Service records help please 114/115 Rd Con Coy Royal Engineers

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Tinap, Aug 22, 2016.

  1. Tinap

    Tinap Member

    Hi, I have received my Grandad's Service Records and would be grateful if anybody would be kind enough to help me out with them please. By the way it only took 3 weeks for them to arrive!!

    Briefly I wanted to know what my Grandad did in Burma and Germany. Like most soldiers he never spoke of his time in the Army. I was hoping once I had got them I would be able to find out which unit, regiment he was with to research them but I am still none the wiser

    I have a few questions that I have tried to find out about on here and the internet but have had no luck.

    1. I can not find anything out about any of the units he was: 114/115 Road Construction Coys: 24 Mechanical Equipment Plant, 4 HQ Mechanical Equipment Units, RE 270.

    2. XII and XVIII? Are these injury/medical terms?

    3. I understand Oper Ex BII and BIII, but what is DIII.

    I understand the compassionate leave bit as his mother was dying and an SOS was sent to him in Burma to return home, which was granted, I have attached a copy of the newspaper article about this.

    Was it common for soldiers to be sent home on an occasion like this? I think he was very lucky, however it was unfortunate that she died before he got back to the UK.

    His Mothers death certificate was also sent with his Service Records, I wonder why it was with them, I thought it would have gone to her husband?

    Many thanks
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    Sorry can't help re most of your queries except to say that one of my uncles was sent home from Egypt on compassionate grounds in April 1945.

    I would suggest repatriation on compassionate grounds was more common towards the end of the war when "Britannia ruled the sea and air" and could ensure the safe passage home then in the early years.

    Good Luck


    Steve Y
     
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  3. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Tinap Welcome to ww2talk.
    Will have a look at them for you, there are a lot of movements etc. So will take a little while to wade through them.
    Briefly what he did was construct roads and any other construction work the Army required.
     
  4. Tinap

    Tinap Member

    Thank you, look forward to hearing from you
     
  5. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    On 3rd June 1943. Frederick Kirton a tractor driver from Orston Nottinghamshire aged 20 yrs and 9 days old, signed his attestation paper (Army form B200d) to enter the British Army.

    Listing his Religion, as Church of England and his Mother, as Next of Kin.

    Period of engagement. NS(AF)Acts 1939 – 41. National Service (Armed Forces) act.

    An act of parliament which called for men and woman from the age of 18 to serve the Country (various exemptions etc.) until the end of hostilities.

    One reason why he was not called up until he was 20, could be because he was a tractor driver working on a farm, and mechanisation of farming was the early stages and Britain needed all the food it could grow.

    At the end of 1942 and the beginning of 43, the tide was turning (with the help of the Americans) the food situation eased slightly, and the Army was going more on the offensive, so needed more men with mechanical ability.

    So Frederick received his calling up papers and having been medically examined on 15/1/42 by the National service medical board and Pronounced A1.

    So on 3rd June 1943 he became Private 14627232 Kirton of the General Service corps and sent to 10 Primary training centre, where he went through the six weeks basic training.

    15th July 43 he was posted to A coy, 3rd Training Battalion Royal Engineers, Gibralter barracks Aldershott, and was now a Sapper.

    Interview with Robert summers, who trained there.

    Summers Robert Oscar IWM interview (20949)
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2016
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  6. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Whilst with A Coy 3 TBRE

    He passed T T and mustered as Learner operator excavator DIII wef 3rd June 43.

    3rd of June 43, must be incorrect as that was the date he joined the army so guess it should be Aug or Sept.

    TT = technical? Training, Wef = With effect from.

    Learner operator excavator, DIII my interpretation of D and B trade group.

    D = dozer so

    http://c8.alamy.com/comp/C995F0/us-corps-of-engineers-wwii-caterpillar-pulling-an-earth-scraper-on-C995F0.jpg

    B = Bucket so

    http://forum.driveonwood.com/uploads/default/4626/200be78ac5a57b92.jpg

    Completed R.E. recruit training wef 6th Oct 43.

    On 22/10/43 he went to M.E.T. Wing S.M.E. Mechanical engineering training wing of the school of mechanical engineers.

    7th Dec 43 posted to no 1 (SME) DBRE (Depot Batt) at Hatfield Herts.
    11/1/44 remustered Operator Exc BIII
    22/1/44 he was then posted to 114 Road construction company. At Appleby Cumbria.

    Interview with Robert Rose. (make sure its reel one, small bit about 114, at 19mins).

    http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80012990

    Next thrilling instalment India.:D
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2016
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  7. Tinap

    Tinap Member

    Wow thank you! Can't wait for the installment:)
     
  8. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Note: As some of the records that are shown are copies of the originals, (it seems that the originals were lost and then found), some things might be out of place, as I only notice them as I work down the list.

    On the second army form B103 written on the top is. Temp: to replace original Auth RE records r7/k 1038 d/ 23 sep 46.


    31/1/45 embarked for India. Unable to find anything about the ship he was on.

    3/2/45 Disembarked Bombay.

    7/3/45 X (ii) List. Which means all ranks evacuated on medical grounds beyond Regimental first aid post. Personal so evacuated cease to be on the effective strength of their units.

