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

[ivor43]

good morning.

Welcome Andy.
I assume this is your Grandfather.

EVANS, ALBERT EDWARD Warrant Officer Class III 4180444 25/05/1940 38 Royal Welch Fusiliers United Kingdom Plot 4. Row C. Grave 38. ST. VENANT COMMUNAL CEMETERY

If you have the Book by M Faivre, you probably have a very good source of info re St Vennant. As you may recall M Faivre was very helpful in the search for Tom Rodgers, but has not seen fit to assist in this search for Anthony Corkhill.
i will see what i can come up with, but others may have more info than me.

ivor

[ivor43]

Hi. Ivor here again.
As you can appreciate ,this is a large thread. What i am going to write is from Memory. With regard to Dates. There is some Confusion with regard to Actual dates, for instance the War Diary has an error and the CWGC also has errors. So, Let us assume that the DoD was 25th. You state that the book says that Evans was wounded and died some time later. Evidence from the War Diary indicates that the unit was in St Vennant from the 24th. The Town, at that time, appears to have been Unoccupied as we have Evidence that a Party of German Bridge Engineers was seen approaching from Haveskirque, which were attacked, The main thrust continued through the Town until they came up against German Defenses just outside. The British troops were ordered to fall back to a Defensive line at St Floris. However this order was countermanded and they returned to the St Vennant area. This caused a massive amount of confusion, the British 'arty' who were firing from 'the Foret de Neippe' to the North were unaware of this change. and we have an actual ''Eye witness'' account of a 'Friendly Fire' incident.
As far as i can recall the Bridge was still intact when the German's took the Town on 26th.
in Summary. I think it highly likely that your Grandfather was wounded in the attack on the German Engineers who were crossing the bridge on 24th dying of his wounds the following day.
However this is Just My Opinion. others may think different. As i said previously this whole action is covered with Confusion.


ivor

[ivor43]

me again.
well the old memory still seems to be working. but this took a bit of digging back. to 16.2.15 post 802. Have a look at it ,page 81. again the date/info is subject to question as Capt Clough - Taylor was NOT KIA on 26th. He actually survived the War. this was painted whilst he was a PoW.

again just a posibility.


ivor

[ivor43]

Hi, me again.

I would just like to clarify something.in my post 882 i was considering the action against the German Engineers as the only 'Firefight' on or near the Bridge. i considered the action portrayed by Capt Clough - Taylor as part of the Strategic Withdrawal of the Brigade. This was a Withdrawal under fire so it may well be possible that this was when your Grandfather was wounded.Sorry about the error.(senior moment)


ivor

[Verrieres]

Its been quite awhile since I posted regarding Anthony Corkhill, I have had no contact from Tony but that `may` be down to email problems. I haven`t given up the search but there is a possibility that Anthony Corkhill may have actually been positively identified amongst the dead however in official records his name was `Corthill` and as there was no `Corkhill` it may have been assumed that the identification was made in error and the body was buried as an unknown (instead of common sense and regimental records being applied).
The `missing men` file which listed `Corthill` as dead appears to be from 1941 and was an assumption as I have obtained numerous copies of original casualty lists which have reference to `Anthony Corthill` as missing and presumed died of wounds from 1941 ? Then there`s an official amendment made stating past references to the name `Corthill` should be substituted for `Corkhill` the date of the amendment appears to correspond with Anthony Corkhill`s fathers correspondence on his sons disappearance and the repatriation of DLI stretcher bearers who were regarded as `Protected Personnel. . In the past I have assumed the investigation into Anthony Corkhill`s disappearance had either been lost or deliberately suppressed it could be no investigation was ever carried out because his name was simply never on any list?
The cause of death whether `murdered` or `died of wounds` is still not known the `Q` reference may relate to a war crime or such like or it could simply refer to `Q for Question `. The Question being `was` there a `Pte Anthony Corkhill` and referred for clarification which `may` have come back as a `NO` just `Corthill` ? Common sense would suggest the correct reply would have been "Are you sure Corthill isnt misspelled Corkhill " . I have found other references to `Q` references on the released CWGC grave registration files (not on Anthony Corkhill`s I might add. ) which refer to simple misspelled surnames which have resulted in the name being struck through and subsequently that soldiers name was added to a memorial rather than a marked grave.
If Anthony Corkhill was murdered or died of wounds I still don`t know but another real option I now have to explore is `Was Anthony buried as an unknown due to a simple clerical error?` The CWGC documents are from 1957 and do not show any of the original corrections I have asked if they retain earlier documents but was simply told the scanned documents on display were those which could be digitally scanned and reproduced online which to me reads "Yes we may have earlier but these are in poorer condition?"
The returning DLI stretcher bearers (6 found and verified to date) confirm they were captured by the SS or as they called them `The Deaths Head Hussars` and they described the fighting as frenzied. One in particular brought back with him a skull ring from an SS Trooper (although how he retained this through a year in captivity is not stated)
Documentation regarding shootings at St Venant were sent to SHAEF according to the MoD but the St Venant ones were sent back to the War Office reference GAP 000.5-2 (104) Dated 11th March 1945. The OIC was at this time a Captain Barnes SIO Special Enquiries Branch.
Details on Pte Corkhill`s record were changed on the 19th March 1941 to assumed as `Died of Wounds` with confirmation of death in File Ref Cas 469/DLI 26th November 1941 . It was November 1941 that the Stretcher Bearers came home ? More questions and no answers I`m afraid.
One thing I did find in an old newspaper search was an appeal by a Robert (Bob) Corkhill for anyone who served with Anthony Corkill to get in touch ? `Bob` stated he had records from the DLI but needed to speak with those who had been there?`



