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Peter David Mann Smith Lance Corporal Rank in Normandy 3197668 Service No. D Company David's son provided photos, publications and illustrations for the site. 18th July 9:30PM - Troarn, Normandy Lance Corporal David Peter was leading his section around the outside edges of what they had been told was a minefield when, three or four yards in front of him, there was an explosion which he thought was an enemy bomb. He was blown back into this supposed minefield and landed on his knees, fully conscious and with no pain. He noticed his left arm was shattered and pretty 'tattered and torn'. He checked on the rest of his section and asked if they could come to his assistance. "No bloody likely!" came the reply. He took a deep breath and walked out unaided then was attended to by his comrades and a Battalion medic. He was given a shot of morphine and told to walk to the rear where there would be an aid station. After walking for a while he finally came upon two medics with a jeep who (eventually) rushed him to 'A' echelon's medical post. From there he was put in an ambulance and sent to a hospital only a few miles from the enemy lines. A surgeon removed his shattered arm and a short time after he was placed in an amphibious DUKW and transported to a medical ship bound for England. His memories of the voyage and being unloaded are hazy due to pain and medication but he does recall being carried on a stretcher and well-wishers throwing sweets and cigarettes onto his stretcher as he passed. On the 21st of July he was moved from Southampton hospital to Winchester Hospital and then, as he slowly healed, was moved to various other medical centres around the country. David Peter eventually returned home to his wife and became an insurance man to pay the bills whilst studying to be a draughtsman at night school. For many years he was the secretary of the British Legion in Leven, Scotland and was a skilled golfer. He died in 1994 and his son, Sandy, discovered an unfinished letter - which this piece is based upon. 1/7 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

Dawson Jenny Anderson Civilian researcher Rank in Normandy Number 1! Service No. Researching Company Genealogist/detective extraordinaire Jenny is an 'amateur' (her description, not mine) genealogist and, as well as researching her own family tree, also worked her magic on a book to remember the fallen of Hawick in WW1. Can I just say, this site wouldn't be half of what it is without Jenny! She has literally worked day and night to search out photographs and newspaper clippings, as well as BMD information for all ranks of the 1st KOSB. When I first started working on the 'Wounded' list I had a confusing time due to the age of the original documents and some errors contained within. Jenny went through ALL 300 entries and found full names, mother's maiden names, rugby team photographs as well as medal card signatures (for another side-project coming up) and checking to see if they were wounded/killed after Normandy. The one project I am most thankful to Jenny for is tracing a living relative of casualty Thomas Adams . After years of trying to find information on him - and a photo - she was the one who tracked down his family details and allowed me to get in touch with his nephew. *(Thomas was a Hawick boy, like my Grandad, and I wanted to see if he was my Grandad's best mate who was killed). She's performed many more miracles since then but a random interaction on Facebook led to her joining the research team (and heading it up, I think) and adding hundreds of entries to our records. Thank you, Jenny - you do indeed deserve a 'Special Mention' R Grayling December 2024. Jenny Anderson Dawson AKA Sherlock. From Pixabay Image by tookapic from Pixabay Jenny Anderson Dawson AKA Sherlock. 1/4 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

HANOVER WAR CEMETERY HANOVER WAR CEMETERY Previous Grave Marker RANK First Name Surname AGE Date of Death Photographs Lance Corporal ARTHUR BROOKES 29 Friday, April 20, 1945 Next

Harmon DCM William Henry Corporal Rank in Normandy 3193990 Service No. Researching Company Received the DCM later in the War *Corporal 'Bill' Harmon was Arthur Looker 's platoon leader on D-Day. He dedicated his book, In at the Deep End, to Bill. Extract from interview posted on the BBC's People's War site by William's son, David. "We had left Cambes — our job to hold that area against seven German divisions had been successful — it allowed the USA and others to move into the Cherbourg Peninsular and port and in an advance from there created the pincer movement of the Falaise Gap. The Germans lost equipment — tanks and guns and 100,000 men. That was the initial move — then we chased them via Rouen into Paris and onwards into Belgium over the Escault canal into Holland. And by Christmas 1944 we were on the borders of Germany. The weather had held up the proceedings, preventing our Planes from getting up." You can find the full article here, which includes the details of William's time after Normandy. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/54/a2870354.shtml "When C and D Companies emerged from the woods into the heather they were met by MG crossfire. L/Cpl W. Harmon of D Company crawled out into the open under heavy fire and flung two hand grenades into one MG, then rushed it firing his Sten, killed the machine gunners and immediately did the same with the next MG post." Page 120, Monty's Ironsides by Patrick Delaforce There's a photograph of Cpl Harmon receiving his DCM from Field Marshall Montgomery here Original wartime caption: Cpl. W. Harmon, 1 KOSB, receives the DCM. GIMERS MONASTERY 3RD BRITISH DIV. INVESTITURE Image: IWM (B 12778) Screenshot 2025-06-28 094048.png KOSB_WHarmon Medal Card Original wartime caption: Cpl. W. Harmon, 1 KOSB, receives the DCM. GIMERS MONASTERY 3RD BRITISH DIV. INVESTITURE Image: IWM (B 12778) 1/6 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

