Taylor |Albert William
Biography
Albert William Taylor (Service No. T/1084147) died while on active service on 3 July 1945. He was a Corporal in the Royal Army Service Corps, 645 Army Troops Composite Company and was aged 30 when he died. He was initially buried at Cemetery De Kleffen and subsequently re-interred on 30 January 1946 in grave I. A. 1. in the Overloon Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.
Military career
Albert William Taylor enlisted at Dover on 12 September 1940. He stated that he was born on 5 August 1914 in Balham, London. He gave his address as 134 Welbeck Road, Carshalton, Surrey. He had married Blodwen Jones on 8 October 1932 in Wandsworth so she was named as his next of kin at the same address. He was described as 5 ft 10 ½ in tall, weighed 138 lbs and had hazel eyes and fair hair. He was Grade 1 medically fit. He gave his religion as Church of England. Prior to enlisting he had been a Fishmonger manager.
He was posted initially to the 5th Field Training Regiment of the Royal Artillery as a Gunner. On 14 October 1940 he was posted to 516 Coast Regiment at Sheerness. Royal Artillery Coastal Regiments were important at this time when an invasion of the UK was a strong possibility. 516 Regiment was protecting the Thames and Medway areas. Just a month later, on 15 November 1940, he was posted to 398 Coast Battery and appointed to the rank of Unpaid Lance Bombardier two days later. At that time, this Battery seems to have been at Instow near Barnstaple in Devon and formed part of 20 Coast Artillery Group RA. He was appointed to Lance Bombardier (Driver) on 17 January 1941 and then promoted to Paid Acting Bombardier on 28 August 1941 and War Substantive Bombardier on 26 November 1941. A Bombardier was the equivalent of a Corporal. 20 Coast Artillery Group was re-designated as 558 Coast Regiment in June 1941. On 5 September 1942 he was posted to 557 Coast Regiment. This was based at St Austell in Cornwall at the time. However, it may be that he remained with 398 Battery as it transferred to 557 Regiment around this time, still based at Instow. He was given the rank of Unpaid Acting Lance Sergeant on 26 February 1943 then the equivalent paid position on 26 March 1943. A Lance Sergeant was a Corporal who could carry out the duties of a Sergeant. On 28 November 1943 his rank was changed to War Substantive Bombardier and he was posted back to the Royal Artillery Depot.
He was transferred to 645 Army Troops Composite Company of the Royal Army Service Corps on 5 December 1943 with the rank of War Substantive Corporal. He passed a driving test allowing him to drive any vehicle on 5 January 1944.
The RASC was the branch of the British Army responsible for the distribution of supplies such as food, water, fuel and domestic materials such as clothing, furniture and stationery to units in the field as well as transportation of troops. It had responsibility for transporting supplies as far as the front line, where individual units took over responsibility. The corps were also responsible for the administration and maintenance of barracks and quarters. The RASC did not issue or maintain weapons, military equipment or ammunition as this was the responsibility of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. However, it did transport ammunition from Base Ordnance Depots to Forward Ammunition Points.
The RASC, 645 Army Troops Composite Company was one of two such companies in the Second British Army which itself was part of 21st Army Group. Their role was to provide “transport for the carriage of 2nd line scales of ammunition, petrol and anti-gas reserves, and of supplies on single echelon on unit basis for units in army troops. A reserve of tipping lorries is available for allotment as required”. Earlier in the war a “double echelon” referred to a mode of operation where one echelon carried one day’s worth of supplies (excluding fuel and ammunition) for all the units of their parent division on one day, while a second echelon performed the same role the next day. It is thought that a single echelon operation ensured that all transport was utilised to the best extent and no vehicles were left idle. The Company consisted of an HQ, three Motor Transport Platoons (two with 3-ton lorries, one with tippers, 33 task vehicles per platoon, which included three spare), a full Composite Platoon, two Relief Driver Increments and a Workshop Platoon. An approximate strength of a Company of this type was 11 officers and 372 other ranks.
