204970 Pte. Albert Edward "Nipper" Buck British Army B Squadron Border Yeomanry from:Camberwell, London My Father, Albert Buck died last August aged 84. The family are very close and my brother and I, together with 3 male grandchildren are very keen to retrace our fathers footsteps. We have loads of memories and stories from my father and luckily I made a DVD of him talking about his war years in 2005. I also have a number of source documents , army book, 79th Armoured Division History book (which was printed just after the war) and many photographs.
We are trying to piece together the chronological order of events from D Day to the end of the war. He was conscripted into the Highland Light Infantry in 1944 and joined his older brother William Buck at Fort George in Scotland for training. He was then moved into the 1st Lothians and Border yeomanry and embarked on his European adventure after D Day.
His brother William was wounded at Sept Vents in Normandy in August 1944 , but my father continued through France, Belgium, Holland and into Germany.
He drove a Sherman Flail tank for most of this time , and was transferred into the VIII Irish Hussars after the war ended and the 79th armoured div was disbanded .
I have a letter sent from a Dutch family around Christmas 1944 where he was billeted for a while. I have many pictures of the B Squadron , some of which were taken at Bovington in Hampshire before D day. There is a large group photo which my father has added the names on the back. His commanding Officer was Lieutenant Peter Carter who is mentioned in the Divisional History book. My father also told us that his squadron won the Croix de Guerre , but I am unable to confirm this from anyone .
We are hoping to retrace his steps next year and there are lots of gaps we need to fill in. I would be very grateful for any information , in particular about where the Lothians and Border Yeomanry went following the breakout of the Falaise Gap, or any information at all really.
Additional Information: | My father, Cecil Henry (Harry) Mitchinson, was also in the 1st Lothians & Border Yeomanry. I believe he was also in B squadron. In 1944, he was based in or near Wickham Market in Suffolk. The three squadrons, A, B & C, were moved to Aldershot (A), Weybridge (B) and Seaford (C) in May and June of that year. I also have a couple of large group photos of the regiment as well as a small group photo. My father's cousin William (Billy) Mitchinson was in the same regiment but in a different unit. Billy won the Croix de Guerre and Palm, which was granted by Belgium for his actions in Knokke, Belgium. My father's squadron left Gosport on July 12, 1944, and was landed at Arromanches, Normandy at about 2200 hrs on July 13th. It is quite possible that our fathers knew each other. I have gathered quite a bit of information on the movements of the 1st Lothians in Normandy, mainly from the regiment's War Diaries. It would be very interesting to see if my father is in any of the photos that you have which were taken at Bovington, as I'm sure he would have been there at the same time as your father. I now have my father's army service record, although it is a bit sparse and does not have a lot of detail. My father died at the age of 93 in February 2013. Please get in touch, and perhaps we could have an exchange of information?Robert Mitchinson
|
|