| Dear
Martin,
I
came across your website whilst desperately searching
for any info regarding the attached photo. On my last
visit to England, my father showed me a very damaged photo
of himself guarding King Peter. It appeared in a local
newspaper, but my father never saw it - he was given the
photo much later on by another soldier also serving in
the Beds & Herts Regiment (now disbanded). I have been
trying ever since to obtain copies of the newspaper and
photo, together with any other photos which may have taken
on this particular day. My father is almost 80 and although
his memory is no longer sharp, he is adamant that the
photo was taken in Great Gransden. I have managed to find
out that King Peter was definitely in the area in the
first half of June and again at the end of July and first
half of August 1942.
The
church gate in your photo looks remarkably like the one
in mine, so I am hoping that you will be able to help
me in some way, or at least point me in the right direction!
If you know of any local historians, I would be grateful.
Thanks
and regards,
Brenda
Dean
P.S.
My father John is the young soldier standing on the far
right. |
|
Update:
Since contacting you several months ago, I have made
a little progress. Is it possible to change the date?
After checking my father's army service book, I noticed
a mistake in his postings. This means that the photo
was most probably taken between August 1941 and August
1942. As there is camouflage netting and no leaves
on the trees, it almost certainly rules out the summer
months.
A local historian, Mr Derek Daniels, is confident
that it was taken outside the church in Gransden.
With the help of others, he has managed to pick out
several of the villagers |
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