Driver Kenneth John Geere

Kenneth John Geere, was the son of John Harold and Mercy Geere, of Worthing, Sussex.  He enlisted into the Royal Army Service Corps on the 16 April 1942, where he trained as a Driver.

He joined the 250th Airborne Light Composite Company, RASC, which was part of the 1st Airborne Division, on the 10 July 1942.

He was assigned to ‘D’ Platoon, and went to North Africa in 1943 and then to Italy in November 1943, where he stayed through until April 1944 with the Composite Group Detachment. He returned to the UK in time for Arnhem.

Dvr. ‘Ken’ Geere flew in Horsa glider HG453 (C/N: 927) to LZ ‘X’ on Monday, 18 September 1944, which crash landed in the river foreland near Veerweg at Wageningen on 18 September 1944.

Horsa gliders No’s 924 to 929, carried six Jeeps, twelve trailers and twenty four men, from ‘D’ Transport Platoon. The glider pilots were from 17 Flight, ‘A’ Squadron flying out of RAF Tarrant Rushton, and towed by 298 and 644 Squadrons, RAF Five of these six gliders made it to the LZ successfully. Glider 927 did not make it to the landing zone. Piloted by S/Sgt H Ranfield and Sgt J Bruce, and carrying a Jeep, two trailers and four men, had its tow-rope shot away by flak and came down at Wageningen, just on the North side of the Lower Rhine, and a few miles short of the landing zone. S/Sgt. Herbert ‘Bert’ Ranfield, “Rope shot off by ground fire [on the] Arnhem trip. We were off course and some minutes late, after rope went, I fence hopped in a field” Sgt. Jack Bruce, “Glider load = 250 Light Composite Company, RASC Glider number HG 453 from Tarrant Rushton, towed by Halifax. Tow rope hit by flak, force landed at Wageningen. 4 personnel on board, 1 killed on landing, the rest all POW. Took no part in action at Arnhem.”

Amongst the RASC complement were Cpl. Stanley West, who had been one of those on the Sea Tail contingent, but sent back to UK when a further allotment of gliders became available. Dvr. William Taylor was wounded by the flak that hit the glider, but by far the worst casualty, was Dvr. Kenneth Geere, who had been quite seriously wounded and was quickly taken to Ziekenzorg Hospital, but unfortunately died of his wounds the next day.

When he was buried at Wageningen it was with three USAAF airmen. The four bodies were exhumed by an American Army unit on the 21 March 1946 for reinterment in the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium. It was during the final identification that his proper identity was discovered, and he was therefore reinterred in the nearest British War Cemetery.

From the Worthing Gazette, 18/10/1944.

Formerly At Sussex-road.

Added to the ever-growing list of casualties in recent operations on the Continent comes the name of a former Susses-road scholar.

Kenneth Geere, whose mother resides at 262, Dominion-road, has been officially reported missing, believed a prisoner of war.

Kenneth, who is only 21, after leaving Sussex-road School, worked at Mitchell’s Motor Tyre Repairing Works before joining the Airborne Branch of the R.A.S.C in April 1942.

He specially trained for the job before being sent to Italy, where for 12 months he took part in carrying supplies to Jugoslavia.(SIC)

Kenneth came home on leave recently before taking part in D-Day operations.

Son of John Harold and Mercy Kate Geere, of Broadwater, Worthing, Sussex, he now lies at rest in the Heverlee CWGC War Cemetery, Belgium, 8. E. 5.