Pioneer Corps

[Currie]

Hello Annie,

I’ve been looking at some of the peopleswar stories at http://www.bbc.co.uk.
If you do an Advanced Google Search for the phrase ‘pioneer corps’ at that domain you’ll come up with about 250 of them.

I’ve been thinking that maybe John Riddler started out in the Gordon Highlanders but was transferred to the Pioneer Corps because of some special skill he had or maybe because of some wound, injury or illness, not necessarily too serious, that made him no longer suitable as a frontline soldier.

Some of the stories suggest that to be the case while others report involvement in actual fighting. It looks as though the Pioneers landed on the Normandy beaches no later than a day or so after the first wave of assault troops.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 1109.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 6869.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 5894.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 5652.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 5275.shtml

All the best,
Alan

[annie1]

Hi Alan,

I think your maybe right, I have been reading the peopleswar stories and it could be possible, here's hoping anyway. I have been in touch with the Pioneer Corps, but they could not find anything about John Riddler,without his company No, so I am hoping his death cert will tell me.

Amazing reading by the way, many no more than boys, its certainly opened my eyes to the hardship they endured.

Many Thanks
Ann