The 1944 War Diary of 645 Company tells us that they were based at the village of Haselbech in Northamptonshire (between Market Harborough and Rugby) that year until the moves associated with D-Day, though two platoons may have been based at nearby South Kilworth and Moulton (and later Ashon Wold).
For all of February they were involved in Exercise “Eagle”. This was carried out initially at a field location at Huggate in the Yorkshire Wolds involving 3 Transport Platoons and another based at York. In the middle of the month the exercise moved to Thornton Dale and nearby Wilton. This was on the now defunct railway line between Seamer and Pickering in North Yorkshire. In this period, all available vehicles were involved in emptying a petrol train and general transport duties. No doubt, this was in preparation for the challenges they faced post D-Day. They had returned to Haselbech by 1 March.
One Platoon seems to have been involved in another exercise on 7 March and 13 March – lifting the 81st General Hospital on both occasions as part of Exercise Medico. This exercise was to prepare medical teams to support amphibious landings in preparation for D-Day. Another platoon was involved in a War Office detail at C.O.D. Bicester (Exercise WAD) at the end of the month which extended throughout April.
Preparation for D-Day and the required secrecy around it was ramping up in April. For example, Unit censorship instructions were received, as were Top Secret – Preparatory Administrative Orders Part 1 for 21st Army Group. A different form of Battle Dress was issued and there was some reorganisation of RASC units.
During May, less detail was included in the War Diary, but preparations continued for D-Day, such as the completion of waterproofing vehicles. On 28 May the Officer Commanding notified CRASC 2 Army Troops that “this unit is 100% ready for war.”
Albert himself embarked for North West Europe on 7 June 1944. Movement of some of the unit to the Marshalling Area began on 5 June where they were divided into two groups based at Tilbury. One was divided into three ship loads and the other to two ship loads. Loading began on 8 June but landing only began on 10 June and was not completed. By 12 June they were located at Vienne-en-Bessin but vehicles continued to arrive up to 16 June. Vienne-en-Bessin is north west of Caen. Meanwhile, the rear party left Hazelbech on 11 June for Bisley Camp at Aldershot. They arrived on the beaches of France on 17 June and arrived at Vienne-en-Bessin on 18 June. They remained at Vienne-en-Bessin until 19 August. During this time the transport platoons were undertaking transport details, supplying the troops who had landed and first of all took part in the Battle for Caen and then pinned the German 7th Army in a pocket around Falaise, enabling it to be annihilated.
On 19 August, near the time that the Falaise Pocket closed, the unit moved to Treprel, just west of Falaise until 27 August. Here the transport details continued and also a Composite Platoon began to operate. On 27 August they moved to nearby La Rabotiere where they remained until 1 September. Their previous duties continued and it was noted that the Composite Platoon was feeding up to 83 units.
On 1 and 6 September they made two long moves, first to Wombez, then on to Horrues which lies in Belgium between the French border and Brussels where it remained until 27 September. This would be in support of the Second Army’s dash across France in parallel with the Americans on its right, and the Canadians on its left. The Second Army entered Belgium quickly and cleared much of the country including the capture of Brussels and Antwerp in early September.
The Second Army’s next task was to provide the main force for Operation Market Garden which took place between 17 and 25 September. During the operation, American, British and Polish airborne troops, outside the control of Second Army, were landed to capture vital bridges over several rivers in the east of the Netherlands, in order to allow Second Army’s XXX Corps to cross the Rhine and advance into Germany, relieving the parachute troops en route. However, the single road XXX Corps had to traverse caused enormous logistical difficulties and, combined with German counterattacks, the operation failed, resulting in the loss of much of the 1st Airborne Division during the Battle of Arnhem.
645 Company would have played its part in supplying the troops who were pushing up through the Netherlands. It remained at Horrues until 27 September. From 27 to 30 September, it moved a few platoons at a time to Aerschot which is north east of Brussels. It was noted that on 30 Sept the Composite Platoon ceased to operate at Horrues after all the others had moved. On 4 October, the Composite Platoon moved to Leopoldsburg – further north east than Aerschot and across the Albert Canal.
