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F/Sgt. George Cable . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 138 Sqdn. from Leeds (d.8th May 1944) F/Sgt Cable was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France.
Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were:
W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar
F/S G Cable DFM
F/O D Brown DFC
F/O B P McGonagle DFC
F/O J A Armour DFC DFM
F/O A F Bryce
F/O N Simister DFM
T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery.
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George Cable . British Army 220th Anti-Tank Battery Royal Artillery Down Memory Lane By George Cable
On D Day the 220th Anti-Tank Battery, Loyal Suffolk Hussars were waiting until it was our turn to join the convoy on the A12 in the early hours of the morning and trusting that all the hours of training were worth the effort. Arriving in the London area we were told to bed down in tents and that there was a delay of 24 hours for some reason. The next day off to the docks and boarded a USA Liberty Ship and then sailed down the Thames. This woke us up for the cranes on the bankside bowed down to us as we passed, so this must be the real thing.
That night, down below was rather stuffy and I told my mate it would be better to sleep on the bow, so off we went to settle down for the night. In my army career I never did sleep in a bed, it was always on the floor, so that night I slept alright, but what woke me up was a prolonged noise and a lot of sparks. But used to hearing anything I just went back to sleep. Unbeknown to me (I was told later) a German shell had dropped down the funnel and buried itself in the coal; the Navy had come alongside and shouted out why we were losing speed and leaving the convoy. The reply was that we had a bomb aboard and were trying to dig it out. The sailors replied that as the bomb had not exploded already the ship was safe, and they left.
In the morning we were told the news and later saw the crew lift out the 5-foot shell and drop it overboard. The steam engine was in a bad way, so we were very late in arriving in France. So it was down with the nets and climbing down into the landing craft and seeing again our gun, the jeep and the rest of our equipment on board.
I stood up and looked around, amazed at the number of ships around us. I was shouted at to get down as I was making a marvellous target for snipers! The landing craft took us near the shore but not close enough to land without getting our feet wet. We drove up the beach and followed the directions until we met up with our unit again. They were delighted to see us as they thought we must have drowned during the crossing.
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L/Cpl. Robert Charles "Nobby" Cable . British Army 2nd Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps from Sydenham (d.23rd May 1940) My father, Robert Cable, was at the Battle of Calais in May 1940 with the 2nd Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps. He had been a regular soldier with the 1st Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps from 1931 to 1939 in India and Burma where he had passed exams for Veterinary First Aid and Animal Hygiene.He was on reserve when he met my mother and at the outbreak of war they married in November 1939. My mother, Lucy, was two months pregnant with me when he was reported missing in June 1940 and she didn't find out that he had died until two years later in March 1942.
My mother did not remarry until 1966. I have the last postcard that my father wrote to my mother from Calais on 22nd of May which was full of love for her, "hope to see a second Lucy at Christmas" (me), and telling her not to worry "the devil looks after his own".
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Thomas Cabido Cabrera . US Army 821st Tank Destroyer Battalion from Colton, California My father, Thomas Cabido Cabrera, served with the 821st Tank Destroyer Battalion. He was wounded in the battle of St Lo.
I'd love to get more information about the 821st. There were several men
from his home town of Colton, California who also served with him.
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Sgt. Ted "Lad " Cachart . Royal Air Force 49th Squadron Warrant Officer. E.B. (Ted) Cachart. Wop/Ag, 49th Squadron (Lancaster) RAF Fiskerton, Lincolnshire - otherwise known as 'Ted the Lad' - was UK’s youngest ever Bomber Command crew member. He managed to enlist at the age of fifteen and, by the age of 18, had been promoted to Sgt. Wop/Ag.
In January 1944, Ted and his crew, two of whom were Royal Canadian Air Force, survived a mid-air collision near Berlin, only to become prisoners of war. All crew members of the second Lancaster tragically perished.
At the age of 86, Ted Cachart is on a mission to help other WW2 veterans access lottery funding before the Heroes Return 2 programme ends in January 2012. World War II veterans, their wives, husbands, widows or widowers and, in some cases, accompanying carers are eligible to apply for lottery funding that enables them to visit the countries where they or their loved ones once served. Funds of between £150 and £5,500 are available, depending on the number of people taking part and the destination. There are still many people who are unaware of this programme. It is not just ex-Army, Air Force and Navy personnel who can apply; Merchant Navy, Auxiliary Territorial Service, Navy Wrens and, in some cases, members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force may also be eligible.
