Black British Soldiers

Discussion in 'General' started by gunbunnyB/3/75FA, Jan 3, 2012.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    The gun in Rob's photo in post #92 is a 17 Pdr, you can tell by the trail spades on the gun carriage.
    His rifle is Lee Enfield No 4 not a Mk 4 ,

     
  2. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Thank you Owen - apologies for the Enfield mistake - and I take it from your quote the 17pdr would mean we might narrow him down to an A/T regiment? Interesting stuff - this is the reason I like this forum so much.
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    All I'm saying is that is a 17 Pdr in the background, it may have nothing at all to do with him.
    ;)
     
  4. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Bingo - G Bty 5 RHA had a L/Bdr Myerthall and a Driver Ashun in 1944.
     
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  5. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Oh yes, I realise that - and I presume his somewhat stripped down appearance might just mean he'd taken his webbing equipment off, so it doesn't mean he was an A/T gunner, but it is an interesting place to start with; a 17pdr outside a particular church and I presume we can narrow that down to a date period too. It's just so rare to see this kind of material - the Dutch translation of the caption is, 'an actual black soldier of the liberators, end of September 1944'


    Idler, that's amazing to identify those two individuals so quickly - I'll get on to 'Ashun' up here. Do we have a time frame for the reference to them in your research?
     
  6. idler

    idler GeneralList

    There's a D-Day loading list for the battery in the WD.
     
  7. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    BrianM59,

    It is definitely the 49th Division at the end of September 1944. I've checked the church in the background again and it is the same one in Rijkevorsel.
     
  8. redtop

    redtop Well-Known Member

    IDLER
    That was quick
    I have loading table but had not plowed through it.
    My Father Gnr Burnikell is near the top.
     
  9. redtop

    redtop Well-Known Member

    Just to add a little.( off thread)
    My Father was a professional boxer before the war hence the reference to boxers.He was very active in inter Battery .boxing..
    When 5 RHA were on the troop shop to Africa he took all ranks in PT and Boxing along with 2 other PTI 's
     
  10. snailer

    snailer Country Member

    I see my photographs must have been lost when the forum switched over. Reposted here with a few extra ones added. Made from the original negs of varying quality, none “in action” though, I’m afraid.

    portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.54.59.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.57.15.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.57.56.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.58.29.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.59.50.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.59.06.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 18.01.08.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.57.34.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.58.11.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 17.56.53.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 18.02.32.jpg portraits_black_RE 2014-09-22 at 18.02.52.jpg
     
  11. idler

    idler GeneralList

    I was bored!

    I mentioned 'Dick' Turpin earlier in the thread. He was with 22 Armd Bde, so perhaps your father was aware of him as well.
     
  12. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Snailer - glad to see those photos back - they're rare - I'll PM you but I'd love to use them in my research? Do you collect such things or do you have a more personal connection?
     
  13. Mr Jinks

    Mr Jinks Bit of a Cad

    I wonder if anyone has heard of Jimmy Durham not WW2 but certainly relevant to the title






    and a second photo of a group of WW1 soldiers from South Shields I believe?


    Kyle
     

    Attached Files:

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  14. snailer

    snailer Country Member

    Hi Brian,
    No connection, I just like collecting old photo’s and negatives - if they are out of the ordinary all the better. Please feel free to use them as you wish.
     
  15. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Well I never - just found a Gordon Ashun on a couple of boxing websites and on here: http://boxingbiographies.co.uk/html/gordon_ashun-bb.HTM
    "Gordon also served with the 7th Armoured Division in the army in North Africa. Then it was on to the Salerno landings in Italy and finally in the thick of things on D-Day. His Army boxing success included the championship of the Rhine and a Divisional title." There's a photograph and he could conceivably be a mixed race gentleman, but Liverpool born and bred. He fought as Kid Ash for a bit but dropped that for Gordon - no record of him fighting as 'Hush' but that could have been an army nickname separate from boxing. He seems to have been pretty good too - your dad could obviously pick them Redtop. No record of 'Darkie' Myerthal yet but I'm on a roll so anything could happen....thanks all.
     
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  16. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    ASHUN, WILLIAM PHILIP Sergeant 990550 01/04/1942 26 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve United Kingdom Row 4. Grave 33. LES GONARDS CEMETERY, VERSAILLES ASHUN, KENNETH CROMWELL Sergeant 3010619 20/03/1945 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve United Kingdom Sec. 7. C. of E. Grave 431. BOOTLE CEMETERY

    And these above, according to a post on Ancestry, are his brothers, both serving with the RAF and both died in WW2. According to the post, William died over Versailles and Kenneth in a flying accident near Spilsby, Lincolnshire.
     
  17. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Thank you so much Snailer - invaluable stuff - so few images of black British soldiers exist - I've been researching Joe Small, a trooper in the 10th Hussars who died in 1940, for eight years, I'm married to a relative of his, but no photograph has ever turned up...
     
  18. redtop

    redtop Well-Known Member

    Idler
    Cannot find any mention of Dick Turpin.

    BrianM59
    Another mention Of Cush Ashton that I missed
     

    Attached Files:

  19. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    It's definitely him - the writer doesn't close his 'a's" and so "Cush" is "Ash". 'Kid Ash' was Gordon Ashun's fight name for his first few bouts. He got proper walloped too, so he got rid of the moniker. I've found surviving relatives in Liverpool - great stuff.

    Incidentally, there are two Burnikells on the Boxrec website, an Albert and an Ernie, both based in Hoxton/Bethnal Green, London in the 1930's - ring any bells?
     
  20. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    This is the incident in which Gordon's brother Kenneth died:, from: http://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-incident-logs.

    "Coded DX-Y. Airborne 2345 20th Mar from East Kirkby to bomb the synthetic-oil plant but within a few minutes the Lancaster ploughed into a house near Stickney, 7 miles NNE of Boston and on the main road leading to Spilsby. F/O Cobern is buried in Cambridge City Cemetery, the other killed were taken to their home towns. F/S Searby died from his injuries 1st Apr. The house was occupied by the Chapman family. No account of civilian injuries. F/O C.A.Cobern RAAF KIA, Sgt K.C.Ashun KIA, F/O W.F.Calderbanj KIA, F/S W.S.Searby inj, Sgt R.Bates inj, Sgt E.Lawrence inj, Sgt A.Ramsbottom KIA."
     

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