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DEDICATION

Dedicated to all the men of the Royal Engineers  
who died on Sword Beach on 6 June 1944  

Captain
EDWARD JOHN OSTERLOH
(Formerly 1866430 Staff Sergeant Foreman of Works)
Royal Engineers

by

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, MSCE, PE, MInstRE
Ó 2021.  All Rights Reserved.

Figure 1.  Captain Edward John Osterloh, R.E.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

1.  INTRODUCTION  

Captain Osterloh’s medals were acquired by the author from a dealer in London in 1999.  His medal group consists of the General Service Medal 1918-1964 with clasp [PALESTINE], the 1939-45 Star, the Africa Star with bar [1^st ARMY], the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal.  The medals, when received from the dealer, were mounted as worn by Captain Osterloh.  All of the World War 2 medals were un-named as issued.  His General Service Medal was named to him as “1866430 CPL. E.J. OSTERLOH, R.E.”

Initially very little information could be obtained concerning Captain Osterloh’s life and service.  What was available was used to produce a rather sketchy story of his life and this story was uploaded to the author’s Internet web site.  In 1999 the web site came to the attention of one of his nephews who kindly provided some additional information concerning his uncle’s life.  It was not until October of 2009 that the author was able to obtain a substantial amount of information regarding Captain Osterloh in the form of photographs and original documents.  Again the web site was the vehicle by which this information was obtained.  A gentleman in England by the name of Simon McOwan purchased a duplicate set of Captain Osterloh’s medals (less the named General Service Medal) along with the photographs and papers previously mentioned.  These items were obtained from a shop, the owner of which had just purchased them as part of a house clearance in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.  After seeing my web site and realizing that the World War 2 medals he purchased were duplicates of Captain Osterloh’s original set of medals, the gentleman offered the photographs and papers to me to permit me to add substance to the story I had previously written.  I am indebted of course to this fine individual who so graciously offered to sell the photographs and papers to me so that I could produce the more detailed account of Captain Osterloh’s life that is presented here.     

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

a. Family Information
Great-Grandparents

            Edward John Osterloh’s ancestors are thought to be of both German and French Huguenot origin.[1]  Tracing his ancestors through census records leads to the conclusion that his paternal great-grandfather was one Henry William Osterloh and his maternal great-grandfather was a man named James Lesage.[2]  The dates of birth of both of these men could not be found in the census data.

Grandparents

            Osterloh’s grandparents were Louisa Lesage (1837-1899) and Henry Christian Adolphe Morritz Osterloh (1845-1888).  Before she married Edward John Osterloh’s grandfather, Louisa Lesage had been married to a man whose surname was Bromley.  After her first husband’s death the widow Bromley married Henry Christian Adolphe Morritz Osterloh on the 26^th of March 1871.  A copy of their marriage certificate shows their place of marriage as St. Peter’s Church in the Parish of Bethnal Green in the County of Middlesex .  H.C.A.M. Osterloh was a cabinet maker at the time of the wedding.  Louisa Bromley is noted to be a widow.  Her father James was a stationer and Henry William Osterloh, the groom’s father, is listed as a carver.

Parents and Siblings

Figure 2.  The Family of Henry Christian Osterloh, c. 1913.
Henry and Ellen with Their Children (from left to right): Baby Thomas Robert, Alfred Henry, Edward John (with his father) and Ellen Eva.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            Louisa Osterloh gave birth to Henry Christian Osterloh (1880-1942), Edward John’s father, in 1880.  His birth was registered at Islington, Greater London, in the County of Middlesex .[3]  Louisa Osterloh died in Islington, London in March of 1899.[4]

            Henry Christian Osterloh married Ellen Beatrice Marsh (1882-1951) at Edmonton, Middlesex in 1904.[5]  Henry and Ellen had the following children during their marriage:

·         Ellen Eva, born in Tottenham, Middlesex in 1906.[6]

·         Alfred Henry, born in Portsmouth , Hampshire in September 1908.[7]

·         Edward John, born in Portsmouth, Hampshire on the 4^th of July 1910.[8]

·         Thomas Robert, born in Alverstoke, Hampshire, Nr. Gosport, on the 21st of May 1913.[9]  

·         Arthur Osterloh, born in 1920.[10]

·         Leonard Osterloh, born in Portsmouth in 1924.[11]

b. Early Life

            Since Edward John Osterloh was born in 1910, the first and only census he appears in is the 1911 census as shown below. 

1911 Census of England of England and Wales

NOTE:  The census form does not show the middle name of each individual.  These names have been included in brackets by the author.  Also, the birthplace of Ellen Beatrice Osterloh is illegible on the census form.  

Figure 3.  The House at 38 Mortimore Road in Gosport, Hampshire.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

            Nothing is known regarding Edward John Osterloh’s education during his early years.  A postcard photograph dated March 1921 shows him as a member of the St. Marks Church Choir, presumably in Gosport.

            On the 2^nd of September 1924, at the age of about 14 years and 60 days, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers as a Boy Soldier.  He would serve as a Boy Soldier until his 18^th birthday, when he would be taken into the Corps of Royal Engineers as a Sapper and would ultimately be commissioned to serve as an officer.

Figure 4.  Boy Soldier Edward John Osterloh, R.E.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)  

3.  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

            Early childhood photographs of Edward John Osterloh show him to be slight of build with blond or light brown hair and a baby face.  As a young Sapper in 1924 and even as a Sergeant in the mid-1930s he maintained a lean frame, was clean-shaven and had a youthful appearance.

            As an officer in the 1940s he remained fit and trim and grew a rather distinguished looking mustache that extended beyond the corners of his mouth but was neatly trimmed.

            There is no description of him given in his Attestation papers.  However, the following is a description of him on the 30^th of August 1941 at the time of his discharge from the ranks when he chose to accept a commission in the Royal Engineers.[12]

            Unfortunately no indication of his height and weight are given; however, photographs of him about this time seem to indicate that he was about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed no more than 150 or 160 pounds.

4.  ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING  

1. Enlistment

            Edward John Osterloh was recruited for service as a Boy Soldier on the 26^th of August 1924.  He joined the Army at the Army Recruiting Office at 19 Commerce Road in Portsmouth on the 2^nd of September 1924.  Upon his enlistment as a Boy Soldier, Edward was required to complete a Regular Army (All Arms) Attestation form (Army Form B. 271A).  On this form he stated that:

·         Both his father and mother were British Subjects

·         That he had no trade or calling on enlistment

·         That he was not married

·         That he had no previous naval or military service

·         That he was not an Apprentice and had never been one

·         That he had never been imprisoned by civil power

·         That he had never been rejected as unfit for naval or military service

·         That he was willing to be vaccinated or revaccinated

·         That he was enlisting for General Service

            A number of these questions seemed foolish to be asking a 14-year old boy, but he was attesting for military service in the same manner as a man over the age of 18 and the same attestation form was being used. 

            Edward swore the Oath of Attestation on the same day as his enlistment and his attestation was certified on this day by a Lieutenant in the Hampshire Recruiting Zone.  At the time of his enlistment Edward was assigned Army Number 1866430. 

2. Training

            At the completion of his enlistment he was posted to the Army Technical School (Boys) at Chepstow, Gwent in Wales.[13]  The school had just opened on the 28^th of February 1924, so Osterloh would have been one of its first students.  When recruits joined as Apprentice Tradesmen at the age of 14 or 15 years, as had Osterloh, they usually spent three to four years at the school before being posted to one of the Army's technical corps, mainly the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Army Service Corps and Royal Tank Regiment.  In Osterloh’s case it was to be the Royal Engineers.

            On the 29^th of September 1925, while he was still at Chepstow, Osterloh was awarded a 2^nd Class Certificate of Education.[14]  In September of 1927 he was posted to the School of Military Engineering (SME) at Chatham, Kent for recruit training and he completed this training in August of 1928.  As he was now over 18 years old he joined the ranks as a Sapper and was posted for duty in September of 1928 with the 1^st Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battalion, Royal Engineers at Blackdown in Hampshire.[15]

Figure 5.  Sapper Edward John Osterloh, circa 1928.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

5.  SERVICE IN THE RANKS

a.  Blackdown, Sussex (1928-1936)

            While serving with the 1^st Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battalion, Osterloh received additional military training and was involved in the development of searchlight experimental equipment and techniques.[16]  In May of 1929 he was awarded a 1^st Class Certificate of Education. 

            On the 18^th of October 1930 Osterloh was promoted to Lance Corporal[17] and on the 18^th of May 1931 he passed the Trades Test as a Clerk.[18]  During this period Osterloh was serving in Company “C” of the 1^st Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battalion.  During his time in the battalion he collected quite a few group photographs of the units in which he served.  These photographs were all in the format of postcards, a few of which are presented below.

