1st Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers

I wondered if anyone can help. I am trying to find a Squadron photo for 1st Para Squadron in the run up to D Day.

I have seen the troop photo in Engineers at the Bridge but am looking for later group photos or ideally troop photos. If anyone can help me it would be great.

I am also trying to research the movements of Spr 'Sammy' Hall of B troop who was wounded and captured at Arnhem. He had earlier been awarded the MM for his actions in Sicily

Cheers

Arnhem

 

I think you mean Sapper Rodney Hall, in which case he was wounded on the 21st , almost certainly taken initially to the Municipal Hospital and ended up in Fallingbostel on 9th October

 

That's him thanks for the information. his citation for the MM is as follows

On 13th July 1943 Sapper Hall dropped with a section of RE under command of 1Parachute Brigade in the attack on Ponte Primosole, River Simento, Sicily. The bridge had been prepared for demolition by the enemy and the task of the RE section was to remove the charges. Sapper Hall showed great determination in searching for and removing these demolition charges in spite of sniping.
After the engineer task had been completed Sapper Hall was sent with his bren gun to assist the infantry hold a position. He maintained his weapon in action against determined efforts by the enemy to silence his gun with heavy fire from a 20mm quick firing gun.
His coolness and devotion to duty under intense shelling was an inspiration to his comrades.
The citation for the MM is signed by Major Murray and countersigned by General Alexander. The award appeared in the London Gazette on 23/12/1943

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of a letter he wrote describing the action at the bridge in his own words which he wrote in 1970. Unfortunately he didn't ,as far as I know, do the same for Arnhem.

 

Hello i have quite a good archive of the 1st Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers including photos, interviews , POW Cards etc. We still hold a service last Sunday in September for them in Donington Lincolnshire where they were billeted for 9 months after Sicily / Italy before Arnhem. i am in regular contact with numerous relatives of the men. I would be very interested in sharing any photos & information with you. i have not seen Halls account of the Battle at Primosole Bridge which would be very interesting. I visited the Memorial & CWGC in the Catania area a few years ago & a friend has recently just returned after attending the 80th Anniversary events. look forward to your reply, best wishes Edward

 

I would be very interested in sharing info & photos with you

 

Good evening Edward.

trying to find out about a S J Blakeman. We know he is Royal engineers and family I'm trying to help are convinced he was at Arnhem. While looking for info I've come across this post so wondered if you may have had any info if indeed he was with the 1st

 

I've found a SJ Blakeman, who was with the South Staffordshire Regt, and taken POW at Arnhem. Not sure if this is your man.

 

BLAKEMAN S J of 2nd (Airborne) Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment, that forum member JohnG505 has found for you deebo, has a General Service Corps Army Number - 14301661.

This would very much fit with said Blakeman being a post North Africa/Sicily/Italy replacement.

If you still have a copy, or access to a copy of "By Land, Sea and Air" you'll find him listed in Appendix 8, the alphabetical list of members of the 2nd Battalion as at 17th September 1944.

He was reported missing on 19th September '44. This was likely his capture date too.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Unfortunately that's a different SJ blakeman.
He was def engineers and service number (puts in RE block) 2154918. Trying to find what initials stand for and hopefully narrow down who he was actually with.

 

The Army number you've supplied now deebo is for an "A" Blakeman, not an "S J" as you originally said.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Likely your chap deebo, I think.

Arthur Blakeman 2154918.

All answers regarding him serving at Arnhem should be in his service records held at TNA Kew. They are currently a "closed" record but there is a process that can be gone through to see them made "open" and available to view and/or request a copy of.

See screenshots of service record TNA catalogue listing, with link to same below.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.







Name: A Blakeman . Service number: 2154918 . Date of birth: 6 June 1923 . | The National Archives

 

"and family I'm trying to help are convinced he was at Arnhem"

Service records will be the answer deebo, but given this wedding report (Arthur Blakeman's) from 21st April 1945 having no mention of Arnhem or Holland I have my doubts that Arthur served there in September '44.

If he had, given the reporting surrounding Arnhem in September and October '44, I would very much have expected to see it at least mentioned in the wedding report.

If you should have any difficulty in raising this with the family just direct them to the thread here, and encourage them to obtain Arthur's service records.

Good luck with it deebo. Family lore and war stories can be, unfortunately, an inaccurate mix sometimes. But notwithstanding that if I find anything linking Arthur to being at Arnhem in September '44 I'll post it in the thread here.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

AMAZING, thank you.
Wonder where they got S J from? As doesn't tally with his service no.

at least it's more to go on from.

thank you so much

 

I wonder if (def 1st airborne) because Belgium and France listed this means he was part of the seaborne tail?

 

Hello deebo.

Would you consider giving credit to the WW2Talk Forum on your facebook posts please?

Note, not me as an individual (no names, no pack drill and all that) but the WW2Talk forum as a general thing.

It helps to keep the forum going, and brings folks to it that are new and have not used it before, which all helps the forum to survive.

And Niall Cherry is a longtime forum member and contributor here.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Of course I will and will be my pleasure.

Am very interested in Arnhem and have read various things from Niall in the past, font of knowledge.

was actually in Arnhem/oosterbeek at the weekend and this came about as girlfriend posted photos of our trip and family member said her father was at Arnhem but escaped/survived which guess now makes sense as wasn't in the airborne lift.

Thanks again for you help!

 

Cheers deebo, very much appreciated, all helps the forum to survive.

Kind regards, and many thanks, always,

Jim.

 

Dear deebo, thank you so much for highlighting the help received from the forum on facebook. You have gone above and beyond.

Kind regards, and again thank you, always,

Jim.

 

Hi
Trying to pull together my late father in law’s service in the 1st Parachute Squadron RE.
He, Lance Corporal Tom ‘Bev’ Beveridge was a member of the Squadron early in its formation and was attached to C Troop.
He served from 1941 and taken prisoner at Arnhem in 1944. Imprisoned in several stalags and on his return to the UK May have been involved in parachute training prior to his demob.
I wonder if anyone on the forum has come across his name in any documents or in any photographs. If so I would be delighted to hear from you.
He was involved in North Africa, Italy and Europe and may have been on the Bruneval raid.

Best regards
Ron

 

Hello Ron.

Would Tom's middle name be MacLeod?

Did he ever live in Daisy Street, Glasgow do you know?

Kind regards, always,

Jim.