Frank Thomas Reed was killed on 20th October 1944 at Overloon. He was a Sergeant (Service No. 2657821) in the 3rd Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps. This was part of the Royal Armoured Corps. Frank was buried at the temporary cemetery on the Deurneseweg in Oploo. On 28 January 1946, he was reburied at Overloon War Cemetery. Frank’s grave is inscribed: “Sleep, my dear one thy work is done. Sleep, my dear, and rest in peace.” 

No photo of Frank has yet been found. Should anyone reading this have a photo of him or further information regarding him – or if they are aware of any errors in his biography below can they please contact the Foundation? 

Military career

Frank Thomas Reed enlisted in the Coldstream Guards in London on 14 April 1937. He signed up in the Regular Army for 7 years in the colours and 5 in the reserves. He claimed he was born on 20 December 1918 in Edmonton, London so was 18 at the time. However, it is thought that he was born in late 1919 so may have added a year to his age. He had been working as a machinist. He initially gave his brother, Sydney, of 9 South Row, South Street, Ponders End, Middlesex as his next of kin. He later changed his next of kin to his sister Annie Roper of 34 Westoe Road, Edmonton.
 
At enlistment, he was described as being 5ft 10 ¼ in tall and weighed 149 lbs. He had a fresh complexion and dark brown hair and eyes. His level of education was Grade D. He gave his religion as Church of England.
 
He was posted to the 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards as a Guardsman and joined their Depot on 16 April 1937. He passed a swimming test at the Depot on 7 July 1937 and seems to have been studying for his Certificate of Education as he achieved 3rd class in all subjects on 7 September 1937. He had been posted to the 1st Battalion on 15 June but only joined his battalion on 14 September 1937.
 
He was appointed to the rank of Unpaid Lance Corporal on 12 May 1938, converted to Paid on 25 May. However, he was deprived of his Lance Corporal’s stripe on 28 March 1939 for misconduct so reverted to Guardsman. The reason is not known.
 
He married Maud Ellen Bailey on 27 May 1939 at the Registry Office in Lambeth. At some point thereafter his next of kin was changed to his wife of 2 Park Avenue, Palmers Green, London N13.
 
He embarked for France with the British Expeditionary Force on 29 September 1939. Frank and Maud’s first child, Frank Sidney Reed, was born in late 1939 in Lambeth, so he will have not been able to be with his wife at this time. He was allowed home for 10 days’ leave on 19 February 1940 and was evacuated, presumably from Dunkirk, on 1 June 1940. Not long after he returned, he was absent from 12 noon on 14 June 1940 to 5.30 on 19 June 1940. For this he was tried on 22 June. He forfeited 6 days’ pay and was put in detention at the barracks for 14 days. He was released from detention on 5 July 1940 and returned to duty the following day. Perhaps it was not surprising that he was absent so soon after his evacuation. He was appointed as Acting Unpaid Lance Corporal on 19 July 1940 – so clearly did not stay out of favour for long.
 
He relinquished his Lance Corporal’s stripe at his own request on 24 December 1940 and transferred as a Fusilier to the 8th Battalion of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers on 5 February 1941. He was immediately re-appointed as Unpaid Lance Corporal.

The 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was raised just before the outbreak of the Second World War as a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate unit of the 4th Battalion. It was a motorcycle battalion and had served as such in the Battle of France in May 1940. It was converted to a reconnaissance unit on 30 April 1941. Frank served with the Battalion through this change.

He attended Physical and Recreational Training Course at Colchester between 30 December 1941 and 21 January 1942 and obtained qualifications at Grade A.

Frank and Maud’s second child, Anthony John Reed, was born on 12 January 1942 in Edmonton.

His unit was renamed the 3rd Regiment of the Reconnaissance Corps on 21 April 1942. He was deprived of his Lance Corporal’s stripe again on 20 May 1942 and reverted to the rank of Trooper. He was again absent without leave from 2359 hrs on 22 August 1942 to 0300 hrs on 28 August 1942. He forfeited 6 days’ pay and was given 28 days detention from 29 August which he served at the detention barracks at Chatham. He was released from detention on 21 September 1942 having earned 4 days remission.

