My Grandfather - Somerset Light Infantry

Hi all
I don´t know where to start to find out more about him.
I would really like to know a little more.

Hopefully someone can help

Name - Whitehorn (so unusual)
Colour sargent - Somerset Light Infantry
Landed D Day + 4/5/6?

He was in the room next door when Himmler commited suicide
So was in Luneburg late May 1945

And that is all I have to go on.

An idea of which unit he was with and their basic movements would be really interesting.

Thanks and best wishes
Steve


http://www.ww2germantours.com/

 

Hi Steve, what was your grand fathers 1st name/s and year of birth? Were there potentially other relatives of yours in WW2?

Only reason I'm asking is when I searched the name Whitehorn at the britishnewspaperarchives an A. C. Whitehorn, Devonshire Regt is listed in an Army Casualty article in the 18 Jan 45 edition of the newspaper Western Morning News.

The only A.C. Whitehorn I could find on Ancestry was a Private, Service No. 6140137, born in Surrey, died 9 Aug 44, Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) who is buried at Department du Calvados, Basse, Normandie, France.

Is this just a coincidence?

 

Thanks Chaps
Owen - I have no photograph of him. Are you able to list some basic movements of these units during this time. Greatly appreciated
Amberdog - I think this is coincidence, as he survived the war. But I never knew much about him

I only ever knew his as a kid by his nick name ´´bun´´ and he had SS items he had brought back.
I will see if I can get any more information on him right now. Birth date ect

Thank you for your help so far
Steve

 

Hi Steve, can you check with relatives whether your grandfather had cousins/brothers/uncles called Alfred? With your saying the name Whitehorm was unusual, I just thought it too much of a coincidence that a rare name and the same regiment might have had 2 Whitehorns.

I like the Himmler twist to this tale. This is going to be an intersting thread.

 

Hi Amberdog
I will check the Alfred connection out now at my end.

All my father knows about his fathers service is this
In his own words

´´My dad was born on 14 Aug, 1908. Drafted 1939 or 1940 into Somerset Light Infantry.
D-Day+6 to Holland and Germany. As you know, he was at Luneberg Heath. Ended
as colour sergeant. Demobbed 1946, probably end of? (But if so why so long after
war ended?) I tried to find out more on an internet Ancestry site, but no luck.´´

D day +6 - should include France as well of course
Thanks for you help so far

I will look at those histories now Owen. Many thanks

 

Owen
Just had a look at the map. Thanks, great stuff.
It gives me an idea of loosely where he went.

If we can narrow him down to either 4th or the 7th
I will buy the relevant book x2 - one for my father (ex - Royal Lanc Fusiliers)
And one for me

 

During May 1945 the 7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry was at the following locations according to the battalions war diary:

2nd May = Ostertimke

8th May = Barskamp

14th May = Riestedt

15th May = Bevensen

The Battalion stayed in Bevensen beyond the month of June 1945.

 

I have emailed the regimental museum just now, with what little is known.
I am getting quite excited about this. But must not build my hopes up.

He died when I was in my mid 20s and like many of his generation never really spoke about the war.

My father is now in his late 70s, and was BAOR, and has started to also wonder where his father was during 44/46

 

I can confirm his first name was George

 

Thanks go to Drew5233 for the 7 Bn locations

KentMunich

My post May 45 research can confirm 4 Bn and 7 Bn merged by Jun 46 and moved from 43 (Wessex) Inf Div to 6 Guards Bde of Guards Div stationed at the Marine Barracks in Buxtehude

Best of luck with your research

 

Thanks for the info Steve
I now have the forms printed out to send to MOD for his service record - so we shall see.

 

Hi all
To reserect this...
I am off to Normandy in a few days and a guide is going to show me the route the somerset Light Infantry took. So that will be quite poignant.

I do not have his death certificate or service record. So I still do not know if he was 4th or 7th battalion.

I bought the seventh battalion book.
http://www.naval-military-press.com/story-of-the-seventh-battalion-the-somerset-light-infantry-june-1944-to-may-1945.html
But there is no mention of him in there.
Fredrick George Whitehorn - Nickname 'Bunny'
He was a colour Sargeant by 1946. But perhaps he did not hold this rank in 1944?

It looks like that the 4th and the 7th Battalions followed loosely the same route.
Before I depart. Has anyone reading this got the 4th Battalion book to hand. And if so can you see if there is any reference to him, especialy in the back where the colour Sargeants are listed

Thanks
Steve

 

Hi Steve

If you need a copy of his birth cert then apply to the district mentioned below:

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Frederick George Whitehorn
Name: Frederick George Whitehorn
Birth Date: 14 Aug 1908
Date of Registration: Dec 1991
Age at Death: 83
Registration district: Thanet
Inferred County: Kent
Volume: 16
Page: 1817

with this you can apply for his service records

TD

 

Just out of interest - it seems he was born in the Army, as his father was already in it (also note that there is a slightly different spelling of the surname - an 'e' at the end) :