1st KOSB 50 Franc Note signature Signature details: Initial Henry Surname Cockburn Nickname/Rank N/A Match Status = Confirmed by signature Name & Rank L/Cpl Henry. Cockburn Service No. 3196950 Evidence Signature match on medal card Wounded 18th July Troarn Record in database? https://graylingmedia.wixsite.com/1stkosbinnormandy/1st-kosb-wounded/3196950 Next Previous

Cahill Bernard 'Barney' Researching Rank in Normandy 3197013 Service No. Signals Company Bernard's son provided photos and anecdotes. Bernard 'Barney' Cahill was born in 1911 in Liverpool. He joined the regiment at Renshaw Hall in Liverpool and, when a service no ending in '13' came up, there was a bit of a scuffle as nobody wanted it. Bernard wasn't superstitious and stepped up to take it. Before Normandy he spent a lot of time in Caithness and he and his comrades were drafted in to help search for Rudolf Hess . *The Hess thing was they were turned out to search the moorlands for him as the report was he bailed out over Scotland. As it turned out, Hess was miles away from them. He remembers two men - Billy Upton and Billy Eastham - one was from Glasgow. One of them was invalided out of the army with stomach ulcers prior to going overseas. When he joined KOSB he did the trade courses and was found to be quite good at Signals, morse code etc. He told me he was sent on a Signals course in the battalion. There was him and another bloke who kept getting the high scores. It came to a head when my dad was supposed to decipher a morse code message that ended in the word CAMPAIGN but my dad wrote CHAMPAGNE and so did the other fella sitting next to him. They split them up and found the other bloke had been copying my dad. I often wondered why they sent him on so many courses, even sending him back home to do them and then rejoin the regiment later on. He travelled to Normandy on a ship called The Malayan Prince with HMS Warspite providing cover during the landings. He landed on Queen Sector of Sword beach then fought their way to Caen over the next couple of weeks. He was part of Signals platoon and his officer was called Rose - nicknamed 'Pinky'. Bernard said he 'crossed every river but the Elbe on the way to Germany. It appears my dad was so good at Signals they rebadged him to the Signals Regiment and he stayed with KOSB. He was injured with a dog bite whilst on patrol. Apparently the Germans would send dogs into the bushes to flush out patrols and one burst through the hedge and took a chunk out of his thigh. He wrote home to his sister about it saying the dog had died of lead poisoning and my aunty was worried that he had lead in him - the section ran in all directions after my dad yelped. The sgt stayed and shot it, hence the lead poisoning! After being hospitalised over the dog bite he was desperate to get back to 'the Jocks' so discharged himself to RTU so they didn't put him in the service battalions as he said you could end up anywhere once you went in there. One day, after completing another course, he was travelling back to battalion via train and passing through Belgium when the train stopped and people were singing happy l'guerre finie and popping corks! The war was over. My dad said that they were stationed in Cologne, Germany, guarding POWs who were building tennis courts when they were waiting to go home. I don't know if this rings a bell with anyone. Bernard was discharged from the Army in April 1946 at the rank of Lance Corporal and finished his time with the Royal Signals regiment. Outside of the regiment, Bernard was apparently a very good footballer. Bernard died in 1994 at the age of 83. Information provided by Bernard's son, James. Photo of Signals Platoon Signals platoon with Officer called 'Rose' nicknamed 'Pinky'. Bernard is 2nd from left in back row. Bernard Cahill (left) and mate Written on back - Lubeck, 12th July 1945. Malayan Prince From Uboat.net - Paul Johnson's collection. Link in text. Photo of Signals Platoon Signals platoon with Officer called 'Rose' nicknamed 'Pinky'. Bernard is 2nd from left in back row. 1/3 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

