100 HAA Regiment, RA, 1940-43

New to this forum , so hello to everyone

Can anyone help me put some meat on the bones of my Father's service record please?

His name was Alex Meikle.

16/9/1940 deemed to have been enlisted hamilton
20/9/1940 posted to 321 Hy AA Battery RA Hamilton Gunner
13/7/1941 attached to 356 HAA Bty Hamilton
14/8/1941 attached to 305 HAA Bty Hamilton
20/8/1941 attached to 304 HAA Bty Hamilton
9/9/1941 attached to 265 HAA Bty Dumbarton
7/4/1942 Military Hospital Inverary
24/4/1942 posted to Y list
4/7/1942 posted to Rugby with 100 HAA Regt RA
7/7/42 re-posted to 321 Bty Poole
15/1/1943 embarked middle east with 321 Bty, F TROOP
21/3/1943 disembarked middle east
27/6/1943 embarked for unknown destination (Sicily) with 321 Bty
29/8/1943 SOS MEF BNAF 321 Bty
6/9/1943 TOS BNAF MEF 321 Bty
16/9/1943classified gunner 1A
Awarded Africa Star

 

United Sound,

Welcome to the forum.

There are many experts on this forum that can inform you better than I but here are the following that I know.
HAA stands for Heavy Anti Aircraft and Bty for Battery.

SOS is I believe Sent over seas
MEF Middle east Force
BNAF British North African Force

I am sure that others will correct me if I am wrong and also add what I have no knowledge of.

Regards
Tom

 

UnitedSound

Welcome aboard and let's start you off.

The one item I can help with is the "posted to Y list".

On a previous discussion about Army Records it was established that this referred to being taken off the "available for active service" list. In your case it would appear that your Dad was considered unfit for duty at the time in question.

Have a look at my records and see how they recorded my demob as "Posted to Y List".

Hope this helps

Ron

 

Welcome to forum unitedsounds.
from the abbreviation list they sent with my Dads service record.
SOS means; Struck Off Strength or Static Officers Shop.
TOS means; Taken On Strength.

if you more abb's let me know.

Ken.

 

SOS is I believe Sent over seas



I would prefer Signed on Strength and TOS is Taken off Strength (both always followed by date

 

Ron,
I was only coping from abbrv's sent to me from MOD, but I do intend to agree with you, see attached.

Ken.

 

Once again I turn to the pages of 'Anti-Aircraft Artillery, 1914-55' by Brigadier Routledge. Part of the History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery series. All tables and quotes are taken from this book.

As Owen has already posted 100th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment RA (TA) consisted of two Batteries 304 and 305 from the outset of war, with a third added (321 Bty) in 1942. 356 and 265 Btys do not appear in the book's index, so I have been unable to assign them to a Regiment.
I will continue with the war service of 100 HAA.

They first appear in the narrative in the build up to Operation Husky, the allied invasion of Sicily on July 10th 1943, where for some operational reason they are down to only two batteries 304 and 321. They were assigned to two of eight beach groups consisting of one HAA and one LAA battery each, commanded by a small AA HQ. All of the units deployed were stripped to minimum scales of men and equipment (see table)

Convoys assembled for 'Husky' in several places as far off as Britain and Egypt as well as Malta and Tunisia and required careful timing to match the long and short hauls. Bad weather encountered during the voyages left a nasty swell running which greatly discomforted troops in the smaller vessels but this was not the only hazard: some convoys were discovered and attacked at sea, suffering losses and casualties. 321st/100th and 2nd/1st HAA Batteries lost guns and vehicles in ships which were sunk.

By 7th August, D+28, both batteries of 100 HAA with 17th/1st Bty HAA were under command of 73rd AA Brigade at Catania.

By mid-September both batteries, still with 73rd AA Bde., were still in Sicily at Milazzo, covering the port and ferries for the invasion of Italy.
This is the final mention of 321st/100th Bty. in the history.

The CO of 100 HAA, Lieutenant Colonel G.V.N. Chadd RA goes on to command No.35 Beach Group protecting a beach maintenance area during Op. Avalanche, the landings at Salerno. However he now only has 305 Bty under command. The other two batteries presumably going into reserve.

The rejoined Regiment next appear at the end of 1943, now in 66th AA Brigade. In support of the advance of Fifth Army from Salerno towards Rome, where they were by February 1944.
Their last deployment was around the complex of airfields surrounding Foggia, from where they disbanded sometime between May 1944 and January 1945.

Cheers,
Bod

 

Many thanks to everyone for the welcome and for taking time to respond to my question.

Especially to Bod, who has given me food for thought on Sicily.

BTW when 321 was disbanded my Father was transferred to 1st then 6th Black Watch.

I know that he was in Italy and Greece thereafter through to 1945.

Does anyone know what the duties of a Gunner 1A were?

Also where in Hamilton and Dumbarton would 100HAA have been based during 1940-1.

 

United Sound, Hi,
My Father Tom Maguire 910481 following training served with 304.100HAA Regt RA from 3rd Sept 1932 to 16th July 1942 when he was posted as part of the Cadre to Manorbier in Wales to form 391 Battery / 113 HAA Regt RA. Most of the time he was stationed around the Clyde approaches GSG1 Blantyre Ferme, GSG2 Rogerton and GSG3 Carmunnock. 100 HAA were sent to N Africa in May 1943.
Hope this little bit of info helps.