British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 about Frederick George Whitehorne
Name: Frederick George Whitehorne
Birth Date: 14 Aug 1908
Birth Place: St Pancras
Document Year: 1915
Relationship to Soldier: Child
Form Title: Descriptive Report Enlistment
Other Records:
Family Members:
Name Relation to Soldier
Henry William Whitehorne Self (Head)
Louisa Alice Sullivans Spouse
Arthur Robert Whitehorne Child
Kathleen Mary Whitehorne Child
Mabel Dorothy Whitehorne Child
Edith Ruth Whitehorne Child
Frederick George Whitehorne Child
Ena Emily Whitehorne Child


British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 about Henry William Whitehorne
Name: Henry William Whitehorne
Gender: Male
Birth Date: abt 1873
Age at Enlistment: 42
Marriage Date: 22 May 1894
Marriage Place: Reg Off St Pancras
Residence Place: 15 George St, Hampstead Rd N W
Document Year: 1915
Regimental Number: 123575
Regiment Name: Army Service Corps
Number of Images: 25
Form Title: Short Service Attestation
Other Records: Search for 'Henry William Whitehorne' in other WWI collections
Family Members:
Name Relation to Soldier
Henry William Whitehorne Self (Head)
Louisa Alice Sullivans Spouse
Arthur Robert Whitehorne Child
Kathleen Mary Whitehorne Child
Mabel Dorothy Whitehorne Child
Edith Ruth Whitehorne Child
Frederick George Whitehorne Child
Ena Emily Whitehorne Child


TD

 

That is him
Thanks so very very much for putting the effort in to dig up that information
It is of great help.
Best wishes
Steve

 

Hi Steve

You can see that his fathers records for WW1 are available (I dont recall how many pages it is though) - if you want them send me a PM and I can copy and send them via an email (dont forget to include that in the PM)

TD

 

Hello all
I finally managed to get hold of his records. They were hard to read so I typed his service record out.
It seems he enlisted in November 1940. Ended up in the 7th battalion.

And by the time 1944 came around he was a clerk in 32RHU
(He was exceptionaly good with figures so perhaps that was why)
It seems he disembarked for Normandy on the 15th of June

Can any one tell me what 32RHU was?
What its purpose was and where it would have been located in relation to the front line ect?
Or any other information that you notice of interest in his service record that I list below.

All your help so far has been greatly appreciated
Steve

Below is the two word document pages that I typed out from his service records.
Because I have copied them from word the format will be all over the place I guess but it will give you an idea of what they say.



Service and Casualty Form

Corps – Somerset LI Army No - 5681194
Unit – 32 RHU Date of Enlistment - 14 Nov 1940

15/11/40 I.T.C Som L.I. Posted as Private Taunton Pte 14/11/40

294/40 I.T.C Mustered as Clerk Class III Group C “ 14/11/40

?94/40 I.T.C Posted to 7/som L.I.Authy “ 16/7/41
O I/C records 13/TT dated 9/7/41

161/3 ?5?? Admitted CRS Weston S Mare 27/10/41
164/2 “ Discharged “ 31/10/41
“ Granted Leave 5-6/9/41 ???? 5/9/41

4 9/43 “ Medically examined and placed in - -
Army medical category “B.1”

- - Posted to 30 Som LI Authy: O i/l Inf Rec 11/May43
- - Letter 5/984 dated 8th Jan 41
- - Demustered as a clerk class III group C 11/May43
- - On posting retains tradesman rates of pay
- - For a period of six months from date of posting

O i/L recordsCRB Posted? To IOW ?????????????? ????? Portland 11/Aug 43
188/283 Aug 43 - - - -

PT III no 5 32RHU T.O.S of 101 RHG & PA/WE W.E.F 10Aug43Aldershot 20/8/43
Dated 20th Aug 43

PT III no 12 32RHU Absorbed within the W/E of 32RHU as
Clerk ? “C” Class III to fill authisises vacancy of clerk
2??? 10/Aug/43

7/44 32RHU To X (I) Cist w.e.f Field 1Jan 44
101 R G


X139/44 “ Passed T.T. as Clerk ?? C´Cl. II - -
- - re-clefd useof 6sept 44 - 6/9/44

X157/44 32RHU Apptd U.A. Cpl within WE (Clerk) - ?/10/44

160/44 32RHU Appld Paid NWE A/Cpl 30/10/44
22/45 32RHU Promoted War Subs NWE CPA 28/1/45
X37/45 “ Posted x RHU “ “ 28/1/45
X37/45 “ Appt Unpaid &paid “ L/Sg´t 3/3/45
X40/45 X RHU “ “ “ “ A/C Sg´t 31/3/45
X138/45 X RHU Promoted War Subt Sgt NWE W/sgt 27/9/45
„ - Promoted War Subt Sgt NWE W/C/Sgt 27/9/45
X159/45 X RHU Medically Examined FIT Cat B1 NEW C/Sgt 21/10/45

X/177/45 X RHU ??? UK for NWE UK W/Sgt 15/6/44
_ - Disembarked NWE NEW “ 15/6/44

X180/45 - Awarded 1939/45 Star “ “ 11/12/45
Awarded France and Germany Star

X182/45 - Proceeding UK for Class A Release “ “ 5/12/45
SOS BAOR Embarked NWE


Discharged on completion of engagement: 10Feb 1954