HIGHLY UNUSUAL 'CASUALTY' GROUP TO TROOPER MOODY OF THE GREYS

HIGHLY UNUSUAL 'CASUALTY' GROUP TO TROOPER MOODY OF THE GREYS Who despite being believed Killed in Italy was sighted on numerous occasions in the post-war years, with an appeal launched to try to locate him Pre War Palestine to 405640 Tpr I B Moody The Greys 1939/45 Star Africa Star - Bar 8th Army Italy Star Defence War GVF+ Ivan Beatty Moody was the son of Alfred John and Ethel Anne Moody. He followed in his father's foot joining the Royal Scots Greys. Moody served in Palestine and took part in the Africa campaign. On 10th September 1943 at the battle of Salerno, his tank was destroyed. The other crew members were buried alongside it; however, the was no trace of Moody. It was believed he was killed in action, but after the Liberation of Rome, former comrades stated that they saw Moody in the city. Ivan's father wrote to the Foreign officer, and on 5th June 1948 received a replay; extracts of which are below. The assumption that he might still be alive arose from the information - supplied by Miss Moody to the British legion - that former comrades had seen Sgt Moody in Rome after the liberation of the city, and again in a displaced persons camp in Germany where he was injured and said to be suffering from memory loss. "The unusual circumstances of the case lead us to believe that there might be a possibility that he was still alive and somewhere in Germany; therefore, on our instructions, the control commission for Germany took up the case and photographs were circulated throughout D.P camps. A report was received from the D.P camp at Wolfsburg which stated:- Information has been received from a M Szimanska that the above individual was seen by him at Northeim Camp in September 1945. He was present at the marriage of the daughter of Col. Dejistek, accompanied by two American Soldiers. He is remembered so well by his actions, i.e. he was firing a revolver at a bottle of Schnapps and did not hit it until the fifth round. He spoke German very badly with a foreign accent." Moody was also sighted by two Ukrainians at a dance in Enlenstedt in 1947, who noted he appeared mentally unwell. The case was taken seriously, and 10,000 missing person posters were put up throughout Europe. There doesn't ever seem to have been a conclusion to the case, and Moody has a headstone in Salerno War Cemetery. The group comes with several original photographs, original letters concerning his case and an original missing person poster. Please see lot 66 for his father's group and lot 67 for his brothers' group.