Most of the remainder of the unit moved to Neerpelt on 8 October, with E Transport Platoon moving to Leopoldsburg for supplies with the Composite Platoon. Neerpelt is just on the south of the Belgian/Dutch border east of Lommel. The Composite Platoon moved to Overpelt Factory on 4 November where they opened a supply point on 8 November. The supply point, coal point and petrol point at Leopoldsburg was handed over to 318 Company RASC (Army Troops Composite). The platoons based at Neerpelt remained there until 9 November when most moved to Geel where they remained until the end of the year while B Platoon moved to La Colonie. Geel was further west in Belgium than Neerpelt.
The Second Army spent the autumn of 1944 widening the salient in the German line that it had created during Operation Market Garden, to advance on the Rhine and Meuse rivers in the Netherlands. This included the Battle of Overloon. Again, 645 Company will have continued to supply them from their base at Geel.
The final part of the Second Army’s advance took place in mid-January 1945, with the clearing of the Roermond Triangle. This enabled the completion of the advance on the River Roer. During February 1945, the Second Army entered a holding phase. Whilst it pinned down the German forces facing it, the Canadian First Army and US Ninth Army made a pincer movement from north and south (Operations Veritable and Grenade) which pierced the Siegfried Line in that area and cleared the remaining German forces west of the Rhine in conjunction with further American offensives in the south of the Rhineland.
The Second Army crossed the Rhine on 23 March 1945 in an attack codenamed Operation Plunder. It then headed across the North German Plain towards Osnabrück, with the First Canadian Army on its left wheeling to clear the north of the Netherlands and the area of Lower Saxony west of Oldenburg. It reached the Weser on 4 April, the Elbe on 19 April, the shore of the Baltic Sea at Lübeck on 2 May. On 3 May, Hamburg capitulated. By 7 May the Soviet Army had met up with the British forces. Shortly thereafter, the Second World War in Europe came to an end with the surrender of Germany.
It is likely that 645 Coy was based at Osnabrück by June 1945.
It was reported that Albert had died as the result of an accident on 3 July 1945. He was riding a motor cycle and had come off it in Blerick which is on the opposite side of the River Meuse to Venlo. A Court of Inquiry was held into the accident on 9 July at which the following information was disclosed.
On 24 June, Albert seems to have been based at Osnabrück and had been told by his Platoon Sergeant, CG Thake, to report to Lieutenant Gold of the RASC with his four vehicles at 0800 hours to form part of a convoy to go to Brussels for the collection of Prisoners of War and vehicles.
It isn’t clear where he was in the intervening time, but on the morning of 2nd July Albert, along with Lt. Gold and five vehicles, reported to 2218 POW Camp at Vilvorde to pick up a POW Transport Platoon. Vilvorde is on the north east edge of Brussels. The aim was to proceed to Venlo. However, they were due to meet the remainder of the Convoy which was coming from Antwerp at Peer. Lt Gold last saw Albert at 11.30 that morning at Beringen when Albert was dismounted and directing the convoy through the town. Beringen is just off the road between Liege and Antwerp and about half way from Brussels to the Dutch Border, en route to Venlo. Peer is just north east of Beringen. Sergeant N. McKenzie who was in the same company as Albert also saw him at Beringen which was on the way to Peer. He saw him sheltering in a doorway as a heavy thunderstorm was in progress.
Lt. Gold was later told that one vehicle had broken down and that Albert had gone back to find it. He was aware that Albert knew the location at Venlo where the convoy was to harbour but he did not arrive there. At 1630 hrs on 3 July Lt Gold was told he had met with a serious accident. He was told that the accident had occurred at around 0500 on the morning of 3 July.
