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Post by groundhog on Aug 10, 2011 0:24:33 GMT
The SAS in France 1944. While the battle for Normandy was underway the 1st and 2nd SAS Regiments were operating behind German lines in France, disrupting communications, transport and carrying out acts of sabotage. One such group of 12 men was led by Capt Pat Garstin MC. On July 4th the group departed RAF Keevil in Wiltshire aboard a Stirling bomber to fly to France. The Drop Zone was in the Fontainebleu area. As they parachuted to earth the group was ambushed by the Germans. Garstin, Lt Weihe, L/Cpl Howard Lutton and Trooper Thomas Barker were wounded. They along with five others were captured while three men escaped. The nine were taken to Gestapo HQ in Paris. Here Lutton and Weihe were taken to hospital where Lutton died of his wounds. Weihe was operated on for spinal injuries three weeks later. Garstin and Barker had their wounds bandaged. On August 8th the 7 remaining captives were given civilian clothes and were told they were to be taken to Switzerland the following morning to be exchanged for German prisoners of the British. On the morning of the 9th August they were put on a truck and driven out of Paris, not to the Swiss border but to a wooded area near Beauvais, north of the city. At Beauvais the prisoners got off the truck and were marched into the forest, where they were lined up and informed that they were to be executed under the Commando Befehl issued by Hitler. Garstin shouted to everyone to make a dash for it as the Germans opened fire. Two men escaped and the remaining five died. They were buried three days later on the spot by the Germans. After the war the bodies were re-interred in Marissel French National Cemetery in Beauvais. Of the six the men who died the following were Irish. Capt Pat Garstin MC, Royal Ulster Rifles, from Dublin. Tpr Joe Walker, Royal Ulster Rifles, Moira, Co. Down Thomas Barker, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone Billy Young, Royal Ulster Rifles, Randalstown, Co. Antrim L/Cpl Lutton, Royal Ulster Rifles, Northern Ireland. DOW earlier Sgt Thomas Varey the sixth man was from York |
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Post by groundhog on Aug 10, 2011 0:27:53 GMT
I should have credited the information above. It came from Richard Doherty's Irish Volunteers in the Second World War
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Post by TallyhoBob on Aug 10, 2011 0:32:53 GMT
Excellent Report Groundhog..keep em coming
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Post by TallyhoBob on Aug 10, 2011 12:15:26 GMT
Group Captain Francis Victor Beamish, D.S.O. and Bar, D.F.C., A.F.C. 151 Sqdrn,249 Sqdrn,56 Sqdrn,485 (RNZAF) Sqdn., R.A.F. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- R.A.F. AWARDS GALLANTRY IN AIR OPERATIONS MENTIONS IN DESPATCHES Sqdn. Ldr. F.V. Beamish The Times, Wednesday, Mar 13, 1940 Quote: ROYAL AIR FORCE PROMOTIONS SQUADRON LEADER TO BE WING COMMANDER Beamish, F.V., A.F.C. R.A.F. AWARDS INSPIRING LEADERSHIP AND COURAGE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER BEAMISH, Wing Commander Francis Victor, A.F.C. Wing Commander Beamish took over command of a Royal Air Force station after two squadrons there had been intensively engaged in successful fighting operations over France for 13 days, and personally led them on many patrols against the enemy. In June, during an offensive mission over France, six Messerschmitt 109s were destroyed, two of them by Wing Commander Beamish himself, and 12 driven off. One day recently he assisted in the destruction of a Messerschmitt 110, while leading the escort to a convoy, and three days later shot down a Dornier 17. This officer's outstanding leadership and high courage have inspired all those under his command with great energy and dash. Acting Group Captain Francis Victor Beamish was awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Service Order in August, 1941. R.A.F. AWARDS DEVOTED LEADERSHIP RECOGNIZED BAR TO THE D.S.O. AIR GP/CAPT. F.V. BEAMISH, D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C. Gp/Capt. Beamish commanded an R.A.F. station from October, 1940, to March, 1941, and carried out 71 operational sorties in which he destroyed an enemy fighter, probably destroyed three other hostile aircraft, and damaged others. Since his appointment to group headquarters he has probably destroyed two more enemy aircraft. The courage and devotion to duty displayed by Gr/Capt. Beamish are of the highest order, and he has set a magnificent example London Gazette: 20 February 1940 www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34795/supplements/105612 March 1940 www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34810/pages/147323 July 1940 www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34903/pages/45298 November 1940 www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34987/pages/6440www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1083616Group Captain FRANCIS VICTOR BEAMISH, D S O and Bar, D F C, A F C, 16089, 485 (R.N.Z.A.F.) Sqdn., Royal Air Force who died age 39 on 28 March 1942 Son of Francis George Beamish, and of Mary Elizabeth Beamish, of Castlerock, Co. Derry. Remembered with honour RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 64. |
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Post by TallyhoBob on Aug 10, 2011 12:17:57 GMT
Wing Commander Francis Victor Beamish Killed In Action 28/03/1942
28 march 1942
No.485 (RNZAF) Squadron
G/C. F V. Beamish DSO* DFC AFC.
Spitfire Vb W3649 FV-B
Rodeo (Fighter sweep over enemy territory) sortie pm. Missing over the Channel (JG26 claim)
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Post by commandocon on May 18, 2012 18:12:49 GMT
My uncle, Sgt. Chris O'Dowd from Shrule Co. Mayo was one of the original SAS. He was awarded the Millitary Medal and was killed in action at Termoli, Italy in 1943. He had several Irish comrades from both sides of the border. They even had shamrocks painted on the bonnets of their jeeps!