 

My father served with the 100th HAA. He was an REME wireless technician. I found his diaries for 1943 and 1944 a couple of years ago. He sailed from Gourock in January 1943. Went to Cape Town, Nombay, Basra then Egypt. Landed at Salerno in September 1943 - the 305th battery 100th HAA was part of this operation. He served at Monte Cassino and the fighting northwards from Rome to Rimini before being demobilized in late 1945.

 

Meirion.

100 HAA Regt RA were disbanded in Aug 44 and most of the manpower was transferred to the infantry.

Do you know what happened to him after Aug 44 until the end of war?

Regards

Frank

 

Dear Frank

His 1944 diary has far more gaps from summer onwards. In the diary he drew a sketch of the monastery and castle at Cassino. He visited Rome - I have a handerkchief he sent his sister. The final entry says Via Derna Rimini.
One of the few things he told me was that he and his friends drank wine and were drunk in the cellar at the Grand Hotel Rimini. The hotel had no roof by then.
I suspected from other posts that the anti aircraft regiments had been decomissioned by then

 

Unfortunately I do not know what unit he was transferred to. I have his medals, REME patch, radio technitian badge and an eidelweiss badge - either a partisan badge or German mountain unit badge.

 

On a sad note. I have several letters he sent home. These are in Welsh as were his diaries. One letter from Spring 1945 is very poignant. I'll translate and upload it.

 

Meirion.

You mentioned REME. Was he REME serving in 100 HAA Regt RA - servicing the guns and vehicles, or was he a Gunner who may have transferred to REME after Aug 44?

Regards

Frank

 

The evidence from various documents suggest that he was REME serving in the 100 HAA Regt, e.g.
Pass 10/5/1943 100th HAA Regt w/shop Sect. REME. Rank CFN
Letters May-June 1943 Cfn W/S section 100th Hy AA Regt MEF
Pass 29/2/1944 100 HAA Regt REME W/S

In addition I've got some handwritten wiring diagrams and a training timetable showing wireless and electrical training. An envelope from 1942 is addressed to him as "F Coy, Hut 26b No.4 Tng Battalion RAOC", Rugby Camp, Hilsea, Portsmouth. I understand that the equipment maintenance elements were transferred to the REME when that was formed in October 1943.

In his diaries he makes reference at various time to all 3 batteries of the 100 HAA regiment - 304, 305 and 321. Entries also suggest that he was attached to the regiment at the latest by January 1943. 14th January 1943 he notes that the train left Bulwell an travelled to Glasgow and Gourock. 24th January - on the Atlantic. This coincides with the regiment's movements. In addition he has "menus" from SS Ascanius for March 1943. David Turner, who was an officer in the 100th HAA, published an autobiography "Gunner and Guru" and his description of the regiment's journey from Bombay to Basra and the Egypt mirrors evidence from the diary and letters. Turner recollects that conditions on board were awful and that there was a great deal of resentment among the troops. Dad told me that he was brought up on charges by an NCO. Apparently the NCO bawled out at him for something trivial- dad snapped and gave him a mouthful. The officer who dealt with it was far more understanding and no punishment was given. I've often wondered whether that officer was David Turner.

He served in North Africa with the 8th Army and then landed at Salerno with the 5th Army as part of operation Avalanche. As you mentioned in your post, the 100th HAA went into suspended animation from August 1944. The diary entry for 18th July 1944 states, "Major trouble today. Many of the boys requested transfers. Everyone has had enough of the place". I wonder whether news of the suspension of the regiment had been received ?

I do not know what happened to my father - the only clues are that he left Serracapriola on the 26th August 1944. Was near Monte Cassino on the 15th October, in Rome on the 20th October. Travelled from Rome via Arezzo, Fasi, Ancona to Pesaro by the 25th October. Was at Via Dermi, Rimini on 30th November 1944.

Things will be hectic in the next fortnight but in early January I'll upload some more details.

Hope they can be of help to others who are researching.

 

Dear Frank

I forgot to mention that the following show some of Dad's locations:

8th April 1946 - leave pass from 56 Rest Camp Rome, rank CFN.
8th August 1946 - programme for a classical music concert in aid of preventing tuberculosis. No details of location.
28th August 1946 - receipt from a watch shop in Naples

AS mentioned in my previous post I'll get more information uploaded in the New Year.

Regards
Meirion

 

Meirion.

You have confirmed that he was Craftman in the REME attached to 100 HAA Regt RA. He would have been a member of the Regt’s REME Light Aid Detachment.

As a REME soldier, once 100 HAA Regt RA was disbanded in Aug 44, he would haves moved to another Regt. I wonder what Regt that would have been.

His drawing of Cassino is spot on. He has drawn the two major features - the monastery and Castle Hill.

Regards

Frank

 

Hello
Sorry for the delay. This summer my mother asked me to clear a cupboard and I discovered a treasure trove. 200-300 letters from my father to his family and also to him from his parents, sisters and other relatives and friends. They are dated 1942-1946. It will take me some months to read them all but from what I've discovered he was transferred from the 100th HAA regiment to the 79th HAA regiment in Aug 1944.

Regards
Meirion