Grandfather in Royal Engineers

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by JamesW42, Apr 15, 2020.

  1. JamesW42

    JamesW42 Member

    Hello,
    Apologies to jump in but I've got an interest in 220 field company as well. If this would be more appropriate in it's own thread please let me know and I'll delete it and move it.

    I'm looking into my Grandad's WW2 service and am trying to piece it together from snippets of family recollections, the photos he kept and the intricate maps he made of their progress through Italy.

    Alas I know nothing about the military, so have a few questions if that's ok?
    The parts I've been told are that he was in the Royal Engineers and the 8th army clearing mines, I gather that these aren't mutually exclusive as he could have been a member of the royal engineers assigned to the 8th army. I've been told or found references suggesting that he was in the following groups:
    10 Depot Battalion Royal Engineers (based on his joining up card and discharge card)
    2nd Field squadron Royal Engineers,
    220 Field Company (based on a 220 Field Coy 1946 Christmas card he sent his mother)
    622 Field Squadron 2 - troop (based on a photo of him and others from Jan 24 1944 in Egypt)

    My first question is whether or not these would be mutually exclusive, indicating mistakes or misunderstandings?.
    Alternatively does this indicate that he was moved between different groups as some were disbanded or reformed?

    On his discharge papers it says:
    Egypt 8 Months
    Palestine 1 Month
    Italy 2 years and 7 months
    Anecdotally my parents said he told them he was at Monte Cassino and that at some stage but not at the liberation he was at Bergen Belsen.
    We have lots of photos of him in Egypt and the maps he drew of their day by day progress in Italy, but we also have some photos of him and others in Norway where he apparently said that they were under-equipped and several people died of frost bite and the cold.

    My questions here are whether the Bergen Belsen bit rings true?
    and whether you know whether Norway was before Egypt or after Italy (or indeed Bergen Belsen)?

    Very much appreciate any help that people can give.

    All the best,

    James W
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Moved your post to it's own thread.

    Norwegian campaign was April to June 1940.

    He must have gone to Belsen Postwar.
     
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  3. JamesW42

    JamesW42 Member

    Thank you Own, much appreciated
     
  4. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    The only way to get full details of his service is to send off for his official service records, they are ONLY available from the MOD:
    Get a copy of military service records

    These will give a timeline of units served in from where you can look out for the relevant war diaries.
     
  5. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    JamesW42.

    2nd Field Company was split into two in 1940 to form 220 Fd Coy RE & 221 Fd Coy RE.

    220 Fd Coy RE was one of three Fd Coys RE and a Fd Park Coy RE that supported 56 Infantry Division in Italy. In effect, they went where ever the Division went.

    56 Infantry Division had three Infantry Brigades in it - 167, 168 & 169 Infantry Brigades. Each Fd Coy RE tended to support an Infantry Brigade. In the case, 220 Fd Coy RE supported 167 Inf Bde.

    56 Inf Div were part of the Salerno landings on 9 Sep 44. They crossed the River Volturno in Oct 43 and were involved in the brutal two Battles of Monte Camino in Nov-Dec 43. On 17-18 Jan 44, the Division crossed the Garigliano.

    One of the Tp Comd's in 220 Fd Coy RE was Lt Christopher Robin Milne, son of AA Milne and the boy featured in the Winnie the Pooh books.

    Lt Milne was involved in the bridging operations for X (BR) Corps's crossing of the Garigliano on 17-18 Jan 44 as part of the First Battle of Monte Cassino.

    56 Inf Div was then diverted to the Anzio beachhead so it is likely that he was in the cauldron too.


    upload_2020-4-16_10-44-0.png

    Regards

    Frank
     
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  6. JamesW42

    JamesW42 Member

    Thank you Frank that is fascinating and a huge help, I really appreciate it. I'm learning a lot!

    Best wishes,

    James
     
  7. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    James.

    It would be good to see his intricate maps.

