David Charles Edwards

[dcdl12976]

Guys a fellow reenactor has asked me to try to get some basic info on his grandfather.

Name: David Charles Edwards
Service Number:4199610
Rank: Fusilier

fought in Arromanches.
He was captured shortly after and sent to a camp in Poland called Stalag 8B.
He was forced onto a death march but survived.

Any info to help him gratefully received Thanks

Dave

[dcdl12976]

After pointing him to the forces war records site he has this additional info
POW No.82801
Fate: Prisoner of war

It seems that it was written whilst he was a POW, it says 'Resided town: Stalag 8B, Teschen'.
'Resided country: Poland'.

[ap1]

Attested 28 May 1940. He departed the regiment on the 12 Sept 1945, moving to the RASC. Does your friend know which battalion he was with?

[dcdl12976]

Thanks Al sorry no that's all the info he has but from what I can tell it can be one of three 4th, 6th and 7th not that that helps much

[Drew5233]

Never use Forces War Records and tell your friend to make sure his DD is cancelled or they will keep taking money from his account.

[dcdl12976]

Will do mate thanks for that

[ap1]

I can't see his name on the 4, 6th, & 7th Bn missing 44-45. Maybe he was attached to Brigade HQ.

Also Arromanche! no fighting here by the time 158 Inf Bde landed on the 23/24th June. They only paused at the beaches, within 24hrs they had already moved beyond Bayeaux. I wonder if he landed on D-Day 6th June, but i'm not sure who with? I think you need to question your friend, just in case there are other little titbits to be mentioned. I would certainly expect Caen and Evrecy to be part of the conversation, as they took place in mid-July, indeed most of the early POW's are taken at this point. I would expect a veteran of 158 Inf Bde to have mentioned Evrecy/Caen rather than Arromanche, which really only had relevence to the D-Day Troops, who had to fight to secure it.

[dcdl12976]

Thanks Al will do mate though he says his granddad used to visit a cemetary near Arromanches to pay his respects to fallen comrades.

[ap1]

The main cemetery at Ryes:

A small number of RWF, a mixture of 4th, 6th + 7th Bn's

http://rwf-forum.co.uk/vBulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=4176&stc=1

[dcdl12976]

Thanks Again Al

[dcdl12976]

The 53rd (Welsh) Division landed in Normandy on 28 June 1944 the second last infantry division to land, and was placed under command of XII Corps, now defending the Odon Valley position. The division was involved in heavy fighting in this area, with the 158th brigade detached to fight with the 15th (Scottish) in the second battle of the Odon (Operation Greenline) from what I found out

158 infantry brigade
4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (left 3 August 1944)
6th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (left 3 August 1944)
7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (left 27 April 1945, rejoined 14 June 1945)
There is a couple more possibilits though in the same brigade were 1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment (from 4 August 1944) and 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers (from 26 April 1945)
So I do agree its unlikely if not impossible he was any where near any fighting at Arromanches.
I have advised him to get his Grandads service record at least that will tell us the units he served in and dates for same.
I wonder if the story has been corrupted over the years and he was not in the RWF but one of the other Welsh regiments but for some reason said he was a Fusilier

[ap1]

Where did he get his service number from originally? We know there was a D C Edwards in the bag….We just don't know his battalion or when he was captured.

[dcdl12976]

will ask him Al thanks

[dcdl12976]

just checked is POW record is on ancestry but I don't have access sadly from the search criteria I put in it would appear he WAS RWF

[ap1]

Agreed. However, how does your friend link his father, with that man on Ancestry?…..Where did your friend get his fathers service number from? Normally familys who don't have much detail on a WW2 veteran, rarely have the service number?

[dcdl12976]

I have to say I did wonder myself I have sent a message asking him