Donnie

    Donnie Remembering HHWH

    My guess is Ex Wilts too...

    Donnie
     
  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I've just read in Kenrick's History that when 1 Wilts got to Hong Kong in 1950 they were only 350 strong and had to be brought up to strength with 270 officers & men from the Devons.
    I wonder if any of those Devons were then in that draft to Korea.
    I hope some Korean War Veterans pick up on this thread.
    Fingers crossed.
     
  11. Verrieres

    Verrieres no longer a member

    Hi ,
    Owen Just re discovered this is it related information which you may be interested in???;
    Lot 435: A Poignant and Enigmatic 'Glorious Glosters' Imjin River Prisoner of War and Casualty Group of Three to Private V.T. Bowl, Glouce... - Featured on Artfact.com


    Heres some of the text;-
    Notes:

    14453219 Private Victor Thurston Bowl, born, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, 1927, the son of Francis Edward Bowl (who served during the Great War with the Gloucestershire Yeomanry in Egypt and Palestine, and was made Prisoner of War at the Battle of Katia, Easter Sunday, 1916); enlisted in the Gloucestershire Regiment, 1944, and served with the 1st Battalion in India and Jamaica: 'Travel- that's what I like. I prefer to be abroad, because there is less red tape as far as the Army is concerned.' (Gloucestershire Echo</B> interview with the recipient refers). Keen to return to Jamaica, Bowl transferred to the Royal Wiltshire Regiment, in the belief that they were headed for the Caribbean, but when he embarked he found they were for Hong Kong; on the eve of the Imjin Battle he was one of 30 who were flown over to Korea to be re-united with his old Regiment; served with 'B' Company, 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, at the Battle of Imjin River, 23-24.4.1951, where he was wounded and made Prisoner. Tragically, he did not survive the War.

    In May, 1951, his mother received a letter from the War Office that stated: 'I deeply regret to have to tell you that a broadcast has been picked up from Peking Radio, which suggests that your son 14453219 Private V.T. Bowl, 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, was killed in Korea on 10th May, 1951. The broadcast purported to be a discussion between Prisoners-of-War, and during this discussion an un-named British Prisoner of War of the Gloucestershire Regiment is reported to have said that on the 10th May, when a party of Prisoners of War were being escorted to the rear areas, a bomb was dropped from a plane, "and Bowl, of our Regiment, was killed". This is thought to refer to your son, but owing to the source of the information it cannot be accepted as conclusive without corroboration. In these circumstances, and until such times as our Prisoners of War are released, or some other corroborative evidence is forthcoming, the War Office has no alternative but to record your son as missing, believed killed, in Korea on 10th May 1951'.
    At the beginning of 1952 a photograph appeared in a magazine of British Prisoners of War, and one of them was identified as Private Bowl. However, the picture was apparently taken immediately after the Battle of Imjin River, as the Prisoners of War were being moved to the rear lines.
    In fact Bowl was not killed by a bomb, but completed the march north to the Prisoner of War camp. In his book 'One Man's War in Korea</B>', 'Lofty' Large recalls how he and Bowl were good friends in the camp until 'Vic' went down with malaria, and, according to his Chinese captors, died in the camp hospital 3.7.1951. However, some weeks later two Americans who had survived the hospital came into the British section of the camp looking for Bowl. They said that he had recovered from malaria and left the hospital in early July, to return to the main camp. But he was never seen again, with the Chinese maintaining that he had died of malaria.

    Private Bowl is amongst 112 members of the 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, who were killed in action or died in captivity in Korea, and are commemorated in Gloucester Cathedral.</I>

    Regards
    Verrieres
     
    Owen likes this.
  12. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Managed to find some info regarding Sgt Eames and his MM on TNA website.
    Documents confirm he was orginally in Wilts Regt.
     

    Attached Files:

  13. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Interesting posts, thanks
    ... yet another thing I know very little about.
     
  14. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Private Hamson, D.R
    The Wiltshire Regiment attached the Gloucestershire Regiment
    DOD: 25/4/1951

    From here
     
  15. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Your Sgt is there:

    EAMES

    Forenames/Initials
    Kenneth David

    Rank
    Sgt
    Regiment/Corps
    GLOSTERS

    Decorations
    MM

    Cemetery Address
    Pusan
    PUSAN

    Grave Section
    24

    Grave Row
    7

    Grave Number
    1770



    Since my original post, I've got a simple search engine for this, but it's a little primitive.
    I have found a group of Glosters buried in graves 1769 - 1776, in the same row as Sgt. Eames (1770). Some dates are 24th and some 26th. There may be more, just done a quick look.

    I could dig a little deeper if you like?
     
  16. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Just thought, won't the service numbers of any I find identify the original Regiment?
     
  17. rachel-E

    rachel-E Senior Member

    Hi all ,
    sorry to hijack this thread.
    Does anyone know if the Imjin book mentioned in this thread will have the names of the survivors ?
    My dad was in the 1st Glosters during this conflict and he made it back.
    His service papers on korea don't give too much info, but i'm guessing he would have been part of the 'Gloster Hill' defensive and there is no mention of him being a POW.
    Kind regards
    Rachel..
     

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