Difference between revisions of "Green Arthur James Lieutenant 299730"

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Lt Green's nephew, John Ollerton, has compiled a record of his life and service, including researching the circumstances of his death - a task with which we were very happy to help.  To read this family document please see below.
 
Lt Green's nephew, John Ollerton, has compiled a record of his life and service, including researching the circumstances of his death - a task with which we were very happy to help.  To read this family document please see below.
 
Lieutenant
 
Arthur Green
 
Introduction
 
When I was a child two ghosts lived in my grandparents’ house. My parents and my grandparents
 
would often speak of my mother's two brothers, John and Arthur, but they could never answer my
 
questions about what had happened to them. The truth was they couldn’t. Nobody knew what had
 
happened to them. Two years ago, having found out what had happened to his brother, I decided to find
 
out what had happened to Arthur. My research led me to the National Archives in London and to
 
Normandy. It has been a fascinating and emotional journey. I was expecting to be researching Arthur’s
 
lost life but in the end I feel that I have found him. There are no longer any ghosts.
 
Childhood
 
Arthur James Green was born on 5 July 1923. He was the third child
 
of Arthur and Elsie Green of Leigh in Lancashire. His brother John
 
was four years older than him and his sister Jessie two years older.
 
He grew up on his parents’ farm. He had a happy childhood.
 
Arthur attended Leigh Grammar School from 1932 to 1939. One of his
 
classmates, Trevor Williams, remembers him as follows: Well, Arthur
 
was in my Form at LGS and we sat at the same table during our dinner
 
there. He was rather quiet and studious and did quite a bit of swotting in
 
books during the lunch rather than making the raucous noise that was
 
prevalent. He was always very pleasant, easy to get on with, but one would
 
never get to know him intimately.
 
On leaving school he joined Williams Deacons Bank as a clerk and
 
attended Metropolitan College from 1939 until he joined the army in 1942. At the same time he served
 
in the Home Guard.
 
Top Left: Arthur with his elder brother John and his sister Jessie!
 
Top Centre: Arthur with his mother and Jessie! Top Right: Arthur aged about 12 Above: Arthur aged about 17
 
The Army
 
Arthur’s army career was short. It began in Beverley, North Yorkshire in September 1942 and ended 21
 
months later in Juvigny sur Seulles, Normandy.
 
On joining up Arthur’s preferences were: first the Royal Armoured Corps,
 
second Infantry and third the Intelligence Corps. He was successful in his first
 
choice. On enlistment on 17 September 1942 he was posted to the Royal
 
Armoured Corps 53rd Training Regiment in Beverley. He undertook basic
 
training in Beverley, Catterick and Black Down camp near Okehampton in
 
Devon before being selected for officer training.
 
On selection for officer training his Military Character was assessed as ‘Very
 
Good,’ his medical as ‘A1’ and his Power of Leadership as ‘Should Develop,’ He
 
had a fair knowledge of French grammar and some German.
 
On 24 April 1943 Arthur was admitted to an Office Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) at Sandhurst. He left
 
on 6 November on being granted an emergency commission as second lieutenant. At this time he
 
transferred from the RAC to infantry. He undertook an Infantry Training
 
Course in Dunbar between January and March 1943. On 1 April he was
 
transferred to No.2 Battalion of the Loyal Regiment, which was stationed at
 
Killyleagh, Northern Ireland.
 
On 5 June Arthur started a Battle Course in Killyleagh where exercises
 
simulated the invasion of Northern France with different units representing
 
German and British forces. He didn’t complete the course. He and nine other
 
officers were transferred to other regiments and sent to France whilst the rest of
 
the regiment was sent to Italy. The extract from the War Diary of the Loyal
 
Regiment below shows his posting to No. 41 R.H.U. (Regimental Holding Unit). From this he was
 
posted to the No. 1 Battalion, Tyneside Scottish, Black Watch, to make up the number of officers
 
following losses in battle.
 
On leaving home Arthur had said to his mother that he would become “Cannon fodder for the Boche.”
 
This was to prove tragically prophetic. He landed in Normandy between 19 and 29 June, probably on
 
‘Sword’ beach near Lion sur Mer. He was killed two weeks later.
 
Arthur’s service file, obtained from Army Records, is summarised on the next page. It appears to be
 
incomplete and inaccurate in some respects:
 
No mention is made of Arthur’s posting in Northern Ireland
 
His family remembers that some of Arthur’s training took place in Northern Ireland where he was
 
billeted in the home of Bert Orr. The file does not mention Northern Ireland but the War Diary of 2
 
Battalion, Loyal Regiment reveals that he was posted to Killyleagh, N. Ireland on 1April 1944.
 