Best Wishes


Jim

[Baconwallah]

Good to hear from you again, Jim. Don't give up!

John

[Verrieres]

Hello John,

No I wont give up Thanks. Today this was brought to my attention and just brings the task of finding the relevant documents back into the realms of reality? The TV show `Dickinsons Real Deal ` had a young man selling his Grandfathers documentation regarding the investigation of war crimes in 1940 ? The Grandfather was a German born British Intelligence officer Major Richard Richter. Amongst the documents were statements from German and British troops involved in massacres including those at Wormhout and le Paradis. SS statements and British witnesses which the Grandson stated showed there was a miscarriage of justice in not prosecuting a senior German SS General. The seller wanted originally £150 but the dealers willingness to offer more (£450) led him to auction the documents.
The Auction was held at Peter Wilson Auctioneers ,prior to the sale The Intel Corps Museum made him (seller) an undisclosed offer which he refused .The bidding started at £700 and the documents sold to an internet bid of £1000. Take home for the seller £800. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the MoD cannot find the records because they are in individual hands?


My first thought was they should have been bought back by the Government ..but they were the ones who lost them originally :(

Cheers

Jim

[Verrieres]

Is it really so long since I updated this thread. Time does indeed fly. First, although the search goes on and has now been joined by other families of other soldiers lost at St Venant I have taken a back seat to see if actual blood relatives have any better luck unlocking the records which I am constantly told do not exist.
On a similar journey, I undertook a search to uncover the fate of another DLI soldier but this time I was a little more successful, finding two eyewitness statements and a sketch map of his grave . The soldier was buried as an unknown next to a named officer . The officer was moved to a CWGC cemetery however the CWGC insist that although they accept that this was probably my soldier theres no record he was ever moved from his temporary battlefield grave and have no exhumation records relating to this nor any maps of the temporary graves . My arguement that they would not exhume the officer without the soldier was met with `the grave could have been bombed or shelled and lost prior to the exhumation ` Yet the record of the exhumation of the officer survived? I asked about the statements I had and the sketch map and was told they were aware of these in 1946 when the former commanding officer enquired about the same soldier . The view was if the investigation team in 1946 didnt act then there was nothing new now to change the policy. Without the CWGC approval it won`t be elevated to the JCC so there it ended . Email after Email all met with "no,that doesnt change anything`
Probably be the same attitude should `Tony` turn anything up . I havent spoken to Tony for quite a few years and I notice his profile here has him listed as a `guest` . Hopefully if he has uncovered something he will pop in and let us know ? Up until now I have still drawn a blank :(

Happy New Year everyone

Jim

[Baconwallah]

Long time no see, Jim. Good to have you back.

Re you unproductive discussions with the CWGC, I have a similar experience with the MOD who maintain that a man of 1 RWF who died in Dec 1914 changed his identity and regiment on the way from his original grave to the concentration cemetery.

Happy New Year and keep safe!

John

[Verrieres]

Thanks John, After we searched for Ferme Boulet for so long , I eventually discovered there was indeed an `Unknown` buried at the farm of Victor Boulet . He is at St Venant Communal Cemetery but again no one knows nothing about it . People with long memories will recall Teecees original appeal
" at around noon on the 27th May 1940, a British soldier, wounded in both legs, was shot in the head by an SS Officer in the vicinity of Farm Boulet. A few days later he was buried, more or less where he was shot, near the road to Robecq. The farm may have been owned or tenanted by a Victor Boulet who was one of two witnesses to this shooting and gave this farm as his address."
Well we found where the farm had been and then confirmation of the unknown buried at the farm then silence (again) Still chipping away though :)

Jim