A group photograph of B Company, 16th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, taken at Camber in late 1942 (courtesy Syd Shutt, caption last updated 14/2/14). For a left half enlargement of the photograph click here. For a right half enlargement click here.
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Officers and Men so far identified, with many thanks to Syd Shutt of Thornley, Co Durham, Tom Turnbull of Sunderland, Stan ‘Mac’ McDonald of Welwyn Garden City and also Jimmy James for spotting C/Sgt Barker: All five officers pictured here also feature on the 1942 Officers’ photograph. For further details of identified casualties see the Roll of Honour pages.
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Front row sitting, left to right:(1) Pte Alan Fenwick. (3) Pte Albert Pike, from Sunderland, badly wounded and POW in Italy and Austria from Sedjenane repatriated to the UK in 1944. Click here to read a 1944 newspaper account of his experiences.
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(6) Pte Wade (7) Pte Syd Shutt, 4465664, from Thornley Colliery; in Lt H J Dorrian's Platoon; POW from Sedjenane in Camps 66 and 53 in Italy and a work camp of Stalag 17B, POW No 154689, in Austria. (8) Pte Robert Armstrong, from Sunderland, KIA Sedjenane. (12) Pte Tom Riseborough. 13) Pte Tom Turnbull, 10 Platoon, wounded at Sedjenane; returned to Battalion; wounded again in Italy. (14) Pte Bob Wallace. 16) Pte William C Wharton, from Seaham, KIA Sedjenane.
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Second row: (2) Cpl George Beveridge, from Gateshead, died of wounds, Sedjenane. (3) Cpl 'Rocky' Redpath. (4) Cpl Jimmy Golightly, from South Shields, KIA Sedjenane. (5) Sgt Gascoyne, Tom Turnbull's 10 Platoon Sgt, a former milkman, POW from Sedjenane. (6) CSM Miles Etherington, from Gateshead, KIA Sedjenane. (7) Lt D B Stark, killed in action 27/2/43 Sedjenane, after transfer to A Company (8) Captain J R Bavington-Jones, B Company Second-in-Command, died of wounds 9/3/43 in Axis hands after the battle of Sedjenane. (9) Major K N Hillas, Company Commander, POW from Sedjenane. (10) Lt D McGregor, killed at Sedjenane (11) Lt H J Dorrian, Sid Shutt's Platoon Officer, POW from Sedjenane. (12) CQMS Les Barker. (13) Sgt H B Dowell, 4464740, Sid Shutt's Platoon Sergeant, from Yorkshire, a former window cleaner, POW from Sedjenane) (14) Cpl Bill Greaves, POW from Sedjenane (15) Cpl Williams (16) Cpl Stokel. (17) Ernie Huntley.
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Third row: (1) Sid Webster (2) Pte Sid Southwick (KIA Sedjenane) (3) Pte Bill Beach (from Wingate, Co Durham, in Sid Shutt's Platoon; POW from Sedjenane, eventually in Austria) (4) Pte O S ‘Mac’ McDonald, 4469285 Lt Dorrian’s Platoon, POW Sedjenane, eventually at a Stalag 4D work camp at Falkenberg, POW No 227079 Click here for a 2006 ‘Then and Now’ photo. (5) Pte Arthur McKie, 4469290 POW Sejenane, details as for McDonald) (7) L/Cpl Webb (9) L/Cpl Fred Willis (from Sunderland, KIA Sedjenane). (10) Cpl Tasker (12) Cpl John Turnbull. from Gateshead, KIA Sedjenane. 13) Cpl George Smith, POW from Sedjenane, escaped Camp 53 at Italian Armistice. (15) Norman Bland, 4469444, wounded April 1943, see Letters and Documents item. (16) Pte Ted Eastick, 4469498, from Sunderland, POW from Sedjenane, latterly as POW No 226468, in a work camp of Stalag 4D in Germany. (18) Cpl Norman Brand. (19) J Davis.
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Fourth row: 1) Pte Ted ‘Half Pint’ Edwards single-handedly destroyed a German machine nest at Sedjenane with three grenades, the first two of which failed to explode--eyewitness testimony of ‘Mac’ McDonald, POW Sedjenane (3) Pte Bill Hitch (from Wingate, Co Durham. Sid Shutt: 'He always got the job of carrying the anti-tank rifle. It weighed 36 pounds. He was with us from the start in Scotland.' Badly wounded at Sedjenane. (4) Pte Ron Hamilton, POW Sedjenane, later at Camp E 715, Auschwtiz, see this photograph. Standing above Hamilton’s shoulder to the right is Pte Stanley (5) Pte Matt Richardson. (8) Pte Frank O'Neill (9) Pte Fowler, POW Sedjenane (11) Pte Tommy Munroe, (4469282, from Sunderland, POW from Sedjenane, latterly as POW No 226783, in a work camp of Stalag 4D. (14) Pte Tom Richardson, later KIA (19) Second from end) Pte Sid Saunders. ‘Mac’ McDonald is also fairly sure that the man at 3rd from right is on the 27/2/43 Army Film Unit footage, possibly Pte Stephen Hewison, killed at Sedjenane,
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Back row, which merges with row in front to right: (1) Jim Murray. (2) Peter Morrell. (8) Jimmy Cairns KIA Sedjenane (9) Bob O'Leary. Eighth from right, Joe Bewick. Seventh from right (in glasses) Pte Matthew Staplyton, KIA Sedjenane. Sixth from right, Pte John Holliday 4469542, from Thornley Colliery. POW from late 1943 in Stalag 344. Captured in Italy. Fifth from right, Bill Thompson. Fourth from right, Harry Gregory, wounded at Sedjenane. Filmed in close up by the Army Film Unit, 27/2/43 during B Company's second attack. Third from right, Pte ‘Ginger McManus, Company storeman. Second from right, Pte Jimmy Straughn, (4465673, from Bishop Auckland. In Lt McGregor's Platoon. POW from Sedjenane, eventually POW No 154688 in Austria. First right, Pete Kelly.
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