22523641 Buckland-Pinnock A.E. Gunner 14th Anti Tank Regt RA

Hello from sunny New Zealand. Home of the America's Cup.
Looking for somewhere to electronically deposit my father's war memorabilia and stories.
This looks like the spot?
cheers,
A.A.Buckland-Pinnock
2nd Officer MN

 

Could you check your dad`s service number please the number at the top of the page `22526431` refers to a 1951 enlistment ? (February 1951 until July 1951)

Thanks

Kyle

 

RA Attestation 1939, service number 861333

Re-enlisted 12.6.50 number 22523641 (perhaps originator could amend post title)

 

Thread header amended.

 

Attempting to put credence to war stories, ( facts to back up fiction and memorabilia to hand ).
5 solid days of searching on line without much success. Unable to walk the talk. Border closed. NZ and Covid.
1. The unit was posted to India. Shipped out on the RMS Queen Mary. pleasant life on board stationed as ships gunner 'up top' and not with the herd below. Equipment on another ship. South Africa and Archie Wavell asked Churchill for an Anti - Tank Regt for his desert campaign, so original destination of India changed to Egypt. Had to trans ship at sea, jumping from one to the other with full gear - plank. Ended up outside Cairo with no gear, - gone to India.
2.Spent time 'training' and sports etc. until equipment arrived back. 3 months. Won the high jump in unit sports and received a leather wallet as prize. Carved '88' on it in my possession. Duties such as taking the rubbish out in to the desert, making mounds and setting fire to them to keep the flies down.
3. In the desert, navigated by compass and the sun. To remember that the sun travelled across the horizon for 15 degrees every hour.
Had a 'Honey' tank. Unit 'fitter'. Salvaging anything for spare parts. Tank pennants changed daily for recognition. Shape more important than colour. Can be seen at greater distance. If vehicle appeared with wrong arrangement of pennants, shoot first ask questions later. Have pennants in my possession.
4. Mail home courtesy of Archie Wavell and his despatches to the War Office. Uncensored. In my possession.
5. Unit movements N.Africa, landing Augusta Sicily all documented. Positioned Lentini and CarLentini in Sicily waiting jump off to mainland. all visited again post war.
6. Unsubstantiated claim ( to date ) that at Monte Cassino worked with NZ Maori Battallion, made life-long friends. Unit withdrawn from front for rest. Bombed by US Air Force and lost a lot of mates ( named ). (( hoping the war diary might have something ))
7. Unit became demoralised by screams from from mates in burning tanks. Could not help. From that time on the escape hatch released in floor and plate dragged along the ground until the chain broke. Became a problem later when fording rivers and flooding the tank. Very wary of German 88's. very accurate.
8 Through Florence at 03:00. Americans 'liberated' the city later in the day.
9. Unit in Trieste. On the border with Jugoslavia keeping the communists back.
10 Arrived back home blistered and sunburnt. Three days in an open cattle rail wagon across Europe.
I am able to find hard copy documents to back up the unit information, however I do not suppose the personal memories will ever be proven. Only the memorabilia remains.
cheers,
AA B-P
NZ