War Grave Belgium: Joseph FAIL, 2 LINCOLNSHIRE, DENDERWINDEKE COMMUNAL CEMETERY

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by hza, Jun 17, 2010.

  1. hza

    hza Member

  2. hza

    hza Member

  3. hza

    hza Member

    Hello there,

    qiute some time has been past, but we have some new info for the forum.

    A journalist of a local magazine, has seen our post about 'Joseph Fail' on Facebook, he was interested to make an article, I have posted it.

    A few days later, we get a letter, handwritten, from an unknow person.
    The way it is written, we think it's made by someone older.

    The letter has some info about what has happened on 16 - 17may 1940.

    The author writes that there was an improvised hospital in the monastery of Denderwindeke, an that Joseph Fail has died there the 16th of may. Around 3.00 English soldier have burried him on the cementry @ Neuringen. It took only 10 minutes.

    We are trying to locate the person with the info, such details must have some more info for us.

    Grtz

    Peter
     
    dbf likes this.
  4. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Sorry, Peter, I completely missed the posts about your trip - hope it was an enjoyable one. It's great to see how new information keeps turning up to fill out the story.
     
  5. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I think that rounds off the original research quite nicely Peter but of course now you've got the new puzzle- who wrote the message ?

    Do you think that it looks like the handwriting of an eighty-plus year old or perhaps of a son or daughter who had it dictated to them ? There is a lot of detail, isn't there ?

    Well done on getting this far ...en een dikke proficiat aan Matthias.:cheers:...Is he allowed a beer ?
     
  6. hza

    hza Member

    Hey,
    Nice to see you write in Duth! Beer is not allowed I think, but I will get me one! :D

    The autor of the message is not known so far, but Eric thinks he can find it out ...


    who wrote the message ?


    Well done on getting this far ...en een dikke proficiat aan Matthias.:cheers:...Is he allowed a beer ?
     
  7. Buteman

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

    Proost Peter.:cheers:
    I ordered those records you asked about, but nothing has been received yet. They take nearly a year in the UK. Strange, as someone on the Forum seems to have got some in a couple of weeks.

    Rob
     
  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Excellent and well done - It's good to also see Rob is slowing seeing the light aka 1940 France and Flanders ;)
     
  9. hza

    hza Member

    Eric & Matthias have found the person who wrote the letter.

    It is a lady, 91years old, lives nearby the cementry of Denderwindeke.

    She knows the details perfect what has played in these days.

    16th may - they worked on the field (patatoes), and she saw 4 soldiers with a coffen, they went tot the cementry, 10 min later they went back to Linkebeek, monastry school where there was a field hospital. It was around 15.00
    17th may - the chaplain has declared the name of the soldier @ communal
    17 th may 11.00 - 4 officers went in the ladies home, the needed quickly food, it must be eggs and beef, when the officers get a message from a courier that came from Edingen, they went straigt away to Zandbergen @ 17.00, with light motorised vehicules, witch the had positioned under the trees nearby the farm of the lady's parents. The courier had said that the Germans where coming.

    This is unbelieveble, but see the message from Drew a few post earlier, he has written of the retrait @ 1700 hrs to Zandbergen!

    And - We know for sure that Joseph Fail went with an ambulance from Louvain to Denderwindeke

    Anyone can help us find something about the ambulance divisions who where active in that region?
     
  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    7,8 and 9 Field Ambulance were 3 Divs medical units. I suspect 9 Field Ambulance were under 9 Brigade.
     
  11. PegasusGary

    PegasusGary Junior Member

    Fail was sent up a tree and was used as an observer/ sniper. He was hit by shrapnel when a mortar round exploded in and around the trees where he was situated. I would really like a picture of his headstone if you have one. I believe there may be others in the cemetery as well. I am writing a book on the 2nd Lincs at the moment and will be visiting the area within the next couple of months.
     
  12. Buteman

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

    Joseph Fail's Headstone photo is on post 38 of this thread. Sent me your e-mail in a Private Message as I have the original. I will be happy to send it to you. I am also collecting Lincolns Headstone photos as well and have a number from the 2nd Battalion if you want them.

    FAIL, J - 2nd LINCOLNS.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
  13. Buteman

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

    Fail was sent up a tree and was used as an observer/ sniper. He was hit by shrapnel when a mortar round exploded in and around the trees where he was situated. I would really like a picture of his headstone if you have one. I believe there may be others in the cemetery as well. I am writing a book on the 2nd Lincs at the moment and will be visiting the area within the next couple of months.

    If you send Hza (who started this thread) a Private Message, he may be interested in meeting up with you.

    Regards - Rob
     
  14. PegasusGary

    PegasusGary Junior Member

    Thanks Bob
    I'm not quite sure how to use this forum yet so looks like I'll have to use the 'trial and error' method!
    Also looking for maps at the moment of Dunkirk, Lille, Tourcoing and Louvain areas, circa 1940.
     
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Thanks Bob
    I'm not quite sure how to use this forum yet so looks like I'll have to use the 'trial and error' method!
    Also looking for maps at the moment of Dunkirk, Lille, Tourcoing and Louvain areas, circa 1940.

    You may want to start another thread in the 1940 section. The are over 200 aerial photographs in a II Corps file at Kew that map the whole of Lille. There are also quite a lot of original 50:000 scale maps in some of the higher formation BEF files at Kew.

    Is your book on the France and Flanders Campaign or the whole of the war?
     
  16. hza

    hza Member

    :poppy: photo taken on 11/11/2011 :poppy:

    [​IMG]
     
    Drew5233 likes this.
  17. Buteman

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

    Looks great Hza.:)
     
  18. hza

    hza Member

    Hello

    Louise has contacted us, for 6 months we havent heared anything about her, and know finally an email.

    She is doing well, very well. She has a 6 weeks old son, Dylan!

    We hope to restore the contact with her, and the ultimate goal is to meet her.

    Greetz

    Peter

    @ Pegasusgary - please sent us your contact mail - pet.den@skynet.be
     
  19. PegasusGary

    PegasusGary Junior Member

    You may want to start another thread in the 1940 section. The are over 200 aerial photographs in a II Corps file at Kew that map the whole of Lille. There are also quite a lot of original 50:000 scale maps in some of the higher formation BEF files at Kew.

    Is your book on the France and Flanders Campaign or the whole of the war?
    The book covers 2 Lincs 1939-1945 with 2 chapters of brief history 1685-1939. I'm down at Kew next week so I'll have a look for those maps. Many thanks Gary
     
  20. robotbaby1

    robotbaby1 Junior Member

    I am posting this because of the number of similarities that it shares with the account of my Nana (Grandmother) Myra Carr- (Nee Potts).

    She once told me that her brother, Joseph Potts was killed at Dunkirk.
    She was born in Sunderland around 1911with her brothers and sisters to Elizabeth Potts (Nee Fail) and Joseph Potts.

    Summary
    My Great Grandparents
    Elizabeth Fail / Joseph Potts

    Their Children
    Myra (Mary May) Potts, my Nana: Joseph Potts (shot at/near Dunkirk – a good boxer in the army): Gladys Potts: Betty Potts: Frederick Potts (Wagon Driver in Army): Terrence Potts: Josephine Potts: Jack Potts: Elsie Potts

    Not sure if there is a definite connection but there seem a lot of co-incidences if not.
     

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