4188082 Sjt David Griffiths

**Drew5233** · 30-05-2015, 15:10

I wouldn't trust FWR either - They are as dodgy as a dodgy thing on a hot dodgy day.

Anyway I find one entry so far of him in the Missing Men file and he's listed as C Company and Dead, not missing. I'm still looking...

**Drew5233** · 30-05-2015, 15:11

I wouldn't trust FWR either - They are as dodgy as a dodgy thing on a hot dodgy day.

Anyway I've found one entry so far of him in the Missing Men file and he's listed as C Company and Dead, not missing. I'm still looking...

Edit - That's all I could find on him in the missing men file looking at nominal rolls.

**ap1** · 30-05-2015, 16:15

Originally Posted by Drew5233

I wouldn't trust FWR either - They are as dodgy as a dodgy thing on a hot dodgy day..

Agreed, but that record group is still a useful resource. What was the date given of his death on your source?

**Drew5233** · 30-05-2015, 19:09

There is a date. The page appears to be the Missing Casualty Report No. 238. It has C Company written at the top and lists his name rank and No. all typed and then dead written in hand.

Do you not have a copy of the 1 RWF and Missing Men file covering the BEF?

**ap1** · 30-05-2015, 19:30

No! Everything I have is 44/45 NWE/Burma.

**ivor43** · 30-05-2015, 19:32

hi all.
the date of 24th is a bit suspect as well. the W.D. tells us that on that date the Bgd was in Calonne but were not in action until the evening when they came under fire on approach to St Floris. this is the action in which Lt Garnette and others were killed. These men are buried in St Floris. But the CWGC give the date of 23rd as DoD which i think we accepted in the other thread.
This would mean that on 24th the action had moved from the Calonne area to St Floris/St Venant area. this would mean that if he was killed in that area it is highly unlikely that he
would be buried in Calonne. there were British troops still in calonne as Bgd Hq. was there at that time. i do not recall that any action took place there around that time. i think it was some days later that the Germans reached the area.
This is why i wished to know if he had been wounded, as that would have been a possible reason for him to be in Calonne, in the Field Aid Post. as we know that at least 3 Brits died on that day and i think that some of the 14 unknowns may also have died the same day, which i am going to try to confirm, this leads me to the suspicion raised in my earlier post

**dcdl12976** · 31-05-2015, 09:32

Ivor it was the 24th that dad said the Royal Berks platoon were hit by friendly fire on the south side of the canal from Haverskerque, of course how accurate his memory is after so many years and he being 96 is anyones guess

**dcdl12976** · 31-05-2015, 09:41

The cwwgc records for Haverskerque say dads mate died on the 25th so it may be that dads memory is faulty or after so much time before his body being moved from the roadside grave to the cemetery the date is wrong on his record.

Rank:Lance CorporalService No:5336849Date of Death:25/05/1940Age:19Regiment/Service:Royal Berkshire Regiment 1st Bn. Grave Reference: Row EE. Grave 12. Cemetery:HAVERSKERQUE BRITISH CEMETERYAdditional Information:Additional Information:Son of Laurence Bright Joynson and Ethel Vera Joynson, of Warwick.

**Drew5233** · 31-05-2015, 10:15

Originally Posted by ap1

No! Everything I have is 44/45 NWE/Burma.

You D-Day fan boys-Don't you know the battle may have been lost in France during 1940 but it was where the war was won :D

Get another order when you are ready and you can have the BEF stuff for free ;)

**ivor43** · 31-05-2015, 10:16

thanks Dave.
I think your dad is right. I think in this instance the CWGC are right that Lt Garnette and the others were killed on 23rd. This would allow time for your dad's Co and A & C Co RWF to have passed through St Venant, which was undefended, on 24th. But if Sgt Griffiths had been killed on 24th it is very unlikely that he would have been buried in Calonne, several miles away. I would have expected him to have been in St Venant or St Floris.
Apart from him being in Hospital at Calonne. there may be another possible reason for him being in the Calonne area at that time. as we know on 27th a number of men were being marched away as PoW's, which is when RSM Goddard saw Anthony. there may be the possibility that these PoW's may have been held in the Calonne area for some time while other pow were rounded up prior to being marched off to Poland. But unless we know if he was wounded, or cause of death we can only guess.

ivor