Driver Codling who was the driver of the broken down lorry and was in the same Company said that he had last seen Albert at 0700 hrs on the morning of July 2nd as Albert and Lt. Gold set off for Brussels on a different job to him. On his way to Venlo he had broken down at Bourg Leopold (Leopoldsburg) which is just north of Beringen. He managed to fix his vehicle in about 10 mins to a sufficient extent so that he could go to Diest where there was a REME unit. He stated that no-one had seen him break down as he was the last vehicle in the convoy. He remained at Diest for two nights and returned to Osnabruck, arriving there about 2000 hrs on 4 July. He never saw Albert after 0700 on 2 July.
Albert was initially found alive in Blerick by a local resident who was never found afterwards. Dr JHJM Vallen of Antoniuslaan 10, Blerick, Venlo attended to Albert at the scene of the accident. He gave the following statement on 4 July: “On 3 July at 5 o’clock I found the patient lying on ground beside the motorcycle with a bloody wound at the chin and above the eye bleed at the nose. He was unconscious and had probable fracture of the skull basis.”
Lance Corporal FL Wilkie of 41 Company, Corps of Military Police (TC) was on the scene soon afterwards. He reported on 3 July that “at Blerick on 3 July 1945 at about 0445 hours, I was on duty at the Detachment Office when a report was received by me that an accident had occurred on the 240 route at approximately E.893983. I proceeded to the scene of the accident where I saw a soldier lying by the side of the road being attended by a civilian doctor.”
He had some difficulty identifying him as he had papers relating to a different man and motor cycle. However, he saw that Albert appeared to be suffering from severe head and facial injuries so he went to the AFF Hospital in Venlo for an ambulance. His actual injuries were found to be a fractured skull, internal bleeding and severe cuts on the face. He was in a serious condition. He died at 1725 hours the same day, 3 July 1945. The motor cycle had bent front forks, a damaged headlamp and the foot-rest and brake rod were bent. L/Cpl Wilkie described the road surface as good but slightly wet, visibility fair and traffic light.
Sgt.Thake had been sent to Venlo to identify Albert. He visited the site of the accident at about 1030 on 4 July and made a sketch of the site. This showed an assumed point of impact of the Motor Cycle with wooden palings which were broken and a concrete post which was chipped in front of a house in Blerick. A nearby tree showed slight grazes near motor cycle tyre marks. There was only a 3ft gap between the tree and a lamp post. The position of Albert’s body was indicated some 8ft from the assumed point of impact.
Sgt. Thake stated at the Inquiry that he had known Albert since March 1944 and he had been a motor cyclist for all of that time. He liked going fast but didn’t consider him to take chances. He definitely took an interest in the maintenance of his machine and it was regularly inspected. He said Albert had never complained about getting drowsy whilst motor cycling.
He described the condition of the road at the place of the accident as follows: “It was straight for about a mile before the scene of the accident and a further quarter of a mile after when it ran into a village (Blerick). There was very little camber, there were no potholes within sight but there was a slight layer of loose gravel on the verge of the side of the road along which Cpl. Taylor was travelling. The road is lined with trees of some leafy variety on each side. The estimated width of the road is 20 feet.” There was no speed limit and no visible skid marks. He had not interviewed the people in the house.
Lt. Gold had also stated that some of the roads they had used were good but that some were very bad and that there wasn’t much traffic on the road. Albert was wearing a crash helmet when he last saw him.
Lt. FC Levett who was the Officer in charge of Workshops at 645 Coy RASC (ATC) stated that: “I examined Matchless motor cycle number C5481698 on the morning of the 6th July. In my opinion there was no mechanical fault which could have caused an accident in itself. I know the machine personally and its past history shows that it had been well maintained and kept in good general repair.”