The 'Heroes Return 2' programme was first launched by The Big Lottery Fund in 2004 and has already provided over 50,000 veterans with funding, affording them to travel to places such as France, Holland, Italy, Greece, Malta, India, America, the Far East and North Africa. The scheme was extended by 12 months to allow more veterans to participate, with closing date for applications now being 31st January 2012.
Time is fast running out and Ted Cachart desperately wants to spread the word and help as many people as possible access the funds before it is too late. Having been through the successful application process himself, Ted is offering to help others do likewise. Based on his personal experience, he is offering general advice and free help with the associated form filling.
Ted Cachart knows only too well the bravery shown by the men and women who saw active service during World War II. He experienced the terrors himself, from the exceptionally young age of 15 (he 'embellished' his age in order to enlist), and is now appealing to everyone to spread the word that the 'Heroes Return 2' programme is ending in January 2012. It is hoped that many more people can benefit from this opportunity to travel and pay their final and fitting respects, revisit old battlefields and/or visit the sites where their loved ones fought.
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Pte. Frank Victor "Tiny" Cackett . British Army Battalion from Ashford, Kent My Grandad, Frank Victor Cackett, was in The Buffs and he was from Ashford, Kent. As far as I'm aware he was captured quite early on and what we can gather from the small snippets he gave, he was on the way to Dunkirk. He didn't speak much about the war at all so we've been trying to find out as much information as possible. He was in the Stalag Luft VIII-B in Cieszyn, Poland and did survive. He passed away in March 1992 from heart issues.
He came out only weighing 6 stone and after being told he was fed cabbage soup it's not surprising! He was a bare knuckle fighter also so coming out having the nickname Tiny Cackett is pretty understandable.
Just trying to piece the story together really from the little bits we did get from him.
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James J. Cadagan . United States Army Air Corps from Erdenheim, PA
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J. Cadd . Auxiliary Fire Service Horsham
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Greaser Charles Leo Cadden . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar from Bootle, Lancashire (d.2nd Dec 1940)
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L/Cpl. John Cadden . British Army 1/6th Btn. Queens Royal Rgt (West Surrey) (d.6th Sep 1944) I am looking for information about L/Cpl John Cadden. Does anyone have information about him?
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Cpl. Walter Henry Cadden . British Army 6th Btn. Ox and Bucks Light Infantry (d.6th May 1944) I am looking for information about Cpl Walter Cadden. Does any have any information about him?
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Dorothy Ethel Caddy . Womens Auxiliary Air Force from Upper Beeding
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Pte. Frederick Charles Caddy . British Army Pioneer Corps Frederick Caddy served with the Pioneer Corps. I know nothing as have just found a family link through DNA.
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Ldg.Sea. John Ewart Douglas Cade . Royal Navy M.V. Sutlej (d.26th February 1944) John Cade was the son of Charles James and Rose Annie Cade, he was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean.
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Charles Cadenhead . British Army Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders from Clydebank My Grandfather, Charles Cadenhead served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in WW2. He fought in Monte Cassino, Israel and Africa.
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Pte. Frank Cadle . British Army 1st Btn. Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment Frank Cadle was listed as wounded in Burma in June 1945
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Air Mech. Richard John Cadman . Fleet Air Arm
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Pte. Charles W. "Hap" Cady . United States Army Company F 168th from Miamitown, Ohio My father, Charles W. Cady, was captured on February 17th 1943 in Tunasia during the battle around Kasserine Pass. He was in the 34th Inf. Div., 168th Regement, Company F. He was a POW for 27 months and spent most of his time in Stalag 2B on a work farm detail. He was liberated in April 1945.
If anyone has any information it would be greatly appreciated. I do know he was on one of the work farms that were associated with Stalag 2B in Hammerstein and he was force marched out toward the end of the war. I do not know where he was liberated or by whom.
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Pte. Charles William "Hap" Cady . United States Army "F" Coy. 168th Rgt. from Miamitown, Ohio Charles W. Cady joined the Army in 1942. He was captured in Tunisia in Northern Africa around Kasserine Pass on 17th February 1943. He eventually was taken to Stalag 2B. He worked in a labour kommando. He was part of the forced march and was liberated on or about 15th April 1945. He spent time in Camp Lucky Strike recuperating before being sent home. When he arrived home he was told that his brother had been killed in Northern France on 22nd November 1944.
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Lt. Ernest Northcott Cady . Royal Navy HMS Ranpura from Jarrow My father, Ernest Cady, served on the HMS Ranpura as an engineering officer
Before the war he served in a similar position on several P & O cruise ships.
