dcdl12976
19-03-2015, 20:40
Folks i hope to go on this tour next year http://www.leger.co.uk/tours/bdk/dunkirk-and-fortress-europe/Itinerary because dad would like me to place a wreath on his mate Jonnos grave at Haverskerquer not far from St Venant, many of you remember im sure his story posted by me on the St Venant thread a year or so ago but for tose new to the forum or who didnt see his story i repost it here.
Dad was in France with the 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment 6 Brigade he spent his 21st birthday (24th October) on the Belgium border later they retreated to a place called St Venant in northern France where his platoon was guarding a crossroads near a footbridge over the canal when they were hit by there own artillery killing most and wounding Dad he tells me his mate Jonno (the son of a retired Brigadier) died in his arms at the crossroads and he buried him there, after this a forward artillery controller ran up saying how sorry he was they thought the Germans were in that area.
Dad was evacuated from Brey sands and returned to England to hospital in Warwick where he knew Jonno,s parents lived so he asked a nurse to get the Brigadier and his wife to come and see him so he could tell them what had happened to there son, after leaving hospital he was told he was not going back to the Royal Berks but was going for Parachute training. He went to RAF Cardington (Home of the airships) and did parachute drops from balloons (yes i know all para training was supposedly done at Ringway but he is adamant). Next he was sent to the South coast at Shorncliff to a small airfield close by and remembers on nights off going to a ballroom overlooking the cliffs and it was from that airfield he made a lot of landings or para drops into occupied Northern France delivering equipment and people to the resistance, i asked him why he was chosen and he said because they wanted people with a knowledge of the area and who spoke fluent French (which until then i did not know he spoke french).
This is as much as i have been able to get out of him im afraid, he keeps telling me he didnt know who he was working for which i dont believe though apparently many working for MI5 and SOE did not, difficult to prove since most of SOE,s records were destroyed by fire in there offices in Baker street just after the war.
Sorry i cant tell you more but i only got this out of him because he asked me to find out if Jonno was buried in a proper cemetary (which i did and he is (Haverskerque) just North of where he was killed and quickly buried.
For obvious reasons i have not posted a full name for Jonno but dads name is Ronald Edward Cooke sadly at 96 he is to frail to come with me but i want to do this for him.
Cheers
Dave
Dad was in France with the 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment 6 Brigade he spent his 21st birthday (24th October) on the Belgium border later they retreated to a place called St Venant in northern France where his platoon was guarding a crossroads near a footbridge over the canal when they were hit by there own artillery killing most and wounding Dad he tells me his mate Jonno (the son of a retired Brigadier) died in his arms at the crossroads and he buried him there, after this a forward artillery controller ran up saying how sorry he was they thought the Germans were in that area.
Dad was evacuated from Brey sands and returned to England to hospital in Warwick where he knew Jonno,s parents lived so he asked a nurse to get the Brigadier and his wife to come and see him so he could tell them what had happened to there son, after leaving hospital he was told he was not going back to the Royal Berks but was going for Parachute training. He went to RAF Cardington (Home of the airships) and did parachute drops from balloons (yes i know all para training was supposedly done at Ringway but he is adamant). Next he was sent to the South coast at Shorncliff to a small airfield close by and remembers on nights off going to a ballroom overlooking the cliffs and it was from that airfield he made a lot of landings or para drops into occupied Northern France delivering equipment and people to the resistance, i asked him why he was chosen and he said because they wanted people with a knowledge of the area and who spoke fluent French (which until then i did not know he spoke french).
This is as much as i have been able to get out of him im afraid, he keeps telling me he didnt know who he was working for which i dont believe though apparently many working for MI5 and SOE did not, difficult to prove since most of SOE,s records were destroyed by fire in there offices in Baker street just after the war.
Sorry i cant tell you more but i only got this out of him because he asked me to find out if Jonno was buried in a proper cemetary (which i did and he is (Haverskerque) just North of where he was killed and quickly buried.
For obvious reasons i have not posted a full name for Jonno but dads name is Ronald Edward Cooke sadly at 96 he is to frail to come with me but i want to do this for him.
Cheers
Dave