Figure 6.  Osterloh’s Company at Blackdown in 1930.
(Original postcard in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)           

Figure 7.  The Corporals’ Mess, May 1932.
(Original postcard in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)  

Figure 8.  Group Photograph of Officers and Sergeants at Chatham.
(Original postcard in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

NOTE: Sergeant Osterloh is seated in the front row at the far left.

            Osterloh was promoted to the rank of Corporal on the 17^th of September 1933[19] and on the 20^th of February 1934 he fractured his left tibia.[20]  It is not known if this injury was sustained during training or in a sports event or accident, but it was serious enough to cause medical personnel to be concerned that it might interfere with his ability to perform his duties.  Fortunately the injury healed well and did not affect his future job performance in the Army.

            On the 1^st of January 1936 Osterloh was promoted to the rank of Lance Sergeant.[21]  At that time he was serving with Company “A” of the Anti-Aircraft Group in the Aldershot Command at Blackdown.  The officer commanding the Group was Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Fitzgibbon Grove-White, DSO, OBE, R.E.[22]  Osterloh’s company commander was Major C.G.W.S. Heaton-Armstrong, R.E.[23]

Figure 9.  Lieutenant General Sir Maurice Fitzgibbon Grove-White, KBE, DSO
(Photograph courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery)  

b.      Egypt, (1936)

            On the 5^th of February 1936 Lance Sergeant Osterloh’s unit departed England for Egypt.  From photographs in the Osterloh collection, it appears that his unit was involved in field training and bridging training and that there was plenty of time given to the troops for sightseeing, with time to see the Sphinx and to climb the pyramids.  

Figure 10.  A Training Exercise Showing the Defense of a Convoy in Egypt.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)  

Figure 11.  A Double-Double Bailey Bridge Across a Dry Waterway in Egypt.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)  

NOTE:  The Bailey Bridge shown in the Figure above is rather unusual in design.  The author has built many Bailey Bridges in his military career but has never seen one like this.  Although the upper double-double configuration (two panels wide and two panels high) is not unusual, the single-panel substructure below the main structure is unusual.  It appears that the lower bridge, a single-single configuration, may have been built as a training exercise and then the embankments on both sides of the gap were built up to allow the construction of the double-double bridge without first removing the lower bridge.  The new earthwork needed to build up the site ant to allow the construction of the upper bridge can be clearly seen in the photograph.  

            It appears that Osterloh and his unit were sent to Egypt in preparation for deployment to Palestine where there was much unrest at the time.  The 1^st Anti-Aircraft searchlight battalion spent only 170 days in Egypt before it was deployed to Palestine.

c.       Palestine (1936)

            On the 24^th of July 1936 Lance Sergeant Osterloh’s unit deployed to Palestine[24]  where they probably got caught up in the Arab revolt.  The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, later came to be known as "The Great Revolt," was a nationalist uprising by Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine against the British administration of the Palestine Mandate, demanding Arab independence and the end of the policy of open-ended Jewish immigration and land purchases with the stated goal of establishing a "Jewish National Home."  The dissent was directly influenced by the Qassamite rebellion, following the killing of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam in 1935, as well as the declaration by Hajj Amin al-Husseini of the 16^th of May 1936 as “Palestine Day” and calling for a general strike. The revolt was branded by many of the Jewish population "immoral and terroristic," often comparing it to fascism and Nazism.  Ben Gurion however described Arab causes as fear of growing Jewish economic power, opposition to mass Jewish immigration and fear of the English identification with Zionism.[25] 

The general strike lasted from April to October of 1936, initiating the violent revolt. The revolt consisted of two distinct phases.  The first phase was directed primarily by the urban and elitist Higher Arab Committee (HAC) and was focused mainly on strikes and other forms of political protest.  By October of 1936, this phase had been defeated by the British civil administration using a combination of political concessions, international diplomacy (involving the rulers of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Transjordan and Yemen) and the threat of martial law.  The second phase, which began late in 1937, was a violent and peasant-led resistance movement provoked by British reaction to the movement that increasingly targeted British forces.  During this phase, the rebellion was suppressed by British force of arms.  For long stretches of the rebellion the British lost control of Palestine, including many major towns and for about five days in October of 1938, they lost the Old City of Jerusalem.  This was a substantial colonial revolt requiring a remarkably large force deployment by Britain; two full infantry divisions, or some 25,000 men, with supporting arms by 1938.  Most British infantry units served in Palestine at one time or another between 1936 and 1939.[26]

            Osterloh received the General Service Medal 1918-1964 with clasp [PALESTINE] for his service during these operations.[27]  His name appears on the medal roll (Army Form B. 95) of the 39^th (Fortress) Company, Royal Engineers, dated in Freetown, Sierra Leone on the 20^th of January 1940.[28]

            The roll shows him as a Lance Sergeant but his medal is named to him as a Corporal.  The dates of qualification for the medal with clasp were from the 19^th of April 1936 to the 3^rd of September 1939.  The medal roll shows Osterloh serving with the 1^st Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battalion in Palestine from the 22^nd of July to the 21^st of November 1936.

            As a Lance Sergeant, Osterloh may have been in command of a searchlight section.  It is unlikely that Osterloh’s unit served in an anti-aircraft role during its time in Palestine.  It is more likely that it was used in general support of ground operations during the revolt.

Figure 12. Searchlight Sections of the 1^st Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battalion.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            Illumination in the streets of Jerusalem in search of insurgent forces probably was one of the main functions of Osterloh’s unit.  A typical searchlight section as deployed on a roof top in Palestine is shown in Figure 13 below.

            Lance Sergeant Osterloh returned to the United Kingdom on the 1^st of December 1936 following his tour of duty in Palestine, the unit having spent only 130 days in Palestine.[29]

Figure 13.  A Royal Engineers Search Light Section in Jerusalem, c. 1936.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia)

d.      Chatham (1936-1938)

            Upon his arrival back in England he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and in September of 1937 he was posted to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham to attend No. 92 Foreman of Works Course, a course that would last for 12 months.  On the 29^th of July 1938, in preparation for completion of the course, Sergeant Osterloh and his fellow non-commissioned officers attended a farewell dinner.  Osterloh kept in his possession the menu from this dinner which was signed by all of the course attendees.

Figure 14.  Cover and Back Page of the Farewell Dinner Menu.

(Image from the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            While the men were enjoying their meal of Lamb Cutlets and Roast Chicken, they entertained themselves by answering questions in a mock “Final Examination” that were printed inside the menu.  None of the questions seem to make any sense to us today, but they must have had some significance to the men attending the course.  The Sun Hotel mentioned on the cover of the menu appears to have been located at 85 High Street in Chatham.

Figure 15.  The Sun Hotel, Chatham, Kent.

(Photograph courtesy of Dover Kent Archives)

e.       Portsmouth (1938)

            Sergeant Osterloh successfully completed the Military Works Course in early August of 1938 and in September he was posted for duty to the office of the Deputy Commander Royal Engineers (D.C.R.E.) at Portsmouth.  While at Portsmouth he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant Clerk of Works and he supervised and ordered general barrack maintenance and major repair services to be carried out by civilian contractors.[30]  Having passed the Military Works Course he was now a part of the Establishment for Engineer Services. 

            The term Establishment for Engineer Services (E.E.S.), sometimes known as the Royal Engineer Works Service, had been used for a number of years in the 20^th century to describe the duties of the Royal Engineers in connection with building construction and the use of materials. This establishment dealt with the construction of fortifications, but by and large its greatest responsibility was in the area of the construction and maintenance of barracks. Other works undertaken by the Establishment included hospitals and Army Ordnance buildings. With regard to the latter, the work included not only the buildings themselves, but also the provision and maintenance of fixed machinery and the construction and maintenance of magazines and buildings for the storage of explosives, with special attention to precautions against fire and protection against lightning.

            The E.E.S. also was involved with other buildings in support of the Army Service Corps, to include bakeries, stores, transport sheds and workshops. Special facilities such as refrigeration plants were also provided at Gibraltar and Malta and at other tropical locations. Many other buildings, such as churches, schools, offices, quarters for Commanding Officers and certain Staff Officers, were also provided by the E.E.S. Other essential services of the Establishment included the charge of military cemeteries and burial grounds, the preparation of graves and the appointment and supervision of caretakers.[31]

            Staff Sergeant Osterloh’s stay at Portsmouth was a very short one.  In December of 1938 he received orders to proceed to West Africa, and on the 4^th of January 1939 he sailed from Liverpool on M.V. Accra bound for Sierra Leone.  This short posting at Portsmouth and his rapid deployment to Sierra Leone was unusual.  One can only assume that there was work in that West African country that required immediate attention and that Osterloh was considered to be available to undertake that work.

f.       Sierra Leone (1939-1940)

            On the 14^th of January 1939 Staff Sergeant Osterloh arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone and was posted for duty with the Commander Royal Engineers, Sierra Leone.  As previously noted, it was while serving in Sierra Leone he received the medal for his service in Palestine, about two years after he returned to England from the Middle East.