I have before me a nameplate of a canteen of cutlery which reads "Presented to Lieut (E) E.N. Cady RNR as a token of esteem from the Wardroom Officers of HMS Ranpura on the occasion of his marriage "
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LO Caesar . British Army LO Caesar served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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RA Caesar . British Army RA Caesar served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch.
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Sgt. Dennis Cahill . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 44 Squadron from Scawthorpe, Yorkshire (d.4th Oct 1944) Sergeant (Air Gunner) Dennis Cahill was the son of Thomas and Mildred Powel Cahill, of Scawthorpe, Yorkshire.
He was 23 when he died and is buried in the Strandby (Aars) Churchyard in Denmark.
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Pte. J. J. Cahill . Australian Army AIF 23rd Btn. Australian Infantry Private Cahill's uncle live in Mitchelstown and he is buried South-West of the Mitchelstown Catholic churchyard, Brigowh, Co. Cork, Ireland.
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Austin Cain . Royal Navy HMS Nelson from Murton, Co.Durham
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Pte. Charles Cain . Royal Army Service Corps from Cannock Chase, Stafford
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Lt. Christopher Benedict Cain MID.. British Army 58th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery from Litherland, Liverpool My father, Christopher Cain, served with the Royal Artillery and fought in Italy during WW2 with the 58th Anti-Tank Regiment. He was the troop commander of E Troop, formed when a new battery (325th) was added to the three existing batteries of the 58th Anti-Tank Regiment.
Formerly known as K Troop, E Troop had fought in North Africa with 232nd Battery as a 6Pr troop. On arrival of 325th Battery, a few new faces were added to the Troop and E Troop was born.
After a short while, the Troop gained its first recognition by being selected to be the Troop to change from 6Prs to the sturdier 17Prs. At this time the Troop Sgt. was Sgt. France who then left to take a commission. His position was taken by Sgt Oates, who was later replaced by Sgt. Byrne. The Nos 1 were E1 Sgt. Arbuthott, E2 Bdr. Humphreys, E3 Sgt. Wallwork and E4 L/Sgt. Morris.
Other officers mentioned by my father included: Capt. Mike Melford (later a sports journalist); Maj. Tom Cox; Maj. Roy Smith (later Lt. Col., I think); and two Army padres, Capt. Hooper from Buckfast Abbey, and PB Merry, who was the Divisional padre. Any further information would be appreciated.
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Henry Cain . Royal Navy from Sunderland
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Maj. Robert Henry Cain VC.. British Army att. 2nd South Staffs. Royal Northumberland Fusiliers from Isle of Man Robert Henry Cain grew up on the Isle of Man and joined the Territorial Army in 1928. After working overseas he was given an emergency commission into the Army in 1940. He transferred to the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1942, and joined the 2nd Battalion, part of the British 1st Airborne Division. He saw action during the Invasion of Sicily in 1943 and again during the Battle of Arnhem the following year. During the battle Major Cain's company was closely engaged with enemy tanks, self-propelled guns and infantry. Cain continually exposed himself to danger while leading his men and personally dispatched as much enemy armour as possible. Despite sustaining several injuries he refused medical attention and for his gallantry he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment was part of 1st Airlanding Brigade which landed in Sicily in July 1943 as part of Operation Ladbroke. In the same month, Cain took command of the battalion's B Company.
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was part of Operation Market Garden, an attempt to secure a string of bridges through the Netherlands. At Arnhem the British 1st Airborne Division and Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were tasked with securing bridges across the Lower Rhine, the final objectives of the operation. However, the airborne forces that dropped on 17 September were not aware that the 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer divisions were also near Arnhem for rest and refit. Their presence added a substantial number of Panzergrenadiers, tanks and self-propelled guns to the German defenses and the Allies suffered heavily in the ensuing battle. Only a small force managed to hold one end of the Arnhem road bridge before being overrun on the 21st. The rest of the division became trapped in a small pocket west of the bridge and had to be evacuated on the 25th. The Allies failed to cross the Rhine, which remained under German control until Allied offensives in March 1945.
Advance into Arnhem
The Allies planned to fly the British and Polish to Arnhem in three separate lifts over three days. Major General Roy Urquhart decided to deploy the 1st Airlanding Brigade first, as glider troops could assemble more quickly than parachute infantry and secure the landing areas. Cain took off with the first lift along with two companies of the South Staffords but only five minutes after departing from RAF Manston the tow rope connecting the Albemarle tug to his Horsa glider pulled out of the leading aircraft.[9] After landing safely the glider's occupants were able to fly out the following day with the second lift.
