21 BDS Casualties & Their Memorial
Omaha Casualties (Deaths)
A list of eleven men from GCI 15082 who lost their lives as a result of the D-Day operation was drawn up from information supplied by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Later checks revealed that some of these casualties, i.e. those commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, were not connected to No. 21 Base Defence Sector.
Further exhaustive research revealed details of 11 personnel who were Killed in Action or Died of Wounds on Omaha beach; this revised list includes men of a British Army Unit, No.16 Air Formation Signals, which was attached to GCI 15082.
The revised list is as follows:
Date Died Killed in Action, 6th June 1944
- HIGHFIELD, Charles Douglas, Flt/Lt, No. 117492, RAFVR, GCI 15082, Plot X.B.14.
- DAY, Francis Edward James, Corporal, No. 632267, Age 34, RAF, MSU 5158T, Plot X.B.1.
- MIDDLETON, Eldred Francis, Corporal, No. 1285110, Age 32, RAFVR, 6205 BDF, Plot X.A.12.
- NEWSON, Stanley William, LAC, No. 1612976, Age 22, RAFVR, GCI 15082, Plot X.B.12.
- PARR, Richard Croxton, LAC, No. 1527578, Age 22, RAFVR, GCI 15082, Plot X.B.6.
- ELLIS, Peter Henry, Signalman, No. 14649609, Age 21, Royal Corps of Signals, 16 AFS, Plot X.A.8.
- GROTIER, Leonard Christopher, Signalman, No.14513820, Age 22, Royal Corps of Signals, 16 AFS, Plot X.A.14.
- PECKETT, Stanley Walter, Signalman, No.1692499, Age 32, Royal Corps of Signals, 16 AFS, Plot X.B.15.
- BALDRY, Joseph James, Signalman, No. 15435914, Age 22, Royal Corps of Signals, 16 AFS, Plot X.A.10.
- ATTRILL, John Godwin, Signalman, No. 14431405, Age 19, Royal Corps of Signals, 16 AFS, Plot XI.D.22.
Date Died of Wounds, 7th June 1944
- ROUTLEDGE, Alan, Bertram, LAC, Number 1798971, Age 33, RAFVR, MSU 5132C, Plot X.B.18.
GCI: Mobile Ground Controlled Interception Radar.
MSU: Mobile Signals Unit.
BDF: Bomb Disposal Flight.
Unfortunately, many of the wounded on D-Day are unknown as they were Other Ranks. However, there are five Officers who were named. These were:
i) Wing Commander Anderson.
ii) Squadron Leader Harrison (stated to have lost a foot when landing).
iii) Captain Rowley.
iv) Flying Officer Williamson.
v) (Rank Illegible), Barnes (US).
21 Sector Casualties - D-Day
Royal Air Force
| Surname | Forenames | Rank | Number | Death | Age | Regiment | Unit | Burial/Grave Location |
| HIGHFIELD | Douglas Charles | Flt/Lt | 117492 | 06 June 1944 | ? | RAF Volunteer Reserve | G.C.I. 15082 | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.B.14 |
| DAY | Francis Edward James | Corporal | 632267 | 06 June 1944 | 34 | Royal Air Force | M.S.U.5158T | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.B.1 |
| MIDDLETON | Eldred Francis | Corporal | 1285110 | 06 June 1944 | 32 | RAF Volunteer Reserve | 6205 B.D.F. | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.A.12 |
| NEWSON | Stanley William | LAC | 1612976 | 06 June 1944 | 22 | RAF Volunteer Reserve | G.C.I. 15082 | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.B.12 |
| PARR | Richard Croxton | LAC | 1527578 | 06 June 1944 | 22 | RAF Volunteer Reserve | G.C.I. 15082 | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.B.6 |
| ROUTLEDGE | Alan Bertram | AC1 | 1798971 | 07 June 1944 | 33 | RAF Volunteer Reserve | M.S.U. 5132C | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.B.18 |
Army
| Surname | Forenames | Rank | Number | Death | Age | Regiment | Unit | Burial/Grave Location |
| ELLIS | Peter Henry | Signalman | 14649609 | 06 June 1944 | 21 | Royal Corps of Signals | 16 Air Formation Signals | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.A.8 |
| GROTIER | Leonard Christopher | Signalman | 14513820 | 06 June 1944 | 22 | Royal Corps of Signals | 16 Air Formation Signals | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.A.14 |