    Regards

    Frank
     
  8. JamesW42

    JamesW42 Member

    Hello Frank, after exploring this website and looking into things further I suspect 'intricate' might have been misleading. I have however found them interesting to look through and will try and tally the dates and locations up with the war diaries But here they are, if I find any pictures of the 220 Field Company or indeed the part he was in, would that be of interest?
    I've also uploaded the 1946 220 christmas card which I really like.

    And thank you Tony, I knew my parents had made this request but I've only just finished going through the military service record which they sent me this morning, it answered a lot of my questions.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    James.

    These maps are brilliant and show the route of his Fd Coy RE. Map 3, for example, exactly follows the route taken by 167 Inf Bde in 56 Inf Div.

    The maps are for the Gothic Line part of the Italian Campaign, the time on the 44-45 Winter Line and then the final push in Apr-May into Fruili and on to Austria.

    Any maps covering Sep 43-Sep 44?

    Pula, mentioned on the 1946 is now part of Croatia. I could think of worse places to spend Christmas.

    Regards

    Frank
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2020
  10. JamesW42

    JamesW42 Member

    That's great, he was quite a talented artist, one if the sadness's for him was that prior to the war he was due to go to the USA as a cartoonist for Disney. But it does mean that maps are quite good.

    I'm not sure about other maps, this is alas all being done online due to the lockdown as all of these items are with family members but if we find any other maps I'll be sure to share them.
    Crikey, yes just looked at pictures of Pula, looks wonderful!

    Regards,

    James
     
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  11. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    James.

    If he joined 220 Fd Coy RE on 14 May 44, I now doubt that there will be other maps. Drat because I love his attention to detail.

    Regards

    Frank
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2020
  12. JamesW42

    JamesW42 Member

    I imagine that you may already be aware of these but looking through the Imperial War Museum's photo archive and I came across this one of 220 Fd Coy working on the Battipaglia bridge: INVASION OF ITALY : FIFTH ARMY BRIDGE BUILDING AT BATTIPAGLIA
    Although not recorded as such these other one's look like they were taken on the same day by the same photographer of the same bridge so would also be of 220 Fd Coy. Too early in the way for my grandfather to feature but I thought they might be of interest:
    INVASION OF ITALY : FIFTH ARMY BRIDGE BUILDING AT BATTIPAGLIA
    INVASION OF ITALY : FIFTH ARMY BRIDGE BUILDING AT BATTIPAGLIA
    James
     
  13. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    James.

    Very useful because I know where this is in Battipaglia.

    Regards

    Frank
     
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  14. Gary Tankard

    Gary Tankard Well-Known Member

    An aerial recce photo of Battipaglia from July 1943. Existing bridges circled.

    CAB_106_504_0026.jpg
     
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  15. Peter L

    Peter L New Member

    Hello James,

    I am really pleased to discover this web page and the 220 F Coy RE thread on it. The reason for this is that my father was a Sapper in 220 F Coy from July 1942 until the end of the war and his return to the UK in late 1945. Prior to that he joined up in September 1939, then served in 230 F Coy in Norway 1940 and in the UK in 1940 to 1942.

    My father gave me a detailed aural account of some of the major events in his time in the war and I am interested in finding out more.

    I am certain that my father is one of the men in the photograph in the third link you provide, Photo NA 6977. He is the blond haired man standing with his back to the camera holding the end of the plank. This is quite a find for me so I am very grateful to you.

    Regards
    Peter
     
  16. Peter L

    Peter L New Member

    Hello Frank,

    Many thanks for posting the details of 220 F Coy RE origins. My father served in 220 F Coy as I detail in my reply to James below. I am hoping to find out more about what my father did as he told me many stories of his wartime experiences that thrilled me as I grew up ad later as an adult got more of the gruesome details of the combat.

    Regards
    Peter
     
  17. Peter L

    Peter L New Member

    Hi again Frank, I am intrigued by the page on the Garigliano bridge in the document you posted. Is that document open to public viewing as I would love to read more of it?
    Regards
    Peter
     

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