He was appointed to the rank of Acting Unpaid Corporal on 7 February 1943, which was immediately converted to a paid position. He was then quickly appointed as Acting Unpaid Lance Sergeant on 25 February 1943, and again immediately converted to a paid position. However, it seems that he had suffered a fracture of his right fibula on 12 February 1943, though it was initially described as an “injury of a trivial nature”. He underwent a medical examination on 11 March 1943 where he was described as temporarily unfit due to the fracture. On 8 May he may have dropped down a level as he was appointed as a War Substantive Corporal. This may have been because of this injury. He received a severe reprimand from his Commanding Officer for being absent again for just under a day and a half from 2359 on 14 August 1943. He was declared A1 fit again on 1 October 1943.

His unit became part of the Royal Armoured Corps from 1 January 1944. On 7 January he became first an unpaid then paid Sergeant.

He embarked for North West Europe on 30 June 1944, a few weeks after D-Day.

On 5 July 1944 he became a War Substantive Sergeant.

It was originally raised just before the outbreak of the Second World War as the 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Formed as a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate unit of the 4th Battalion, it was a motorcycle battalion and served as such in the Battle of France in May 1940. It was converted to a reconnaissance unit in April 1941 and fought in North-West Europe from June 1944 until May 1945 when the war in Europe ended.
 
On 1 October 1944, the 3rd Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps was in Haps, to the north of Overloon. Their task was to carry out patrols on the west side of the Meuse River. They were to guard this flank, passing through Haps, St. Agatha, Oeffelt and Beugen. They were in regular contact with the Dutch resistance and received valuable information about German positions. There were frequent clashes with the Germans on these, often night patrols, who retreated behind the lines during the day and returned to patrol at night.
 
On 12 October they were in St Hubert and held in reserve as the Battle of Overloon started for the British army.
 
From 15 October, they took over the position of the 4th Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and carried out regular patrols around Vortum, Groeningen and Vierlingsbeek. They had to prevent the Germans from counterattacking from the flank.
 
On 20 October 1944, Sgt. Frank Thomas Reed and Maj. Terence Haigh Greenall of “A” Company went out on reconnaissance in their Humber MII Scout Car near Vierlingsbeek. The dirt road, on which they drove, leads to the farm “de Kiekuut”, parallel to the railway line towards Boxmeer. Sgt. Reed and Maj. Greenall had been warned about mines and booby traps and scanned the road with their trained eyes. They arrived level with the Pijls family home.
Suddenly there was a huge explosion, killing Sgt. Reed instantly and leaving Maj. Greenall seriously injured such that he later died on 29 October. The Humber MII Scout Car had hit a German mine, with terrible consequences.
 
Both men were buried side by side in the temporary cemetery on the Deurneseweg in Oploo. On 28 January 1946, they were reburied, again side by side, at Overloon War Cemetery.

Both men were buried side by side in the temporary cemetery on the Deurneseweg in Oploo. On 28 January 1946, they were reburied, again side by side, at Overloon War Cemetery. Frank’s grave is inscribed: “Sleep, my dear one thy work is done. Sleep, my dear, and rest in peace.”

His wife was informed of his death on 28 October.

He had served in the Army for 7 years and 190 days or which 113 days were in Europe. He was awarded the following medals: 1939-45 Star, War Medal 1939/45, France and Germany Star and Defence Medal. His wife was given a pension of £1/15 a week from 19 January 1945 with a further allowance of £1/2 as they had two children. Her address remained as 2 Park Avenue, Palmers Green, London N13.

HUMBER MII SCOUT CAR

As early as 1945, Harry van Daal from Overloon, among others, started collecting war equipment, which would be the beginning of the National War Museum in Overloon. In September 1945, an English delegation with Churchill tanks came to help bring the larger equipment to Overloon. The damaged Scout Car of Sgt Reed and Maj. Greenall near Pijls’ home is picked up and placed outside in the park.
 
