The Scottish War Graves Project

Paul

Hi guys, thanks for the info about Alcock, I have some other Scottish victim in my region. Do you know anything about this man?

Thanks! Paul

Name: FEIST, JASON
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Fusilier
Regiment/Service: Royal Scots Fusiliers
Unit Text: 6th Bn.
Age: 18
Date of Death: 03/03/1945
Service No: 14443727
Additional information: (served as FISHER), Son of Wolfgang Feist and of Olga Feist (nee Kolln), of Lyon Montchat, Rhone, France.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Cemetery: Tilburg Vredehof
Grave/Memorial Reference: Plot B. Row 1. Grave 14.
Grave writing: Wir fragen immer warum?. Dich wiedersehen war unsere ganze Sehnsucht und Hoffnung.

His crewmembers Hannon en Harvey died on 27 oct. and were burried in a fieldgrave in Koningshoeven 285, Tilburg. (info of nat. archive Tilburg)

kenmorrison · Joined: 05 Oct 2008 Posts: 747

Hi Paul
I'd love to know more of this man's history - German(?) father and mother living in France!!!
The liberation of Tilburg on 27 October 1944 is a very sad story with the British and Dutch Artillery shelling the town - not knowing the German troops had gone. The actions of the Dutch Princess Irene Brigade and the 15th Scottish Division on that day are at:
www.gunsandbugles.co.uk/princess-irene.htm

I think that Jason Feist may have died (3 March 1945) of illness or accident (at St. Elizabeth's Hospital???)
I note that the Navy man who is buried in Tilburg, George Bell Collister died in May 1945 in a road accident.
The other two 6th RSF men - Fusilier Richard Hannon (14723547) and Sergeant Clarence Richard Hannon (4917280) who died on 27 October are buried in Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery.

Ken

Paul · Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:17 pm Post subject:

Hi Ken,

This is a really unusual casualty I know.
I read the article, I think a lot of errors happened these days, due the lack of good communication. It is sad as you say.

The Tilburg regional archive thinks he was woonded during the liberation of Tilburg, about his death there is no clear answer.

You noted right, there are a lot of 1945 cassulties on this graveyard even of nov/ dec 1945! These are men from the bomb disposal who died after the war.
http://www.regionaalarchieftilburg.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=862&Itemid=

Also there are different april/ may 1945 casulaties, most are unknow how they died. some in the hospital or in POW camps.

There are many casualties in Bergen op Zoom that firts were burried in Tilburg or al over the province Noord-Brabant of Zeeland or even from the other site of the country (navy and canadian graves). This cemetery is created after the war (there were a few in the war). From al over the southern part of Holland graves were collected and reburried. Strangely not al are reburried there, there are still many victims burried all over these two provinces.

Hopefully we find more about Jason. He is interesting!

Paul

Adam Brown · Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 714 Location: Edinburgh

Adam Brown · Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 714 Location: Edinburgh

SNWM gives his place of birth as Germany

FISHER, John
Service number 14443727
Date of death 03/03/1945
Decoration
Place of birth: Germany
Other
SNWM roll THE ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS
Rank Fus
Theatre of death Western Europe Campaign, 1944-45

SDSWW confirms the place of birth and gives his residence on enlistment as Manchester.

Adam

Paul · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:20 am Post subject:

You right about that Adam, this is something very unusual.

Translation German to English is no problem for me:

Wir fragen immer warum?. Dich wiedersehen war unsere ganze Sehnsucht und Hoffnung.

We always ask why? Seeing you again was our only longing and hope.

That is really strange! His name changed to John. Fisher I did know, it was on his stone, but John is new for me.

I do speak and write German, I will get in to the birthdata of the Germans coming days. Do you have any other idea's what I can search in German data?

Paul

Paul · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:11 am Post subject:

In my search in the German data, I found several Feist's that are Jewish.
This can explane that a German family lived in France and maybee later in England. And that allthough he was German he fought the Germans.
This also can explain the false name, a lot of Jewish soldiers used fake names because if they were taken POW they would be deported to concentration camps in stead of POW camps.

Hopefully this will ring any bells for someone, I will search in German Jewish records for the time beeing.

Adam Brown · Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 714 Location: Edinburgh

Paul

The Jewish link could be something to look at because according to this website:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/France.html

...France became a haven for postwar refugees and within 25 years its Jewish population tripled...On the eve of World War II, 5,000 Jews lived in Lyons, many of which perished. After the War, many Jewish immigrants settled there and currently there is a sizeable Jewish population of 20,000. Lyon has over 20 synagogues.

However if Feist / Fisher was Jewish I would have expected a Star of David rather than a Christian cross on his headstone.

Regards

Adam

Paul · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:12 pm Post subject:

That's a good one Adam, didn't think of that with that cross.
That brings a lot of questions with it.

It all sounded quite logical, and your link to that website made it complete.

But I think you are right about that david star, they would not forget that.

But he hasn't got cristian names, something that is very common for cristians, expecially in that time.

Regards Paul