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Date from
January 1944 20/03/1944 25/12/1944 January 1945 15/04/1945 17/04/1945 22/06/1945 05/04/1946 |
Date To
June 1945 21/06/1945 15/01/1946 |
Information
Senior NCO in unit under J M Langley Chief Clerk IS9 (WEA) Brussels 218 Avenue de Tervueren Brussels Belsen liberated Authority to interview issued. Chief Clerk GSI HQ 8 Corps Transfer to army reserve from RASC |
Source
Testimonial Paybook Back of photograph Back of photograph Certificate form NC9 Paybook Certificate |
Every book I read, every document I found got so close to mentioning my husband without actually ever seeing his name. To our excitement, below is a IS9 WEA Battle Order that someone kindly found for us, that clarifies Jimmie's role, listing James Smith in the Advance HQ. We knew he managed to get his cousin an administrative job, what we didn't know until we saw this document was that his cousin, Harry Sykes, was in the same unit as him.
Battle Order IS9 WEA. Jimmie and his cousin Harry Sykes are named in this Advance Headquarters Battle Order 4th and 5th ones down and Jimmie's driver Bryan Park is 10th on the list.
We are very keen to understand if the Advance HQ of IS9 WEA would have been with the Advance HQ of the 21st Army.
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IS9 WEA Newsletter
If you look carefully the witches on this final newsletter have bowler hats and curved handle umbrellas - thanks to Phil Froom for spotting this - we wonder if it is because this is the final demob newsletter.
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IS9 WEA Newsletter
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Document the numbers of escapers and evaders that were returned - to 30th June 1945
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Christmas 1944 outside 218 Avenue de Tervueren Brussels. Jimmie is Second from Left
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Christmas 1944 Outside 218 Avenue de Tervueren Brussels. Jimmie is Fith from Right Standing and Bryan Park is Sitting in the Front
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Memo from N Crockatt confirming that the Awards Bureau in Brussels was at 218 Avenue de Tervueren - it was on the ground floor and IS9 was on a higher floor.
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Detailing the work of the Awards Bureau and in the bottom paragraph, details of a Conference on 26 October 1944 at IS9 WEA HQ in Brussels with Brigadier Crockatt, Lt Col Langley, Majors Neave and Herbert and Captain Johnston.
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This note confirms that IS9 WEA were based on the second floor at 218 Avenue de Tervueren
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X marks Jimmie's office at 218 Avenue de Tervueren, Brussels Christmas 1944
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218 Avenue de Tervueren Brussels 2008
Barbara, Zac and Sarah outside 218 Avenue de Tervueren Brussels 2008
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James Smith on the left, but who is on the right?
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My family took me to Brussels a few years ago and we took the above photographs outside 218 Avenue de Tervueren and the tree opposite the building has grown but is still there. We also visited the Musee de la Resistance in Brussels, a tiny place and they didn't know that this building was used in Brussels. The museum was fascinating and well worth taking the time to go there.
We were sent this from a private collection - the most fantastic drawing of the three witches on a postcard. We understand that it was drawn by Leo Fleskens who worked with IS9 as an S Phone operator in Mosquito aircraft flying close to the occupied territory to receive information from contacts on the ground. This one is signed down near Maastricht by Leo and the handwriting says "With our best wishes for the New Year ! Hilda Leo".
