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James Willis Oliphant – 11th Armoured Division

Hi, my Grandfather, James Willis Oliphant served with the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry all through the war, latterly with the 2nd Fifes as part of 11th Armoured Division, the Black Bull which liberated Belsen.

James Willis Oliphant - 11th Armoured Division

My own Father joined the Army in the late 50’s serving 22 years in the Royal Engineers. I was born in BMH Hannover in 1962 whilst my Dad was stationed in Hohne as part of 26 Armoured Engineers. We lived just outside the side gate in Zietenstrasse.

My Gran and grandad came out to visit when I was born and he certainly recognised the area including the horse stables his unit bedded down in, before moving on. At that point they had been turned into a fire station used by the German fire brigade servicing Hohne Camp. We were lucky to be posted back to Hohne in the mid 70’s when I was eleven and my Dad served with 32 Engineer Regt actually living on Hohne Camp near the Roundhouse NAAFI.

Submitted by Brian Cunniffe

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This archive has been established after my own relative, Reg Price, took part in the liberation and subsequent humanitarian effort of Bergen Belsen in April 1945. Reg produced this famous sign at Belsen. As part of the 113th DLI, Reg and his comrades were at Belsen for 5 weeks and left when the last hut was empty and ceremonially burnt down. This archive compiles all available resources to build a lasting tribute to all the men and women who helped - any unit, any nationality. If you have a relative, or any info, on the relief effort at Belsen, we’d love you to please get in touch. Email us: liberator@belsen.co.ukThank you Nick Price CreativesFacebookTwitter