No mention is made of Arthur’s promotion to Lieutenant
 
The war diary for 9 May states: 2/Lt. AJ Green, having completed six months’ service was promoted to
 
lieutenant with effect from 6 May 1944.
 
It is not clear about Arthur’s connection with the York and Lancaster
 
Regiment
 
The name of the parent regiment in Arthur’s file has been altered by the
 
crossing out Royal Armoured Corps and the substitution of the York and
 
Lancaster Regiment but it does not record that him ever being posted to it. On
 
transfer to the Loyal Regiment he is recorded as being transferred from Y&L
 
(see previous page). On the other hand we have no photographs of him
 
wearing York and Lancaster insignia. Just what connection has with the
 
regiment whose name is inscribed on his gravestone is unclear.
 
Events and postings Date Location
 
Home Guard (18 months experience)
 
Enlisted (Number 14290046) and posted to General Service Corps 17 September 1942 Beverley
 
Transferred to 53rd Training Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) 28 October 1942 Beverley
 
Recommended for Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) 7 December 1942 Catterick
 
Posted to Pre-OCTU Training 28 January 1943 Catterick
 
Upgraded to Class 1 19 March 1943 Black Down
 
No 1 Pre-OCTU Training Unit 23 March 1943 Black Down
 
Ceased to be attached (CTBA) on posting to Sandhurst 100 OCTU 24 April 1943 Sandhurst
 
Discharged on being appointed to a commission. Granted emergency
 
commission of Second Lieutenant.
 
6 November 1943 Sandhurst
 
Posted to 61 Training Regiment RAC 16 November 1943
 
OCTU Infantry course Dunbar No 1 Infantry School 31 January to 31
 
March 1944
 
Dunbar
 
Transferred to Infantry of the line. Posted to 2 Loyals 1 April 1944 Killyleagh
 
Promoted to Lieutenant 9 May 1944 Killyleagh
 
Battle Course No1 Infantry school - not completed 5 June 1944 Killyleagh
 
Posted to No41 RHU (Reinforcement Holding Unit) and TOS (Taking
 
on Strength) X4 list
 
16 June 1944 Killyleagh
 
Posted to draft CAPBA 19 June 1944
 
Posted to 1 Battalion Tyneside Scottish 30 June 1944 Rauray
 
Missing in action 8 July 1944 Juvigny sur Seulles
 
Reported killed in action 9 July 1944 Juvigny sur Seulles
 
Summary of Arthur’s Service File
 
Notes:
 
1.The entries in green text are not included in the service file but added based on information in the Loyal
 
Regiment’s War Diary
 
2.I have been unable to find the meaning of ‘CAPBA’ It could be Canadian Army Posting from British Army
 
Photographs
 
There are not many photographs of Arthur’s army career and they are not annotated. However, by
 
comparing them with his service file it is possible to estimate where they were taken.
 
The two photos above and the one below left were probably taken in the winter of 1942-3 when
 
Arthur was stationed in Catterick. The photograph on the left was taken in the Market Square, Kirkby
 
Stephen, Cumbria whilst he was training with the RAC. He has not yet been commissioned.
 
The photo below right may have been taken in November 1943 when Arthur was at Sandhurst. He
 
is fourth from the left in the middle row.
 
Photographs
 
This is that last photo taken of Arthur and his brother John. John his wearing the ribbon of the DFC,
 
which was awarded in March 1944. Arthur is wearing a single star on his epaulettes signifying that he
 
has been commissioned second lieutenant but he is wearing an RAC cap badge. This suggests that it
 
was taken before his transfer to the Loyal Regiment on 1 April 1944. John was killed when his Mosquito
 
aircraft crashed into the sea on 23 August 1945.
 
These are the last three photos that were taken of Arthur.
 
They are likely to have been taken in Northern Ireland where
 
he was stationed from April to June 1944.
 
He is wearing the Loyal Regiment cap badge and two stars
 
on his epaulettes which means that they must have been taken
 
after his promotion on 9 May and before 16 June when he left
 
the regiment.
 
Normandy
 
The map above shows approximately the route that Arthur would have taken in France. In all he
 
travelled about 35 miles. It is not possible to say exactly when or where he landed in Normandy but
 
it was probably near Lion-sur Mer.
 