The Humber Scout Car stood outside in all weathers for decades, with the weather having free rein. This obviously did the vehicle no good and it disappeared into the background. A few years ago, the vehicle was fully restored and can again be seen at the War Museum as it would have looked before the explosion. Like almost all vehicles, it is now on display inside.

Family Background

Although Frank Thomas Reed gave his birth date as 20 December 1918 when he enlisted, he was actually born in late 1919 in Edmonton, Middlesex – so would only be 24 when he died. His parents were Sidney John Reed and Jennie Reed (nee Bartrop). Sidney was born in 1884 in Edmonton while Jennie was born in 1885 in Enfield. They had married in Edmonton in 1906. They had eight children as follows: Gracie Elizabeth 1907, Jennie 1910, Sidney John 1911, Annie 1915, Amelia 1917, Frank Thomas 1919, Alfred D 1923 and Violet H 1929. Gracie and Jennie were born in Enfield and the rest in Edmonton.
 
In 1911 Sidney and Jennie were living at 10 Beaconsfield Road Edmonton. Sidney was a Nursery Hand. With them were children Gracie and Jennie and visitors who were Jennie’s parents and sister – William and Elizabeth Bartrop and their 20 year old daughter, also called Gracie.
 
By 1921 they were living at 7, Shrubbery Road, Edmonton, Middlesex. and Sidney was now a Dairy Salesman for the London Co-operative. Their six children born by then were with them, including Frank. Sadly, it is thought that his sister Jennie died in 1925 aged 15.

It is thought that Frank’s mother, Jennie (Jane) Reed died in 1933 and his father, Sidney John Reed, died in 1935, both in Edmonton. This would be why Frank initially named first his brother Sidney and then his married sister Annie as his next of kin. Frank’s sister Gracie had married Henry J Finch in 1928 and Annie had married Stephen J Roper in 1934. In September 1939 another sister, Amelia, was living with Annie and her husband at 34 Westoe Road, Edmonton. Oddly, in 1939 it was Gracie who was living at 9 South Row, Ponders End, the address Frank gave for his brother Sidney as his next of kin when he enlisted in 1937. It may be that Sidney was living with his sister at the time. By 1939, Sidney was living with another family and married the following year. It isn’t known where the two younger children who would have been 10 and 16 were at that time.

As has been seen, Frank had joined the Regular Army in 1937 when just 17.

He had married Maud Ellen Bailey on 27 May 1939 in Lambeth. She was born on 26 August 1920 in Lambeth to Ernest F Bailey (born 09 Nov 1886) and Charlotte E Bailey (born 18 Aug 1884). In September 1939, although she was already married, Maud was living with her parents at 43 Carroun Road, Oval, Lambeth, London. Frank was not present. Her father was working as a Law Courts Attendant. There too were her siblings John F Bailey born 21 May 1913 (a Cheese Blender) and Amy C Bailey born 31 Jul 1914 (a Gown Machinist).

Frank and Maud had two sons: Frank Sidney Reed in late 1939 in Lambeth and Anthony John Reed on 12 January 1942 in Edmonton and both went on to have families of their own.
 
Maud later married William Plimmer in Edmonton in 1946. They went on to have children as follows: Christopher W 1947 Edmonton, Colin D 1948 Wood Green, Gordon D 1951 Wood Green, Barbara A 1955 Edmonton and Alison E 1961 Edmonton.
 
Maud Ellen Plimmer died in 2000 in Enfield.

FindMyPast website: Civil and Parish Birth, Marriage and Death Records; England Census and 1939 Register Records; Electoral Rolls; Military Records
Information on the 3rd regiment, reconnaissance Corps
Service Record for Frank Thomas Reed from National Archives ref WO 423/1139119

Research Sue O’Shea and Elaine Gathercole