Why stationed in Fraserburgh ?

[AFerg67]

My grandfather (Anthony Ferguson) was a Sergeant in the Royal Auxiliary Military Pioneers Corps from Nov 1939 to Nov 1940.

In Nov 1940 he was stationed in Fraserburgh, Scotland and was killed during a bombing raid on Nov 5th 1940.

Apart from not being able to locate his birth index/entry (another long story), I can't find out why he was stationed in Fraserburgh.

Does anyone have any suggestions please ?

[RJ_Paton]

Fraserburgh was a major port for the convoys and there was also a munitions factory there.
There would have been port defences and records of the bombings refer to anti aircraft guns as well.

Just read there was an RAF base there as well .... remember this area was pretty close to occupied Norway.

[AFerg67]

Thanks for the info. I suppose I might get more detail from his service records or the regimental diaries but the Pioneer Corps seem to be have been attached to different regiments so they may not have a lot of detail.

I did wonder if he was there in a training role; also it must have been a long(ish) posting as his wife and children were living in civilian accomodation in Fraserburgh at the time of his death.

Family folklore has always stated that he survived Dunkirk; was transferred as far away from Eastbourne (their home at the time) as possible, only to be blown up in a bombing raid !

[themonsstar]

Hi
You need to get his service records, from the MOD.
Army Personnel Centre,
Historic Disclosures,
Mailpoint 400,
Kentigern House,
65 Brown Street,
Glasgow,
G2 8EX.
Tel 0845 600 9663.
E-mail disc4.civsec@apc.army.mod.uk

Also try the Royal Pioneer Corps Site at
http://royalpioneercorps.co.uk/rpc/

As he was a Sergeant in the AMPC in 1940 I would say he may have been a Reservist called back up, the Pioneers Corps was the Cinderella of the Army, composed of reservists from a mixture of Infantry & Cavalry Regiments, elderly volunteers of First World War vintage & who in some minor degree fell short of the physical standard demanded of first line troops, there was 20,000 Pioneers in France in December 1939 alone. Indifferently administered and with little or no military training, its influx of recruits was pitchforked into France to join the B.E.F. and meet the full impact of the German attack of May 1940.

In Nov 1940 the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps was renameded the Pioneer Corps, in Nov 1946 it then become the Royal Pioneer Corps, a fact that in the long and glorious history of the British Army on other Corps or Regiment has earned this signal honour in so short a period of time.

Hope this helps you, I was a Pioneer for 22years in the British Army and very proud of the fact that Men like your G/F defended this Country. in its hour of need.

Pioneer 1985-2006

[manchester regt]

convoys sailed close to the shore at fraserburgh,german bombers who were sent to attack them,usually unloaded their surplus bombs on the town,there was also the bofors gun factory and a factory that made rolls royce merlin engines for aircraft,plus the munitions factories,many people were drafted in to the town to work in these places,your uncle may have been part of the port defences and his wife could have been employed at one of the factories,mack

[AFerg67]

Thanks for the information guys - very useful.

I've been on the Pioneers' website before and have the documentation to complete for my G/Fs army records. I know there is a long wait for Army records.

Just for info purposes - My G/F was watching a dart's match in a Fraserburgh bar when a returning Heinkel dropped its remaining bombs on the town.  It knew where to drop its bombs because a fire had started in a department store which gave the bomber something to aim for; my G/F was among 34 killed in the bar.

Thanks again.

[manchester regt]

Thanks for the information guys - very useful.

I've been on the Pioneers' website before and have the documentation to complete for my G/Fs army records. I know there is a long wait for Army records.

Just for info purposes - My G/F was watching a dart's match in a Fraserburgh bar when a returning Heinkel dropped its remaining bombs on the town.  It knew where to drop its bombs because a fire had started in a department store which gave the bomber something to aim for; my G/F was among 34 killed in the bar.

Thanks again.

that was probably the commercial bar,34 killed and 52 injured,mack

[AFerg67]

Mack - yes it was.  There is a book with accounts of bombing raids on Fraserburgh which I have copied extracts from.  I also gained some information from the transcript of a Channel 4 programme believe it or not !

If anyone is interested the links are:

Channel4 program http://web.channel4.com/learning/main/netnotes//programid1068.htm

Benzie & Miller 1887 - 1937.
The story of the Fraserburgh department store including the 1940 fire.
http://www.satiche.org.uk/benzie/index.htm

[Noble Daughter]

My Grandfather Andrew Noble was also killed in the bomb raid on the 5th November 1940.