Two Airborne soldiers demonstrate the PIAT anti tank gun
In Arnhem the Allied plan quickly unravelled. Only a small group of the 1st Parachute Brigade, mainly elements of Lieutenant Colonel John Frost's 2nd Battalion, were able to reach the bridge. The 1st and 3rd Battalions were unable to penetrate the outer suburbs of the city and their advance stalled, so in order to support them the first lift of the South Staffords were sent forward on the morning of the 18th. When Cain arrived with the second lift they too were sent forward, arriving at the outskirts of Arnhem on the night of the 18th. Lieutenant Colonel David Dobie of the 1st Battalion proposed a concentrated attack on a narrow front between the Lower Rhine and the Arnhem railway line. The South Staffords would advance toward the bridge, with the remnants of the 1st and 3rd Battalions on their right flank, while the 11th Parachute Battalion, remained in reserve.The Staffords moved forward at 4.30am with D Company in the lead, followed by B and A Companies with C Company in reserve. In the area around St Elizabeth Hospital, the lead company met heavy resistance clearing houses and B Company took the lead, getting as far as a dell near the Arnhem City Museum. Here Cain and his men encountered enemy armour for the first time. The company was only armed with PIATs and mortars and although Cain and several of his company opened fire on the tanks and guns, they did not manage to disable any. By 11:30 they had run out of PIAT ammunition and the tanks now dominated the area.[16] Their position was clearly hopeless and so Lieutenant Colonel McCardie, the commanding officer (CO) of 2nd Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment, ordered them to withdraw from the dell. Cain fell back with several of his men but few of them were able to escape, while the men of the other companies were forced to surrender in their droves. Cain was the only senior officer of the battalion to escape in what he later described as the "South Staff's Waterloo".
As the surviving men fell back through the 11th Battalion's positions, Major Gilchrist (A Company, 11th Battalion) met Cain, who told him that "The tanks are coming, give me a PIAT". Gilchrist was unable to oblige and so the Staffords regrouped behind the 11th Battalion's positions; roughly 100 surviving men forming into five small platoons under Cain's command. Lieutenant Colonel George Lea, commander of the 11th Battalion, ordered them to capture a piece of wooded high ground known as Den Brink to cover a fresh advance, and a bayonet charge quickly cleared the enemy there.However, the thick tree roots on the hill made it impossible to dig in, and after suffering severe casualties, Cain took the decision to withdraw back to Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek perimeter, A German StuG III at Arnhem.
The remnants of the four battalions fell back in disarray to the main divisional positions at Oosterbeek. Here they were gathered into defensive units by Lieutenant Colonel Sheriff Thompson, CO 1st Airlanding Light Artillery Regiment, who forcibly stopped many of the panicked troops. Alarmed that the many retreating units would soon leave his own 75 Millimetre Howitzers undefended, he sought out Cain, the most senior officer, and ordered him to form the men into a defensive screen ahead of the gun positions. Thompson later sent Major Richard Lonsdale to take command of these outlying troops, and throughout Wednesday 20 they weathered strong German attacks before falling back to the main divisional perimeter. The sector was designated "Thompson Force", but was renamed "Lonsdale Force" when Thompson was wounded the following day. To the north and west of Oosterbeek other units fell back in the face of strong German resistance and over the next few days a thumb shaped perimeter formed around the town, with the Rhine at its base.
Lonsdale Force's sector covered the southern end of the eastern perimeter, and Cain was one of three Majors defending this sector of the line. As the battle progressed he became determined to destroy as much enemy armour as possible[25] and sited himself in a laundry's garden, much to the chagrin of the Dutch owner. Over the coming days Cain was everywhere, dealing with armour and snipers and encouraging his men. On the afternoon of Thursday 21st two tanks approached Cain's position. Guided by a colleague in a building above him, Cain waited in a trench until the first tank�actually a StuG III self-propelled gun (SPG)was close enough to engage. The SPG fired at the building, killing Cain's colleague and showering him with masonry but despite this, Cain kept his position. Staff Sergeant Richard Long of the Glider Pilot Regiment remembered that through the clouds of dust, Cain fired round after round from his PIAT until the SPG was disabled,[26] but whilst engaging the second tank a round exploded in the PIAT with a bright flash and Cain was thrown backwards. Cain recalled thinking he was blind and "shouting like a hooligan. I shouted to somebody to get onto the PIAT because there was another tank behind. I blubbered and yelled and used some very colourful language. They dragged me off to the aid post."[30] The British brought forward one of the Light Regiment's 75mm guns which blew the tank apart.
