Birkett Peter Pte 4455593 - Revision history

70bgadmin at 15:20, 25 April 2018

2018-04-25T15:20:43Z

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70bgadmin at 14:13, 20 April 2018

2018-04-20T14:13:26Z

70bgadmin at 15:14, 13 April 2018

2018-04-13T15:14:08Z

70bgadmin at 18:08, 24 June 2015

2015-06-24T18:08:53Z

70bgadmin at 11:58, 15 July 2014

2014-07-15T11:58:08Z

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{{Personnel
|id=1166
|Surname and forenames=Birkett Peter
|Army number=4455593
|Rank=Pte
|Age=0
|Unit=DLI, 1 TS 1/2/40
|Home address=12, Cronnewell Row, Hamsterley Colliery, Newcastle
|Source table=1TS
}}

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 It was here that Lieutenant Colonel A J H Cassels took command of the Battalion. He would end his career as a Field Marshal and left an indelible mark on the men of the Tyneside Scottish.
-June 12th 1944 saw the Battalion returned to France and on 1st July the Germans made a determined attempt to breach the British line at Rauray,
+June 12th 1944 saw the Battalion returned to France and on 1st July the Germans made a determined attempt to breach the British line at [[Rauray]],
 just south of Caen. As luck would have it, they had chosen the hinge between the 49th and 15th Divisions, a position held by the 1st Battalion
-the Tyneside Scottish. The attack failed and the enemy lost over 30 AFV’s.  Peter was serving in the Intelligence Section. General Montgomery said of the battle of Rauray, “............... The depleted Tyneside Scottish stood firm against the two Panzer Divisions. Had the Germans reached the beaches, the war would have been over.”
+the Tyneside Scottish. The attack failed and the enemy lost over 30 AFV’s.  Peter was serving in the Intelligence Section. General Montgomery said of the battle of [[Rauray]], “............... The depleted Tyneside Scottish stood firm against the two Panzer Divisions. Had the Germans reached the beaches, the war would have been over.”
 Peter moved into the Caen sector and apart from the shelling, complained mainly about the mosquitoes which were annoying most of the

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 Peter moved into the Caen sector and apart from the shelling, complained mainly about the mosquitoes which were annoying most of the
-lads. On 15th to 18th August, the Tyneside Scottish made its last assault in Normandy on Mezidon. The Battalion was broken up at the end of
+lads. On 15th to 18th August, the Tyneside Scottish made its last assault in Normandy on [[Mezidon-Canon]]. The Battalion was broken up at the end of
 August with the Tyneside Jocks going mainly to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and 5th Black Watch. The 5BW would be Peter’s home until
 the end of the war. With this Battalion, he would help in the capture of Le Havre; move into Holland; have to get out in a hurry when the dykes were blown by the Germans and then, enjoy a short leave in Antwerp where two of his comrades were killed by a flying bomb. Late December and early January saw the Battalion involved in the Ardennes. “We were going east as the Americans were going west,” he said.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 rattles on the drum they were in France in April 1940.
-After a bit of a “Cooks Tour” via [[ARRAS]] and Ficheux, where an ill-equipped and largely unknown Tyneside Scottish managed to hold up a
+After a bit of a “Cooks Tour” via [[ARRAS]] and [[FICHEUX]], where an ill-equipped and largely unknown Tyneside Scottish managed to hold up a
 largely unknown Erwin Rommel and his tanks for a period of several hours armed with little more than rifles, bayonets and bloody mindedness. The remnants of the Tyneside Scottish then made their way to Dunkirk. The 19 year old Peter decided to swim out to Greyhound. Somehow, he made it and was hauled on board.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 rattles on the drum they were in France in April 1940.
-After a bit of a “Cooks Tour” via Arras and Ficheux, where an ill-equipped and largely unknown Tyneside Scottish managed to hold up a
+After a bit of a “Cooks Tour” via [[ARRAS]] and Ficheux, where an ill-equipped and largely unknown Tyneside Scottish managed to hold up a
-largely unknown Erwin Rommel and his tanks for a period of several hours armed with little more than rifles, bayonets and bloody mindedness. The remnants of the Tyneside Scottish then made their way to Dunkirk. The 19 year old Peter decided to swim out to Greyhound. Somehow, he made
+largely unknown Erwin Rommel and his tanks for a period of several hours armed with little more than rifles, bayonets and bloody mindedness. The remnants of the Tyneside Scottish then made their way to Dunkirk. The 19 year old Peter decided to swim out to Greyhound. Somehow, he made it and was hauled on board.
 it and was hauled on board.
 Having landed back in the UK and ticked the appropriate box on the officially provided post card, Peter was eventually reunited with the remains of his Battalion. Of nearly 700 men, 180 were dead, 400 were POW’s and between 110 and 140 had made it back to British shores. Eventually, re-equipped and reinforced, mainly from the Black Watch, the Battalion went to Iceland where they remained until December 1941. Returning to Wales on Christmas day, the Tyneside Jocks got down to serious fitness training.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |Rank=Pte
 |Age=0
-|Unit=Durham Light Infantry, T, no enlistment date, Trf Black Watch 1/2/1940, Posted 1 TS, Posted ? Bn Black Watch, Class Z Army Reserve 19/8/46 (Surviving Veteran - as at 11th August 2011).
+|Unit=Durham Light Infantry, T, no enlistment date, but probably mid-May 1939. Posted 9th Bn DLI.  Posted 12th Bn DLI 1/9/1939. Trf Black Watch 1/2/1940, Posted 1 TS, Posted 5th Bn Black Watch August 1944.  Class Z Army Reserve 19/8/46.
 |Died/Killed in action=30/7/2012
 |Home address=12, Cronnewell Row, Hamsterley Colliery, Newcastle