How awful to see Redcar like this, must really have imprinted on the mind. Jean Opie comments: “This postcard is interesting to me because my father was posted here during WW2 and used to patrol the beach. He was not in the Home Guard but the regular army, placed on light duties due to lack of fitness for frontline work. Does anyone have any photographs of the soldiers who patrolled Redcar Beach at this time?
Alternatively, does anyone have any information regarding the defence of Redcar Beach and the use of the Stray Cafe as an ammunition store at this time?” David Lambert advises: “My grandad was in the Redcar Home Guard they were North Riding of Yorkshire (NRY) 4th Battalion the Green Howards; they would have patrolled Redcar and the steel works on a night and would have done their regular jobs during the day; my grandad being a steel worker. There are many pill boxes from the war around the South Gare area near the steel works and not far from where this photograph was taken. I do know the sea front looked the same till the end of the forties, until all the barbed wire and tank traps had been removed. The Green Howards headquarters were at Kirkleatham Hall at the top of Redcar where the main road comes in.” Lin Treadgold adds: “My father was in 4th Battalion Green Howards too, 1939-45.” Richard Webster asks: “My dad was in the RAF and was billeted with a local Redcar family early in the war, sadly no longer with us so no information regarding the name of the family who took him in. His name was Albert Webster and was an armourer, first on spitfires then Lancaster’s, serving around UK, Palestine and Egypt.” .
Image courtesy of Mike Holliday, thanks to Jean Opie, David Lambert, Lin Treadgold and Richard Webster for the updates.
Looking for pictures or information of my father in law Norman Nicholson who came from Port Mulgrave and later of Loftus.
He was in the Home Guard.