Hogg Geoff Private Rank in Normandy 14657689 Service No. 'C' (checking) Company Originally from The Border Regiment R G Hogg in KOSB uniform Robert Geoffrey Hogg was born in Westmorland on June 15, 1925 to Ernest E Hogg and Margaret A Fothergill who had married in 1922. He enlisted on July 15, 1943 and on April 1, 1944 was transferred to the 6th Battalion of The Border Regiment , taking part in training for D-Day with them. He landed in Normandy at 7:30 AM on D-Day on the Jig Green sector of Gold Beach. His unit stayed in Arromanches before being moved to a holding camp in Bayeux. In August 1944, some of them were transferred to the KOSB. A section of Gold Beach, Google Maps, 2025 1st KOSB War Diary for 1st August 1944 states: "A draft of 3 Offrs and 100 ORs chiefly from the Border Regt. arrived." *This will have been to reinforce the Bttn after heavy losses in Troarn 2 weeks previously. "On the afternoon of the 1st August we received a warning to prepare for a long move. Reinforcements of three officers and one hundred other ranks appeared and the day was fully occupied in sorting them out and in preparation for another battle. The Quartermaster's Department was working at full pressure to replace clothing and equipment, both sadly depleted by the events of July". WIG Wilson , A Short History of the 1st Bttn KOSB in North West Europe Shortly after they joined, the Bttn made their way towards Vire in an attempt to cut the Vire/Vassey road and link up with American forces in the area. On August 6th they successfully occupied Montisanger without opposition. However, later that day, two companies attempted another attack on positions south of a river near Pissot. They reached their first objective and pushed on but against heavy opposition, with many men killed, wounded or missing. Wounded men from The Border Regiment: Pvt E Parfett - 6th August 1944 Cpl David Scott - 6th August 1944 Pvt Robert Stenhouse - 6th August 1944 (KIA 19/4/45) Map of Vire/Vaudry area courtesy of Normandy War Guide On the 7th of August , Geoff was out on a reconnaissance mission in a platoon with Lt. Alan McQueen Don . Lt Don in Royal Armoured Corps uniform Lt. Don said to Geoff: " You will have to help me through this as I’ve had no infantry training." [Lt Don was in Intelligence and the Royal Armoured Corps previously] Geoff stayed very close to him after that. They came across a gap in the hedge and Lt Don was about to cross the gap but Geoff held him back saying there could be snipers about - but Lt Don said “ I will just have a quick look ." As soon as he did a sniper shot him through the head and he fell backwards on to Geoff. They carried his body to a shallow ditch and wanted to make a cross for him with a rifle - but being an officer he only had a sidearm which they left with him. Lt. Don has no known grave and was never found. *Another officer from the Border Regiment was also killed on the 7th August, 1944. Lt Stephen Heathcote Atkinson from Kendal in Cumbria now lies in the Saint Charles De Percy War Cemetery along with Corporal James William Burke Above IWM Interview with ex Border Regiment/1st KOSB, Private Leslie Gibson, A Company, 9 Platoon, in which he gives an account his time on Gold Beach, moving through Normandy and also the death of Corporal James Mackereth who was killed on 6th August. Also ex-Border Regiment - Cpl E Sanderson - wounded on 10th August 1944 Temporary graves in Vaudry - August 1944 - provided by the Ancien Combattantes et victims de la Guerre de Vaudry Vaudry Temporary Burials sheet - provided by the Ancien Combattantes et victims de la Guerre de Vaudry “Once Caen was cleared, the British were able to reach Saint-Martin-des-Besaces, north of Vaudry, where German troops were safely entrenched on the Perrier Ridge facing where we now live. This chateau sits right in the gap where Operation Bluecoat took place in July and August 1944.” Nick Shacklock, present owner of the Chateau De Pont de Vaudry, 2025 Chateau du Pont de Vaudry, from Nick Shacklock (current owner) After Normandy On October 22, 1944 , as a platoon of 1KOSB were checking if the enemy had withdrawn from the houses in Smakt, they were surprised by enemy machine guns concealed in the houses. One officer and 19 other ranks were presumed killed or taken prisoner with only five being able to escape. In this period 33 men were wounded, 10 were killed and 21 were missing. 1st KOSB War Diary for 22nd October 1944 There was some shelling and mortaring during the early hours of the morning. Very little enemy movement was seen. A patrol of A Coy reported at mid-day that the enemy had withdrawn his outposts just East of the railway line to the South of the village at the level crossing. During this time five 3-inch Mortars were shooting at targets selected by C Coy on their front. At 1400 hrs a platoon of A Coy tried to penetrate over the level crossing to the village, but were held up by Schu mines at the crossing. B Coy sent out 12 platoon under command of Capt TJ Young, who were to find out if the enemy had withdrawn from the houses in SMAKT. They penetrated into SMAKT without first clearing the houses, and were surprised by enemy MGs well concealed in the houses. Three men only managed to escape, and two more came back an hour or two later. The remainder (1 officer and 19 ORS) are presumed killed or prisoners. This confirmed that the enemy had not withdrawn. No patrols were carried out by us during the night. We were prepared to give the enemy a very bloody nose if he attempted a patrol. Smakt in Holland, Google Maps 2025 On November 14 , 1944 they moved back into positions west of the railway line in the area of Smakt. The take over began before first light when they took over exposed forward positions and standing patrols thought to be under enemy observation. The take over was completed, but Corporal John McGregor Drummond was killed by a sniper. Geoff was in a slit trench with Cpl Drummond whom he had known for some time before this incident. Cpl Drummond told Geoff to bail out the water in the trench while he got some straw from a nearby barn to put in the bottom of their trench, making it more comfortable. He thought he would be OK as there had been no reports of enemy activity in the area. He saw Cpl Drummond leave the barn laden with straw under both arms – then fall after hearing rifle shots. Geoff knew there was a sniper about and immediately ran for help zig zagging any snipers that may be out there as he had been trained to do, then dived into bramble bushes cutting himself all over. Smoke was sent into the area where Drummond had fallen but when the stretcher bearers went in, the sniper (who they never found) started firing through the smoke at them without success. Medics looked after Geoff and gave him some brandy. He asked how Drummond was and was told not to worry about him and that he was OK. Corporal John Drummond's details - courtesy of the Overloon War Chronicles 1st KOSB War Diary for 14th November, 1944 The take over began before first light when we took over exposed fwd posns and standing patrols thought to be under enemy observation. HQ opened at 783323 at 1100 hrs. The take over was completed by 1415 hrs. Cpl Drummond of C Coy was killed by a sniper in the Farm at 794328. The patrols were similar to those done by 2 Lincs the night before, that is D Coy standing patrol, by day and night at 797316 and C Coy Recce patrol to area of Steel Factory. Patrols reported enemy in Farm at 794328. *It was only in 2014 when Geoff’s son did some research on the history of the KOSB that he found that Cpl Drummond had died that day and is buried in Overloon Cemetery. Geoff was seriously injured in January 1945 , when he was hit by a mortar bomb and suffered severe shrapnel wounds to his leg, arm and body. He was taken to a hospital in Brussels where doctors spent the next three months attempting to remove all the pieces of clothing from his wounds while he learned to walk again. *(Later on, While talking to a section of German prisoners of war, he told the story about being blown up by a Moaning Minnie at the farmhouse near Venray. A POW spoke up and said to him: " That was me - we were testing a new version and I was told to fire a round off!” Geoff couldn't believe it!) IWM Image (above) German Nebelwerfer, nicknamed 'Moaning Minnies' by the British. Geoff was discharged from hospital on April 30 but then spent some time in various Reinforcement Holding Units and Transit Camps, still in North West Europe. He heard that they needed cooks in the Army Catering Corps so he took a cook’s course after the war ended. Geoff worked in camps at Ostend and Leuven, ending up at Oldenburg in Germany where he remained until he returned to England in 1947, having been promoted to Acting Corporal in April that year. After he was demobbed he took up work transporting army vehicles around England from an operation based at Quernmore Park. Geoff received the Legion D'Honneur in 2015 and celebrated his 100th birthday (with ex-KOSB and a piper) in 2025. Many thanks to Geoff's son, and grandson, and to the Overloon War Collection who also have a special page on Geoff https://www.overloonwarchronicles.nl/en/hogg-geoff Robert Geoffrey Hogg, 1st KOSB Geoff Hogg's 100th Birthday party Photo courtesy of Tony Mayor FB Robert Geoffrey Hogg, 1st KOSB 1/2 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