Arthur was joining the Tyneside Scottish Regiment which was part of 70th Brigade
 
and 49th Division which were attached to the Canadian Army. The 49th (West
 
Riding)Infantry Division was nicknamed ‘The Polar Bears’. Their insignia is shown
 
opposite. The Canadian Army landed on ‘Sword Beach’ near Lion-sur Mer. He
 
joined up with 1st Battalion Tyneside Scottish on 30 June in Rauray. The route that
 
he took to get there would have been to the west of Caen which was still in German
 
hands.
 
The Battle of Rauray
 
Three weeks after the Normandy invasion the
 
British and Canadian armies had made slow
 
progress in fighting their way forward against
 
powerful and well entrenched German forces.
 
Caen, which had supposed to have been
 
captured on D-Day, was still in enemy hands.
 
Field Marshal Montgomery decided on a fullscale
 
operation codenamed ‘Operation Epsom’ to
 
drive forward in a southerly direction to the west
 
of Caen. To protect the right flank of the invading
 
force, 30th Corps was given the task of securing
 
the high ground to the south of the village of
 
Rauray in an operation codenamed ‘Martlet’.
 
No 1 Battalion Tyneside Scottish took part in
 
Operation Martlet by fighting its way south, with
 
support from heavy artillery and naval guns from
 
battleships offshore. By 28 June it had established
 
defensive positions south of the village of Rauray.
 
During its advance the battalion had suffered
 
heavy casualties and needed reinforcements,
 
particularly with officers.
 
On 30 June Lieutenant. Arthur Green was
 
transferred to the Tyneside Scottish Battalion
 
from the Loyal Regiment. This turned out to be
 
the day before the battalion’s biggest battle of the
 
war.
 
It was apparent that the 2nd SS-Panzer Division
 
‘Das Reich’ and the 9th SS Panzer Division
 
‘Hohenstaufen’ were strengthening their forces
 
and were about to launch a counter attack.
 
The Tyneside Scottish Battalion comprised four companies; A, B, C and D. Arthur joined ‘C’ Company.
 
Together with the rest of ‘C’ Company he took up a defensive position 500 metres south of the village
 
of Rauray on the right of the Tyneside Scottish line. ‘C’ Company would have comprised an HQ
 
platoon and three other platoons; numbers 13,14 and 15, each of which would have had up to 21 men.
 
We do not know which of these platoons Arthur was in but it is most likely either the HQ platoon or 15
 
platoon.
 
The photographs that I have used to illustrate the Battle of Rauray were taken in similar situations to those which
 
he would have experienced.
 
At the start of the battle ‘C’ Company’ was dug
 
in behind a hedgerow with an area of bocage
 
(small fields surrounded by embankments) in
 
front of them. The bocage made them vulnerable
 
to the enemy infiltrating the fields behind them.
 
To the left of ‘C’ Company, ‘B’ Company held a
 
key position in front of an open field which was
 
vulnerable to attack by enemy tanks.‘B’
 
Company had this critical area covered by
 
antitank guns.
 
At 5.30 Major Angus, who commanded ‘C’
 
Company, reported that they were under mortar
 
and machine gun fire. The battle had started.
 
At 6.40 the first German attack began. ‘C’
 
Company reported that it was under attack from
 
both tanks and infantry using the cover of a
 
smoke screen and an artillery barrage. The two
 
forward platoons (13 and 14) were engaged in a
 
violent fight with the Panzer-Grenadiers. 13
 
platoon was suffering heavy casualties from
 
enemy machine gun fire. Later Lieutenant
 
Wallace and his platoon sergeant were killed and
 
13 platoon was overrun.
 
By 7.25 ‘C’ Company was finding itself short of
 
men and its forward platoons were becoming
 
isolated. On the right 13 platoon appeared to be
 
surrounded and on the left 14 platoon had been
 
pushed to the left leaving the way open to enemy
 
infiltration. To ‘C’ Company’s left, ‘A’ and ‘B’
 
companies were under similar pressure. Sherman
 
tanks of the 24th Lancers were brought in to
 
support them.
 
By 8.22 ‘C’ Company’s position was beginning to
 
look untenable. The two forward platoons were
 
cut off and HQ and 15 platoon were being
 
outflanked.
 
At 8.32 the remains of ‘C’ Company were under
 
such intense pressure that they were forced to
 
withdraw to Rauray village. It was later
 
established that some members of 13 and 14
 
platoons had not withdrawn and were left
 
isolated in their forward positions.
 