Figure 16.  M.V. Accra.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

            Upon reporting for duty with the C.R.E., Osterloh was tasked with organizing the supply of stores and materials for a large project in Freetown.  His work involved the supervision and employment of a labour force consisting of 1,200 native civilians for the construction of the coast defences of the town.  The work included the construction of gun mounts, ammunition magazines, pump chambers, officers’ and men’s quarters, a workshop, a power station with two 120 kilowatt engines, a plotting room, and roads and water supply facilities within the artillery battery area.  The majority of the construction consisted of structures with 3-foot thick reinforced concrete walls and 7-foot 6-inch thick concrete roofs, completely underground and covered with 3 feet of reinforced concrete and a 3-foot sand cushion on either side of the structures.[32]  It was obvious that Great Britain was preparing Freetown for a potential attack from the sea, undoubtedly from the Germans.  Actually, the British prepared Freetown for war as early as 1938, with comprehensive militarization taking place the next year.[33]  Freetown, the capital of the British West-African colony of Sierra Leone, was central to the Allies’ strategy during World War 2.  It served as a convoy station with up to 200 cargo and military vessels moving in and out of is well-protected harbour at the height of wartime activities. In 1939 Great Britain introduced a general militarization of the city and the United States built installations and stationed officers and troops there.  Staff Sergeant Osterloh was part of this militarization.  This rush to prepare Sierra Leone for the impending war explains Osterloh’s short tour of duty at Portsmouth and the rush to get him to Freetown in 1939.

Figure 17.  Staff Sergeant Osterloh, Other Europeans and Native Labour in Freetown.

(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

Figure 18.  Officers and Non-Commissioned of

the Royal Engineers Garrison in Freetown

(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            The photograph above shows 5 officers and 40 non-commissioned officers of the office of the Commander Royal Engineers in Freetown.  Also present in the photograph are 19 African soldiers perhaps of the Royal West African Frontier Force and 2 African soldiers (in khaki at each end of the middle row).  These two men are wearing cap badges of the Sierra Leone Engineers, a badge very similar to the badge of the Royal Engineers. 

            Staff Sergeant Osterloh completed his work in Freetown in July of 1940.  While he was in Sierra Leone the Second World War had already begun.  He sailed home from the port of Lagos, Nigeria via Accra and Takoradi, Ghana aboard the Motorship M.V. Abosso,[34] arriving in Liverpool on the 28^th of July.

Figure 19.  M.V. Abosso.

(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

Sherbourne (1941)

            Upon his arrival in the U.K. Osterloh was posted for duty with the C.R.E. Southern Command and in January of 1941 he joined the office of the D.C.R.E. in Sherbourne, Dorsetshire.  He was employed as a Staff Sergeant Clerk of Works in Sherbourne and his duties included giving assistance and technical advice to civilian Clerks of Works employed by the War Office.[35]

Aldershot (1941)

            In March of 1941 Staff Sergeant Osterloh was posted for training to 142 Officer Cadet Training Unit (O.C.T.U.), Royal Engineers at Aldershot, Hampshire.[36]  After approximately five months of training he was considered to be eligible for a commission.  His Final Assessment of Conduct and Character on Leaving the Colours were noted as follows:[37]

·         Military Conduct: “Exemplary.”  Testimonial: “His military conduct and efficiency is such that he has been selected for a commission.”

            On the 30^th of August 1941 Osterloh was discharged from the ranks to obtain his commission.  His Army Form B. 108 indicated that his rank on discharge was Staff Sergeant Foreman of Works.  His total service as of this date was reckoned to be 15 years and 364 days.  The form stated that he was “not entitled to a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal” probably as a result of not having served the required 18 years in the ranks to qualify for this medal.  His description on discharge was as stated in Section 3 above.       

6. COMMISSIONING, POSTINGS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE  

6^th Armoured Division (1941-1943)

            Edward John Osterloh was commissioned a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on the 31^st of August 1941 from O.C.T.U No. 142.  His Army Number, upon commissioning, was 203541.[38] 

Scotland (1942)

            Upon commissioning 2^nd Lieutenant Osterloh was immediately posted for duty with the 6^th Armoured Division in the Eastern Command, U.K.  His Division Commander was Major General Charles Henry Gairdner.[39]  Upon joining the division in September of 1941 Osterloh was posted to 5 Field Squadron, R.E. where he served for four months.[40]  In February of 1942 he was posted for duty with the Commander Royal Engineers, 6^th Armoured Division as the division’s Engineer Intelligence Officer.  In this position he was responsible for the coordination of reconnaissance by the division units for their camps in Ayshire, Scotland where the division was to train.  He also organized supply, delivery points and distribution of stores, plant and materials, Nissen huts, 25 miles of water supply pipes and fittings and local materials for construction of the camps by division engineers.[41]

            In May of 1942 Major General Charles Frederick Keightley assumed command of the 6^th Armoured Division.[42]  In September the division received orders to prepare for overseas service.  An independent regimental group known as “Blade Force” was formed, the force commander being Colonel Richard Hull of the 17^th/21^st Lancers.  “Blade Force” consisted of the following units:

Armour Units

17^th/21^st Lancers

“B” Squadron, 1^st Derbyshire Yeomanry (armoured cars)

Artillery

“C” Battery, 12^th Royal Horse Artillery (25-pounder field guns)

“A” Battery, 72^nd Antitank Regiment Royal Artillery (6-pounder guns)

“G” Troop, 51^st Light Antiaircraft Regiment Royal Artillery (Bofors guns)

Infantry

“B” Company, 10^th Rifle Brigade (motorized infantry)

Engineers

Troop, 5 Field Squadron Royal Engineers  

Support Troops

2 sections, 165^th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps

Detachment, 26^th Armoured Brigade Company, RASC and RAOC (fitters and armourers)

Section, 6^th Armoured Division Provost Company

Detachment, 9^th Tank Transporter Company

North Africa (1942)

            “Blade Force” was assigned to the British First Army under Lieutenant General Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson,[43] as part of the Anglo-American force under General Dwight D. Eisenhower.  It was to participate in “Operation Torch,” the invasion of North Africa and 2^nd Lieutenant Osterloh was to be with it as part of the troop of 5 Field Squadron.[44]

Figure 22.  “Blade Force” Advance, November 1942.
(Map courtesy of Wikipedia)

            On the 2^nd of November 1942 “Blade Force” left Scotland while the remainder of the 6^th Armoured Division began assembling for deployment.  “Blade Force” landed in North Africa on the 12^th of November 1942 and was attached to the British 78^th Division with the British 1^st Army.[45] 

            On the 15^th of November “Blade Force” started its advance from Souk el Arba toward Tunisia, through the mountains at Sidi Nsir to the Chouigui Pass.  On the 25^th the unit reached Beja and continued towards the Tine Valley to a road junction 10 miles south of Mateur and 5 miles west of Chouigui Pass.  During the 26^th and 27^th “Blade Force” attacked the Germans at Coxen’s Farm and then withdrew to a position west of Teboura.  On the 28^th of November the unit moved into the plain south of Mateur.  Heavy rains began about this time and the Royal Engineers were hard pressed to keep roads open for the delivery of supplies.[46]

            Having suffered a considerable number of casualties by the 2^nd of December, “Blade Force” was ordered back to Oued Zarga on the 3^rd of December and on the 6^th of December 1942 it withdrew to Munchar and was disbanded after 12 days of continual contact with the enemy.[47]

            The remainder of the 6^th Armoured Division arrived in North Africa in late December of 1942.  The division was assigned to the British V Corps, First Army.  The commander of V Corps was Lieutenant General Sir Charles Walter Allfrey, K.B.E.[48]  

            The V Corps Chief Engineer was Brigadier M.R. Caldwell, C.B.E.[49]  The 6^th Armoured Division Commander Royal Engineers at the time was Lieutenant Colonel B.C. Davey, C.B.E.[50]

            In January 1943 the 6^th Armoured Division advanced to the east of Medjez through Massicault toward Tunis and took part in the Battle of Bou Arada.  The Germans sharply counterattacked, but they were beaten back by the 18^th of January.  The general work of 2^nd Lieutenant Osterloh and his men of 5 Field Squadron in the vicinity of Bou Arada consisted of work along the lines of communication and in forward areas to improve communications and to prepare for the movement of heavy Churchill tanks on both transporters and on roads.  The squadron also was involved with mine laying and lifting, tank destructions and employment as infantry.

