saint venant 1940-------farm boulet

Hi Dave,
I believe Robecq was in German hands at that time (unsure) The Royal Berks entered the town over the wooden bridge over the LYS .Advancing from Merville where they had been given the task of holding the GUARBECQUE bridge.They reached the HURTEVENT Road initialy protected by the trees once they broke cover they were heavily engaged by German artillery on the other side of LE BASSEE CANAL They suffered a large number of dead and wounded Capt Hall tried to take cover at Ferme LEPOIVRE but was killed whilst doing so .The flat terrain offered no cover the orders were to continue yet German machine guns at the ISBERGUES FACTORY would cut them to pieces.They stayed put pinned down between the Canal de la LYS and the GUARBECQUE river hoping for artillery support. (Source M.Faivre)

Isnt it strange how when you are desperate to find a little snippet of information relating to a particular subject, in this case Anthony Corkhill, you find yourself more than a little distracted by something of great importance but not at all directly relevent to the search .Both John and myself have each found references to other `missing soldiers` commemorated on the Dunkirk Memorial being at St Venant tonight I think I have found another this time a comrade of Anthony 4452575 Pte Charles Richard Minns Son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Henry Minns, of Walker Gate, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in a testimony from DLI Sgt James Wray held at the IWM there is a reference to Sgt Wrays wounding at St Venant as he recalls Pte Hurst dressing his wounds and the Sergeant Major coming up to see what shape the platoon were in he says "..in the meantime Menns had been killed" .(there is no MENNS but there is a Minns So perhaps MINNS is at ST VENANT too but like Anthony commemorated on the DUNKIRK MEMORIAL...

Best

Jim

Hi Jim, well what you have both found does prove that there are others besides Anthony Corkhill "missing" from the official records. I guess given the confused situation at the time in the area we should not be surprised at this, it is likely that men from the other two Battalions are in this situation as well.
Im sure if we keep digging a breakthrough will be made.

Cheers

Dave

Dedicated to the memory of Pte Anthony Corkhill
2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry
Died 29th May 1940 St Venant

73 years to the day.
Years have past but here you are never forgotten

Best

Jim

Nice one Jim and i concur with the sentiment totaly.

Dave

Jim, thank you for your kind sentiments which have added a bit of depth to my day. This morning I had a run through to Durham Cathedral to visit the Durham Light Infantry Chapel and see Anthony's name in the Book of Remembrance. It is rewarding just to have a quiet moment in the little chapel which sits nicely within the imposing Cathedral. Tony

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Verrieres

Dedicated to the memory of Pte Anthony Corkhill
2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry
Died 29th May 1940 St Venant

73 years to the day.
Years have past but here you are never forgotten

Best

Jim

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I am not sure if I am too late but I visited the site of the battle that took place on the morning of the 28th May 1940 in 2007. My father who was in Platoon 18 "D" Company RWF and was fortunate in that he escaped that morning. I cannot confirm the name of the farm but I did take a photograph looking towards the RWF headquarters from the bridge(which I have included below) and one from the RWF headquarters to the bridge. I remember that the DLI Headquarters was about two hundred yards futher along the canal from the RWF Headquarters and indeed in 2007 there was a large building there that could of been a barn. If you were to visit St Venant, stand on the bridge, then walk along the towpath as shown in the photo and when you reach the cemetary the DLI Headquarters will be found, from memory, between the cemetary and the canal.

Taken from the war Diaries of the RWF

"The Canal Bank position was held at this time by theHeadquarters of the R.W.F. and of the D.L.I., together with what remained oftheir respective H.Q. Companies. There was also a M.G. Platoon of theManchester’s in the vicinity. The Battalion had the A.A. L.M.Gs. in a copse tothe West of the cemetery. Outside the cemetery on the South, West, and Eastsides were roughly dug trenches containing some dozen men apiece. On the roadthat ran between the North, or rear end of the cemetery and the canal wasBattalion Headquarters itself, consisting of about four officers and somesignallers, and clerks. Some 150 yards along the road, to the East, the D.L.I.H.Q. occupied a farm along the canal bank. Their dispositions are not known indetail. On either side of the position, from the canal bridge on the right andthe farm on the left, the canal bent slightly towards the rear, a factor thatwas to have an effect on the fighting."

I have uploaded a photograph marking the positions of the headquarters of both regiments. Looking from the bridge they are both on the right with the RWF the closer of the two. I hope this helps.

Roy

Roy, any other slant or opinion on this thread may help to piece things togeather mate.

Cheers

Dave

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dcdl12976

Roy, any other slant or opinion on this thread may help to piece things togeather mate.

Cheers

Dave

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Hi,

Attached is a map of St Venant which provides the positions of the various units that I put together in 2007. I hope it helps.

Roy we have i think had a similar map on here some time back, but nice anyway, dont forget there was a third battalion in the area 1st Royal Berks which is my particular interest because dad was in it. If you check back through the thread you will find his story.

Cheers

Dave

Hello,
It has gone rather quiet on the Anthony Corkhill search I`m not sure if Tony has any updates but until he comes along heres a bit of related information.a while ago someone sold copies of three photographs from St Venant on a well known postcard selling site in France. (Theres still copies there!) It was hinted that two of the photographs showed a massacre site when it was in fact the mass grave referred to earlier and which the CWGC denied all knowledge of despite it being on their website at the time????? If it was a massacre we do not know at least in the sense of a war crime that is.
As one of the lines of enquiry we obtained a list of the unfortunate souls exhumed from this grave.We identified , matched ,cross matched these lists finding a few surprises along the way but...something I missed along the way... the dates of death given for those buried there.
We have seen how unreliable the CWGC dates are for this period however in this grave we have 7 DLI with dates of death between 28th May 1940 and (various). The 28th May 1940 one day after the battle ,one day before the death of Anthony Corkhill. We have always argued that based on their own criteria the CWGC hold or had been supplied with an eye witness report which saw Anthony,certainly alive after RSM Goddards meeting with him on the 27th May,and possibly his death on the 29th May 1940. So I ask who or what document relates to the last sighting of these 7 DLI and the rest of the men in that grave? The various end dates are the dates a body was found not buried hence a soldier listed as died between 28th May 1940 and 1st June 1940 had documented evidence of being alive on the 28th May 1940,he could have died on this date or any other date up until June 1st but he was last seen alive on the 28th (had to be).
One day after the battle ended there is a record of these men alive,just like there is a record of Anthony Corkhill being alive on the 29th May. Is this document one and the same as the one we seek? If theres no document filed under `Corkhill` could it be filed elsewhere under one of the other mens names?
In relation to Tonys last update relating to the unknown next to Syd Walt being a Corporal? Lance Corporal/ Unpaid Lance Corporal? Promoted in the field? If the war diary did`nt survive I doubt field promotions would either there would be no record of it on his service record for May? Perhaps we should`nt discount anything ?

Best

Jim