The conclusion of the inquiry was that he had died on 3 July 1945 from injuries received at approximately 0500 hours that morning when the motorcycle he was riding left the road and collided with the fence of a house near Venlo in Holland. He had quite properly left a convoy to go back to look for a missing vehicle but did not find it. It was assumed that he had been searching for the vehicle from when he was last seen until the accident, at which time he was intending reaching Venlo before the convoy moved off. He was described as a most conscientious and efficient NCO and an efficient motor cyclist. His machine was in good order. There was no further evidence to give a more definite conclusion about the cause of the accident. It was concluded that “Cpl. Taylor was on duty and neither he nor any other person is to blame for the accident which caused his death.”
Albert had served for a total of 4 years and 295 days of which 1 year and 26 days were in North West Europe. He was awarded the following medals: Defence Medal, War Medal 1939/45, 1939/45 Star and the France and Germany Star.
Family background
Albert William Taylor was born on 5 August 1914 in Balham in the Wandsworth district of London. He was baptised in the Roman Catholic faith. His parents were Albert William Taylor (born 23 June 1880 in Holloway London) and Mary Callaghan (born 11 March 1892 in Welling, Kent) who had married in 1913 in Wandsworth District. They had six children as follows: Albert William (5 August 1914), Mary Margaret (7 February 1918), John F (1920), Ivy D (21 October 1922), Joan (1928) and Irene L (1929).
In June 1921, Albert (Snr) and Mary were living at 6, Midmoor Road, Balham in Wandsworth. Albert was working as a Vehicle Building Trainee, G Factory, Ministry of Labour. With them were their first three children which included young Albert.
Albert married Blodwen Jones in the Wandsworth district in 1932. They had two children: Joyce Muriel Taylor on 16 January 1933 in Camberwell district and Patricia Margaret Taylor on 17 February 1937 in Surrey.
Albert’s sister, Mary, married Albert Sidney Stoneman in the Spring of 1939 in Wandsworth District. He had been born there in 1918. Albert Stoneham enlisted with the 1/5th Battalion of the Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) on 15 July 1939 (Service No. 6092262).
In September 1939, Albert and Blodwen were living with their two children at 134 Welbeck Road, Sutton, Carshalton, Surrey. Albert was working as a Retail Fish Salesman. Blodwen’s date of birth was given as 17 November 1915, though this seems to have been later corrected to 1911.
At this time, Albert’s parents were at the same address as in 1921. Only Ivy and her married sister Mary Margaret Stoneham were with them. Albert (Snr) was working as an Unestablished Postman. Ivy was working as a laundress.
Albert’s sister, Irene, was living at Winsthorpe, Felpham Road, Bognor Regis in the household of George and Helen H Tate and their children. Another child was present, but not named. This would be her sister Joan. Both had been evacuated. However, they hated it so their father went and brought them back home, saying that “if we’re going to die we’ll all die together.” It isn’t known where John was at his time, but it is known that he served in WW2 so may have already joined up.
Albert’s brother in law, Albert Stoneman, was taken prisoner of war on 30 September 1942 in the Western Desert in Africa. He was held somewhere in Italy but died on 28 August 1943, leaving his wife with a young daughter, Irene May Stoneman, who had been born early in 1943. He is buried in grave II. F. 20. at Ancona War Cemetery in Italy. His inscription reads “R.I.P. Ever remembered by your loving wife and baby.”
As has been seen, Albert William Taylor himself died on 3 July 1945. When attempts were made to contact his wife as his next of kin, letters came back as undelivered. It was indicated that she had died on 3 January 1945, but her death record has not been found. His children’s guardian, was Albert’s mother who was still living at 6 Midmoor Road, Balham, London W12. She was given an allowance of £1/7/0 for the two children, payable from 15 October 1945.
It is understood that his mother brought up his two children. Both girls later moved to the USA. Particia moved there in 1960. It isn’t known when Joyce moved there.
His father, Albert William Taylor, died in 1960 and his mother, Mary Taylor, died in 1978 in Wandsworth.
Patricia Taylor married Chester Greene and had several children.
Joyce Taylor died in Milwaukie, Oregon on 2 August 2011. Patricia Taylor died in Vancouver, Clark, Washington on 27 April 2010.