His Biography; 'He Who Dared and Died' was published recently by Pen & Sword.
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Post by groundhog on May 19, 2012 20:43:43 GMT
Welcome to the board and thanks for sharing. If you have a photo of your Uncle please post it.
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Post by groundhog on Jun 6, 2012 19:34:56 GMT
D-Day - remembering Fethard men who fought in in World War 2
From the Clonmel Nationalist 5th June 2004.
Next Sunday world wide events mark the 60th anniversary of the allied Forces landing on the Normandy beaches in France on what has become universally known as D-Day.
RTE promote a special D-Day weekend to mark the occasion. Many of the veterans of that historic event will present in Normandy to mark the occasion and no doubt remember their fallen comrades.
D-Day marked the beginning of the end of World War II and it is only fitting we should remember the Fethard men who fought in that terrible conflict of 1939-1945. Killed in action were two Fethard men, Mr Jim Davis, Killusty, died in Belgium and his near neighbour, Rory La Terrier, Kiltinan Castle, was killed in action during the last few days of the North of France campaign.
Gus Kenrick, the only Fethard man to actually land on the Normandy beaches, fought throughout the entire campaign. Dick McCormack, Kilnockin, who also kept a day-to-day diary of his experiences, and John Fahy, Crampscastle, landed on the toe of Italy and were engaged in all the major battles in the Italian campaign, including the major battle of Monte Cassino. This battle consisted of four separate battles fought over the course of five months. The key significance of these battles was that it led to the eventual link up between the Allied troops trapped further North and their comrades further south. This link up of forces led to the eventual capture of Rome on June 4th 1944. This was the first Axis capital to fall to the Allies and this event did considerable damage to the enemy’s morale.
Jack Grant, The Valley, saw a lot of active service with his regiment, the Irish Guards. Tommy Murphy, also an Irish Guards man, was engaged in action throughout. His mother received a telegram from the War Office stating, "We regret to inform you, that your son Timmy is missing in action believed killed."
Tommy, an army-boxing champion, must not have been the best of correspondents. Imagine his mother’s surprise and delight when some three years after receiving the telegram, Tommy, without any prior notice, walked in the door of his family home in Sparagoleith.
Tim Vigors, Tullamaine, an RAF fighter pilot, took part in many of the fierce aerial battles over the English southern coastline. Dick Rice of Derryluskin flew 38 bombing missions over Germany with the RAF Bomber Command and returned safely, several times just about, from each one. In the 2,074 days and nights between 3rd September 1939 and 7th - 8th August 1945 a total of 387,416 sorties were flown, over 955,000 tons of bombs were dropped and 8953 aircraft were lost.
These were the Fethard men who saw active service with the Allied forces in the Second World War. They were not inclined to speak of their experiences, which were very traumatic. A soldiers first duty when on active service was to kill or be killed. Gus Kenrick did recall that the soldier he stood beside and chatted with on the landing craft going over to France was shot dead in the water on disembarking and never set foot on French soil.
Gus, in the homily at his requiem mass, had requested that the congregation pray for his army comrades who died in various parts of the world, especially those who fell on the long road to Bremen.
Perhaps this is a good time to remember the Fethard men, especially those who took part in Work War II. We have written the above from memory and no doubt there are many others we have forgotten to mention. There was Dick Nagle, Christy Mathews, Tommy King, Tommy Fitzpatrick, Paddy Madden who served in the RAF Ground Forces. Tommy Fitzpatrick, of all those mentioned, is the only one still with us and still going strong in New York.
There must be many out there who recall relatives who took part in the war. The Fethard Historical Society would like to hear from them. The Fethard soldiers of World War íí come from all strata of society — from castle and cottage, from countryside and town — all brought together under a common band.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.
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Post by groundhog on Jun 28, 2012 21:16:59 GMT
Wilmhelmshaven Raid 4th September 1939 [/center] For Britain 4th September 1939 was the second day of World War 2. For Bomber Command it was time to launch the first raids of the war. 15 Blenheim medium bombers of 107 and 110 Sqdns flew a mission to attack German ships in Wilhemshaven. In conjunction with this raid 14 Wellingtons of 9 Sqdn attacked shipping in Brunsbuttel. Five planes from each raid turned back having failed to find their target. The remaining Blenheims, five from each squadron, carried out low-level attacks on the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer and on the cruiser Emden in Wilhelmshaven harbour. The Admiral Scheer was hit by three bombs which failed to explode while the Emden suffered minor damage when a 110 Sqdn Blenhiem- N6199 VE, crashed into it. Ironically that plane was flown by a Flying Officer Emden. All four crew died on this plane. Of the five planes of 107 Squadron, four were shot down over Wilhelmshaven. The plane numbers were N6184 OM, N6188 OM, N6189 OM, N6240 OM. Ten men were killed and two survived, both in N6240. The two survivors were Sgt George Booth and AC1 Larry Slattery from Thurles. Both men were captured and spent the next six years as POWs in Germany, officially they were the first British POWs of WW2. Larry Slattery’s capture was reported in the Guardian in September 1939. He was interviewed ina German radio show for broadcast to Britain as propaganda. In the interview he said he had broken his jaw when his plane crashed. All the crew of the other planes died in the attack. All these planes were hit by flak from the ships they were attacking or the Admiral Hipper. The pilot of N6188 OM was Flying Officer Billy Murphy from Mitchelstown, Co. Cork. He is buried in Sage War Cemetery, Germany. Strangely, if you check out the Tipperary Wall thread, you’ll find Sgt Bill Mullally from Mullinahone, KIA in 1940 with the same squadron. |
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