For the next three hours the battle continued
 
with Tyneside Scottish sustaining heavy
 
casualties. However with the support from
 
artillery bombardment of the enemy positions,
 
‘B’ Company managed to hold onto its key
 
position in front of the open field and destroyed
 
many German tanks.
 
At 16.40 three flame throwing ‘Crocodile’ tanks
 
were brought into use to eliminate the enemy
 
machine gun and sniper positions in front of ‘C’
 
Company. At 18.10 a British counter attack was
 
begun, supported by ‘Crocodiles’ and tanks.
 
By 21.00 the battalion’s original forward
 
positions had been regained and Tyneside
 
Scottish were withdrawn from the front.
 
During twelve hours of bitter fighting the
 
Germans had suffered a heavy defeat. It is
 
estimated that they put about 50 tanks and
 
assault guns into the attack and lost 30 of
 
them.The Armoured Brigade which was
 
supporting Tyneside Scottish lost only five tanks.
 
They lost two officers killed, five wounded and
 
two missing. Thirty-one other ranks were killed,
 
seventy-nine wounded and thirteen are missing.
 
There is no estimate of the number of German
 
losses but given that they did not have the
 
advantage of defensive positions, their losses are
 
likely to be higher. The attack on Rauray is
 
considered by historians to be the turning point
 
in the Battle of Normandy. It was the Germans’
 
last big opportunity to break through the Allied
 
front.
 
During the evening, the day’s action was
 
mentioned in a radio broadcast made by Lord
 
‘Haw-Haw’ of the German Forces Network. He
 
declared ‘You Polar Bear Butchers!’ He went on to
 
state that if any man wearing a Polar Bear (49th
 
Division) insignia on his shoulder is captured he
 
will be shot right away without any trial
 
whatsoever, as British soldiers, he claimed, had
 
massacred surrendering SS-Panzer crews without
 
mercy. This threat may have had fatal
 
consequences for Arthur and two others a week
 
later.
 
! ! !
 
The Rauray battlefield today is unrecognisable
 
from what it must have been like at the time.
 
Since 1944 the bocage field pattern has been
 
erased from most of the landscape. Hedgerows
 
like those in the distance would have occupied
 
the open field which can be seen in the
 
foreground. This photograph is taken from the
 
position at which Arthur’s Company was dug in
 
at the start of the battle. The German attack came
 
from the direction of the trees at the left of the
 
horizon.
 
On 3 July the division was taken out of the line
 
and sent for recuperation and reorganisation to
 
Ducy Ste Marguerite. On 5 July Arthur
 
celebrated his 21st birthday. He wrote to his
 
parents to say that he spent the day in a trench
 
with his batman drinking something nonalcoholic.
 
On the day after his birthday the battalion
 
moved forward from Ducy to take up positions
 
north of the deserted village at Le Pont de
 
Juvigny. 500 yards in front of them was the
 
Château de Juvigny which was believed to be the
 
German HQ. It was being slowly demolished by
 
allied artillery.
 
The Reconnaissance Patrol
 
EXTRACT FROM WAR DIARY OF 1st
 
BATTALION TYNESIDE SCOTTISH,
 
BLACK WATCH
 
8 July
 
Preparations were made for reconnaissance
 
patrols to be made at night. ... They were to
 
be ‘sneak’ reconnaissance patrols of one
 
officer and two other ranks each. One patrol
 
was to be led by Lieutenant Green of ‘C’
 
Company. The ‘other ranks’ in the patrol
 
were Private Winyard and probably Private
 
Ritson.
 
The document above sets out the object of
 
the patrol as: to listen in at a church and other
 
buildings and to pinpoint enemy positions and
 
strength.
 
The route to be taken was from the B Company forward position, to the bridge at Juvigny, following the
 
river to the church and returning by the same route. The password was “Rome Burns”.
 
The photograph shows the route taken by the patrol. The River Seulles flows along the line of trees on
 
the right. The patrol was to followed the line of the hedge on the left as far as the buildings which lie
 
just beyond the tall trees in the centre of the picture.
 
The patrol went out at 23:59hrs. At 02:09hrs on
 
the following morning Private Winyard returned
 
alone. His report is on the next page.
 
The map opposite is the one used by the patrol.
 
The Pont de Juvigny, the river and the church and
 
other buildings that were to be investigated for
 
enemy occupation are marked. The ‘other
 
buildings’ consisted mainly of the presbytery to
 
the church which is now a private house.
 
