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2721542 - Guardsman Richard Eames - Irish Guards
Discussion in 'The Brigade of Guards' started by RRE, Feb 2, 2021.
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RRE Member
(Irish Guards): Guardsman Richard Eames
Enlisted: Caterham 04/07/1940
29/08/1940 – Joined 1st Battalion (Other postings: Holding Bn, 5R.D.S., T BN, 1st BN, 'Y' List, TR, 3rd BN)
Service Abroad:
N Africa & Italy: 17/07/1943 to 22/04/1944
NW Europe: 22/08/1944 to 15/09/1944
Military Conduct: EXEMPLORY
DOD: 05/04/1987
7/9/1944 – X(ii) List (chest wound -shot)
22/05/1945 – Discharged - 'Ceasing to fulfil army physical requirements' (Paragraph 390 (Xvi) Kings Regulations 1940)
RRE, Feb 2, 2021
Owen and CL1 like this.
Algiers 1943 (Photo front and back)
Gdsmn: Gregory (Coldstream Guards)
Gdsmn: Richard Eames (Irish Guards) Service No: 2721542
Cpl: Jackson (Gordon Highlanders)
dbf, Owen, Tullybrone and 1 other person like this.
Tullybrone Senior Member
Don't think I've seen any Guardsmen wearing the forage cap on the forum or elsewhere previously - usually the normal service cap.
Tullybrone, Feb 2, 2021
Further to original post:
Two dates appear in his records for 'chest wound':
1. 'Statement of services' and 'index cards' indicate, 7/9/1944 - X(ii) List. (I took this to be date of wounding)
2. 'Military History Sheet' records - 'Wound chest 07/09/1944' & Wounded NWE 13/09/1944. (13/09/1944 is shown in 3rd BN casualty list below)
I notice the next date on casualty list beneath Richard Eames is 7/9/1944. Could this be an admin error in his index card entries?
Date of evacuation to UK was 15/09/1944
a. Military History sheet (from service record)
b. 3rd BN Casualty List
XRayX Aalst-Waalre
I guess the chest wound must have happened on the 7th of September. 3rd Bn. was fighting around Beeringen, Belgium that day. The Diary notes: Other ranks 8 killed, 16 wounded.
No casualties are noted for the 13th. That was a day in between battles. The counterattack on Joe´s Bridge of the 11th of September and the 14th of September.
XRayX, Feb 4, 2021
I've included the two diary entries below. (Transcribed - dbf, Jun 5, 2015). I have photos of original entries.
War Diary: 3rd Battalion IRISH GUARDS, Jan - Dec 1944
September 7 BERINGEN
The Bn took over the Bridge head on the ALBERT Canal from the W.G. Group at noon. The day was an unpleasant one with considerable shelling from enemy S.P. guns which caused several casualties. Capt. W.R.R..S. BRUCE was killed early in the day and Capt. WHITE and LORD PLUNKETT wounded.
In the early evening, No 3 Coy (Major M.V. DUDLEY) carried out a sweep in co-operation with a sqn of tks to clear the Germans from a slag heap to the WEST of the town which was dominating the bridge head. The attack met with considerable success but was unable completely to clear the large factory area and had to be content with limited consolidation. Several S.P. guns were knocked out and from this moment, the shelling of the bridge head diminished considerably.
Total OR cas for the day were 8 killed and 16 wounded.
September 13 de GROOT
The Bn was ordered to move into the Woods N.W. of the bridge head to enlarge it and took up a defensive position in this area during the afternoon.
Also, if the 13th September was the date of wounding, it's surprising to me they could evacuate him so quickly from the front line back to the UK on the 15th September.
I would expect at least a visit to a field hospital before a few days of travelling.
His record indicates the journey took several days to meet up with 3rd Battalion via 40 & 34 Regimental holding units (R.H.U.):
(I believe: X(iv) list = unposted reinforcements and X(ii) list = all ranks evacuated on medical grounds and Y list = all ranks in hospital for more than 21 days)
Original Statement of Services (from service record)