            From the 19^th to the 24^th of February 1943 the 6^th Armoured Division took part in the battles at Kasserine and the defence of Thala.  In March the division was involved in the battles at Fondouk and Kairouan.[51]   

3^rd Infantry Division (1943-1944)  

Scotland (1943-1944)

            Lieutenant Osterloh was posted to the 17 Field Company, R.E. with the 3^rd Infantry Division, British I Corps, in the U.K. in April of 1943.  He had been promoted prior to his re-posting (dated unknown).  He was again posted as an engineer reconnaissance officer and took part in intensive training for assault landing operations.  By the summer of 1943 Lieutenant Osterloh and his unit were located in Galloway, near Solway Firth and Dumfries in Scotland, and were preparing for an amphibious landing in Sicily.[52] However, in July of 1943 the 3^rd Infantry Division was chosen to take part in the Normandy invasion under the command of Major General Thomas Gordon Rennie.[53]

             Training for the Normandy landings began in earnest for the 3^rd Division in September.  The division’s engineer units consisted of 17 Field Company commanded by Major David J. Willison, R.E.,[54] 246 Field Company commanded by Major Rodney S.M. Maude, R.E., 253 Field Company commanded by Major J.P. Asher, R.E.[55] and 15 Field Park Company commanded by Major Herbert Charles Dykes, R.E. 

NOTE: Major Dyke’s medals also are in the author’s collection.

Figure 27.  Major Herbert Charles Dykes, R.E.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

            The 3^rd Division’s Commander Royal Engineers was Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Walton (“Tiger”) Urquhart, R.E.[56]

Figure 28.  Major General Ronald Walton Urquhart, CB, DSO.
(Photograph courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery)

            The divisional engineers training consisted of constructing pillboxes and obstacles of concrete and steel.  The Sappers also supported infantry training with explosive charges to simulate artillery and they took part in bridging training on the River Irvine at Irvine in Ayrshire.[57] 

            In December of 1943 Osterloh was transferred to 246 Field Company with the acting rank of Captain.  He was appointed 2^nd in command of the company and continued training for assault landings.[58]  In addition to Major Maude and Captain Osterloh, the following officers were in 246 Field Company and would go ashore at Normandy in June of 1944:

Lieutenant G.W. Pope, R.E. (Reconnaissance Officer)

Lieutenant R. Cadwallader, R.E. (Reconnaissance Officer) (Killed on a reconnaissance of the Escaut Canal)[59]

Lieutenant R.A. Field, R.E. (OC, 1^st Platoon)

Lieutenant R.A.C. Trench, R.E. (OC, 2^nd Platoon)

Lieutenant M.H. Edwards, R.E. (OC, 3^rd Platoon)

Lieutenant A. Heal, R.E.   

            In his “History of 246 Fd Coy in the Normandy Landings” Major Maude gives a more detailed account of the company’s training in preparation for the invasion.

            “During the months of June to October 1943, 246 Company carried out elementary training in this assault technique with the battalions of 8 Inf Bde on mock up obstacles.  At the same time a number of replicas of German pillboxes were built in concrete by the company.

            In November the Division moved North to the INVERNESS area, and began large scale training in the MORAY FIRTH with the Navy.  BURGHEAD beach was chosen as the assault beach, and 246 Field Company erected mock up fortifications based on the actual defences expected in NORMANDY.  Training continued on this beach throughout the winter, and five landing exercises were carried out.

            In Apr 44 the Division moved to its concentration area in the South of ENGLAND.” 

France (1944)

            On the 6^th of June 1944 Acting Captain Osterloh landed at Normandy with 246 Field Company in support of the 8^th Brigade.  The 8^th Brigade consisted of the following infantry battalions:

1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (OC, Lieutenant Colonel R. E. Goodwin)

2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment (OC, Lieutenant Colonel G. F. Hutchinson)[60]

1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (OC, Lieutenant Colonel R. P. H. Burbury)[61]

            As part of the 3^rd Divisional Engineer Plan, 246 Field Company was under the command of the 8^th Infantry Brigade for assault demolitions, mine clearing and opening up a forward route for wheeled-vehicles to brigade objective PERIERS SUR LE DAN.  One assault demolition team from the company was to land with each infantry assault company.  The assault demolition teams were equipped with beehive charges[62] and flame throwers for use against any concrete emplacements that survived the preparatory bombing and naval gun fire laid down prior to the assault.  A detailed, first-hand description of the landing by a subaltern of 246 Field Company may be found at Annex A.

            The leading elements of the company were to reach the beach about 10 minutes after H-hour; that is, 10 minutes after the first assault boats were beached.  The brigade landed on “Queen White” and “Queen Red” beaches in the “Sword Beach’ sector[63] with two companies from each of the brigade’s three battalions.  At H+20 minutes the remaining two companies of the assaulting battalions landed.  Each of these companies was accompanied by one demolition and assault clearance team from 246 Field Company.

            One platoon of 246 Field Company landed at 0805 hours with the task of route clearance and made the first exit off “Queen White” beach with an armoured bulldozer before proceeding, according to plan, to search, clear and mark a forward route to HERMANVILLE SUR MER.  The platoon’s search revealed no mines except in the area immediately behind the beaches and proved that most of the marked German minefields were dummy minefields.[64]

            Two assault mine clearance teams of 246 Field Company were employed during the attack by the 1^st Suffolks on the Hillman strong point and two gaps were successfully opened through a minefield under close enemy fire.  The first gap was a mine-free sheep track for the leading infantry; the second was an 8-yard gap made when the initial infantry assault had been halted, for the passage of tanks in a neighbouring sector.  In this second gap Tellermines and French light mines were destroyed in situ as this was considered to be the quickest method to clear the minefield.

            Much of the company’s time in the early days after the assault was spent in locating and lifting minefields along the back of the beach and in other essential areas.  The enemy had very heavily mined a coastal strip with varied anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.  Many casualties were sustained in this strip both in the assault and later by careless foot troops and drivers.  Minefield clearing personnel also sustained some casualties.  All German strong points were surrounded by minefields, but otherwise there was little mining encountered inland.  No serious attempts at booby trapping the mines or other areas had been made by the enemy.  Only one booby trap was discovered in a house during the early stages of the move inland from the beach.  Although local inhabitants generally knew roughly where anti-tank minefields were laid, they did not know where anti-personnel mines had been laid.  The Germans appeared to have laid these at night and many of them were laid shortly before the landings.  Most minefields were marked with wire and danger notices in German and sometimes in French, but a few inland minefields had no obvious markings.  The white boards marked “MINEN” with a skull and cross bones had, in many places, been put up recently and apparently did not mark actual minefields.  The use of fences and warning signs to mark dummy minefields by the Germans was an effective way of slowing down the advance of the British troops.[65]

            Captain Osterloh is mentioned by Major Maude in his “History of 246 Fd Coy in the Normandy Landings.”  The following is an extract from that narrative:

Lt. Pope’s mission

            “After completing what work could be done on the beach exits and reporting to the beach Report Centre, Lt POPE contacted the OC whom he found in urgent consultation with the 2 IC on the subject of mines.  Capt OSTERLOH was with his batman (Spr WILSON) and the OC’s batman (L/Cpl AIREY), both of whom declared that they were not competent to work with a mine detector and that anyway they hadn’t got one.  LT POPE produced a detector from the half track and Capt OSTERLOH proceeded to use it.”

            The 2IC of a company having to use a mine detector to clear a mine field is a rather unusual state of affairs.  Having an officer directly involved in mine clearance is something that one would not normally expect.  In this case it was fortunate that Captain Osterloh was well acquainted with the equipment, not something to be ordinarily expected of an officer. 

            After the initial assault, when the infantry had reached and consolidated their positions, the Sapper teams of 246 Field Company were withdrawn to a fixed rendezvous position.  The company was then employed, as directed by the CRE, on the bridges over the River Orne and on clearance of routes in the divisional area.  The positions of the 3^rd Divisions 8^th, 9^th and 185^th Infantry Brigades are shown in the map below.  Their supporting field companies were most likely located within these defensive perimeters.

Figure 30.  Brigade Positions at the End of D-Day.
(Map courtesy of Chief Engineer, BAOR)

            As D-Day progressed the divisional engineers began to sustain a series of casualties that went far towards upsetting the carefully prepared and rehearsed plans for the invasion, specifically with the plan to bridge the Caen Canal and the River Orne.  17 Field Company was charged with the bridging operations.  By 2310 hours 17 Field Company had lost, through severe wounds from sniper fire, their OC and both of the company’s reconnaissance officers.  On D+1 Captain C.W. Watson, R.E. of the 17 Field Company was wounded on the beach. 

            On the night of D+1/D+2 a class 40 raft was erected on the River Orne by 246 Field Company since the strength of the existing bridge over the river was considerably in doubt and insufficient equipment was available for the construction of a float bridge.

