Grandfather In Suffolk Regiment

Hi everyone,
I am trying to locate information on my grandfather Harry Willis, he served in the suffolk regiment, post D-Day, he was injured in france (possibly around the time of the liberation of the chateau de londe - this is a guestimate!) he was only in france for a short while, where he was injured (shot in lung) trying to help fallen officer, he was then MIA for a while, and then he was apparently helped by African American soldiers, where he was returned to Scotland for medical treatment. I have no idea of his service number or whether he was really in the suffolk regiment, all the info is coming from my grandmothers memory which is fading.
Can anyone collaborate that there was a regiment of afro american soldiers anywhere near the Caen area? I guess they could have been canadian as it was a british canadian sector? And any more ideas on how i could get any more information?? Would the army records be able to trace my grandfather from the little info i have?

With Regards

Ben

 

Hi - and welcome to the forum.

I am not sure that there were 'regiments' of Black American soldiers; and what units there were, I am pretty sure, were doing labouring tasks. However, a relative of mine who was in Normandy also remembers seeing them, so perhaps they were helping with transport or lines of communication? I have never seen any mention of them in British records, however.

As for his exact service, even if you have just a name, it is worth writing to the MOD for further details. For some ideas of where to start see this guide on my website:

http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/tracing_ww2_soldiers.htm

 

Originally posted by Ben Littlechild@Apr 22 2005, 04:23 PM
Hi everyone,
I am trying to locate information on my grandfather Harry Willis, he served in the suffolk regiment, post D-Day, he was injured in france (possibly around the time of the liberation of the chateau de londe - this is a guestimate!) he was only in france for a short while, where he was injured (shot in lung) trying to help fallen officer, he was then MIA for a while, and then he was apparently helped by African American soldiers, where he was returned to Scotland for medical treatment. I have no idea of his service number or whether he was really in the suffolk regiment, all the info is coming from my grandmothers memory which is fading.
Can anyone collaborate that there was a regiment of afro american soldiers anywhere near the Caen area? I guess they could have been canadian as it was a british canadian sector? And any more ideas on how i could get any more information?? Would the army records be able to trace my grandfather from the little info i have?

With Regards

Ben
[post=33389]Quoted post[/post]

African-Americans mainly served in things like Transport, which would expalin why they would be in the caen area

 

During my time in Normandy, I covered a wide area with different units. Nowhere did I come across black Americans. I do not think there were any there in the British sector.(what for?)
Bit later we moved across Normandy to the Vire region where we met up with and fought alongside the Yanks. It may have been there. The 1st Suffolks were part of Third div, and they were surely in that area. My best friend (in the Suffolks) finished his war at the rear of the Falaise pocket. If there were black yanks? it was likely to be there.
Sapper

 

Originally posted by Paul Reed@Apr 22 2005, 04:27 PM
I am not sure that there were 'regiments' of Black American soldiers;

The "Red Ball Express" maybe???

dave.

 

Hi everyone
thank you to all those that have given me some pointers as to where i can look next, i appreciate it and cant wait to read even more interesting posts!

Regards

Ben Littlechild

 

When the 21st Army Group broke out across the Seine, they found they had trouble with faulty pistons in a large number of 3-ton trucks. This, combined with the lengthening supply line, caused Field Marshal Montgomery to request US Quartermaster Truck Company support for his drive. The "Lions Express" was the result, an offshoot of the Red Ball Express, which hauled supplies up to the front, and obviously wounded men and so forth back.

 

Ben,
I have records of those wounded in action before,during and just after the attack on Chateau De La Londe. My own grandfather was killed in fighting with the 1st Suffolk Regiment on the 28th June 1944

The only willis reference i can find is :-

Pte R.Willis 5781511 Listed as wounded in action (date not given but i know this lists covers all regiment activity between June 06th and August 44

Do you have any detail on your grandfather. There are still a few Suffolk boys around who i still have contact with ,in addition i have been researching the attack on La Londe on and off for the last 9 yrs.

Regards

Paul Rose

 

Have you tried writing or phoning the Suffolks regimental museum?
The Keep
Gibralter Barracks
Newmarket Road
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP33 3RN

Regimental archives are held at the Suffolk county records office 01284 352352

The opening times of the Museum are not too frequent.

good luck with your search.

 

No wounded were carried on the RED BALL express route. They would have died from their injuries the way those mad buggers drove!
My best mate fought at the Chateau de la londe. Richard Harris. I lost some mates and they vanished off the face of the earth...never found them.

One of the better things we were supplied with was the three tonner. I can honestly say that from Sword beach onwards, including the "stripped down" runs back and forth to Normandy, to get supplies up. At no time did we get a breakdown ...Not a single one, yet those drivers of ours were doing that run twenty four hours nonstop, two drivers up. One driving, the other sleeping, continuous. The trucks were set to carry a Ton overload, something they were never designed for. yet in all those long journeys across war ravaged France Belgium and later Holland.

Not one truck broke down and only one minor accident occured, Those journeys incurred tens of thousands of miles driven. Not a breakdown even though driven 24 hours continuously.
Sapper

 

There were no Black Soldiers around Caen or in the vicinity. The Suffolk casualty lists are readily available. The death of a casualty would be dated. Then it is a simple task to find out where they were at that date.

Somewhere in my house I have a full list of the Suffolk casualties...cannot find the damn thing. Go to the CWG and enter his name etc, find the date, and I can tell you exactly where he fell. PM me with the date I will do my best to do the trace.
Sapper