Arriving in Belgium late in 1944, Dad's company (probably 703rd Construction/Artisan) was billeted over the winter in Vilvoorde,
north of Brussels. Reading other Royal Engineers memoirs, I surmise that this is where his stories about guarding a POW camp came from. He did not smoke cigarettes, and used his army ration to trade with the POWs, many of whom were desperate for a smoke. This is where the German wristwatch came from that he wore for the rest of his life.
On New Year's Eve, 1944, Dad and a group of his comrades were photographed on the roof of the apartment block where they were billeted. The photographer, the apartment owner or manager, included his little daughter, Jeannine Den Zandt.
On the back of the photo on the left is inscribed:
den 31-12-44
Jeannine Den Zandt
2, Constantin Meunier plaats 2
Korst(?), Brussel
Geb. [born] den 1-12-42
 |
| Two unknown children in Vilvoorde, 1945 |
The company were called out briefly during the Battle of the
Bulge, to a pavilion in a park, east of Brussels, but saw no action. They
went Antwerp at the end of May, road building with a Road Construction
Company. The company was broken up and became an Army Troop Company, which
went to the Hook of Holland after a weeks leave. Dad obtained his 'B' release
(early as he was a tradesman) and he returned to England via Calais. He was
demobbed at Halifax, and received a demob suit at York.
 |
| Dad, Brussels March 1945 |
The War Diaries for the 703rd for 1940 and 1944/5 can be found in the National Archives, Kew. My transcriptions are available here.