            As a replacement for Captain Watson, Osterloh was transferred back to the 17 Field Company on the night of 25^th/26^th June and on the 4^th of July Captain Osterloh took over as 2^nd in command of the company.  This transfer undoubtedly was the result of the large number of officers killed and wounded in 17 Field Company.

            Following his transfer to 17 Field Company the unit began to move inland from the beach area.  Captain Osterloh was wounded by shrapnel through the left lung while his company was in action near Chateau de Escoville.  The shrapnel that hit him was a jagged piece of steel roughly 0.6-inch square.[66]  It was given to him as a keepsake by the doctor who removed it from his lung.  All the casualties of 17 and 246 Field Companies, during the periods that Osterloh served with the units, are shown in Annex B and Annex C.

            Osterloh had written some chronological notes regarding his employment while in the Army.  Unfortunately he does not describe in any detail the action that he was in at the time that he was wounded.  His notes regarding the Normandy landing and his wound read as follows:

Landed in Normandy on D day with 3 Br. Inf. Div.  Transferred to 17^th Fd Coy D+28 days.  Wounded – shrapnel through left lung – July 21^st.

            This notation is rather brief to describe what can be classified as probably the most significant event in his military career.  Some details of where his unit may have been and what it was doing can be derived from the Official History of the Canadian Army web site given below.

Figure 31.  Shrapnel that Wounded Captain Osterloh on 21 July 1944.
(Photograph from the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)           

            At the time that he was wounded the 3^rd Division was involved in the attack on Caen.   Planning for the attack on Caen was well advanced.  General Crocker, commanding the 1st British Corps, held his first conference about the operation on the 2^nd of July, and the Corps order for the operation ("CHARNWOOD") was issued on the 5^th of July.  It defined the intention as to clear Caen as far south as a line from the point where the Caen-Bayeux railway crossed the Orne along that river to its intersection with the Canal de Caen and thence along the Canal de Caen itself.  Bridgeheads were to be secured across the Orne in the city area. The order, somewhat peculiarly phrased in this respect, defined the "Final Objective" as a general line running through the villages of Franqueville and Ardenne and onward north of Caen to a point about a mile north of the centre of the city. The more distant objectives defined in the intention were described as "objectives for exploitation".  Three infantry divisions were to take part, advancing on Caen in a semi-circle: the 3rd Canadian Division on the right, the newly-arrived 59th (Staffordshire) Division in the centre and the 3rd British Division on the left. A great number of guns, including those of the 3rd and 4th Army Groups Royal Artillery, would support the attack. Heavy naval bombardment was also planned; the battleship Rodney, the monitor Roberts and the cruisers Belfast and Emerald took part.

            This map provides an overall picture of the geography from the beach areas to Caen and shows the area of operation described above. 

Figure 32. Reference Map of the Caen Sector and Escoville.
(Map from “Assault Division” by Scarfe)

Figure 33. Battle Map of the Caen Sector and Escoville Where Osterloh was Wounded.
(Map courtesy of the Canadian Department of National Defense)  

            The map above shows the location of the British 3^rd Division from the 17^th to the 20^th of July 1944.  The division began its attack in the Escoville are and made a multiple pronged attack to secure the towns of Touffreville and Sannerville.  As Osterloh was wounded on the 21^st of July at Escoville, it appears that he had remained in the division’s assembly area during the battle and probably was wounded by indirect fire on his location.

            Following his surgery Captain Osterloh was evacuated to the U.K. and during the months of August to December of 1944 he passed through various hospitals in England and Scotland for additional treatment and convalescence.  On the 6^th of December he appeared before a medical board at Barrhill, Scotland.  The board issued its findings on the 4^th of January 1945 and Osterloh was declared to be permanently unfit for General Service.  He was placed in Medical Category “C” for three months (semi-sedentary) with a note indicating that he was likely to finally be placed in Medical Category “B.”  This last category would indicate that he was free from serious organic diseases, able to stand service on lines of communication in temperate climates or in garrisons in the tropics.  His disability was attributed to his present war service and obviously to his wound.  A copy of the board’s findings was sent to the Commandant of the Royal Engineers Depot in Halifax, West Yorkshire, with the recommendation that he be re-examined by a medical board on or about the 5^th of March 1945.

Figure 34.  One of the Hospital Wards Where Captain Osterloh was Treated After His Surgery.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)  

Figure 35.  A Group of Fellow Officers Recuperating at a Military Hospital.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            The second medical board in March classified Osterloh as Medical Category “C” with the possibility of upgrading him to Medical Category “B” at some time in the future.  In the meantime he was posted for sedentary duty in June of 1945 with 140 Officer Candidate Training Unit (O.C.T.U.) Royal Engineers and was still serving as a Temporary Captain.  He was appointed as 2^nd in Command of a Cadet Company in the O.C.T.U. and he served in these duties until about October of 1945. 

            While he was serving in this O.C.T.U. he was visited by an officer of the Office of the Chief Engineers at the War Office for an interview.  He was offered a post at the Indian Combined Operations Training College with a rank of Colonel in charge of Engineer Training.[67]  Captain Osterloh declined this offer in favor of early retirement.

            On the 9^th of October 1945 P/203541 Temporary Captain Edward John Osterloh was released from active service at Military Dispersal Unit No. 1 in Edinburgh, Scotland.  The following day he was granted 74-days leave prior to his release for service.[68]  On the 5^th of November 1945 he was granted the Honorary Rank of Captain and his Release Certificate was prepared on the 4^th of December.  He left the Army on the 23^rd of December receiving retired pay at the rate of £110-0s-0p.[69]  Surely his release from active service on this date was a welcomed Christmas present to Captain Osterloh and his family.

            His release from the Army in Scotland, as well as the time he had spent in Scotland in preparation from the Normandy invasion, appears to have developed in him a desire to remain there after leaving the Army.  He settled in Ayrshire and it seems that that remained his place of residence for the rest of his life. 

 6.  PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

a.  Promotions:  Osterloh received the following promotions during his time in service:

 b.      Appointments:  Osterloh received the following appointments during his time in service:

7. MILITARY TRAINING

            Edward John Osterloh received the following military training during his time in the Army:

8. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            Captain Edward John Osterloh earned the following medals during his period of service in the Army:[70]

·         General Service Medal 1918-1964 with clasp [PALESTINE] named to him in impressed upper case letters:

1866430 CPL. E.J.OSTERLOH. R.E.

·         1939-45 Star: Un-named as issued.

·         Africa Star with clasp [1^ST ARMY]: Un-named as issued.

·         France and Germany Star: Un-named as issued.

·         Defence Medal: Un-named as issued.

·         War Medal: Un-named as issued.

NOTE: A Royal Engineers (Other Ranks) cap badge (George VIR) that was worn by Osterloh while he served in the ranks accompanied the medals and is in the author’s collection.  

Figure 36.  Captain Osterloh’s Medals (from left to right: General Service Medal 1919-1964 with clasp [PALESTINE],
1939-45 Star, Africa Star with clasp [1^ST ARMY], France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Medal)
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

Figures 37 and 38.  Certificates Accompanying the Award of Osterloh’s Medals and Showing His Entitlement to the World War 2 Medals.
(Original certificates in the author’s collection courtesy of Simon McOwan)  

9.  RELEASE FROM SERVICE  

            Captain Osterloh was released from service for medical reasons as a result of his wound received in combat.  His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below:

NOTE: The dates shown in brackets [ ] are approximate.  

 10.  POST SERVICE LIFE  

            By December of 1946 Captain Osterloh and his family were residing at “Westmount” in Newmilns, a small burgh in Ayshire, about seven miles east of Kilmarnok, Scotland.  While living there Osterloh became the secretary of the Troon Golf Club in South Ayrshire. 

            Osterloh appears to have remained in Scotland for the rest of his life.  From 1956 to 1960 it appears that he and his family may have resided at 166 Union Street in Aberdeenshire and from 1961 to 1966 they lived at 375 Union Street.[71]  According to one of his nephews, E.J. Osterloh worked as either a stock broker or an accountant in civil life after the war.  Photographs found in the Osterloh collection indicate that he and his wife traveled to Australia in 1974 and 1976 to visit relatives.

            In addition to golf, Captain Osterloh appears to have also enjoyed fishing, as shown by the photograph below.

Figure 41.  Captain Osterloh Trying Out a New Fishing Rod and Reel.
(An original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            Edward John Osterloh died in Troon, Ayrshire on the 23^rd of February 1996 at the age of 85 after having lived an exciting life as a soldier, a soldier who took part in the largest amphibious assault in the history of warfare.

