WW2 Photographs and Memories
by RA Hearn and Alexander G Hackwill

Norfolk Section
The Britannia and Castle		      

1944 photograph Lt Colin Barnby and Capt Keith Oakey   1944 photograph of D-Day Norfolks Landing   1945 photograph of Kervenheim   Pte Alfred Massey 
RA Hearn of Aveley, Essex, sent the following photographs with the Press Release notes for the Kervenheim photograph..
British Official photograph - not to be published before Mon 5th March. British troops fight in the streets of Kervenheim. British troops entered the German town of Kervenheim 3 miles south of Udem on 1st Mar. After severe street-fighting, the Germans were forced to pull out and British troops racing after them had reached a point within 2 miles on Sonsbeck by the following night.
B&C 100
Click here for an account of his D Day landing on Jun 1944  by Cyril Crain

Lt Colin Barnby and Capt Keith Oakey 1944

D-Day 6 June 1944. Typical of the men who faced a long and deep wade ashore are these infantrymen of 1 Royal Norfolk, part of 185 Infantry Bde, British 3rd Infantry Division

LCpl RA Hearn of London and
Pte F Slater of Manchester covering
a cross-roads in Kervenheim

(Mr Hearn wrote: ‘Why the German automatic? It was more efficient and reliable than the Sten!’)

PTE ALFRED MASSEY
Further to the piece in B&C 99, Dec 02, 14825636 LCpl Alexander G Hackwill, Newbury, Berks sent:
A SOBERING THOUGHT
The appeal in B&C 99, Dec 02 for the NOK of 6024082 Pte Alfred Massey (KIA 6 Apr 1945) brought back memories of myself as a young soldier. With others who had finished training, I was transferred from The Royal Berkshires to 1 R Norfolk as a reinforcement after the Battle of Kervenheim. (See above. Ed.) My first baptism of artillery fire was on the banks of the Rhine and Pte Massey could see I was young and nervous. The friendly advice he offered was that I should try nothing brave or daring but that I should follow his actions.
When we attacked Lingen a few weeks later the first person I saw removed on a stretcher was Pte Massey. It was a rather sobering sight after his advice.
B&C 100

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