Trafford

Born during the December quarter 1908 in the Bucklow R.D. - ref: 8a/189,
the eldest son of James Edward & Annie Shaw (nee Makinson).

1911 Census - Swineyard Lane, High Legh, Knutsford.    Son - aged: 2 -
born: High Legh.   Head of household - James E. Shaw - Married - aged: 38 -
occ: Hay Cutter - born: Stockton Heath, Cheshire.  Also - Annie Shaw - Wife
- aged: 26 - born: High Legh.   Plus 1 elder sister, Hilda and 1 younger
brother, Albert.

Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's.

Wounded at El Alamein, then went onto Sicily, then with the 8th Army into
France on D-Day, 6th June 1944, working his way up through France, Belgium,
Holland and Germany.

Killed instantly by a bullet in the head from a German Sniper.   Buried in
Holland, not Germany where he fell.

Death reported in the 02/03/1945 edition of the Sale & Stretford Guardian.

His younger brother, Gunner Albert Shaw was serving with the BLA.

The following account of the 2nd Battalion's involvement on the 9th/10th
February 1945 has been taken from a 51st Highland Division website:- 

http://51hd.co.uk/accounts/reichswald

"This account covers the part taken by the 2nd Battalion in the Operations
of February 1945 which resulted in the clearing of the West bank of the
Rhine from Nijmegen. The operation, which was under command of the Canadian
Army, took the form of a steady advance south between the Maas and the
Rhine until the 9th U.S. Army was met near Venlo. The main task carried out
by the Highland Division was the clearance of the southern half of the
Reichswald Forest, the capture of the western half of Goch and the
clearance of the Siegfried and other defences in its area.

Our Brigade was in reserve on the 9th February and by the time the
battalion had crossed the Maas and moved at midday into the assembly area
in the woods on the German frontier, the forward Brigades had successfully
assaulted the enemy forward defences and established themselves in the
Western fringe of the Reichswald.   At 15.30 hrs we moved forward to the
forward assembly area in this fringe, which was still under intermittent
mortar fire, and from there advanced down the main axis into the forest,
passing through the 5th Camerons astride it at dusk.  We were held up by
spandau fire only about 500 yards in advance of the Camerons and were
ordered to consolidate our position and stay put till morning.  The
Battalion objective on the 10th was the main Hekkens-Kranenburg road where
it crossed the axis.   On its capture 5th Camerons were to pass through and
capture a position astride the next lateral road and 5th Seaforths were to
turn south through us and attack Hekkens. The advance began at 1130 hrs on
a one company front in the order C - D - Bn HQ - A - B, the two forward
Coys each having a troop of tanks and an F.O.O. in support.   The artillery
were firing concentrations on and beyond the Battalion objective. 

The leading two companies came under enemy mortar and artillery fire when
about 600 yards from their objective and deployed C astride the axis and D
to the right of it.   They then met with considerable small arms fire from
the enemy dug in on and in rear of the main road and an anti-tank gun
opened up on the leading tanks, temporarily immobilising them.   The
leading Companies succeeded however in fighting their away across the main
road where they dug themselves in, still under fairly heavy small arms and
mortar fire. Profiting from the enemy's concentration on C and D Coys, A
and B Coys were then deployed and reached positions across the main road to
the right of C and D.

The threat of a counter attack was averted by 5th Camerons launching their
attack, which was also successful, through us at 15.30 hrs that afternoon,
though the mortaring and shelling on our position continued during the
night. It was difficult to estimate the German casualties but we took 35 P
of W."

CWGC - The village of Limburg was entered by parachutists of the 82nd U.S.
Airborne Division on 17th September 1944; fighting continued in and around
the village for four or five days until British armoured troops completed
its liberation. 

The men buried in the Mook cemetery died for the most part either during
the fighting in the vicinity in September and October 1944, or at the time
of the advance into Germany in February 1945.