| PECKETT | Stanley Walter | Signalman | 1692499 | 06 June 1944 | 32 | Royal Corps of Signals | 16 Air Formation Signals | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.B.15 |
| BALDRY | Joseph James | Signalman | 14535914 | 06 June 1944 | 22 | Royal Corps of Signals | 16 Air Formation Signals | Bayeux War Cemetery, X.A.10 |
| ATTRILL | John Godwin | Signalman | 14431405 | 06 June 1944 | 19 | Royal Corps of Signals | Unknown. (16A.F.S.?) | Bayeux War Cemetery, XI.D.22 |
Abbreviations
G.C.I. – Ground Controlled Interception
M.S.U. – Mobile Signals Unit
B.D.F. – Not Known (but probably Bomb Disposal Flight?)
According to Joe Balkoski, American casualties on Omaha Beach on D-Day alone were 4,720 Killed, Wounded or missing.
Steve testing comment form
Any Augustyniak killed during WWII? My maiden name. Currently at Normandy on WWII tour.
Thank you for contacting us, Jennifer. I don’t recall any Augustyniak (Polish?) in our researches. A search with AI produces the following:
Several individuals named Augustyniak were involved in World War II, including both military personnel and civilians facing persecution. One notable case is that of Josef and Veronika Augustyniak, who were sentenced to death for “aiding the enemy” by a Nazi court. Additionally, there are records of Augustyniaks serving in the US military, such as Henry Augustyniak in the 490th Bombardment Group and Walter Augustyniak, a Marine who documented his experiences in a book. Furthermore, Tadeusz Augustyniak was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Josef and Veronika Augustyniak:
They were convicted and sentenced to death by the “People’s Court” in Germany for “aiding the enemy”. Their clemency petitions were rejected.
Henry Augustyniak:
Served in the 490th Bombardment Group, 848th Bomb Squadron, 8th Air Force.
Walter Augustyniak:
Enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1941 and later wrote a book about his experiences, “Adventures of a Young Marine in WWII”. His book covers his boot camp experiences and time spent in the Pacific Theater.
Tadeusz Augustyniak:
Imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp with prisoner number 13314. He was from Łódź, Poland, and was a laborer.
Martin Augustyniak:
A corporal in Paratrooper Battalion 373, he was killed in the “Good Friday Battle”. A memorial was later dedicated to him in Bielefeld-Quelle.
Casimir J. Augustyniak:
Received the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal for service in Europe, Africa, or the Middle East between December 7, 1941, and November 8, 1945.
I hope your visit to Normandy has been both interesting and productive. Best wishes, David (Admin, son of Eric Heathcote)
My name is Diane Augustyniak. my father Joseph Augustyniak was with the US Navy who went over to Normandy on the second day. His brother Henry was with the eighth army air corp as a tail gun on a B-17 flying over Normandy. Another brother Walter served in the Marine Corps in the Philippines. All three return from the war Joseph died in 2004, Henry passed away in 2012. Walter is still alive and lives in New Jersey. Only Henry really talked a lot about his experiences. My father-in-law Joseph saw too much and chose not to talk about it and as somebody else posted, Walter wrote a book about his experiences. But when we visited Henry early in 2012, he talked a lot about his experiences, flying in a B-17.
How lovely to hear from you, Diane! Do you have any photos that your father Joseph took while he was in Normandy? If there are buildings in the background, they can be very telling. I hope Jennifer Augustyniak Fielding sees your message and responds. Best wishes, David