11.  MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

a. Wife and Son

            Edward John Osterloh married Margaret Dickie Marr (1901-1980) at Newmilns, Ayshire, Scotland in 1942 while then Lieutenant Osterloh was serving in the 6^th Armoured Division.  Margaret was born in Cathcart, Renfrewshire, Scotland and had married one Alexander Wallace Aird (1900-1936) in Blythswood, Lanarkshire in 1925.  Aird had served in the final years of the Great War as a Sergeant, Regimental Number 79925, in the Motor Branch of the Machine Gun Corps.  He had been studying medicine at the University of Glasgow in 1917 when apparently he decided to join the Army. 

            After the war Aird became a physician with an established practice in Westmount, Newmilns, Ayshire where he met and married Margaret.  Alexander Wallace Aird, M.B., CH.B. died on the 20^th of August 1936 at Newmilns, intestate. 

            Aird was buried in Galston Cemetery, Galston, East Ayrshire.  His gravestone was erected by his wife with the following inscription:

MARGARET D. MARR

In Loving Memory of Her Husband
ALEXANDER W AIRD, M.B., CH.B.
Died 20 Aug 1936
Aged 36 Years

The probate calendar for 1936, page A 11 recorded the following:

Confirmation Kilmarnock, 23 October, to Margaret Dickie Marr or Aird, Westmount aforesaid, the relict.  Value of Estate £5317:11:10.  (Approximately $617,500 US in 2021 currency).

            Obviously Margaret, or “Peggy” as she was known to her family and friends, brought a considerable amount of money with her when she married Osterloh in 1942. 

Figure 42.  The Wedding of Lieutenant Edward John Osterloh and Margaret (“Peggy”) Dickie Marr (formerly Aird) in Newmilns, Ayrshire, 1942.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)           

            Edward and Margaret had one child, Michael Edward John Henry (1945-2014), who was born in Scotland, probably in Ayrshire. 

             Unfortunately no information was uncovered during the research for this project regarding Michael’s life and career.  He passed away in Glasgow, Lanarkshire in 2014.  

b.      Parents

Figure 49.  Wedding Photograph of Henry Christian and Ellen Elizabeth Osterloh, 1904.
(Original photograph in the author’s collection, courtesy of Simon McOwan)

            Henry Christian Osterloh was born in Islington, London in 1880.  As previously stated, he was an insurance agent by trade.  He married Ellen Beatrice Marsh in Edmonton, Middlesex.  The Osterlohs are thought to have had six children, five sons and one daughter,

            Henry died on the 8^th of February 1942 in St. Mary’s Hospital, Portsmouth, Hampshire.  He was 62 years of age.  His address at the time of his death was 6 Magdalen Road, North End, Portsmouth.  His will was filed for probate in Llandudno, Wales on the 5^th of June 1942 with his effects goings to his widow, Ellen Beatrice Osterloh in the amount of £357-8s-4d (approximately $23,500 US in 2021 Dollars).[72]  Ellen died on the 28^th of June 1951 at 29 Fircopse Road in Purbrook, Hampshire.  Her will was filed in Winchester on the 10^th of August 1951 with her effects going to her eldest son, Alfred Henry Osterloh.  Ellen’s effects amounted to £4455-9s-10d (approximately $171,400 US in 2021 Dollars).  Alfred’s inheritance was significantly larger than what Ellen received after her husband’s death. 

c.       Siblings

            As previously indicated, Edward John Osterloh had one sister and four brothers.   

(1)   His sister, Ellen Eva Osterloh (1906-1985), was born in Tottenham, Middlesex.  Ellen is believed to have married one Archie Arrow who was deceased in 1975.

(2)   Alfred Henry Osterloh (1908-1983) was born in September of 1908 in Portsmouth, Hampshire.  According to the 1951 Probate Calendar, Alfred was a Customs Officer.  Alfred married one Joan Margaret Kemp and they had four children.  Alfred died at 225 Havant Road, Drayton, Portsmouth, Hampshire on the 25^th of August 1983.  His will was filed for probate at Winchester on the 15^th of August (1984?)[73] with his effects amounting to £50976.

(3)   Thomas Robert Osterloh (1913-1989) was born on the 21^st of May 1913 in Alverstoke, Hampshire.  Thomas married one Charlotte Stewart in October of 1933.  They had one child.  He married a second time to Gynneth Rosa Powell (1925-1996) and they had three children; Rosemary Ann, Jonathan Robert and Nicholas A.  Thomas served as a Major in World War 2 in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.  After the war he worked in Nigeria as the engineering manager of a copper mine.  Thomas died at 40 Ridgeway Heights Road, Torquay, Devonshire on the 22^nd of March 1989.  His will was filed for probate at Bristol with his effects amounting to £91491.

(4)   Arthur Charles Osterloh (1920-1950) was born in Gosport, Hampshire during the first quarter of 1920.  Little has been uncovered about Arthur’s life during this research.  He died at the age of 30 on the 23^rd of July 1950 at 29 Fircopse Road in Purbrook, the same address as his mother when she died in 1951.  This appears to have been the Osterloh family residence for some years.  Arthur’s will was filed for probate in Winchester on the 29^th of August 1950.  His effects were left to his mother, Ellen Beatrice Osterloh, widow, in the amount of £308-13s-1d.  It appears that Arthur had not married during his short life.

(5)    Leonard J. Osterloh, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire in the first quarter of 1924.  He married a woman by the surname of Ahern in Portsmouth in July of 1947.  No more information about his life has been uncovered during this research.

ANNEX A.

A FIELD COMPANY IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE INVASION OF NORMANDY  

BY A SUBALTERN OF THE 246TH FIELD COY., R.E
(From the Royal Engineers Journal, June 1945)  

            IT looks peaceful enough now, doesn't it," said someone over my shoulder as I looked out towards the Normandy coast from the rail of L.S.I. " Battle-axe " early on D day. Everyone appeared casual, almost unconcerned, in those last few minutes before going to our L.C.A.; even the sinking of a minesweeper off our port beam aroused little comment.  As we were lowered away, cast off and commenced our run-in no word was passed between those still on the ship and the first flight in the tossing L.C.A. The moment was too big perhaps, maybe they too wondered what it would be like when we touched down. This was to be my first action, in which there would be a sudden transition from comparative peace to war.  In front of us the beach was hardly distinguishable in the smoke and dust, but before we could study it we were crouched in the bottom of the craft for the last lap.   

            A Tellermine fixed to a post appeared to glide past, then another, nearer this time and almost touching the gunwales. Suddenly a slight jar and it was "Ramps down." Milling bodies tumbled out into three feet of water. I picked a submerged shell hole and promptly disappeared from view and had the greatest difficulty in regaining my feet, owing to the now terrific weight of water logged equipment. Now, free of the boat, we could see the houses in front of us, and hear mysterious whistles of missiles hissing through the air and in the front, the crump of mortar bombs landing on the water's edge. On my right, just a few yards distant, a group of infantrymen disintegrated, on my left was a burning tank and as I moved forward I glanced back. The water was now crammed with craft, some were hit and aground, but the L.C.A. were beginning to pull off.   

            A few tank crews, their tanks "drowned," joined the infantry as they moved doggedly across the sand, through the thin belt of wire, to the safety of a low bank in front of the houses. Here the C.O. was killed as he looked over the bank. Snipers were plentiful and difficult to spot. We halted for a moment to take stock, our numbers were depleted and I could place only twelve or fifteen of the thirty-five who disembarked.  

            Having come ashore some distance to the left of the Bn. axis we made off to the right, passing en route an assault Coy. clearing the houses, ably assisted by the attached Demolition and Mine Clearance teams, under Cpl. Field, who had by now abandoned their special equipment and were acting as infantry. They seemed happy enough as I waved and passed on.  The Bn. 2 i/c joined us as we picked our way through the houses and moved inland. The F.O.O. was now carrying his own No.i8 Set, after his signaller had been hit, and the party pushed on through the deserted streets of Hermanville as far as the crossroads, where we came under sniper fire again. We dug in. The Bren carried by my runner was the only automatic weapon left and in the forward position where we were we did not seem very strong. Without W/T communication to the Companies we could only wait for them to contact us. Our feelings were not improved by the Mortar Platoon Officer, who arrived alone with the news that none of his mortars had got off the beach. Gradually the companies reported in and the position became stronger.  

The days following brought us many varied tasks, including mine clearance along roads, checking of marked enemy minefields, many of which proved to be dummy, and the construction by night of a Class 40 Bailey Raft over the R. Orne. In this last task the filling of the Pontoons, back in England, with empty petrol tins, proved its value. Every pontoon was badly holed by shrapnel, and the task would have. been impossible without the added buoyancy. Without our transport, we marched everywhere in those early days. In a short time we were once again at the river constructing a track between the Pontoon Bridges being built over the Canal and Orne. This job included a 50 ft. S.S. Bailey, a short span, improvised, timber bridge and Armco culverting, and was completed without interference by the enemy.

Everyone was by now exceedingly tired, having worked at high pressure since D day, and it was now D + 5.  

