Siegfried and The Pioneer Corps (1940-1945)

After his release from internment on the Isle of Man, we know that Grandpa signed up to join The Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (AMPC).

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Grandpa was in the 87th Company and the 248th Company. These were two of the 18 “Loyal Alien” Pioneer Corps companies that recruited German and Austrian Jewish Refugees fleeing Nazi persecution, who wanted to fight against Hitler. 

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We wanted to find out when Grandpa actually moved from one company to the other and to learn more about his time in the Pioneer Corps, so applied to Army Personnel (back in 2020-2021) for his personal service records at the Ministry of Defence. After a very long wait, we are pleased to say we are now in possession of them. They reveal that Grandpa also served in two other “Loyal Alien” companies, the 77th Coy and the 220th Coy. They have provided us with more information about his particular whereabouts and some of the specific duties he carried out during the five years he served in The Pioneer Corps. 

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The details of which have been set out in a timeline. (See Timeline). It gives us a better sense of what life must have been like for Grandpa serving as a “loyal alien” soldier, in the Pioneer Corps, fighting against Hitler.

War diaries were kept. It was the responsibility of each Commanding Officer to write a detailed account of the actions and placements of its company during the war years. Brief summaries of these exist for each of the companies that Grandpa was in. They provide a useful outline of the main dates and locations worked and general tasks carried out by each company.

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It is clear that being in the Pioneer Corps meant that Grandpa would have moved around the country a lot in order to carry out the duties required for war work. The War Diaries and brief summaries illustrate this. We also know that Grandpa wanted Grandma with him. She mentions this in her testimony, saying that she and Dad (Eric) followed him, staying in different places for short periods of time “in lodgings ”.  Grandma remembers the following locations; Stratford upon Avon, Gloucestershire, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

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We are lucky enough to be in possession of Grandpa’s war medals. Like all army servicemen, he received the Defence Medal and the General War Service Medal in recognition of the role he played in the war. The fact that Grandpa kept his war medals serves to highlight their importance to him. 

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Although there was generally not much opportunity for promotion in the Pioneer Corps, we know that Grandpa became a Corporal. His personal service records provide us with clear evidence of just how good he was at his job and his upstanding character. The document entitled “Notification of Impending Release” (dated 22nd September 1945) states his military conduct was “exemplary” and his testimonial reads:

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“Employed as company clerk. Very conscientious. Reliable, honest and trustworthy. A capable NCO in every respect. Highly recommended.”

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How well deserved his two stripes were!

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Grandpa was clearly proud to serve in The Pioneer Corps. The photograph of him above, seen smiling in his uniform, illustrates this. As children, we clearly remember the image hanging on the wall at Pewsham House - our grandparents home in Finsbury Park, north London. At the time, however, we were unaware of the picture’s true significance for Grandpa and our family history story.

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Updated 2023
JR