The areas ringed in red are the positions occupied
 
by A,B,C and D companies of Tyneside Scottish.
 
! ! !
 
! ! ! Presbytery
 
The photograph opposite, which was taken
 
before D-Day, shows the route taken by the
 
patrol.
 
! ! ! Pont de Juvigny
 
! ! ! River Seulles
 
! ! ! Presbytery
 
! !
 
! Church
 
!
 
! Château de Juvigny
 
The photograph opposite was taken
 
from the position occupied by B
 
Company where the patrol started
 
from. The church can be seen above
 
the trees on the left. The presbytery is
 
just visible behind the grey roofs on
 
the right. On the night of the patrol
 
there was almost a full moon but the
 
amount of cloud was not recorded.
 
! ! Church
 
! ! Presbytery
 
The First Patrol Report reads as
 
follows:
 
At 02:09hrs Private Winyard returned
 
alone from ‘C’ Company’s patrol (See
 
Appendix I) he reported as follows: The
 
patrol moved down field parallel with the
 
river. 200 yards. from road an explosion
 
occurred on the left. They lay quiet for 15
 
minutes then moved forward along the
 
line of the hedge. They reached the
 
buildings at 848169. They mounted the
 
top of the bank then Lieutenant. Green
 
fired a burst of Sten and he and one man
 
dived down bank leaving Private
 
Winyard to cover their withdrawal. As
 
they dived through the hedge an
 
explosion took place. Private Winyard
 
followed but could find no trace of the
 
others. He moved back to the two
 
prearranged R.V.s waited 1/4 hour at
 
each but found no trace of the other two.
 
He heard sounds of enemy in the
 
buildings before he withdrew and later
 
two Spandaus (heavy machine guns)
 
seemed to be firing from the buildings.
 
At 15:15hrs another patrol went out
 
under the cover of mortar fire. Two
 
snipers went out on the route of the
 
‘C’ Company patrol of the night
 
before to see if any trace of the
 
missing officer and man could be
 
established.
 
The Second Patrol Report reads as
 
follows:
 
At 20.10 hours one sniper returned and
 
reported as follows: One wounded man
 
was seen in field in front of buildings
 
848669. Private Gibson crawled over to
 
man, raised him up and gave him a
 
drink of water. From the build of the
 
wounded man it appeared to be
 
Lieutenant. Green. Then a shot rang out
 
and Lieutenant Green was hit again.
 
Private Gibson dashed for the hedge then
 
a number of shots were fired. The other
 
sniper tried to contact Gibson but could
 
not do so and returned to Le Pont de
 
Juvigny where he contacted D.L.I.
 
(Durham Light Infantry) Post. He
 
then returned to scene of shooting
 
accompanied by a D.L.I. sniper but they
 
found no trace of either Lieutenant.
 
Green or Private Gibson.
 
The two men who were killed with
 
Arthur were probably Private John
 
Ritson, (known as ‘Jackie’) of Lintz
 
Colliery Co.Durham aged 25 and
 
Private John Arthur Gibson aged 28
 
from Sheffield. They are the only two
 
soldiers from the 1st Battalion
 
Tyneside Scottish who are recorded
 
as having been killed on that day.
 
They were both married.
 
The photograph opposite shows the
 
bank which rises up from the field to
 
the presbytery garden. There is a change of level of about twelve feet.
 
The photograph above, taken from the top of the bank, shows the field in which Arthur was injured by
 
the explosion. It is possible that he or the other soldier stepped on a mine or a grenade was thrown at
 
them from the top of the bank. Whatever happened, Arthur lay injured in this field until he was
 
reached by Private Gibson fourteen hours later. He may have died here.
 
The bodies of Arthur Green and the two other missing men were discovered in the cellar of the Château
 
de Juvigny on 19 July after it had been captured by Tyneside Scottish. Its cellar had been used by the
 
47th Panzer Regiment as an HQ and a field hospital. The château was built in the 1743. In 1944, as now,
 
it was the home of the Marquise de Blangy. The above photo was taken before the war. It has since been
 
reconstructed as a single storey building having been severely damaged by allied bombardment.
 
The above extract from the intelligence summary in the War Diary reads: A private in the Intelligence
 
Section found the bodies of Lt Green and the two men who had been missing since 8th/9th July. They had
 
obviously been shot
 
The private who found the bodies was Private Leonard G. Baverstock, the father of Kevin Baverstock,
 
author of the book ’Breaking the Panzers’. Kevin Baverstock recalls his father describing his discovery as
 
follows: He said very little, just "They'd been shot", but he said it in disbelief. He appeared as moved as I ever
 
saw him and was quiet for several moments afterwards.”
 
