Hi All, On a recent trawl of the German Bundesarchiv, I came across the photo below showing the grave of three British soldiers buried by the Germans in Normandy: The marker on the right and the one in the centre are quite clear and a quick Google search brought their details home from 'the Fallen Heroes of Normandy' site: Trooper Philip Lunn (4 County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)) Rifleman Robert John Ring (1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)) Both men were killed one week after D-Day on the 13th June. The marker on the left of the photo was more difficult but after a bit of extended Googling, I believe him to be: Lance Corporal John Cadwaladr Trevor-Roper ((4 County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)) He too was killed on the 13th June and I found exactly how and by whom in this post by 'DPM_Sheep' on the Army Rumour Service forum. It seems L/Cpl Trevor-Roper was the gunner in one of the tanks knocked out by Michael Wittmann in Villers-Bocage on the 13th June. I presume the other two men were also killed in Villers-Bocage - anyone able to find more on them? Thanks, Pat
Interesting Pat, thanks for posting it - My late Uncle Ken was in A company of 1RB, but as I understand it he was sent out as reinforcements after the Villers Bocage debacle. Not sure if I have sent it to you but I have a photo of him and his section by their White half-track taken in April 1945 just after they had been shelled by 88mm by an autobahn up in north Germany. When forming up he was near to an airfield, so he wandered over looking for Dad, but was told that this was a Canadian airstrip but they would take him to 125 Wing at B.11 (Longues-sur-Mer), so they stuck him on a motorcycle and took him to Longues. Dad, and colleagues, were covered in white dust from the cornfields they were operating from and, as my Uncle put it, they were at the cinema. Actually they were watching the cine-camera film linked to the guns, which were put up for the ground echelon to see what the squadrons had been up to. Now B.11 became operational on 25 June, but Dad landed on 18 June, before the Great Storm, on Juno beach, as part of the advance party, and they were originally scheduled to take over Caen/Carpiquet, but the 12th SS Hitler Jugend still held the place, and took a hammering holding the place from the Canadians. As they were known to have murdered some early Canadian prisoners it was a no holds barred battle to clear the place. The convoy was stopped by shelling and they looked down into the ditches beside the road, to see if full of squaddies who said that they were the front line! So they hastily turned their trucks round and set up the first night at Cambes-en-plaine, which I believe had been liberated the day before. After a few other moves they ended up at the location of B.11. regards Allan