Stroud Historian Chas Townley who runs the Stroud-history website is looking for help in solving a mystery following an enquiry about the fate of a soldier from Stroud who stayed with a dutch family in 1944.

In December 1944 Joe Coppes - then a 12 year old school boy - was given a one gilder Allied liberation currency note by a soldier who stayed one night with his family in the village of Kakert near Landgraef, Holland. The soldier had written his name - R Sandle - and his address - "The Circle" Uplands, Stroud - on the note. Joe Coppes now aged 76 is curious about the fate of this solider.

Joe's village - about 5 miles from the German border - was liberated by the Americans on the 18 September. From then until late November the struggle to cross the border into Germany had continued. In December the remains of an English tank regiment, who had been helping the Americans, came to his village. Joe told us, "I brought the young soldier to my home to get a good sleep for a couple of days. But after a stay of one day, this regiment had to go back to their own English forces." He believed that they were then sent to the Battle of the Bulge then raging in the Ardennes.

"We are confident he came back home after the war." said Chas Townley, "With the help of the Gloucestershire Archives we have found a Reginald George Sandle on the 1946 Register of Electors at The Circle, Uplands".He was shown as living with a Roger and Doris Pattison. It is likely that Reginald Sandle was a Stroud Policeman before the war as he is recorded as living at the Old Police Station in Merrywalks in 1939. Following up births and marriage information his parents were a Henry Sandle and a Rose Restall who were married in the Stroud area in 1911 with Reginald being born in the Cirencester Registration Area in 1917.

"So far we've not been able to trace Reginald's Regiment." said Chas Townley. "Our immediate thought was that he might have served with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars but they never saw serviceon the Road to Berlin with one of regiments working as a training battalion and the other seeing service in Egypt. From the details Joe Coppes has provided it is possible that Reg's regiment may have been part of the 11th Armoured Division as they were active in Southern Holland in November 1944 and were part of the 250,000 troops rushed to the Ardennes to contain the German's largest and most effective counterattack launched on 16 December 1944.

"Reg Sandle would now be 92 and if he is still alive we'd like to put him in contact with Joe." says Chas. If anyone has any information about Reg or any relatives we'd be pleased to hear from them. Chas Townley can be contacted on Stroud 01453 756547 or by email at chas.townley@stroud-history.org.uk