The Platoon's next encounter with the enemy was provided by an attack on the night of June 22/23 by the Bn. of the S. Lanes. on the Chateau de la Londe. My platoon provided two Sappers per Infantry Platoon to give assistance in dealing with mines or booby traps, and a further section had the task of clearing mines to allow S.P. A/Tk guns to move up. The Bn.

had a bad start, the enemy brought down heavy shellfire on our positions an hour before zero, and casualties were caused.  

            The enemy positions in the "Chateau" were about 150 yards ahead of us, across a cornfield, and just after dark the Assault Coys. moved forward, silently at first, but soon firing came from all directions and shelling started again. I judged that the enemy shells were about 60 to 80 lbs. with a pretty heavy blast effect. Many burst in the trees and showered shrapnel down into our slit trenches. By daylight fighting was very confused. The Bn. held about three-quarters of the objective, but the Germans popped up from many odd corers and after firing a few bursts disappeared again. The A/Tk Officer and I went round the positions to make a report to the Bn. Comd. and were promptly fired on by a M.G. Fortunately it missed, and before a second burst came we were flat. As we made our way back across the cornfield we were grounded again by mortar fire. On our return we were informed that an

enemy counter-attack had been put in with six tanks, three of which were knocked out, but we lost all but one corner of the objective and suffered heavy casualties. Of my two sections, three men were missing and two wounded. Later we returned to the unit very tired but wiser men.  

            We could not get away from the " Chateau," soon we were back again, laying mines. How I came to hate the place. One never knew what to expect next, always an uneasy silence to be shattered at any minute by M.G. or mortar fire. We worked by night, the enemy were about 100 yards to I50 yards in front and often we could hear their movement, digging and

talking. On the second night a patrol approached, probably from anther sector, but they made off rapidly. The enemy seldom bothered us ; now and again a little hate, but nothing to hold up our work. The last of the four nights, however, seemed to me more eerie than the others, and I had a feeling that something was brewing. The men too must have sensed something because we finished early and the Platoon was clear of the field by 0345 hrs. I remained behind with L/Cpl. Starling, my bodyguard, to complete the recording. As we made our way back, the air became suddenly alive with red and green tracers. Some were a bit too close for my liking and a ditch was indicated. A string of mortar bombs fell on the forward edge of our minefield. We were glad to see the back of the " Chateau."  

            A short break, spent mainly in road repair, and on again to Caen. We harboured at Blainville, watching a terrific attack by the R.A.F. on the city during the evening prior to the-push, and the Platoon moved forward at first light. Our task was the construction of a tank route across a partly finished by-pass. We had a rough start that morning. From the very beginning, mortar bombs, and at times shells, fell regularly and accurately in the area in which we were working. It was short range stuff and the only warning was the bursting of the first bomb. I prayed many times that morning. The broken nature of the ground blanketed the effect of the bombs and we received no casualties, until suddenly, almost on the completion of the task, a dumper, working with us, blew up; a British Mk V. A/Tk mine, leftbehind by someone, was the cause. I lost all that remained of No. 2 Section, five men wounded in all. To make matters worse, whilst dressing their wounds, we received another basketful of mortars. Then the battle as far as we were concerned quietened down as we swept routes up to the Bn. ahead of us, and later returned to the Company harbour area. On the following evening we formed recce. parties to find routes into Caen. The devastation was terrific-streets had disappeared-and in parts nothing remained but piles of rubble and tremendous craters. The people of Caen gave us much assistance and two usable routes were found. The following day found us bulldozing our way through, and roads again began to take shape.  

            Soon afterwards we were across the River Orne in readiness for another push ; this time along the East side of tie river. Again, in the early morning, the attack was preceded by a terrific bombing programme by the R.A.F., and as the bombers finished, the infantry moved up to the grounds of the Chateau d' Escoville. All went quietly for a time until the infantry moved in on the enemy positions. Here we came into contact with the " Moaning Minnie " with which the Boche plastered, from time to time, the roads from the Chateau forward. I did not hear the first one until it landed some ten yards away; before the second came I was down. I sent Sgt. Halls and a Sapper forward up the Avenue to see if we could work, and they disappeared from view amidst a hail of mortar bombs and I wondered if I would see them again.  

            Meanwhile, my Platoon Sgt. and I were disarming a tank one minute and the next diving headlong into a shell crater. While we were in the bottom we were joined rather hurriedly by Lt. Trench. He started to move out, but just as he reached the top of the crater and stood up another mortar landed just 3 or 4 yards from him, and he was flung back on top of us-miraculously unhurt. These German mortar bombs have a welded seam, down which they split when bursting, leaving an end like a peeled banana.  

            As the mortar barrage lifted for a moment we moved up, sweeping the road and verges as we went. Periodically a cluster of shells or mortar bombs came our way; their ranging was good and each salvo straddled the road. Later the Platoon Sgt. and the other two sections followed the Bn. to Sannerville with the bulldozer well to the fore. Sannerville was taken with little opposition from the "bomb happy" Germans, but enemy mortar fire again was heavy. Immediately on arrival the bulldozer was put to work clearing a route up to Bn. H.Q.  

            While reconnoitering routes forward to meet the Troarn road, Sgt. Halls and I came into an area under tank fire, which foxed us for a while, until we were told that an orchard some 50 yards from us contained 8 enemy tanks, which later were engaged by our Shermans. An 88mm., firing down the railway line, had a crack at the bulldozer once or twice. The range must have been fairly long because no hits were registered, though later a stray shot hit Spr. Bland in the leg.  

            The Platoon concentrated later in Sannerville, in preparation for the construction of a water point, but no water supply could be found. Throughout the night shells and mortar bombs came thick and fast, and few of us got any sleep. Just before first light shelling became very heavy. Spr. Pugh was hit in the head with shrapnel. No other casualties were suffered, due to all ranks being dug in; we had become proficient at this and the men needed

no encouragement.  

            Throughout the following days rain fell, and we battled with mud and water in the devastated village. A Sommerfeld by-pass was constructed with little interference from the enemy except for spasmodic shell and mortar fire, to which we were getting accustomed by now.  

            When we left this area there were no regrets-few of us were sorry to see the end of that close country and we moved on to new fields-this time, south of Bayeaux.

ANNEX B.

Fatal Casualties in 246 Field Company, Royal Engineers
from 6 June 1944 to 25 June 1944

(Reference: Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

ANNEX C. 

Fatal Casualties in 17 Field Company, Royal Engineers
from 26 June 1944 to 21 July 1944

(Reference: Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

ANNEX D
Trace Card Information Summary
(March 2022)  

No. 1866430  Name. Osterloh, E.J.

Enlistment:                             2 September 1924  

Engagement reckons from:  4 July 1928  

Period Engagement:             8 years with the Colours, 4 years with the Army Reserve  

Age on Enlistment:                14 years  

Date of birth:                         4 July 1910  

Discharge:                              30 August 1941

 

 Promotions                                             

Boy Soldier:                           22 July 1927  

Sapper:                                   4 July 1928  

Lance Corporal (paid):         18 October 1930  

Corporal:                               17 September 1933  

T/Lance Sergeant:                 31 August 1935  

Lance Sergeant:                    6 January 1936  

Sergeant:                                29 March 1938  

T/Foreman of Works
Staff Sergeant:                      4 September 1938  

Foreman of Works
Staff Sergeant:                      4 September 1938

UNITS  

Boys Training School, Chepstow:                  22 July 1927  

“A” Company, R.E. Training Battalion
(Chatham):                                                   6 September 1927  

“C” Company, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Blackdown):               8 October 1928  

Headquarters Wing, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Blackdown):               1 November 1930  

“A” Company, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Blackdown):               1 February 1932  

“B” Company, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Blackdown):               1 April 1934  

“A” Company, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Blackdown):               1 October 1934  

“A” Company, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Egypt):                        5 February 1936  

“A” Company, 1^st Anti-Aircraft
Searchlight Battalion (Blackdown):               1 December 1936  

“M” Depot Company (Chatham):                   28 August 1937  

Office of the C.R.E. Southern District:          4 September 1939  

Officer of the C.R.E. Sierra Leone:                4 January 1939  

Office of the C.E. Southern Command:         11 January 1941  

Office of the Deputy C.R.E. Dorset West:    11 January 1941  

142 Officer Candidate Training Unit:                        13 March 1941 

REFERENCES:

Books  

1.      BAKER BROWN, W. The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers. Volume IV. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1952, pp. 245-262.

2. CHIEF ENGINEER, BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE.  Royal Engineers Battlefield Tour: Normandy to the Seine. Reprint by The Naval and Military Press, Ltd., Uckfield, East Sussex, 20__.
3. FORD, K.  Mailed Fist: 6^th Armoured Division at War, 1940-1945.  Sutton Publishing, Phoenix Mill, Gloucestershire, 2005.
4. FORD, K.  Battle Zone Normandy : Sword Beach .
5. HOWARD, A. "Freetown and World War II: Strategic Militarization, Accommodation, and Resistance". Cambridge University Press, May 2015.
6. JOSLEN, H.F.  Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939-1945.  The London Stamp Exchange, London , 1990.