This is the only example we have found to date on the internet
I understand that the coloured insignia (a wavy red line on a blue bar on a red diamond) is of the Royal Canadian Artillery in the 1st Canadian Army, and we understand this is Captain George Swan RCA. The Corporal on the left of the photo is in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, but his Army/Corps affiliation cannot be determined as the colour of his ‘diamond’ is not certain in black and white. The senior officer with the cigarette in the centre of the photo is General Harold Crerar, Commander in Chief of the Canadian Army in WW2. The Captain in the photo was George Swan, RCA, a pilot serving in "A" Flight, 664 "AOP" Squadron, RCAF. Swan's image in this photo was positively identified (recently) by Bill Hagarty, a former AOP pilot in 664 and fellow graduate in Swan's class at #43 OTU, RAF Andover (Bill still practices Law in London, Ontario). Swan and other members of his Flight were, indeed, issued the MI9-IS9 patch, after having flown on radio intelligence tasking from B-77 Gilze-Rijen in April, 1945. Flying the Auster V, the #22 HF (Arty) radios were removed and short-range VHF installed, for operation by Dutch officers carried over the Allied-German front. Dutch resistance members operating behind German lines were contacted from the air; intel was relayed, at great risk. |
Amazing cartoon kindly sent to us by the son of Jos Anton Gerard van Haeren, codename Titmouse (S phone) operator and IS9 agent trained in Nijmegen and reported to either Hugh Fraser and/or Capt. Gorham. We are still trying to decipher the initials in the cartoon but are wondering if there is a play with letters and numerology. AOEWA: the numerology values add up to 18 and 1+8 =9. Also, S+YN is 3+1+5 which also add up to 9. Any further theories gratefully received! Jos van HAEREN became active for IS9 in November/December 1944. He received training in Nijmegen, Vught and at the boathouse in Tholen.
The local IS9 headquarters was located in his hometown Hees, next to Nijmegen.
His S-phone activities were closely linked to the movements of the front, which kickstarted again at the beginning of 1945, moving from Nijmegen to the North and eastern part of The Netherlands. His son is still searching for information about his father's activities - please let us know if you can help!
We understand that this photograph is from Operation Blackmail - note the witches on the plane we think showing missions flown.
One of IS9's biggest feats was to help over a hundred British Airborne personnel that were in hiding after the Battle of Arnhem they escaped over the river Rhine in two operations called Pegasus one and two in October and September 1944.
One section of IS9 was involved in flying over enemy occupied territory to be able to pick up messages sent by the resistance or agents by S phone. this narrowed the chance for the Germans to intercept messages. 
And finally the unit was disbanded and instructions signed by Airey Neave issued to take the three witches badge off uniforms and vehicles.
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The Boating School Tholen, NL - courtesy of Victor van Haeren
We were very fortunate to receive the following information from research painstakingly done by Victor van Haeren about the Boating School Tholen (led by sgt De Cent) who appears on the Order of Battle on this site. If anyone has any further information, please do let us know and we will put you in touch with Victor.
1. The Boathouse: You will see some boats in the water. these are believed to be German. This suggest that the Boathouse had a similar function for the germans before the Tholen peninsula was liberated.
2 and 3. Requisitioning letter and photo of the property at Hoogstraat 35, Tholen. Although the letter does not specify the number of IS9 officers stationed there, it indicates that 3 rooms were occupied from 31 March 1945.
4. Reclamation letter from the Mayor of Tholen to the Dutch Ministry of Finance dated 6 May 1947. Translated from Dutch the document reads as follows: Subject: Compensation of shed used by the Allied Forces.
‘During the period from 20th December 1944 until 30 April 1945 a shed, the property of Mr. F.A.H. Truijens, was used by O.C. No.3 Field Section IS9 (WEA). Until now the owner still has not received a compensation. The request for compensation was handled at the time by 13 Claims-hirings office, but never actioned. Please let me know if that request can also be handled through your office. The Mayor of Tholen'
2 and 3. Requisitioning letter and photo of the property at Hoogstraat 35, Tholen. Although the letter does not specify the number of IS9 officers stationed there, it indicates that 3 rooms were occupied from 31 March 1945.
4. Reclamation letter from the Mayor of Tholen to the Dutch Ministry of Finance dated 6 May 1947. Translated from Dutch the document reads as follows: Subject: Compensation of shed used by the Allied Forces.
‘During the period from 20th December 1944 until 30 April 1945 a shed, the property of Mr. F.A.H. Truijens, was used by O.C. No.3 Field Section IS9 (WEA). Until now the owner still has not received a compensation. The request for compensation was handled at the time by 13 Claims-hirings office, but never actioned. Please let me know if that request can also be handled through your office. The Mayor of Tholen'