244 / 78th LAA & 254 / 81st HAA

Fiddled in photoshop on the laptop last night, not quite finished as I need to just tidy around the edges with a mouse then do a final tweak for colour on a proper screen...

 

Hi, I am curious about the history of 224 battery, 78th regiment as I have been having some conversations with my father who is 97 years old about his time in the war. He tells me that he joined up as part of the First Militia in June / July 1939 and was assigned to 244 battery at that time. After Being deployed in England to protect airfield he went to North Africa, Sicily, Italy, including Monte Casino and then later in Plastine. Unfortunately his campaign ribbons and discharge papers have been lost in a break in many years ago but his memory of his time as a gun fitter with 244 battery is still very clear with out these.
Any help in following his progress through the war would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Ian Lomax

 

Hi Ian, just seen this a year and a bit later, sorry! I hope you are still on here and read this - please contact me by the messaging system and I'll see what I can do to help! I hope that your father is still well too.

regards

Mark

 

Just came on here as I found this online:

Colin Gormley (1913) was commissioned in February 1941 and served for a year in
England and in the Orkneys with his regiment, 81st H.A.A. of the Royal Artillery. His
first overseas-service began in May 1942 and covered Egypt and Palestine before the 81st
joined the Eighth Army in the Western Desert

 

...and this:


ARNOLD PHILLIPS BROWN joined the Territorial Army In April

1939 with the 52nd H.A.A. Regiment R.A. and in February 1940

embarked for France to join the 4th H.A.A. Regiment R.A. After

entering Belgium on the lOth May the Battery was ordered to retire

and was evacuated from France through Dunkirk

in

June 1940.

He was commissioned February 1941 and posted to 81st H.A.A.

Regiment stationed in the Orkneys. In May 1942 he embarked for

the Middle East with this unit. He was promoted to the rank of

Captain in December 1942 when he became Senior Gun Control Officer

at Cairo. Later in July 1943 he became Senior Gun Control Officer

with the 8th Army in Sicily and Italy.

In September 1944 he joined the 30th Field Regiment R.A. 4th

British Division at Rimini. In the December of that year the Division

moved to Greece to quell the revolution. He was then promoted to

the rank of Major.

He was released in December 1945 and holds the 1939/45 Star,

Africa and Italy Star, the Defence Medal, War Medal 1939/45 and

Territorial Efficiency Medal.

 

Wiki page on 78th HAA:

1st Norfolk Artillery Volunteers - Wikipedia

 

Archibald St. Clair Ruthven.

The Old Post Cottage , Stifford, Essex. 1923-24-, Belmont. H.A.C.

1939-4-0 (27) Bty. H.A.A.). Lj Bombardier, 78th H.A.A. Regt. R.A.

194-0-4-1. 2nd Lieutenant, Hong Kong and ingapore H.A.A. Regt. R.A.

December 194-1. Malaya till 15"th February 194-2. P.O.W. Malaya an

 

Well, for those if you interested in 81st AA Regt I went wandering in July. I visited a bunch of locations my grandfather went, the vest being Hoy on Orkney where I found an extant 254 battery gunsite. Here's the full video of H6. H4 and H3 are also on seperate videos and were occupied by other batteries from the Regt.

 

Hi Mark, thank you so much for posting. As you know my father served with 254/81st HAA. I can't imagine what it would have been like during a blizzard.
All the best
Diane

 

Glad you saw this Diane! Yes, I imagine it was. Strange place - if the sun was out it was beautiful. If it went in it was instantly dull. It didn't get dark and it didn't get hot - this was in July this year. Quite desolate in places, stunning scenery and well worth the effort to get to.
I've not turned up anything further(pics or info) since doing all the research a few years back but at least I've visited where he did back then, on a roadtrip in the campervan he bought the year before he died.

 

Hello Snapper35
Looking for info about 244 battery, I came across the thread from 2015 where you mentioned about your Dad being in Rome and mentioning a “countessa”

My Dad, Harry Lomax who died in 2019 aged 101,was also in 244 Battery at the start of the war. He was a Gun Fitter responsible for keeping the batteries guns in action. His stories are similar but slightly different. According to my Dad he sailed on the Viceroy of India perhaps later than your father. The route seems very similar but he arrived just as the 8th Army was being pushed back. He then was there during the wait until Montgomery had the reinforcements he required before starting his push against Rommel. From North Africa he went to Italy and was there when the “gas ship” exploded in Bari. His route to Rome went via Monte Casino. By the time he got to Rome it seems he was no longer attached to an artillery unit, but more involved with civil control. His Rome stories also contain reference to a “Contessa / Duchess” in whose home a number of soldiers where billeted.

 

WOW!! This is a fantastic addition! My grandfather was in Italy with the Allied Military Government after 81st HAA Regiment was put into 'suspended animation' in 1944 and everyone was transferred elsewhere. He'd left 244/78th in 1940 to go to OCTU but would definitely have known your father had they begun the war in 244 (In Norwich). I have the war diaries up until the end of 1940 from memory - if you message me with your email address I can send these over if you like? Mine is snapper35@hotmail.com and I'd be very interested to hear his stories too - oh how I wish you'd seen this while he was still alive, I'd have loved to hear a personal recollection from the battery and especially to hear memories of my grandfather. I don't know if you are local-ish to me at all? I'm in Lowestoft so around 45 minutes from where 244 were on embodiment and know where / have visited most of the sites they were at locally in the early part of the war. Not certain there would be a link with the Contessas but maybe? 'His' offered him a postwar job running a tomato plantation factory if that fits at all?

I'll have a trawl through to see if I can find mention of a Lomax amongst the paperwork and photographs I have, who knows (Lomax rings a vague bell though!) I have a battery photo from 1939 too which might show your father on with luck, though sadly it isn't named.

her last trip was in 1942 Viceroy of India sailed in Convoy KMF-1A carrying troops from Britain to invade French North Africa in Operation Torch. She departed the Clyde 26/10/42 arriving Oran 8th November 42 and was was Sunk 11/11/42. I can't see any other convoys she was on at present but I have seen mention of her coming back from Egypt earlier in 1942...

This is a brilliant page too: P&O Viceroy of India

 

My grandfather is second left, rear row. This is 244 Battery. Can you see Harry?

 

244 Battery War Diary

RAF STATION MARHAM 20.4.40 Gnrs. Bond AE, Lomax and Thrower proceeded to Loughborough for R.A. Fitters Course at the Technical Fitters Course (Haven't seen mention of when they returned)

Operation Order No14 Appendix "D" Fitter 1496918 Gnr. Lomax, H. This is a nominal roll of the battery on 30/9/41 and is for D Section. It concerns a move from LH2 (Oulton, Lowestoft, formerly Lowestoft 'C' - now built on between Spashett Road, Tedder Road and El Alamein Road) to HSF (Horsham St Faith). Pity it wasn't LH1 as that is still extant.

 

Update! Viceroy of India sailed in the same convoy, WS19P, as my Grandfather on the aquitania with 254/81st. Harry would have been on it. From Wikipedia: 78th HAA Regiment left the UK in June 1942 with 243, 244 and 245 HAA Btys and sailed for the Middle East. I have the files for that too!