14 Fd Squadron RE Guards Armoured Division - bridges in Europe

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by Ravrick, Nov 16, 2017.

  1. Ravrick

    Ravrick Senior Member

    Hi,
    I have been researching my late uncle who served in 14 Fd Sqn as I have recently found a quantity of photographs taken of the bridges that the sqn built in Europe during 1944/45. Does anybody have a copy of the war diary as I would like to find out the location of these bridges and do some then/now pictures along with visiting the graves of the Sappers after which each bridge was named. I have attached a few of the pics but have lots more. RE Bridges 14 Fd Sqn  Spr O'Dell.jpg RE Bridges 14 Fd Sqn Haywood.jpg RE Bridges 14 Fd Sqn Hodge.jpg RE Bridges 14 Fd Sqn Lsgt P Dixon.jpg

    any help appreciated,
    Cheers,
    Rick
     
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  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Fantastic pictures ! Thank you for sharing them.
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  4. ploughman

    ploughman Junior Member

    Was the rail bridge alongside in the 3rd photo also part of the units build record?
     
  5. Historic Steve

    Historic Steve Researching 21 Army Group/BAOR post VE day

    Great photos, sorry no war diary but do know the location of the squadron on VE day from Guards Armoured Division war diary, they were in Geversdorf east of Cuxhaven on the banks of the River Oste, they moved south to Gödestorf with the Division on the 22 May 45, the third image could be over the River Oste, living close by will drive over and investigate this weekend, BTW have found two local railway bridges built by the Royal Engineers in May 45 and still in use today and would like to find out who built them
     
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  6. Historic Steve

    Historic Steve Researching 21 Army Group/BAOR post VE day

    Just gone through the Gds Armd Div war dairy for May 45, please disregard my previous on Hodge’s Bridge, at that location a class 9 bridge was built by 14 Fd Sqn supporting 5 Gds Bde on the 12 May 45 enabling German engineers to build a class 40 to be completed in 10 days

    Pretty sure Hodge’s “reconstructed” Bridge by 615 Fd Sqn supporting 32 Gds Bde was just before Hechthausen going over the River Oste, it needed to have a 90’ Bailey on top of the existing bridge to allow tanks to cross for the advance to Cuxhaven on 8 May 45, the Hamburg to Cuxhaven railway bridge was to the south of this location and still stands today as built and would have been built by Army Troops, have yet to work out which unit

    Hope this helps
     
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  7. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    I spent a short period of time this morning looking at a book .See the three attachments. History of the Corps of RE VOL. IX 38 -48. I'm not sure if they may be of any use? Page 549 may have some interesting info regarding 14th & 615th Field Squadrons when it comes to the third photo that Ravrick has posted in his first post? Great pics by the way. Nice to see them in good quality.

    I also had a look at The Story of Guards Armoured Division 41-45. By Captain the Earl of Rosse, MBE & Col E.R. Hill, DSO but for some reason these bridges do not appear in the book. There is a some what use-full map that shows the area around the the town of Bremervorde going over the River Oste & the HAMME OSTE CANAL.

    Regards
    Stu.
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    Last edited: Dec 28, 2017
  8. Steve Speke

    Steve Speke Junior Member

    The bridges have been built by 615 Field Squadron, the number 46 on each sign indicates this and it shows 615 on the photo of hedges bridge. I have a copy of the war diary for 615 from 1st July 1944 through to December 31st 1945. It details some bridges but not all as I have been trying to locate where the bridge in tribute to my Uncle Leslie Webb was built. You posted a picture on another thread on here sometime ago. You're welcome to a copy of the war diary but I would have to email it to you because of it's size.
     
    Historic Steve likes this.
  9. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

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