    12/3/45. Back to 114 Road construction company. Five days sick, so it is possible he suffered Deli belly, Poona tummy or the proper name Traveller diarrhoea.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveler%27s_diarrhea

    5/10 45 posted to 115 Road construction company.

    Where were they working, according to the newspaper article it was northern Burma and it took two and a half days to reach Rangoon by train.

    25/5/46 Tos (Taken on strength) X(viii)a list. Can’t be sure if there is an official category of Viii in the x lists. But the Canadian X list 8 says men returned to Canada.

    Now as it was on the 25th that he left Rangoon on compassionate leave, it makes sense as the X lists are for men not available to their units and the Viii, means he is going back to England. The a, still not figured it out.

    29/5/46 one day before he landed at Poole he was posted to 3 (H)D.B.R.E. H= Holding

    His Brother as mentioned in newspaper.

    Frank Kirton. 30, Lance Sergeant 973823, 158th Field Regt, Royal Artillery.

    27th March 1944. Face 2 Rangoon Memorial.

    Son of Robert J and Mary A Kirton. Husband of Margaret Lilian Kirton of Charing Kent.


    16/7/46. Posted to 262 P. W.(Prisoner of War) RAF Camp. Which was RAF Langer, Nottinghamshire. The airfield was used after the war for a short time for prisoners of war and then for displaced persons. So it’s possible he was sent there to flatten all the huts after all the POW and DPs had left.

    114 R C Coy. Attended course Grader no 20 “B” 3-9/5/44. X

    http://d323w7klwy72q3.cloudfront.net/i/a/2014/20141009const/E7915.JPG

    The x at the end is an indication that, it is put in the wrong place.

    Compassionate posting for 6 months from the date of arrival in UK.

    No date for this entry. Date arrived in UK. 30/5/46.

    C. Coy 3(H) DBRE 16/11/46.

    5 (H) DB 16/11/46.

    Then on two other records it states this.

    Posted to C.Coy no 3 holding DBRE Barton Stacey ( Nr Andover) and Sos (Struck off strength) of this unit 16/11/46.

    Authy: Officer i/c (In Command) A.E. Records letter Pa15/6205 dated 12 November 46.



    Sos SEALF DNK Struck off strength. South East Asia Land Force. No idea what DNK is.

    2(D) DBRE 27/1/47

    Draft DCZAS 17/2/47 code letters marked on all kit and equipment to ensure it all went to same place.

    Euilehed (could be embarked) for BAOR 18/2/47 British Army of the Rhine.

    Tos BAOR X/4A (50 RHU) 19/2/47. NWE

    X/4A new way of writing X(iV)a list, which a list of reinforcements, 50 RHU reinforcement holding unit. N.W.E. North West Europe.

    4 HQ Mech Egypt units 24/2/47 NWE

    Posted to 24 Mech Egypt PLN 1/3/47 NWE

    redesignated to 24 Plant Tp (type C)

    No idea what or where those units were.



    Proceeded UK for Class A release

    Sos BAOR (word unreadable) NWE 15th June 1947.

    Medically examined on 11/6/47 and found fit for further service in medical category A1.

    Posted to Y list 16/6/47.

    My interpretation of the Y list is that it is the list you are put on for when you are about to leave the Army, so avoids you being posted with your unit to where ever it is going.

    Released to Class Z (T) Royal Army Reserve 1st Sept 47. Class A release.

    Class Z Reserve was a system to be able to quickly recall trained men in the eventuality of the resumption of hostilities. Time spent in reserve varied.

    Not much left to add except that some time in his army career he got married.
     
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  9. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Sometimes you just can't see what is staring you in the face :)
    DNK is written in, where the date should be, So the writer did not know the date it happened so just put "Do Not Know.":D
     
  10. RRTB

    RRTB 145 Fd Regt (Berkshire Yeomanry) RA

    The Y list was also for men who had spent 21 days in hospital. The list differed from the X list in that once the man was healthy again he would be more than likely returned to his own unit. The X list tended not to do this, from what I've discovered.

    If there is no date, then DNK would be Date Not Known.

    X-8 list can refer to men who are in transit.
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2016
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  11. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Thanks RRTB. That's a better way to explain it.
    DNK is now on my abbreviation list. :salut:
     
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  12. Tinap

    Tinap Member

    Thank you every one I have a much better picture of his movements within the Army now. I just need to find further information on the Construction Coys to find out where abouts in Northern Burma he was.

    RCG - Does the E in ME definitely stand for Eqypt? I was under the impression it was for Equipment.

    Thanks again I really appreciate it
     
  13. RCG

    RCG Senior Member, Deceased

    Tinap, yes you are correct, blame my new glasses.
    Posted to 24 Mech Eqpt PLN 1/3/47 NWE.
    its on service record9.jpg I have had another look and now not sure about the PLN could it be PL IV also seems a short tail on the P so could it be a D?
     
  14. RRTB

    RRTB 145 Fd Regt (Berkshire Yeomanry) RA

    No, it's definitely PLN. The whole phrase 24 Mech Eqpt PLN is repeated three lines below in a much clearer handwriting.

    Also: "Sos BAOR (word unreadable) NWE 15th June 1947". The hard-to-read word is "Embarked". If you use Ctrl and + to enlarge the section you can make out the '...ked' and the capital 'E' becomes a bit clearer.
     

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