Witnesses believed that Cain was incapacitated, but within half an hour his sight returned. He refused morphia and against all advice returned to the front lines, deciding that he "wasn't wounded enough to stay where [he] was". On the following day his eardrums burst from the constant firing and barrage, but he was content to stuff his ears with bandages and continue fighting. On Sunday 24th, shortly after a truce to allow the evacuation of casualties, Cain was alerted to the approach of a Tiger tank. Together with a Royal Artillery gunner he raced for a 6 pounder anti-tank gun, manoeuvred it into position, fired and disabled the tank. He wanted to continue using the gun, but the recoil mechanism was destroyed.
By 25 September, the area occupied by the Lonsdale Force saw heavy fighting against self-propelled guns, flame thrower tanks, and infantry. There were no PIATs available to the force by now; instead Cain armed himself with a two inch mortar. Mortars are muzzle-loading indirect fire weapons but Cain was forced to fire it on an almost horizontal plane due to the enemy's proximity. His citation states that his leadership ensured that the South Staffordshire gave no ground and drove the enemy off in complete disorder. By the end of the Battle, Cain had been reportedly responsible for the destruction or disabling of six tanks, four of which were Tigers, as well as a number of self-propelled guns.
That night the Division began to withdraw in Operation Berlin. Many men shaved and blackened their faces and Cain removed a week's growth of beard from his face, drying himself on his dirty, blood-soaked Denison smock. After successfully crossing the Rhine, this led Brigadier 'Pip' Hicks to comment "there's one officer, at least, who's shaved". Cain made sure all of his men were over the river by dawn, before he himself crossed in an old boat
"War Office, 2nd November, 1944. The King has been graciously pleased to approve awards of the Victoria Cross to Captain (temporary Major) Robert Henry Cain (129484), The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, (attd. The South Staffordshire Regiment, I Airborne Division).
In Holland on 19th September, 1944, Major Cain was commanding a rifle company of the South Staffordshire Regiment during the Battle of Arnhem when his company was cut off from the rest of the battalion and during the next six days was closely engaged with enemy tanks, self-propelled guns and infantry. The Germans made repeated attempts to break into the company position by infiltration and had they succeeded in doing so the whole situation of the Airborne Troops would have been jeopardised.
Major Cain, by his outstanding devotion to duty and remarkable powers of leadership, was to a large extent personally responsible for saving a vital sector from falling into the hands of the enemy.
On 20th September a Tiger tank approached the area held by his company and Major Cain went out alone to deal with it armed with a Piat. Taking up a position he held his fire until the tank was only 20 yards away when he opened up. The tank immediately halted and turned its guns on him, shooting away a corner of the house near where this officer was lying. Although wounded by machine gun bullets and falling masonry, Major Cain continued firing until he had scored several direct hits, immobilised the tank and supervised the bringing up of a 75 mm. howitzer which completely destroyed it. Only then would he consent to have his wounds dressed.
In the next morning this officer drove off three more tanks by the fearless use of his Piat, on each occasion leaving cover and taking up position in open ground with complete disregard for his personal safety.
During the following days, Major Cain was everywhere where danger threatened, moving amongst his men and encouraging them by his fearless example to hold out. He refused rest and medical attention in spite of the fact that his hearing had been seriously impaired because of a perforated eardrum and he was suffering from multiple wounds.
On 25th of September the enemy made a concerted attack on Major Cain's position, using self-propelled guns, flame throwers and infantry. By this time the last Piat had been put out of action and Major Cain was armed with only a light 2" mortar. However, by a skilful use of this weapon and his daring leadership of the few men still under his command, he completely demoralized the enemy who, after an engagement lasting more than three hours, withdrew in disorder.
Throughout the whole course of the Battle of Arnhem, Major Cain showed superb gallantry. His powers of endurance and leadership were the admiration of all his fellow officers and stories of his valour were being constantly exchanged amongst the troops. His coolness and courage under incessant fire could not be surpassed."
Later in the war he took part in Operation Doomsday, where the 1st Airborne Division oversaw the German surrender in Norway Operation Doomsday, Cain travelled to Oslo, Norway, with the 1st Airlanding Brigade on 11 May 1945. Working with Milorg (the Norwegian resistance), the British took the surrender of German troops in Norway without incident, before returning to the UK on 25 August 1945.
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