2092204 Sgt Thomas Wilson 4th RWF - 1944

Thomas Wilson (dob 12/07/18)and his twin brother William Jackson Wilson from Lanarkshire, Scotland volunteered for the army in 1939. It is believed they were soon to find themselves posted to Ireland in the Welch fusiliers. William Wilson transferred to REME and survived the war but Thomas continued in the Welch fusiliers until posted missing around the area of Caen in 1944 at which time he had risen to the rank of sgt. I am trying to find out Thomas's likely postings or duties before his eventual arrival in France and also where he and the regiment were engaged in combat in Normandy. His family believe he went missing on a night operation and it may have been around the time of operation Epsom. We do not know any finer details of his service and would appreciate any information.

posted by his nephew Thomas Wilson

Hi Thomas, welcome to the forum,

Firstly his service details can be found on the Commonwealth Graves Commission Site. He was a member of the 4th Bn. Because he was missing, with no known grave, his name is engraved on the Bayeux Memorial. You will be able to apply for his service record from the MOD by downloading the Next of Kin Form below. http://www.veterans-uk.info/pdfs/ser...rn_kinship.pdf

Complete it fully, enclosing a cheque for £30, and post it to the following address. It will take about 4-6months:

Army Personnel Centre,
Historical Disclosures,
Mail Point 400,
Kentigern House,
65 Brown Street,
Glasgow,
G2 8EX

[if]http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=2628784[/if]

I will try and give some more detail on a further post.

More Information.

The 4th Bn landed at Normandy as part of 158(RWF) Infantry Brigade on the 25th June 1944. The other units that formed that infantry element within the brigade was 6th RWF & 7th RWF. All territorial units.

Your relative Thomas Wilson was killed at the Battle of Evrecy. Which commenced on the 16th July 1944. The brigade had been given the task of capturing Evrecy and the Farm de Mondeville feature south of the town. The brigade moved to the start line on the evening of the 16th, all 3 battalions suffering casualties from german aircraft on the approach march. The 4th Bn established a foothold on the low ridge line north of Evrecy.

The attack commenced at 23.30hrs that night. However they all suffered heavy casualties, indeed one platoon from the 7th Bn did manage to move forward and was never seen again. The weight of fire was such that the 4th and 6th Bn's dug in on the slopes in darkness. At first light it became apparent that the enemy was able to dominate the ground by concealing themselves in the arrable crop fields, creeping forward under cover, sniping and making best use of their automatic weapons. During this period the three battalions suffered casualties, and spent a very uncomfortable day in the open.

Later that day(17th) they tried a further assault on the objective, shortly before dark. The 6th Bn was to capture the village, whilst the 4th Bn advanced on the right flank. Things started off well, however once darkness fell, the defenders gained the advantage, with fierce house to house fighting within the village. Of the 3 forward companies of 4RWF each lost between 35-50% of their strengths, only 2 officers escaped death or injury. It therefore follows that the casualty rate amongst the NCO's would have been high. I will not continue with the detail, as Thomas would have most likely died in the period leading up to, and including that assault.

Have a look at the BBC Website, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3743431.stm

Many survivors have told their story of this battle, and Simon Weston made a documentary following 6 Royal Welchmen who returned to that battlefield, as part of the TV series Weston's Warriors.

As a footnote. The brigade suffered so many RWF casualties in this action, that the political powers were worried that North Wales would suffer more than its fair share of deaths. They did not want a repeat of 1914, where whole Pals Battalions went off to fight together, never to return, leaving small towns with an entire generation wiped out. So it was decided on the 3rd August to split the RWF battalions up, and they were farmed out to different brigades.

Many thanks for your informative and quick reply to my queries. Much of it is new to me as my late father was not one for talking about his twin brothers experience and demise. Thanks also for the links.

Thomas Wilson