The purpose of this blog site is to provide updates on the publication of the book that I have been involved in writing since January 2014. The book now entitled 'A Pithead Polar Bear From Brighton to Belsen 1940 to 1946' is an attempt to understand what my late Grandfather, L/Cpl James Kitchener Heath did during the Second World War.

'A Pithead Polar Bear' is the culmination of another internet blog project that I started, entitled 'A Fragmented Military History', the name being an acknowledgement of the limited information that I had to go on and just how much there was to learn. The original site can be accessed from this site and in many ways can be thought of as being complementary to the published book.

James, or Jim, Heath was an ordinary citizen soldier signed up for the duration of the war. His experiences over the six years of the conflict are similar to those of many thousands of infantry men whilst at the same time unique to him.

My sincere hope for this book is that it may in some part inspire like minded people to take up the challenge to explore a similar history for one of their own relatives. My message is that it can be done even seventy plus years after the events described. It is also hugely rewarding.

Somewhere down the line I wrote words to the following effect, 'in my dealings with our veterans it has become clear that it is not our thanks they seek for what they did but our understanding'. That for me is justification enough for such an undertaking as this.



Saturday, June 17, 2017

Tribute to Corporal Peter W. Pimlott 7th South South Staffordshire Regiment


As ‘A Pithead Polar Bear’ was in its final stages of preparation, I received an email requesting some assistance in providing information about the South Staffordshire Regiments in Normandy. The email came from Paul Simpson MBE, a retired warrant officer, who is researching the service of his great uncle, Corporal Peter W. Pimlott of the 7th South Staffords. As this enquiry neatly coincided with a planned return to Normandy I said that if at all possible I would visit Corporal Pimlott’s plot in the Banneville-la-Campagne cemetery and lay a Royal British Legion cross.

Corporal Pimlott was killed in action with the 7th South Staffordshire Regiment on 7th August 1944 in the Grimbosq bridgehead established in order to allow the 59th (Staffordshire) Division to cross the River Orne. He survived just 41 days in Normandy.


Yesterday I received an email from Paul with a photograph of his great uncle’s mounted medals.

Corporal P.W. Pimlott
7th South Staffordshire Regiment
Killed in Action on 7th August 1944.


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2 comments:

  1. Paul SimpsonAugust 5, 2017 at 6:28 AM

    A lovely tribute thank you Adrian. We returned from our visit yesterday. Photos to follow. We were so happy to see the book was presented to Prince Edward. The book is very good.

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