The Salerno Times 16/9/43

The latest addition to my 16 DLI site is in the Letters and Documents section and is the 16/9/43 edition of The Salerno Times, a one-page, one-sided newspaper which was published on the beach head during the early days of the landings. This has been copied from a very battered original loaned to me by Captain Gordon Harris, who commanded the 16 DLI Signal Platoon at this time. This is the link to the newspaper: http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page284.html

And this is a link to a smaller version, which puts the item in the context of 16 DLI's role in the Salerno landings, which is in the Concise History part of the site:
http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page98.html

I've also finally got round to updating my associated Thornley Colliery site-after a two year lay-off!--ad this now includes an updated caption, with several corrected names, for the

1968 St Godric's RC school photograph of Mr McGarr's class,

which includes yours truly.

Stalag 4B POW Numbers in the 228000 Range

I've now gone back to the Stalag 4B POW numbers listing which has been on the Prisoners of War part of the site for while and have began to update it with many additional names and numbers.

The reasoning behind this is to establish just exactly who my father and his ex-Camp PG 53 colleagues were with on the day that their German POW numbers were issued in October 1943. I already have a near complete run of names and numbers in the immediate range of my father's number, 227987. Now I am expanding the list in either direction, out to numbers in the 225000 and 251000 range.

There are still many gaps, but the listing already gives a good indication both of the huge variety of regiments that were jumbled up together at Stalag 4B and and of the many different work camps that the men were sent to. I've also added the site search button to this page to make it easier to search for a specific surname or number.

Here's a link to the revamped opening page of this section.

http://stalag4d.atspace.co.uk/page75.html

And here's the link to the page featuring the number of Pte T Tunney and some of the other men who ended up in the Bad Schmiedeberg work camp with him.

http://stalag4d.atspace.co.uk/page396.html

I've also added the name and Stalag 4B number of Australian pilot Geoff Taylor, whose 1955 book Piece of Cake, is one of the best books that I have read about the POW experience in WW2. To my mind, this book is a must read for anyone with an interest in Stalag 4B.

A small scan of the cover of the 1957 paperback edition is featured on the first link above and I've included a short appreciation and an enlarged front and rear scan on this page:

http://stalag4d.atspace.co.uk/page120.html

C Company, 16 DLI, 1942

In the March 24th 2009 update I have added photographs of Les and Stan Bernard of Scarborough, who both served in C Company, 16 DLI with my father in 1942-43. Stan Bernard was killed on 27/2/43 at Sedjenane. His cousin Les went on to serve in the 1st Battalion DLI ending the war as a Sergeant. This is the link to that page:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page124.html

I'm still hoping that someone will turn up the missing Company photographs of A, C and HQ Companies that must have been taken in 1942, most probably by the firm of Lambert and Weston of Folkstone which took the photos of B Company and D Company which are already on the site.

I've also began to add small portrait photos of identified casualties enlarged from these B and D Company photographs to the Roll of Honour section of the site. For example, see this page which lists and pictures several Sedjenane casualties:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page21.html

Also added are enlargements of Faces 28 and 29 of the Medjez el Bab Memorial which commemorate those soldiers of the DLI who died in North Africa who have no known grave. Click on the image on this page to go to the first enlargement:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page22.html

Sgt John Wintershausen MM, 16 DLI

Just added in the March 18th update is an excellent collection of photographs of Sgt John Wintershausen, who was awarded the Military Medal for his actions with the Pioneer Platoon of 16 DLI at Salerno on 17/9/43. These were kindly provided by his son Paul and include members of the Battalion posing with the Nazi flag that John Wintershausen liberated from the one-time Gestapo HQ in Athens, Greece, in December 1944. These photos begin from this page:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page114.html

16 DLI in Vienna 1945

A photograph of 16 DLI on ceremonial parade outside the Palace of Justice in Vienna in October 1945 has now been added to the site. Also included in this update is an article about this parade from the Battalion magazine Geordie.

The new items can be accessed from both the Photographs and Eyewitness Memories sections of the site and begin from this page:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page271.html

The 16th DLI Regimental Aid Post at Salerno

In the Eyewitness Memories section of the site I have now added Padre G Meek's memories of the 16th Battalion DLI Regimental Aid Post in the immediate aftermath of the Salerno landings of September 1943. This item has been transcribed from a late 1945 edition of the Battalion magazine 'Geordie'. Here is the link to the page:
http://16dli.awardspace.com/page88.html

B Company, 16 DLI, Greece 1945

Hmm, where have the last 18 months gone? I've finally got back to updating my 16 DLI website, after spending most of 2008 working with the Wheatley Hill History Club on their book about local people from the three villages of Thornley, Wheatley Hill and Ludworth in World War Two.

Here's a link to the cover of the book:

http://www.wheatley-hill.org.uk/book2008.shtml

And here's a link to a picture of myself (on the right, looking like a refugee from a Seventies folk concert) and fellow toilers Fred Bromilow and Owen Rowland with local MP Phil Wilson at the book launch in Wheatley Hill Working Men's Club back in September 2008:

http://www.wheatley-hill.org.uk/pastprojects.shtml

Now back to the 16th DLI. Latest additions to the site are much better quality right, left and centre enlargements of the 1945 B Company photograph which was taken in Greece. I purchased an original print of the photo on Ebay recently and it's scanned in very well. It should be possible now to recognise individual faces on this picture. It would be great to get a decent caption compiled, so if anyone reading this recognises themselves or a relative please get in touch.

Here's the link to the web page:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page149.html

In the latest update I have also added more photos and documents relating to the career of Norman Bland, who was wounded while serving with B Company, 16 DLI in April 1943. These are the links to these new pages:

http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page220.html
http://16dli.awardspace.co.uk/page221.html