Richardson Henry Andison Captain Rank in Normandy 190202 Service No. Support Company In command of Carrier Platoon Henry Andison Richardson was born in March 1921 in Galashiels, Scotland. He married Sylvia M Lough in October 1943, in Northumberland. At time of his medals being awarded he was living in Dundee, Scotland. He died in February 1994 in Stoke On Trent, at the age of 72. If you have any information, or photographs of this soldier, please get in touch using the contact form. 1/1 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

Hunt Joseph Corporal (post Normandy) Rank in Normandy 14781315 Service No. Researching Company Provided War Diary RESEARCHING 1/5 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention

1st KOSB 50 Franc Note signature Signature details: Initial W Surname Jarman Nickname/Rank 'Mucker' Match Status = Researching Name & Rank NOTHING Service No. Evidence Record in database? Next Previous

1st KOSB 50 Franc Note signature Signature details: Initial R Surname Carnes/Cairns? Nickname/Rank N/A Match Status = Potential match Name & Rank Pte Robert Cairns Service No. 3191729 Evidence Researching Researching Record in database? No other Carnes/Cairns in 1st KOSB. Next Previous

Docherty Ernest CSM Rank in Normandy 3190523 Service No. A Company Awarded the Military Medal Ernest Docherty was born on 18th March 1910 in Crossmichael, Kirkudbrightshire, Scotland. His mother's name was Ellen. He married Jessie King and had one child, Eric. Photographed in Denmead as the 1st Bttn prepared for D-Day, Ernest fought in Normandy and onwards through Europe. Awarded the Military Medal for consistent bravery and his actions during the fighting around Overloon. Ernest Docherty MM Ernest died in 1986. large_000000 (13).jpg KOSB_EDocherty_Medals_FW.jpg large_000000 (13).jpg 1/2 Previous Special Mention Share Next Special Mention