Gentlemen,

I am looking for information on an accident that happened within the ranks of the 858 Quarrying Coy. (RE) on 27 July 1944. The company was stationed in Normandy at this time.

First of all, I don't know what a Quarrying Coy. did. I know they were with the Royal Engineers, so maybe Sapper could tell me about what they did?

A incident happened on 27 July 1944 in Normandy, which killed several of this comapny. One victim washed up on the Texel coast (!) later and is buried there. I found reference to one more victim, a Mr. Tilyard-Burrows, who had won the George Medal earlier in the war as a civilian, when he moved an unexploded German bomb on the site of a Vickers Armstrong Aircraft factory to a crater where it exploded later.

Any information about the work of the Quarrying Coys, and 858 in particular, as well as information about what happened on 27 July 1944, would be more than welcome.

TIA,

Stevin

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

(banner by Otto)
www.basher82.nl

BUMP - Quarrying Company??? Anyone???

This accident might have something to do with the attack by German E-boats on British MTB's, who possibly shipped men of this unit to Normandy. In the attack MTB 412 and 430 were sunk. 430 was rammed by a german E-boat. 412 was lost in a collision.

Does anyone perhaps more info on this engagement? This happened off the Normandy coast in the night 26-27 July 1944.

TIA

Stevin

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

(banner by Otto)
www.basher82.nl

let me wake up here Stevin and will check the official Schnellboot claims listing and put down what I have in an hour or so......

back soon

E ~

Stevin I only see claims of craft on the 8th of July and then not till the 31st of July where 5 claims are made. Will check another written source. Of course this does not mean it did not happen but do to the overwhelming destruction of the ports and the S-booten units scattered the logbooks may have been enitrely kept up as the units were selcting other bases and trying to get situated. Of course we do know that there weree many evening conflicts between "light" booats of both sides

E ~

ok my spelling is terrible..........

I meant the logbooks were not kept up on a regular basis.

Stevin I have found what you are looking for !!!! after searching through three other texts. give me a moment and today it will be typed here for ya

Erich ~~~ Torpedos los !

Hi Stevin in reply to your Pm.
The Royal Engineers had many branches, from Road building, to Airstrip construction, railway Companies, Para's... Airborne....Port Companies Field Park companies. and a lot more that I will not list here.
And Field Companies like mine..they served at the "Sharp end" of war.

Post war the whole picture changed and the Royal Engineers were reorganised, in that, the Old Royal Engineer Field Companies were disbanded, and vanished from the scene, I really do not know how they are organised now.
Best Wishes.
Brian

Quarrying Companies RE. Certainly they would do just what it describes,

They would have Pioneer Corps lads in that endeavour.

Much of the explosives to bring down the rock faces would have beem set by the Sappers. You may find it interesting? But sometimes they used a PIAT fired against the cliff face, to bore a hole some six feet or more into the solid rock, they would then tamp in a small charge to blow a hollow inside the rock, like a little cavern!

That would then be filled with amanol explosives that would bring the lot down, as and when required....Easy!
Brian

Many thanks for that explanation, Sapper Brian! Very much appreciated. I did not realize that the RE was divided up is so many different branches and were so specialized. I thought many did all kinds of different jobs, but that would not have been efficient probably.

Thanks again, Sapper. Very much appreciated!

Stevin

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

(banner by Otto)
www.basher82.nl

On the night of 26/27th poor weather conditions prevailed....

The 6th S-boot flotilla left Boulonge with 8 boots under the orders of Kapitän Matzen heading out to meet a convoy which had been spotted by B-dienst. Although it was a heaviy armed convoy of MTB's and 3 destroyers, S 97 and S 114 fired off two Fat-type torpedos from a distance of 1800 metres. Two freighters, the Fort Perrot and Empire Beatrice were hit but did not sink even though they were both seriously damaged. The other S-booten attacked the escort ships. The 2nd S-boot Flotilla out of Le Harve with 5 Booten met a group of 12 British MTB's and the Frigate HMS Retalick. Chaos reigned supreme with the S182 under Kapitänleutnant Kurt Pinger smashing head-long into MTB 430. The MTB because of the damage inflicted abandoned crew. As the MTB sank and drifting, MTB 412 rammed into her. As the S-182 was so badly damged during the incident the crew had her scuttled.....with return of the surviving boots to Le Harve.

E

WOW! Thanks for that account, Erich! That is VERY helpfull! Guess they weren't on the MTB's as such but possibly on the freighters. Now I have their names, I can continue the search. Next stop KEW, I think...Though that migh take a while...

Very much appreciated, Erich!! [img]graemlins/moh.gif[/img]

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

(banner by Otto)
www.basher82.nl

Only just caught up with this Stevin; I am away at the moment and when I am back home will see what I have on this unit and post a list of men from it who died in Normandy from my unpublished 'Normandy Roll of Honour'.

__________________
Paul Reed
Webmaster - Battlefields of WW2- http://www.ww2battlefields.info
D Day Ancestors: The British Army in Normandy - http://www.ddayancestors.com

I luv this kinda stuff ! when so many can come together and help out with the great inclusion by our veteran friend Brian.

Stevin here is more on the S-boot Kommandeur's

S 97 commanded by Oberleutnant zur See wilhelm Waldhausen
S 114 by Kapitänleutnant Hans Karl Hemmer

guys the FAt torpedo was : Flächen Absuchender Torpedo (circular-seak torpedo)

the 6th Flotilla on this date did not operate at full strength but in it were the following boots:

S-boots, 29, 79, 90, 91, 97, 114, 132 and 135

keep researching friends .......... [img]graemlins/destroyer.gif[/img]

E `