7th Batt Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry - WW2

[millymcb]

Ah I see

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[millymcb]

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[bangerjackson]

Hi Adam

Yes I got your private msge. - thank you.
Mt Comino part pf the Winter Line .The terrain is mountains and rivers The fighting was horrendous - likened to the worst of  WW1. The area lies a few miles south of Monte Cassino which is much better known.
I also find the accounts confusing. I think the mistake we make is to think that the regiments stayed in neat individual units when in fact they may have got mixed up with different units in other parts of the front. This may explain why I saw a number of Ox and Bucks graves in the
 cemetary at Monte Cassino, even though I did not know  they were in action there.
Without a doubt the best source would have been  the veterans themselves but sadly that is probably too late. The Regiment was also receiving reinforcements from various places. One interesting account I read was a officer who was responsible for joining  the Regiment with a draft of deserters from N, Africa and according to him - instructions what to do if they faced the wrong way.
The truth is we can only scratch the surface of of what these men endured.
I will close now for the time being and I wish you and your family a very merry xmas from my wife and I.

regards banger








 

 

[adam180]

Hello Banger
I really am confused now, I have alway thought the 56 division was involved in the "first battle of Monte Cassino" after crossing the Garagliano river in Jan 1944, but like you say sometimes they are split up and they not quite where people think they are, perhap someone else could enlighten us?
I hope you and your wife have a very nice Xmas as well, from me and my family, I have really enjoyed us sharing our thoughts over the past few weeks
All the best Adam

[bangerjackson]

hi Adam
Had a quick read of the War Chronicles - after crossing the Garigliano the Regiment were in action on Mt Damiano at point 411 and 411 near Mt Rotundo which they captured 29th Jan.On the 5th/6th Feb. the Regiment was relieved and on the 9th Feb. they were on 3 hour standby to embark for Anzio. rTherefore by  my reckoning they were still a few miles SE of Cassino. You may be right that  a unit from the 7th Bn may have been involved with 1st battle for Cassino but I see no record of this . If you can obtain a small scale ordinance map of central Italy it may help with the geography.
I close now.
regards banger

[phill b]

Hi Everyone

Just thought I would add my dads involvement  to the the thread on 7th ox & Bucks, he was at Enfidaville and Salerno and I'm sure he said he fought around the airfield there. I know he went on to Monti Camino which is where he was wounded and out of the war for about a year I think.
I remember him saying that a lot of his mates were lost at Camino and when he returned to the war he was put in the 2/6th Queens.
I would be interested if anyone has some photo's to compare with mine so we could put some names to some faces.

[adam180]

Hello Phill
After spending 10ish years looking into my grandfathers war it was only last year that I bumped into bangerjackson on this forum.
He is the first person with a family connection to the 7th batt ox & bucks I have found and now there is 3 of us, so needless to say I'm very pleased to meet you.
They did a hell of a lot fighting in several theaters and grandad was at all the places you mentioned with you father (as well as being at "Dunkirk").
I don't want to bore you with the details that I have probaby already talked about in this thread with bangerjackson but needless to say if theres anything your trying to find out just ask (maybe you know more than me).
It was a nasty business the 7th batt attacking "Monte Camino" almost suicide, it decimated the battalion, your father must have been one of the unlucky ones (but lucky to be alive).
I have got a few documents from the attack, war diary's, chronicle's, secret papers etc if that's something you would like to see, as well as letters home from grandad.
Ive got dozens of letters has it happens from all the places they were fighting and it was these letters that started my interest in this after I was given them, they hadn't been looked at in over 60 years and I was hooked.

I am very interesting in the pictures you said you have but I'm afraid have no pictures to show you in return, it the one thing I don't have apart from a wedding photo and one of them photos they all have done of him in his hat & uniform, I wonder if hes in any of them.
Do you know any more detail on your father, his company, platoon? I will like to know more about him.
I better go now, hopefully we will speak again.
Adam   

[phill b]

Hello Adam

Nice to see your taking great care of your grandfathers papers, i don't have as many as that but it makes good reading through this stuff especially when you have an interest in this era.

I'll look the photo's out if your interested but I think my father was in C company but I can't be sure.
I know he did go on about the fighting he took part in around Battipaglia in Italy, I would be interested if you have any information on that if you have it.

I'll P.M you my e-mail if you want to contact me, feel free to and I'll send you some photo's, I don't know if this site would appreciate me taking up their memory space but if any one would like copies just get in touch and I'll send them over, they're mainly of soldiers, names unknown unless anyone could identify their relatives, maybe the battalion museum have photo's of the regiment of that time, but I'm sure they had time or the inclination to do so.

Phill

[althos]

I have recently begun to research my fathers war history. He was Pte. Charles William Thomas 5389619 Ox and Bucks LI and I have presumed 7th Bn but I can't be sure because he was transferred to 5th Bn Essex Regt in Nov 43 who were part of the 8th Indian Div fighting on the other side of the Appenines around Sangro River. He may have joined the Essex from UK or North Africa for some reason. He was Killed in Jan 44 and is buried in Sangro River Cemetery. I have sent off for his service records to MOD and have requested an archive search at SOFO. Any information, hints or tips would be gratefully received.