! ! ! The château cellar today
 
Private Baverstock’s testimony raises the possibility that the three men were not killed in the field but
 
in captivity in the château cellar. The wording and emotion of his evidence suggests that the three were
 
killed in the château.
 
! ! ! ! !
 
! ! ! ! ! ! !
 
A lost son
 
The telegram above brought the news of
 
Arthur’s death to his parents. The distress that it
 
caused can hardly be imagined.
 
The photo above right shows a cross bearing
 
the name Tyneside Scottish, Black Watch. The
 
name was changed to York & Lancaster
 
Regiment when the cross was replaced by a
 
gravestone.
 
For at a year after his death, Arthur’s mother
 
sought solace in writing letters to her son which
 
she placed amongst his possessions in his
 
bedroom. Ten nights after hearing of his death
 
she wrote the letter shown opposite. It reads:
 
My Dear Arthur
 
Tonight I have failed in my undertaking to bear
 
your departure from this life.
 
I know I must try to overcome my grief. I pray for
 
God’s help, and I know I must really try, myself.
 
I would not have your life troubled by my longing
 
for your presence here but will again try to live my life
 
in God’s way, so I may join you when God decrees I
 
may.
 
God keep you Arthur my son. You were only lent
 
to us.
 
! Your loving mother
 
! ! and father
 
 
John Ollerton - 2012 johnollerton@yahoo.co.uk
 
Acknowledgements
 
This account of Arthur Green’s service history is drawn from War
 
Diaries from the National Archives, family records, Arthur’s service
 
file, and historical accounts of the period. The photographs of the
 
Battle of Rauray have been taken from Wikipedia, most of the others
 
are from family records.
 
I am particularly grateful to the following people who have helped
 
me:
 
•Jessie Ollerton
 
•Kevin Baverstock - Author of Breaking the Panzers
 
•Tom Renouf - 1st Battalion Tyneside Scottish
 
•Jane Davies - Curator, Lancashire Infantry Museum
 
•John L. Dixon - 70th Brigade Researcher
 
•Stéphane Jacquet - Museum of the Battle of Tilly sur Seulles
 
•Geoffroy Jegou-Dulaz - Owner of the Château de Juvigny
 
•Philipe Bouteloup - Owner of the Presbytery of Juvigny
 
•Trevor Williams - Arthur’s former classmate at Leigh Grammar
 
School
 
•Ian Gibson-Ling - Son of John Gibson
 
•Vivienne Coulter - Niece of John Ritson
 

Revision as of 10:56, 22 January 2015

Personnel Entry

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Name Green Arthur James
Army number 299730
Rank Lieutenant
Decorations
Date of birth 5/7/1923, in Leigh, Lancashire.
Age 21
Unit Enlisted in the Royal Armoured Corps 17/9/1942 as 14290046. Posted 53rd Training Regiment 28/10/1942. Recommended for Officer Training 7/12/1942. Pre-OCTU Training 28/1/1943. Cadet at Sandhurst No 100 OCTU 24/4/1943. Emergency Commission as a 2/Lt in the Royal Armoured Corps 7/11/1943. Posted 61 Training Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps 16/11/1943. OCTU Infantry Training Course, Dunbar, 31 January to 31 March 1944. Transferred to the York & Lancaster Regiment as a 2/Lt 1/4/1944. Attached to the Loyal Regiment, posted 2nd Battalion 1/4/1944. Posted 41 Reinforcement Holding Unit 16/6/1944. Normandy. Attached to The Black Watch, posted 1 TS 30/6/1944. KILLED in ACTION with 1 TS 9/7/44.
Company/Battery C Company.
Platoon or other sub-unit Not yet known.
Task or role Duty Officer.
Joined Brigade 30/6/1944.
Promotions W/S Lt 6/5/1944.
Wounded
Prisoner of War
Died/Killed in action 09-Jul-44
Home address Son of Alfred and Elsie Green, Leigh, Lancs. Bank Clerk. Member of the Home Guard. Buried Grave V. A. 20. St Manvieu War Cemetery, Cheux.
Source table 1TS

To read his Commemorative Record please click here.

Lt Green's nephew, John Ollerton, has compiled a record of his life and service, including researching the circumstances of his death - a task with which we were very happy to help. To read this family document please see below.