Have you heard of a place called SCHMIEDE?

My cousin Trooper 23403701 Alexander Cunningham Corstorphine was killed in a traffic accident on 14 March 1958  while serving with BAOR.  His death record shows SCHIEMDE as the place but I can't find on a map.  Any help would be appreciated

Was the Death Record issued by the Germans or British?

If British. I suspect spelling mistake?

Alan

Last name:                              CORSTORPHINE
First name(s)                           Alexander Cunningham
Regiment:                               RTR
Rank:                                     Tpr
Service Army Service Number: 23403701
Date of Birth:                          05/05/1936
Age:                                       21
Date of Death:                        14/03/1958
Included on the Armed Forces Memorial* Yes
Included on Roll of Honour Yes

https://www.search-armed-forces-memorial-roll-of-honour.service.gov.uk/serviceperson/7363949c-7273-4904-ac4c-069f2612e571
(*The Armed Forces Memorial is a national memorial in the United Kingdom, dedicated to the 16,000 servicemen and women of the British Armed Forces killed on duty or through terrorist action since after the Second World War.)

In 1958 7 RTR was stationed  in Detmold

A nearby village east of Detmold and near the old Federal Route 1 was Schieder -Schwalenberg (formed in 1970 from the rural communes of  Schieder, Brakelsiek, Schwalenberg, Lothe, Ruensiek, Wöbbel, Siekholz and Kreienberg).  It is a Kur-Ort (minor spa town) with around 8,500 residents. in a land area of 60 sq kms/23 sq miles.   (The NL Forces were at Blomberg and airfield shown was part of their asset!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schieder-Schwalenberg








https://www.schieder-schwalenberg.de/    in German
https://www.schieder-schwalenberg.de/B%C3%BCrger-und-Service/Stadtinfo/Die-Ortsteile


Stadt Schieder-Schwalenberg
Der Bürgermeister
Domäne 3
32816 Schieder-Schwalenberg

Ref above vis-a-vis 7 RTR in Detmold.

7 RTR was subsumed by/amalgamated into  4 RTR in 1959,
4 RTR moved from Fallingbostel to Hohne during 1959

Thks from Alan..

Tpr Corstorphine: death recorded on the Armed Forces Memorial *
(*The Armed Forces Memorial is a national memorial in the United Kingdom, dedicated to the 16,000 servicemen and women of the British Armed Forces killed on duty or through terrorist action since after the Second World War.)

Tpr Corstorphine RTR

Thinking on - the depths of Army procedure!

Any accidental death especially from Road Traffic Incident (not called RTA anymore!) would elicit:

Board of Inquiry - to exam and record all circumstances

Board of Adjustment - to settle the financial and property account of the deceased.

Both are legal records and the actual papers have to be held for a minimum of 50 years - usually at the Army Documentation Record Office of the deceased, (1958 - 2009) RAC/RTR Manning and Records?
however;
Unit Records include a Registry Book where each page resembles an AF A2 (Report of a Board of Inquiry)
and a manuscript copy of the actual AF A2, the Convening Order (Part 1 Order) and a Precis of the findings and results are retained for 100 years after the last entry in the book.
Assume 7 RTR record book was last used in 1959 BEFORE amalgamation - there has to be a further record of circumstances of the death.
Just a few thoughts on what we did BEFORE photocopies.

Try Die SCHIEMDE up near Hanover. I found that on Google Earth. Best of luck Alan.

Discussed in Parliament 1958:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1958-05-14/debates/b974db47-d6f6-4341-a9f4-e77b0b9d22bd/TrooperCorstorphine

Quote:  Mr. V. Yates
asked the Secretary of State for War if he has investigated the circumstances in which 23403701 Trooper A. C. Corstorphine, National Service man, was killed in Germany on 14th March; what training this National Service man had received before being allowed to drive a motor vehicle; whether he was accompanied by a driving instructor at the time of the accident; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Julian Amery
Trooper Corstorphine was a learner driver with about 35 hours' experience. On 14th March he was authorised to carry out practice driving in a scout car carrying "L" plates. He was accompanied by a qualified driver acting as his instructor. In approaching a corner his car left the road and overturned. The instructor was thrown clear, but Trooper Corstorphine was fatally injured.

I should like to express to the parents of this soldier my deep sympathy with them in their bereavement.

Mr. Yates
Does the Minister realise that very great distress has been caused by the knowledge—which seems to be somewhat different from what the Minister said—that the vehicle the man was driving was a heavier one, and further that the length of time he had been driving was not very long and that it is customary to be accompanied by a learner-driver, not a driver? That is why very great distress has been caused.

Mr. Amery
As I said, Trooper Corstorphine was by no means a beginner. He had 35 hours' driving experience. This was a practice run on which he was accompanied by an experienced driver.

Mr. V. Yates
asked the Secretary of State for War if he has examined the file copy of the letter addressed to Mr. Corstorphine, 256, Great King Street, Hockley, Birmingham, by Royal Armoured Corps Records, dated 15th March, 1958, confirming the death of his son, Trooper A. C. Corstorphine, in Germany; and whether he will consider introducing a more appropriate letter of sympathy on such occasions.

Mr. Amery
The letter was sent on a Saturday, when the Records Office was closed except for two members of the staff on duty. To avoid delay at weekends, it had been arranged that the duty staff should confirm casualty telegrams if the need arose by sending a standard, duplicated letter with the details completed in manuscript. Although this was done with the good intention of reducing delay, these makeshift form letters are quite unsuitable.

My right hon. Friend regrets that one was sent to Mr. Corstorphine and he has given instructions that they shall not be used again.

Mr. Yates

I thank the Minister for that Answer, which I am sure will give some comfort to the people, especially those with relatives in the Forces, in case such tragedies happen in future. A letter which is partly typed and partly written in ink is calculated to give deep distress. I much appreciate the Minister's decision to make this change.

Mr. Amery
I have explained the circumstances, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising the Question."