Arthur 'Leddy' LEDOYEN, Royal Engineers. bomb disposal

im hoping some outthere can help me. Im trying to trace information on arthur ledoyen known as leddy. He was in the royal engineers bomb disposal. I know he wore the heavy duty diving suit and defused german mines in a dutch harbour during the costal advance after d day. He was a lt in 1944 but left the army as a major. I believe he also had something to do with Royal bombay sappers and miners and the bridge of boats in the river shatt le arab and was on the Andaman islands in1945 when the japanese surrendered. I have a number 188754. I have no photographs of him and know how hard it is to get any info on ww2 but an anyone throw any light on this. I am drawing a blank thanks

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Do you have his service records? I only ask as he seems to have done rather a lot and my understanding is that the Royal Navy dealt with mines (nautical) in the sae or on land and Engineers with bombs on land, the RAF (just to cover all the bases) did airfields. Don't quote me though - its something I picked up researching George Crosses.

Regards
Andy

 

Hi Harry2,
Even with just a name Arthur Ledoyen and a number 188754 I am sure a few people here will be able to track something down.
It's an unusual name and he seems to have had an extraordinary career.
Will follow this with interest.

Mike

 

Oddly enough, the only hit I can find for him - using surname or service number - is his commissioning as a 2nd LT in June 1941 into the Royal Engineers from the Royal Artillery when he held the rank of Gunner.

No promotions after that date were promulgated. I have had a look at the IWM photo database with no luck. I had a quick check of Aussie sources because sometimes you get lucky - but not this time.

 

I recommend you apply for his Army Service Record (it will take a while but it's worth it). This will give you his postings and units and from there you can locate the relevant War Diaries in the National Archive. I've got a blog around this subject at uxbmalta blogspot, if it helps. I researched my father's service in RE Bomb Disposal and the result was a book (UXB Malta) so happy hunting!

 

I can narrow it down a little by the Bomb Disposal sections who disembarked in Normandy, some were Canadian units so I'll leave them out.


HQ 25 BD Coy Based in Eltham. Sailed from Tilbury on 9th August and disembarked on 10th August at Juno Beach D+66. Based at La Villenue, where they set up the Company Headquarters.

26 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Sailed from Felixtowe and disembarked on the 7th June at 16.30 hrs on Jig Green sector, and moved to Meuvaines. Section later went on to clear Nijmegan Bridge of demolition charges.

48 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Based at Ashford. Sailed from Gosport on 10th June and disembarked on the 11th June at 19.30 hrs at Le Hamel. Assembly area Buhot. Based at Courseilles / St Aubin-sur-mer .

49 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Based at Ashford. Sailed from Gosport and disembarked on the 7th June at Queen Red sector. Diving grew of section later sent to Nijmegan Bridge to clear underwater demolition charges and other explosives.


95 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Based at Ashford, then Norfolk. Sailed on the 9th June and anchored of Southend. Disembarked on the 12th June 21.00hrs at Graye-sur-mer. Section was dive bombed and based at Banville. Section later went on to clear charges from the Palais de Justice, Ecole Militarie (Military Acadamy) and Theatre Royal in Brussels in September 1944.

96 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Based at Ashford. Marshalling area S8/5 . Embarked Leopoldville troopship 2nd June. Disembarked on the 8th June 11.00hrs at La Rivine.
Based at Tracy-sur-mer / Manvieux.

103 BD Sec, 5 BD Coy Based at Hamstead, London. Sailed from Southampton on 10th July and disembarked on the 11th July at Arromanches. Based at Coulombs.

108 BD Sec, 1 BD Coy Based at Hampstead, London. Marshalling area camp D, Southampton. Sailed from Southampton on 5th June 10.35 hrs and disembarked on the 6th June at Juno Beach. Based Ellon. Main task was airfield clearance.

136 BD Sec, 19 BD Coy Based in London. Sailed from Selsy and disembarked on the 8th June 14.00hrs at Arromanches. Cleared mines of Red Beach. Based at Arromanches / Manvieux.

141 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Based at Ashford / Chatham. Marshalling area camp T5. Sailed from Royal Albert docks on MT 16 on the 8th June and disembarked on the 11th June at Item Red sector. Based at Banville. Section suffered 40% casualties in November 1944.

147 BD Sec, 23 BD Coy Based at Ashford / Hasketon, Suffolk. Marshalling area camp T3. Sailed from Victoria docks, Silvertown on the 14th June and disembarked on the 23rd June . Based at Conde-ser-seulles.

