626 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers

Dear all

I wondered if any of you may be able to help...

My grandfather was killed in Pietratagliata, Italy on the 9th May 1945 and is buried in Udine. We believe that he was killed disarming a bridge in the town and there is still a plaque to the 23 men who were killed on this fateful day. I have attached a picture for you all to see, my grandfather is Sapper T Harman. Despite extensive research I am unable to find any information on what happened that day, I've requested service records and written to the RE Museum but waiting for replies. I've also seen RE records sent to me but nothing on this tragedy. I've found the bridge, now my family want to know what happened as we will be visiting the bridge and cemetery in April 2010.

Can anyone help? Thank you.

 

I haven't found anything on a 1945 disaster but turned up this and this relating to the loss of a bridge in a flood in 2003 and its replacement. Here's a shot of the temporary Bailey bridge linking the town with a very modern-looking road:



Let's hope that the plaque survived - there is another bridge on what is presumably the old road through town.

 

Here are the names of the 23

001 BROOKES S 2120621 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
002 BROWN J 14314305 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
003 BROWN W 2149782 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
004 CUNNEELY H 2157472 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
005 EARP GV 1917567 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
006 HAMPSON KF 5121566 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
007 HARMAN T 2114250 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
008 HOPKINS JB 2146301 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
009 HUBBARD L 2139994 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
010 JONES HM 14277172 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
011 KNIGHT R 165820 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
012 LAYCOCK F 2067098 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
013 LEVENS W 2117079 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
014 MCGLASHAN R 2829288 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
015 MCGUFFIE AW 14364022 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
016 POUNTNEY JA 1877627 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
017 PURDY FJ 2117196 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
018 QUINN J 991459 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
019 ROW T 112395 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
020 SMITH AD 1906652 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
021 SULLIVAN JEP 2114608 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
022 TRIBE KH 5780431 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS
023 VALLANCE J 14278126 626 FIELD SQN 09/05/1945 ROYAL ENGINEERS

 

Hi Helen and welcome to the forum.

Interesting that the plaque has the Royal Artillery's motto in latin at the bottom 'Everywhere Right and Glory Leads'

Anyone know the significance of that? Could it have be erected by a RA unit?

A confused Andy

 

Andy,
Sappers and Gunners share the same mottoes - probably some earlier cost-cutting measure.

 

I thought RE was just 'Ubique' 'Everywhere'

 

Andy

Although you can't see the detail clearly, this is my Dad's photo from 1941. The cap badge has the bomb and Ubique on it. I have one somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment.

 

TRIBE KH 5780431 , is listed in the London Gazette 19th July 1945 (Mid), and was also awarded the Silver star by the americans in 1947, which was for bravery on the 4th Sept 44, so possibly there is more info out there on him, and how he was killed.

 

Quote from Sapper 626 Field Squadron
The main transom slipped and fell killing and injuring the sappers constructing the bridge
Diary entry 9 May 1945
Clearing bridging site all day.

Diary entry 10 May 1945

Cemetery to bury mates (22 killed) if you look at the CWGC Cemetery reports for
Udine War Cemetery there are graves of 23 626 Field Squadron shown as burials.
not sure as to when is entry was made, There could have been an injured person
whom succombed to his wounds.

 

My late Uncle was in the Royal Engineers and I have an original George VI badge as shown here.



What I cannot understand is that the wording is completely different than mentioned in the thread.

Can anyone explain why the motto is different than quoted previously.

Regards
Tom

 

Oldman,
Welcome and thanks for taking the trouble to tell us what happened. I hope Helen (the OP) sees it.

Tom,
Honi soit qui mal y pense is a royal motto on the garter belt that just happens to be part of the badge, it's not one of the Corps mottoes. There is a bit more on it here.

 

Thats an awful lot of sappers killed in the one incident.

I would have thought that there would still be people in the village who would remember what happend.

Good luck.

Pete.

 

Oldman,
Welcome and thanks for taking the trouble to tell us what happened. I hope Helen (the OP) sees it.

Tom,
Honi soit qui mal y pense is a royal motto on the garter belt that just happens to be part of the badge, it's not one of the Corps mottoes. There is a bit more on it here.

idler,

Thanks for that particular link which, together with your input explains things clearly.

Regards
Tom

 

Idler/Pete
Thanks for the response.

Just a bit of background history for you, at that time the sister field squadrons 625 & 626 where both heading as fast as possible for Austria using different routes, 626 had to bridge to be able to move on.

From the little my father told me, that they had worked to clear the bridge site presumably booby traps Etc, then they started the build and as I quoted in my post
the main transom fell.

 

Dear Oldman

Thank you so much for the information, believe me I have searched high and low for some further information on the tragedy and just waiting on my granddad's service records now. Was this from your dad's diary?

 

Hi Helen, My parants took the same trip a few years ago to visit the cemetery the area and see my Uncle Ken's grave, Sapper K F Hampson, I'm not sure of the details but have asked my Dad to let me have all the info and will pass it on to you. My Mum obviously wanted all the details as do you and your family! The Officers report they have details the 23 men who lost their lives but the attachment that gives the detail of what actually happened has been removed. They do keep in contact with a local from the village apparently they have a Memorial Service twice a year at the bridge. I found this forum searching for additional info about my Uncle and anything about my Grandad who served with the Liverpool Scottish Regiment in WW1, who managed to make it home.

 

Jaymo
Welcome to the forum, my farther fought through the second world war with
the 626 Filed Squadron boys from Ripon to Klagenfurt in Austria. As my earlier post
says they where clearing the bridging site then just the line actually quoted in my
earlier post.

Oldman

 

Hi Jaymo

I would very much like to get in touch with you for some further details if possible. I'm astounded as you live quite close to me and I work in Ottery St Mary! Please drop me a line.