Hotton War Cemetery

4th January 1945 – the Allies continue their counter-offensive with the US 1^st Army advancing to the north of Houffalize so some units are only 15km away British XXX Corps attacking north-west of La Roche-en-Ardenne on the flank of the US troops.

6^th Armoured Division meet determined opposition at Bure (between Rochefort and Saint Hubert).

(From Brits in the Ardennes and The British in the Battle of the Ardennes.)

 

Corporal ‘Skip’ Ricketts of ‘A’ Squadron continues his account of the fighting at Wavreille:

“The following day the 7th Parachute Battalion and the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry joined to attack the village of Wavreille again. The tanks advanced across the open ground, firing as they went and the paratroops sprinted from position to position. Casualties were high, and we lost five tanks, but the village was captured.”

(Published in the 61st Recce Old Comrades Association newsletter.)

 

61^st Recce Roll of Honour includes the following who died on this day in 1945:        

        Sergeant Stanley Thomas Edwards (age 25) of Terriers, High Wycombe

        Corporal Gerald Trickett Metcalfe (age 22) of Great Eccleston, Lancashire

        Trooper John William Steward (age 29) of Bradford, Yorkshire

        Sergeant Alexander Young (age 25) of Peebles        

who are all laid to rest in Hotton War Cemetery , south of Liège, Belgium.

(See 61st Recce Roll of Honour, courtesy of Recce Mitch.)

We will remember them.

 

Anthony Rampling recalled that Sargeant Alex Young formerly belonged to 43rd Recce and had survived the wreck of the Derrycunihy. 

 

Sandy Handley commented:

‘Sadly we had several casualties in the Ardennes but considering we were front line troops our casualties were light but one casualty was one too many.’

He ‘went back to the Ardennes in June 1992 with the old boys of 61st Recce and placed a posy on the graves of six men of our 61st Recce Regt who got killed whilst on patrol in the Ardennes.  Revisiting the Ardennes for this coachload of old comrades of the 61st Recce was nostalgic but this time we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and lovely roads and this time it was summer.  What a contrast to the bitter cold of that winter of 1944/5 wondering what was waiting around the corner.’ (From Ex Trooper S Handley’s ‘61 Recce - Memories of Normandy 1944 – 1945’, unpublished)

 

Roy Howard also visited Hotton War Cemetery – photos of the graves are featured in his book of the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’.