Gunner Alfred James Mortimer, 79 Field Regiment, 313 Battery, Royal Artillery,  No. 11407973

Alfred James Mortimer went missing on 8 November 1944, when whilst he and 3 others were killed along with three local children (3 brothers from 1 family, aged 10,12,17) when a German mine dump (Riegel mines) exploded (see attached WD S Company 1^st Glasgow Highlanders).  This happened near Arnemuiden (see map attached Mine explosion 194300, near Arnemuiden) at the farm “Hof Nieuwerkerk “ of Mr C. Steendijk, rijksweg, Arnemuiden, now Langeweg 59.

Why Gunner Alfred James went missing, I could not found out in the War Diary.

The three others, were taken to and buried at Lewedorp. RC Cemetery with 83 graves, of which 59 of them were allied soldiers, according the municipal records.

On the 8 November fighting was over in the Arnemuiden area, as it was liberated on 5 November 1944, by 1^st Battalion Glashow highlanders.

In the Lewedorp archives, there is no information in the records about a unknown Royal Artillery soldiers on the Cemetery.

When checking

the Arnemuiden Municipal records, I found two unknowns who were found locally  and when recovered they were re-buried at Arnemuiden Cemetery, 1 of the unknown was found on the farm of Family C.  Steendijk, Rijksweg 1, on the attached map “Hof Nieuwerkerk” which as you can see is the location where the 4 men of 313 Battery, 79 Field Regiment and the 3 Dutch children (3 brothers) were killed when the tankmines exploded.

German Riegel 43 Anti tank mine which was the type that exploded according to Support Company,1^st Glasgow Highlanders War Diary.

There are no air photographs from the period after the period of 14 October 1944, who maybe could give an exact location of the explosion, so I have attached at photograph of 14 October 1944, which show the farm.

I don’ know if there is any information in the records about the items found on his body, maybe they were handed over, to a Grave Registration unit. Most likely the municipal records were not checked or else the information in the documents must have come up with his name and details.

I hope you want to have a look at this case for a possible ID. As with the information gathered I think that Gunner Mortimer is the unknown soldier at Bergen op Zoom British War Cemetery, Grave 7.A.4.

Case forwarded 11-10-2020

Used sources:

War Dairy

Archive Documents 

CWGC Documents

Maps/Photographs

Serveral other documents