7.      PAKENHAM-WALSH, R.P.  The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, 1938-1948.  Volume VIII.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham , Kent , 1958.

8. SCARFE, N.  Assault Division: A History of the 3^rd Division from the Invasion of Normandy to the Surrender of Germany .

Family Trees  

1. Edward John Osterloh (Skye Page)

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/168553374/person/162188699403/facts

2. Margaret Dickie Marr (Niall Sanderson)

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/165950095/person/152155210951/facts

3. Osterloh Family Tree (Sophie Osterloh)

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/115949709/person/290150388017/facts

 Internet Web Sites  

1. Army Rumour Service – Forums – Sappers – D.DAY NORMANDY.ARNHEM. 
   
   www.arrse.co.uk
   
2. Commonwealth War Graves Commission Internet Web Site, World War 2.

www.cwgc.org

3. Dover Kent Archives

http://www.dover-kent.com/2014-project/Sun-Family-Hotel-Chatham.html

4. Official History of the Canadian Army: The Victory Campaign.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/Victory-7.html  

London Gazette  

1. Supplement to the London Gazette, 19 September 1941, p. 5409.
2. Supplement to the London Gazette, 6 July 1943.
3. Supplement to the London Gazette, 29 October 1943.
4. Supplement to the London Gazette, 14 April 1944.
5. Supplement to the London Gazette, 21 July 1944.
6. Supplement to the London Gazette, 10 November 1950.
7. Supplement to the London Gazette, 29 January 1963.
8. Supplement to the London Gazette, 21 January 1964.
9. Supplement to the London Gazette, 28 March 1972.
10. Supplement to the London Gazette, 7 September 1987.

Miscellaneous Documents and Sources  

1. Dealer’s catalogue notes.
2. Naming on the General Service Medal.
3. 1911 Census of England and Wales.
4. History of 246 Fd Coy in the Normandy Landings by Lt. Col. R.M.S. Maude, the OC, 246 Fd Coy.

Periodicals  

The Royal Engineers Journal  

1. Supplement to the Royal Engineers Journal, August 1996.
2. The Royal Engineers Journal, June 1945.  A FIELD COMPANY IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE INVASION OF NORMANDY.  Lieutenant M.H. Edwards, a subaltern of 246 Fd Coy in June 1944.
3. The Royal Engineers Journal, September 1968.

The Royal Engineers List  

1. Royal Engineers List, 1943.
2. Royal Engineers Quarterly List, October 1935, p. xx.

The Sapper Magazine  

1. The Sapper, June 1929, p. 313.
2. The Sapper, February 1931, p. 199.
3. The Sapper, April 1932, p. 252.
4. The Sapper, June 1934, p. 311.
5. The Sapper, April 1936, p. 240.
6. The Sapper, September 1996, p. 464.

Personal Communications  

1. Postcard to Miss Eve Marsh, London, postmarked 22 May 1913.
2. Alan Rolfe letter of 12 November 1999.
3. Nicholas Osterloh.  Email dated 28 November 2003.
4. Email from Nick Osterloh dated 28 October 2009.
5. Email from Nick Osterloh dated 27 October 2009.
6. Remembrances of Sapper Brian Guy, R.E.

Probate Calendars  

1. 1936 Probate Calendar, Aird, Alexander Wallace, p. A11.
2. 1942 Probate Calendar, Osterloh, Henry Christian, p. 132.
3. 1951 Probate Calendar, Osterloh, Ellen Beatrice, p. 196.
4. 1984 Probate Calendar, Osterloh, Alfred Henry, p. 6989.
5. 1989 Probate Calendar, Osterloh, Thomas Robert, p. 6044.

Registers in the United Kingdom  

Births Indexes   

1. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915.

a.       Henry Christian Osterloh, 1^st Quarter, 1880, p. 389.

b.      Ellen Eva Osterloh, 1^st Quarter 1906, p. 491.

c.       Alfred Henry Osterloh, 3^rd Quarter, 1908.

d.      Thomas R. Osterloh, 2^nd Quarter, 1913, p. 239.

e.       Victor G. Osterloh, 2^nd Quarter, 1915, p. 223

f.       Leonard J. Osterloh, 1^st Quarter, 1924, p. ?.

g.      Gwyneth Rosa Osterloh, 24 September 1925.

h.      Joan R. Osterloh, 2^nd Quarter, 1934, p. ?).

i.        Keith E. Osterloh, 3^rd Quarter, 1940, p 164.

j.        Nicholas A. Osterloh, 2^nd Quarters, 1962, p. 559.  

2. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1916-2005.

Keith E. Osterloh, 3^rd Quarter, 1940.  

Death Indexes  

Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Death Index: 1984-2005.

a.       Thomas Robert Osterloh, March 1989.

b.      Gwyneth Rosa Osterloh, November 1996.  

Marriage Registers  

1. Ancestry.com. London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921.

Henry Christian Adolphe Morritt Osterloh and Louisa Bromley, 20 March 1871.

2. Marriage Certificate, St. Peters Church, Parish of Bethnal Green, Middlesex, 26 March 1871: Henry Christian Adolphe Morritt Osterloh and Louisa Bromley.
   
3. Ancestry.com. England & Wales FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915.

Henry Christian Osterloh and Ellen Beatrice Marsh, 3^rd Quarter, 1904, pp. 222 and 254.

4. Marriages Registers in July, August and September 1914, p. 580.

Leonard J. Osterloh and Ahern.

5. Marriages Registered in October, November and December 1933, pp. 210 and 388.

Thomas Osterloh and Charlotte Stewart.

6. Marriages Registered in July, August and September, 1938, p. 763.

Alfred H. Osterloh and Kemp.

7. Marriages Registered in July, August and September, 1960, p. ?.

Joan R. Osterloh and Frank B. Irons.  

Telephone Books  

1. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Norfolk (and Scotland).

a.       E.J. Osterloh, Norfolk, 1964.

2. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Aberdeen, Angus, Midlothian, Renfrewshire, Northern Ireland.

a.       Mrs. E.J. Osterloh, Westmount, 1946.

b.      Captain E.J. Osterloh, Westmount, 1955.

c.       Captain E.J. Osterloh, Westmount, 1964.

3. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, London, L to R. A.H. Osterloh, London, 1953.
4. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Hampshire, Devon, Somerset, Gloucester and Glamorgan, Wales. A.H. Osterloh, Darlington, 1956.
5. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall .
6. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Devonshire .
7. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Hampshire.
8. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Bedford, Guildford, Oxford and Reading. T.R. Osterloh, 1961.
9. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Bournemouth, Exeter, Plymouth, et. al. T.R Osterloh, Torquay, 1965.
10. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Torquay. Major T.R. Osterloh, Torquay, 1970.
11. Ancestry.com. British Phone Books, 1880-1984, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight. K.E. Osterloh, Chichester.

Service Papers and Documents  

1. Officers’ Release Book, Class “A” (Army Book X. 803.).
2. Edward John Osterloh’s personal, handwritten record of service.
3. Program, 194 Class Passing-out Dinner, August 30^th, 1945.
4. Awards Transmission Certificate, Campaign Stars, Clasps and Medals in Recognition of Service in the War of 1939-45.
5. Farewell Dinner and Final Examination Program, No. 92 Foreman of Works Class.
6. Letter from The War Office, London, dated 6 May 1947, re: Retired Pay.
7. Regular Army (All Arms) Attestation (Army Form B. 271A.).
8. Letter from the Pensions Commutation Board, National Debt Office, London, dated 17 December 1946, re: Commutation of Pension.
9. Note from The War Office, London, dated 5 November 1945, re: Release from Active Military Duty and Honorary Rank.
10. Proceedings of a Medical Board, dated 4 January 1945.
11. Regular Army Certificate of Service (Army Form B. 108.).
12. Royal Engineers Tracer Cards.

Ship Passenger Lists  

UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960.

a.       Edward John Osterloh: M.V. Accra, Liverpool to West Africa, departure date 4 January 1939.

b.      Edward John Osterloh: M.V. Abosso, W. Arica to Liverpool, arrival date 28 July 1940.

c.       Thomas R. Osterloh: M.V. Accra, Lagos to Liverpool, arrival date 21 May 1956.  

Unit Orders of Battle  

1. British 6^th Armoured Division Order of Battle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Armoured_Division_(United_Kingdom)

2. British 3^rd Infantry Division Order of Battle. www.unithistories.com/units_british/3InfDiv.html

ENDNOTES: