Sole Common Camp, England-Which Engineers?

[Walt's Daughter]

Wow, talk about being on the same wavelength tonight. I just sent out another email tonight to the creator of this site. Here is what I wrote to him mere minutes ago.

 

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Hi Randy:

 

Saw your post on the WBG forum and just had a chance to check out your site. Great job! It's always interesting and refreshing to see a different perspective on the war and the units that flew and fought.

 

I am the daughter of a WWII 540th Combat Engineer, and have created and dedicated a site to my father and his fellow VI Corps Engineers who fought in the ETO from 42-45. I am also writing a comprehensive history on these units.

 

I recently received a question from a new visitor to my site and was wondering if you or anyone you know could shed some light on it. Here is what he wrote.

 

Hello,

I am doing archaeological survey work in the area used by the 101st airborne for forming up and training in England prior to D-Day and Market Garden.

 

SOLE COMMON CAMP USAAF station number 424.

I have been told it was an engineers base by the only local old enough to remember, but searches have turned up nothing. The unit built a glider runway at Wickham, gliders (ground still poisoned with dope), and the camp itself. The camp is halfway between RAF/USAAF Welford and Craven House (101st HQ), near Newbury, Berkshire. Nearest US neighbors at the time were Gen 'Nuts' McAuliffe & staff billeted at Wormstall House, a Glider Field Artillery unit at Wickham House (next to Wormstall) and a parachute packing depot (503rd?) at Welford Farm.

 

I've looked at websites for engineers attached to the 101st, but they all say they were based at Basildon Park or Camp Ranikhet. The first is too small to accommodate all the troops (so HQ I think) and the later appears to have disappeared all together. It is possible that Ranikhet and Sole are the same because:

1) Basildon Park and Ranikhet are listed as being near Reading, but Basildon Park is near Newbury, so perhaps Ranikhet is as well.

2) Ranikhet is the name of an Himalayan base camp, and Sole Common is hilly, where as Reading is mainly flat.

 

Any help would be hugely appreciated,

Tanks very much,

Jim Harriss, Ridgeway Military and Aviation Research Group.

 

I have also contacted Mark Bando (yes the 101st historian and fellow friend), to see if he could shed any light on the situation.

 

Wow, this is kind of freaky! While I am writing this, Jim contacted me and gave me more info. Here is what he just added minutes ago...

 

Thanks for the replies and starting the ball rolling.

 

Joy of joy's I now know who was there!

 

I found a site stating the 876th Airborne Engineer Aviation Battalion moved out from station 424 for Normandy, but they call it Boxford (nearest village).

 

So are there any Veteran's of the 876th AEAB, that would like to share there memories (photos would be wonderful) of England with me, out there?

 

Does anyone have any info on station 424, and was it Boxford or Sole?

 

Thanks again,

Jim

 

Merry Christmas to you and a happy New Year. Continued success. I plan on placing a link to your site on my Links Page tonight and also introducing your site on my forum.

 

Warmest regards,

Marion J Chard

Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek

540th Combat Engineer WWII

www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com

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Oh, the guy's site? http://www.440thtroopcarriergroup.org/