234 Field Coy. RE

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by Chris Basey, Feb 14, 2006.

  1. Chris Basey

    Chris Basey Senior Member

    Does anyone have connections or knowledge of this unit, please? (234 Field Company Royal Engineers)

    Believed to have been in UK pre-D-Day. What were they doing and where? Did they go over to France?

    Any clues will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
     
  2. geordie sapper

    geordie sapper Junior Member

    Hi Chris
    Are you still looking for info on 234 Field Regiment Royal Engineers? My Dad was in the TA and joined 234 on 3/9/39 in Gateshead and served throughout WW2 in the Royal Engineers.
     
  3. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    geordie sapper,

    Chris Basey last posted on here in August 2009; he may not be viewing the forum regularly! Have you sent him a PM (private message), if not you should consider doing so?

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  4. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I cannoty find them on the Sword Beach crew. perhaps Goldbeach and the 50 TT div?
    Sapper
     
  5. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Hello again, geordie sapper,

    From your PM, I know this is of interest to you (by the way, the PM has still not turned up on the forum but has as an e-mail from the forum direct to me). Anyway...

    Whilst with the BEF in 1940, 234th Field Co, RE, were Corps Troops of II Corps, which included the 3rd, 4th and 50th Infantry Divisons, but they do not appear as Divisional Troops of 50 Div (whereas 233rd Field Co, RE, do) in later Orders Of Battle in 'The Path Of The 50th' (Clay).

    I will look into the 234th Field Co, RE's, personal Order Of Battle and revert!

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    They were in France from Sept to June according to the War Diaries:

    WO 167/985 234 Army Fd. Coy. 1939 Sept.-1940 June

    Drop me a PM if you want a copy. I'm at the national archives all this week and next.

    Regards
    Andy
     
  7. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

  8. spike hughes

    spike hughes Junior Member

    Does anyone have connections or knowledge of this unit, please? (234 Field Company Royal Engineers)

    Believed to have been in UK pre-D-Day. What were they doing and where? Did they go over to France?

    Any clues will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
    Hi
    My father was the commanding officer of 234 filed coy. then Major Arthur Charles redmond Hughes (known as Spike) For overlord-they loaded at Tilbury and landed at Coursielles sur mer on either the 6th or 7th of June 1944
    they went in ahead of the Canadian brigade-were involved in the battle for Caen-and then fought there way through to Germany-A book was written about their war exploits called "the Circus"-I had a copy that my father left me but stupidly I lent it to someone and now it has disappeared-I would like to buy a copy of this book so if anyone has a copy and would like to sell it please contact-thanks Mike Hughes
     
  9. spike hughes

    spike hughes Junior Member

    I cannoty find them on the Sword Beach crew. perhaps Goldbeach and the 50 TT div?
    Sapper
    Hi 234 landed at coursielles sur mer-my father was co and told me about much of their exploits if I can be of help please contact
     
  10. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Bless all Sappers for they are the Gentlemen of the army....Huge Grin:)

    While searching for relatives ...You can be assured that any Sapper in a Field Company will have seen their fair share of action..And suffered the casualties .....
     
  11. Andrew80

    Andrew80 New Member

    I'm probably a bit late but I just found this page searching for 234 Field Company because I've just scanned my grandads copy of The Circus - I hope might be some use to Chris, Spike or anyone else. You can download it here -

    http://www.tinyland.org/andy/the_circus_234 _field_company.pdf

    He died long before I was born so the book is all I really have about what he did during the war (so wanted to preserve it before it falls apart or gets lost!)
     
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  12. Andrew80

    Andrew80 New Member

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  13. ploughman

    ploughman Junior Member

    Is 234 Field Company the predecessor of 234 Field Squadron reformed at Waterbeach around 1985 and disbanded around 1996 ?
    They specialised in Airfield Damage repair and were based at RAF Leeming North Yorkshire.
     
  14. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I'm now looking into a sapper with 234 Fd Coy ('39-'40) and found the following:

    Peter Kidner - War Diaries

    Diary entries and photos from May/June 1940 by a man with 222 Fd Coy. Along with 217 & 234 Field Companies and 240 Field Park Company, his unit formed the Royal Engineers contingent for II Corps.

    234 Fd Coy feature in his account.

    As ever, apologies if the site host is (unbeknownst to me) a member of the board here--the BEF is not my usual field of study.
     
  15. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    234th (Northumbrian) Field Company: Gateshead-on-Tyne

    France 1940 under II Corps

    9/40 and 12/41 under II Corps Troops RE

    II Corps Troops RE disbanded 7/43

    u/c I Corps Troops in NW Europe 1944-45
     
  16. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I did uncover one sidenote on this unit's time with the BEF. A half-Frenchman--later an S.O.E. agent--was with the unit as a liaison officer from 2/10/39 until their evacuation in June.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Vaillant_de_Guélis

    His driver--a regular member of the unit--was named R. P. Reynolds (rank unknown).

    The liaison officer's relative (daughter? She's a pensioner who has previously posted on this board) is in the process of writing a book about her ancestor that incorporates--among other things--his driver's personal account of their activities with the BEF (although I suspect it will not be the focus).

    The bad news? Not out until Feb 2018!

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elusive-Last-Jacques-Guélis-Untimely/dp/1911604449/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511885305&sr=1-1&refinements=p_27:Delphine Isaaman
     
  17. Nicki

    Nicki Member

    Hi I'm new to the site and hope you can help me please? I' trying to find out everything I can about my late grandafs ww2 service and just after. I'e applied for and just received his service file but don' u sweet and all the jargon. What I really want to know is where he was based particularly from 1944 to Sept 1946 when he left the army and returned home to UK. He was in a lot of companies I think it reads including 234. I know he had a daugter whilst posted in either France or Germany and I'd love to track them. Any help appreciated. Can provide his army number etc if it helps.
     
  18. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    If you upload scans of the service records, I'm sure somebody here can help out with he jargon.

    This link still works (but loads slowly).
     
    Nicki likes this.
  19. Nicki

    Nicki Member

    Thanks very much that' very kind of you (thank you for the booklet link too).

    I've just tried to upload jpegs of the last two pages which seem the most relevant but sadly it' saying the file is too large to attach. It' a huge ask but if anyone would be happy to let me email them to you to view I would be so grateful.

    His notification of impending release page was from Germany 18 April 1947. Aircraft examiner PNR DII - what does that mean please? The unit was stamped mine clearance dept 'RE. Also no. 2 CMD & DU.

    His postings sheet lists so many units and postings and lots of numbers under the part 2 order column I don't understand too. Mind boggling!
     
  20. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    This soldier did a lot of moving. Here's an attempt at an upload:

    20171221_215257_resized.jpg 20171221_215313_resized.jpg 20171222_065626_resized.jpg 20171222_065721_resized.jpg 20171222_065747_resized.jpg 20171222_065938_resized.jpg 20171222_065957_resized.jpg 20171222_070015_resized.jpg 20171222_070247_resized.jpg 20171222_070308_resized.jpg 20171222_070612_resized.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2017
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