Dinxperlo seaforth/argyll and sutherland

An enlargement of the bridge area from the above operation map:

 

At the village church of Dinxperlo there is a small memorial dedicated to the 51st Highland Division. A plaque mentions the names of all the fallen in the three day battle for the village, among them your uncle's.





http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/14386/Monument-Highland-Division.htm

 

Thanks for all the help and info, it makes for very interesting reading. I certainly know where to come if I need any more help. Thanks again.

 

HI my great Uncle is Robert McShane who I'm named after.
I do have a picture of him at my parents and there was a virtual memorial posted on the Ballymena Times website with a picture of him.
He also had a brother Francis that I think also served in the Seaforth Highlanders he survived the war.
Any information about what company he was in and the account of what happened to him i would like to hear.
Me and my father Francis went to visit his grave in Reichswald forest.

 

Robert - He fell in the battle for the Aastrang bridges. Have a look here for the operation: RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

Your great uncle also is remembered on the memorial plaque at Dinxperlo (which is attached to the village church):

 

Hi Thanks for your reply I had just read this after a search of his name and number brought up this very article prompting me to join this forum.
All I know he was in the 5th Battalion and KIA on the 29th April.
If there's any details about which company and if he had any specific roles within that unit.

 

You mean 29 March 1945.

Robert, individuals were rarely mentioned in the War Diaries. Unless he is mentioned in a document or book, like William H. Kavanagh, it will be hard to determine which Coy he was in or what his function was. He could have been with Bn HQ, or 'A' Coy at the custom houses or with the other units on the far bank of the Aastrang river. Does your family not have any correspondence of him, letters he wrote to home.

I made inquiries with my contacts in Dinxperlo, maybe that will yield some results. I'll keep you informed.

 

Thanks and yes i did mean 29th March

 

Hi this was a copy from the Ballymena Times I found in 2010 of Robert.
He transferred from the Artillery into the Seaforth Highlanders.
My parents have a picture of both my great Uncles Robert and David sent home in a Christmas type card.
Will post a copy once found.
My Father told me that David was a bat man for Montgomery in Africa.
Unfortunately he passed away before I was born.

 

Hi, I have found the picture of Robert (Bobby) that was attached inside a Christmas card.
It was taken during his service with the Royal Artillery prior to him joining the Seaforths possibly in North Africa?
Also attached is one of his Brother David (arms unfolded)

 

Hi Robert - I have been in contact with the people in Dinxperlo. They unfortunately do not have any further information. Did they ever contact you per email?

If you ever visit the area, let me know. It would be my pleasure to guide you around.

 

Hi Thanks for your help with this I haven't seen any emails yet.
Yes I will be planning a visit once circumstances allow.

 

Arthur Patience was my uncle.

 

Hi,

I was trying to to understand which unit William Graves (the author of 'The Chosen Few') and realised he served in the 5th Seaforths and was involved in the fighting for the Astrang bridges near Dinxperlo on 29 March 1945. As this is the 80th anniversary of this small but bitter action I wanted to mark the event.

Please see the link below to an article covering the 5th Seaforths battle. I've been very grateful for the details posted on these pages and was extremely humbled to read the letter sent by Colonel Sym to Pte Kavanagh's family as he played a crucial role in the fighting.

Miscellaneous Military History Article

Many thanks

Colin

 

Thank you Colin for the link to the article! For additional info see: RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew') which contains more pictures of the bridgesite and customhouses. The Rietstap area to the north of the bridge, where 'C' and 'D' Coys had established a small bridgehead, unfortunately is completely overbuild by now.

Visited Dinxperlo yesterday, with a relative of Robert McShane, one of the 14 soldiers of the Seaforth who were killed at the Aastrang bridge on March 29,1945. We visited his grave in the Reichswald Cemetery and paid tribute to him at the plaquette at the church of Dinxperlo.


Aastrang bridge to the left, Brüggenhütte Restaurant next to it and the custom houses, which housed the battalion HQ, to the right.The German paratroopers marched right into the middle of the Seaforth's position. The leading element of the column was about to enter the bridge, before it was detected by the Seaforth. In the melee that followed in the darkness, the HQ position was overwhelmed. A few Fallschirmjäger even managed to get across the bridge, but those were either killed or taken prisoner.

 

I have just come across this thread whilst searching for information about Eden Greville Spencer, who is a "old boy" of the school I work at. He is to be commemorated in our Service of Remembrance next month. I'm really pleased to be able to add the photograph of his name on the plaque at the church to the little informarion that we have. Thank you.

 

Spencer was a member of the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and fell in the attack on the Dutch village of Dinxperlo.
See: RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

If you have a picture of him, could you please post in on here. I'm sure the people of Dinxperlo would really appreciate it if they could put a picture to a name of one of the fallen.

 

Sadly, we have no photos of him. His is a name on a list that I have heard read at school every year since 2008 when I joined, and I am trying to find out his story so we can commemorate him properly.