Trooper Harry Beedell 50 ME Commando

[tedwardland]

All

I’ve recently received a fantastic ME Commando group which i would like to share. Below are some extracts from the photo copies i have of his letters & notes.

in the past i have always discounted the smaller ME cap badge in favour of the larger type of cap badge. You will see from the pictures, the ones belonging to Harry were given to him at the end of the war and are different. Both badges to the eye are cast. I’ve also included the rest of my ME Commando cap badge to show the differences in: colour, thickness, slightly difference (too heavy on the file), methods of attaching the lugs and positioning of the lugs

Trooper Harry Beedell:
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry D Batt Layforce & REME 50 ME Commando


Notification notice found him at Enford a little village on the Hampshire Avon river where he was a foreman on a very big farm. He was only 19 ½ and little thought that he would be away for 5 ½ years.
Issued his equipment at the drill hall Devizes when reporting for duty 2 Sep 1939.
Joined the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry in Devices. Joined 50 ME Commando 20 Aug 1940
He had leave at Geneifa on Bitter lakes while he did his Commando training. His leave pass has a rank of Raider and his number is different 226884 (RWY # is 326889)the leave pass is dated 8 Sep 1940
Was missing since 1 June 1941. Parents received a letter from the posting wing dated 9 Oct 1941 saying he was a POW.
Prisoner of war #22610 (stalag 311 (E.119)
Note of being in VIII B Hospital Oct 1941
Marched from Stalag IX C (near Frankfurt-Am-Main)
during the March Fred Palmai saved Harrys life. He was in a very bad state from starvation and fatigue, Harry says he was much older than Harry and been Austrian (and Jewish) he managed to get scraps of food were Harry said he failed. He also filled the gap left by his Royal Marine pal
Harry parents received a letter Colonel RE Laycock about Harry after their concerns of his welfare.
Captured on Whitsunday 1st June 1941 0730hrs. At Sphakia Crete, by a German parachutist and after nearly 4 years as a prisoner of war and a march of 900km. liberated at Wegscheide near Bad Ord Germany. By American tanks (3rd Army 2nd Cavalry) at 0730am on April 2 Easter Monday 1945.
Harry kept a diary of places and distances taken from sign posts or from the escorts.
When he returned to the UK in 1945 he weighed less than 50kg.

[HamandJam]

Great acquisition Ted , congratulations, well done.

Very interesting to see the other pattern ME cdo badges, so another correct pattern surfaced.

Cheers,
JB

[tedwardland]

Thanks JB, i'm hoping so. my thoughts would of been slightly different if they were both the same. We all know that things can get added over time.