223 BD Sec, 25 BD Coy Based at Chiswick. Marshalling area camp at Botley. Sailed from Southampton on 7th July and disembarked on the 8th July 17.00hrs at Juno Beach. Based at Pierrepont / Rosel.

224 BD Sec, 25 BD Coy Based at Chiswick. Marshalling area camp C3. Sailed from Southampton on 8th July and disembarked on the 9th July. Based at Secqueville-en —bessin. Attached to 24 Airforce Construction Group.

225 BD Sec, 25 BD Coy Based at Eltham. Marshalling area camp C2. Sailed from Southampton on 10th July and disembarked on the 11th July at Le Hamel.

There were a total of 33 BD sections landed but above are the ones where the unit war diaries are not sealed. The remainder are restricted until 2045.

There were somewhere in the region of 440 BD Sections by the end of the war with a manning strength of around 10,000 men so hopefully this can narrow the search. I'd be inclined to look at 103 section and 108 section as I seem to remember reading somewhere that they were involved in Harbour mine clearance in Holland and/or Belgium after D Day


Hope this helps!
REgards
Al

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Do you have his service records? I only ask as he seems to have done rather a lot and my understanding is that the Royal Navy dealt with mines (nautical) in the sae or on land and Engineers with bombs on land, the RAF (just to cover all the bases) did airfields. Don't quote me though - its something I picked up researching George Crosses.

Regards
Andy

Drew, You're spot on, the RN is responsible for anything below the low water mark and on RN land, but if the RE Sections were available and the RN were not then they would have done the Harbour clearance as a matter of priority.
The RAF are responsible for anything on RAF land and anything still on an aircraft, including ejector seats in the modern world.

I've done some online trawling on the name Ledoyen and come up with nothing, could it have been Le Doyen?

 

I also found this on BD section Divers

"Training for the diving crews was conducted at Chatham under Royal Navy tuition and would consist of wearing and use of Siebe-Gorman pressure diving suits for deep water work and American light diving suits for river and beach work.
The task was to locate and remove underwater mines and demolition depth charges. Consistent diving for mine and ice packed waters would often result with hands and limbs being effected from ill effects. At Chatham, basic training was conducted in a large water tank, where trainee divers were given the job of cutting through a steel hawser, with a hacksaw and a plank of wood. It was always a strange experience to see the sawdust rising to the surface when cutting.
In winter, the Royal Navy personnel broke the ice on the tank, put in a steam hose and a thermometer - when it read 38f, they were in.

PRO File No WO 171 / 1979 226 BD section June - Aug 1944 ( D-Day landing / Normandy ) File originally to remain closed till year 2045. 226, 240 and 243 BD section were responsible for areas: 5 (Bayeux) sub area and all activities in 101 beach sub area, stretching to Caen and Falaise. "


I hope it's of some use as to the background training

 

Arthur (Leddy) was my grandpa

 

welcome to the forum

please post any info/photos you have I am sure forum members will be most grateful

 

Hi ,
Just further to this posting, My Grandfather was a Spr in 25 BD Coy, 226 sec, which was one of the first BD sections to land on the French coast with an aim to clear certain areas of importance to the landings. They became independent as a sec in May 1944 and were posted to Hobbs Barracks, Lingfield to make ready for the invasion. The sec then went to marshalling area S8 at Weald Park, Brentwood. They then embarked at Tilbury passenger pier on the the 4th June and sailed on the 6th for the French Coast.
226 Sec Recce group went ashore near Port en Bessin to examine harbour and enemy boats. Rest of the sec made a wet landing between Asnelles suer Mer and Ver sur Mer which I think was Gold beach Jig Green / Red and King green areas. They then proceeded to Kipling Assembley Area ??
Sec later headed for Port En Bessin where my Grandfather as part of the diving team helped clear the harbour bed, deal with a 100lbs US bomb and helped rescue and recover bodies of 73rd Field Coy who were casualties in a minefield.
He later on the 10th July whilst still at Port en Bessin severed some fingers on his left hand whilst landing heavy equipment. He was subsequently sent home and returned to the war and 226 sec 9now back under 25th BD Coy) in Jan 1945. Thankfully missing the costly work at the Falaise Gap that cost his section 3 men as casulaties.

Anyone interested in 226 Bomb Disposal section can fine my article on my Grandfather from 1943 to 1946 at BBC - WW2 People's War - Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal in WWII

 

The Guardroom

I think your Grandfather and my Grandfather served together, or at least trained together..

Billy Gorman
22236279 (prev 1930924)
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=9e0ddcb0b813d946#cid=9E0DDCB0B813D946&id=9E0DDCB0B813D946!809

I now have Billys' Service record which i am trying to decipher, and scan