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

[dcdl12976]

This however does fit with a map posted by John many pages back http://rwf-forum.co.uk/vBulletin/att...3&d=1341700039 and I seem to remember that the Berkshires had an aid post very close to there HQ now is it possible that the RSM (and Antony) were for some reason visiting the Royal Berks HQ ? and the Germans used the British aid post for themselves after the withdrawal of the Berkshires across the canal foot bridge if so could Anthony have been taken from the canal bank to there which would have been the nearest aid post. Dad says it was regiment Germania that attacked the HQ at dawn on the 27th he knows because he saw several soldiers with the cuff title Germania dead afterwards.

Just a thought to be considered folks.

By the way John further to a post by you (about 108 I think) The history of the royal Berkshire regiment states May 25th By nightfall the battalion held forward of the long bend of the Lys canal between St Venant and the forest, with battalion headquarters in Bas Hamel and C company in reserve behind Haverskerque on there right were a weak pioneer battalion and on there left the 2nd Durham Light infantry this seems to confirm that the DLI were in the area as stated by Captain Cyril Mosley Townsend 2nd Bn DLI.

[Verrieres]

Only D Company 2DLI were in the area of The Royal Berks. RSM Goddard wasn't there he too is referred to in a second diary of Michael Farr (2DLI) at the bridge with HQ Company attempting to move a burning ammo truck? Nice to have confirmation of Johns initial information on Ferme Boulets location.

Jim

[Verrieres]

Hello ,

Just to update There was no response to my FOI request. A follow up enquiry to the clerk at the MoD who acknowledged the request has also not even received an acknowledgement.
In one of the last documents I received from Mr Brian Sim it sets out the War Office (MoD) requirement for the announcement of `presumed casualties` in the document it states "It has been decided that the names of Officers and Other ranks whose deaths have been presumed will not be released to the press and in the case of a Certificates of Death they will show that Death is `Presumed` "......Anthony Corkhill`s states `Died of Wounds`(not presumed)
From the same document are the four criteria needing to be met for casualties these are;-

Cat A .. THOSE IN WHICH WE HAVE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO ACCEPT AS EVIDENCE OF DEATH.

Cat B.. THOSE IN WHERE THERE IS EVIDENCE WHICH THOUGH NOT FULLY CONCLUSIVE CAN BE HELD TO JUSTIFY ACCEPTANCE OF DEATH IN VIEW OF THE LAPSE OF TIME

Cat C.. THOSE CASES IN WHICH THERE IS EVIDENCE WHICH TO SOME EXTENT IS HELPFUL BUT ONE THAT DOES NOT ENABLE US TO DEAL WITH THE CASE OTHER THAN AS ONE OF PRESUMPTION IN VIEW OF LAPSE OF TIME

Cat D.. THOSE CASES IN WHICH THERE IS NO EVIDENCE AT ALL.

A,B,C all seem likely with the key word `EVIDENCE` its there somewhere ..............so why can we not find it?

Best Wishes

Jim

[ivor43]

hi.
interesting info. however i think in Anthony's case it may be in cat1. It was specific 29th may. not ''about'' or between so and so dates.

ivor

[Verrieres]

Hello Ivor,
That's what I was thinking but yesterday I re-read Anthony Corkhill`s death notification and it reads as "...it has been decided by The War Office Casualty Branch that in view of information received by that department and the lapse of time during which no further information has been received your son 4449417 Pte Anthony Corkhill 2nd Durham Light Infantry will be presumed to have died from wounds on or since 29th May 1940"

This appears to place Anthony into Cat B or C as there is reference to lapse of time? This still indicates that there was further `EVIDENCE` other than what we know from RSM Goddard`s testimony dated the 27th May 1940 ,as you rightly point out Ivor we have a `Specific` date 29th May 1940? The letter was dated November 1941 and was from Hawkhill, Edinburgh 7 not the casualty department at BlueCoat Lane Liverpool.
Initial Conclusion (in my view) Further `Evidence` was received other than that of RSM Goddard regarding Pte Corkhill`s fate after the RSM saw him on the canal bank else the notification would have read `..on or since the 27th May 1940`?
Further Question ,was further information received by the Casualty department after the notification was sent to the family on 28th November 1941 that elevated the case to Cat A with the date of death now given not as `on or since 29th May 1940`but as Ivor points out `Specifically 29th May 1940`
Either way there still appears to be something we are not being told, if its a further sighting then why not come out and say it? The `missing men file` bears no mention of an enquiry into Anthony Corkhills whereabouts and I have always thought that was because enough evidence was initially provided to `KNOW` Anthony Corkhill was `DEAD`? Yet I now realise from the Red Cross correspondence that at least one enquiry was made to RSM Goddard, (We have a copy of the correspondence) so why no mention or copy documents in the `Missing Men File` Who has removed the enquiry ,why did they move the enquiry and who provided the further information post May 27th 1940 that decided the date May 29th 1940?

Jim

[Baconwallah]

Sound reasoning, Jim.

John

[Verrieres]

Hello John,

Thanks sometimes I start to doubt my reasoning and have to put it down in black and white . If I stray into fantasy let me know :)

Jim

Ps Thanks to all on this thread cracking team :)

[Baconwallah]

In the Netherlands any government body which does not answer a FOI request within a set period of time (one or two months, I think) has to pay a fine which goes to the person requesting the information. It certainly helps to keep the penpushers on their toes. On the other hand, some people make a living out of sending in unanswerable FOI requests...

John

[ivor43]

Hi Folks.
Very sound reasoning Jim. but we do know of another inquirery that was made. If my memory is still good, do we not have a reference to a War Crimes File opened on the St Venant- Calonne area. which was not pursued, possibly because the offender was killed on the eastern front. If this could be found it may provide an answer.
As you are all by now well aware of my liking for Anthony's murder in the Hospital at Calonne. This could possibly add further support for my theory. If, for instance, the War Crimes Team had found evidence to support the report of the murders in hospitals, not only Calonne. Then a specific date could be placed on the Death. ie 29th May. you may recall from another thread that a Sgt Griffiths is also recorded as dead 29th may also Calonne.
Now. i would think that Any Relevant Documentation would have been transferred to this War Crimes file, which may account for the reason it can not be found on the Original files. So we are possibly looking for the Wrong Files. If a file was opened on a War Crime i doubt it would be destroyed so it may be buried in the Archives somewhere, Hopefully. Problem is would there be any chance of a FOI request turning anything up. might be worth a shot..



ivor.

[ivor43]

hi.
as a PS to the above.Would the War Crimes Commission hold their own files. as opposed to them being held by MoD etc



ivor