Unidentified photos from the collection of Lance Corporal Emmerson

This message was edited 10 times. Last update was at 07/11/2012 18:46:57

I have created a new album in the 'Commandos and Combined Operations in WW2 gallery' for some of the photos from the collection of Lance Corporal John Emmerson, who served in No.2 and 12 Commandos (with a very short period in 14 Cdo) and finally was attached to No.1 Special Service Brigade HQ. He was known to everyon as Ken Emmerson. The photos taken by him during his service were recently discovered in negative form by his son John. Many of the original photos were sent out to Commandos after the war and we already have some in our galleries. Many have been identified and have or will be posted in the respective galleries. However I would like the help of others to look through these and let me know by email any precise details of unit, location, or individual. Please be certain of your facts to ensure historical accuracy

No.1 Special Service Brigade album can be found here:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/HQ+and+Sigs/

Some really outstanding photos here - what a find!

Nick

they are excellent .Very clear

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 17/04/2012 16:45:12

First hopefully of many to be identified from John Emmersons album. Danny Lovell has identified the location to be Le Plain, Amfreville. The photo, we now know, depicts the Plinth to the Memorial being set in place by Commandos. Danny has provided a photo taken by him in 2007 clearly identifying the same location

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/Commando+War+Graves+Memorials+and+Plaques/Normandy/

This album has again been updated with more photos. I have now moved the album into the Special Service Brigade Headquarters gallery and am filtering out those that do not apply to other galleries. Once again I am looking for any help in identifying people, units, buildings, or locations (With a few exceptions I prefer to update photos only with definite responses, rather than possibles, to preserve historical accuracy). The SS Bde HQ gallery can be viewed at the foot of the main Commando Units page:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/

Our galleries are continuing to be updated with John Emmerson's amazing collection of photos taken by his father. Many are from negatives found in his attic. I know that John has and still is putting in a lot of work as some of the negatives are depreciating through age. I thank him for sharing them with us. There are a lot more and they are being posted in various galleries. So if you have missed any these are the Galleries so far:

SS Brigade HQ gallery

SS Bde HQ and Bde Signals - Unidentified photos album

No.2 Commando Gallery

Commandos and Combined Operations in WW2 Gallery

Commandos and Combined Operations in WW2 Gallery - The Commanders album

Commandos and Combined Operations in WW2 Gallery - D Day and subsequent actions in France album

WW2 War Graves Gallery - Becklingen, Germany

WW2 War Graves Gallery - Mook, Holland

WW2 War Graves Gallery - Nederweert, Holland

Hello

The photos from John EMMERSON are great !
And i'm glad to see the photos taken in L'écarde quarry 16 july 1944
with general Montgomery.
We've got the same photos taken this day, but seeing all the "reporter"
I know other photos were taken.

Thanks to John, to share all the photos, this is wonderful !!!!

I have updated the photos with the location of the awards. Thanks to Steph for that. There are a couple of photos of the original graves of men who were not Commandos at the time of their death. I am going to post them in the respective cemetery album just in case a relative ever searches. It would seem wrong not to.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 17/04/2012 16:46:33

Once again a few more photos added including some with pictures of villages/towns. There is one in there with a flag being raised outside what looks like the HQ. The writing on the building says "Deutsches Halis" and below "Handelsbank" immediately followed by "-- Lubeck" or so I think. As Jack Bakker points out there are Germans in uniform and British saluting the Union Jack. I know 1st Commando Bde had their HQ in Luneburg at one point in 1945 which is relatively close to Lubeck...also there were a lot of German hospitals in Luneburg with many German injured soldiers, who were "friendly" as mentioned in Brig John Durnford Slater's book. Anyhow if you can find the same building somewhere on the 'net' it would be nice to know exactly where it was.

The pictures in that album could be anywhere from Amfreville, France ( where a hand drawn little map that John Emmerson found a photo of and will be posted soon) through Holland, and into Germany. A few more photos with buildings in will be posted soon.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/HQ+and+Sigs/1+SS+Bde/

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 17/04/2012 16:47:12

Also any thoughts on this photo. Can anyone confirm if the man shaking hands with what I think is the 2nd Army shoulder patch is Gen. Sir Miles C. Dempsey

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/HQ+and+Sigs/1+SS+Bde/03+_2_.jpg.html

Pete wrote:Once again a few more photos added including some with pictures of villages/towns. There is one in there with a flag being raised outside what looks like the HQ. The writing on the building says "Deutsches Halis" and below "Handelsbank" immediately followed by "-- Lubeck" or so I think. Anyhow if you can find the same building somewhere on the 'net' it would be nice to know exactly where it was.

I can't identify the town but I believe the main heading on the building is "DEUTSCHES HAUS" - and I think Deutsches Haus was a Hotel chain.

Nick

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 17/04/2012 16:48:31

Thanks Nick

I am am making enqs re the bank. I have discovered one thing though...at the right side of the entrance is what looks like a sword with the letters LSR above. Having been looking through all the insignia and even heraldry emblems, I now believe it simply to be an arrow pointing to the LSR or Luftschutzraum , which is German for Air Raid Shelter. Quite obvious really !

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/HQ+and+Sigs/1+SS+Bde/scan0121-1.jpg.html

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 13/01/2012 21:18:30

Pete wrote:Thanks Nick

I am am making enqs re the bank.

Pete,

to aid you in your enquiries I can tell you that 'handelsbank' means Merchant Bank or Commercial Bank and that "Handelsbank in Lubeck" was the company name and not merely the Lubeck branch name...

Glück,
Nick

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 14/01/2012 03:34:18

I can positively identify the town as Neustadt in Holstein, near Lubeck.
This being the case I suspect that this is No6 Cdo as I believe they had their HQ in this area.

Here are two photos of Neustadt.
The earlier photo postcard is inscribed 5. 8. 39 shows the Hotel Deutsches Haus with swastikas flying from it - it is taken from a different perspective to the one in the Emmerson collection.

When the photo postcard was printed the square was known as Adolf Hitler Platz (Square)

The other photo is a modern photo which shows the Stadtkirke (Church) and it is easy to compare and identify it as the same church as that in the first photo.

Nick

I think imright in saying Neustadt means Newtown in German. My home city of Lincoln is twinned with Neustadt but I think there's more than one