5th Bn Wilt Reg – seeking info on Sgt Ronald L Pegrum 5575653 despatch rider Birgden/Tripsrath 1944

Hi all,

I’m researching my grandad’s WW2 service and would be really grateful for any help from members who know the 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, or who have relatives in the unit.

Name: Ronald Louis “Ron” Pegrum
Army no.: 5575653
Unit: Wiltshire Regiment, 5th Battalion (believed)
Role (family): Despatch rider / motorcycle messenger
Rank: Corporal during the war (per family photo caption), later Sergeant (he was Sgt by 1949)

Service record:
I’ve applied to TNA (MOD Access Team) for his service record (APV000742889) but it’s currently closed and undergoing sensitivity review.

What I have:
Sadly my father took my grandpa's war diary abroad years ago and it was lost, so I’m working from photos/notes that survived.

I have several wartime photos with Ron’s own handwritten captions which place him here:

• Birgden (Germany): “My H.Q. for 12 days, Nov 10th to 22nd 1944” (also notes a cellar entrance in the HQ courtyard).
• Tripsrath (Germany): “Church in TRIPSRATH where I often took cover from heavy shelling, Nov 1944”.
• Tripsrath (26 Nov 1944): “This is the barn in the village of TRIPSRATH… in which was spent 2½ very unpleasant hours, and from which 2 German officers and 53 men were taken prisoner after heavy fighting. Nov. 26th 1944.”

Family story:
My dad wrote on one photo (group of soldiers) that Ron “lost all of these fellow soldiers under a direct hit on the carrier” (the caption suggests this may have been around the Tripsrath fighting). Ron later took my dad and his brothers to Germany as boys to show them Tripsrath, and he revisited Germany again later with his wife Vera.

Some of his war friends named in a photo:
Geof Bainton, Tom Tinker, Nik and Reg Oram.

Questions / help requested:
1) Does anyone have access to/notes from the 5th Wilts war diary (Birgden/Tripsrath/Geilenkirchen area) that might mention a carrier being hit, or identify actions in those areas?
2) If Ron was a despatch rider, would he normally be on the HQ Company strength? Any pointers on where riders are recorded (HQ lists, signals logs, reinforcement drafts, etc.)?
3) Are there published histories / memoirs / casualty lists for 5th Wilts covering the Geilenkirchen/Tripsrath period that might match the “carrier direct hit” incident?
4) I’ve also seen WO 171/1395 listed as 5th Bn Wiltshire Regiment war diary – can anyone confirm which months/period that file covers and whether it includes the Nov 1944 fighting?

Happy to share the photo captions and map references if helpful (Birgden/Tripsrath dates above are from Ron’s own notes). I would just love to piece together more of his life, I know it affected him deeply.

Thanks so much in advance,
Krissi (granddaughter of Ronald Louis Pegrum)

 

War diary online here.

War Diaries :: The Wardrobe

 

I have these 3 books, all from The Wardrobe.
I'll have a look & see what I can find.

Edit.
Sorry , no mention of a carrier being hit or any of those names.

 

Krissi,

Welcome aboard. His name and number have not appeared here before.

Puzzled by this:

Normally a TNA 'Closed' record is that their procedures require an official document recording his death.

For the two Germans locations: Birgden and Tripsrath. Try forum's simple search function (one word) top right box.

WO 171/1395 only refers to 1944. See: 5 Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) | The National Archives

If needed for 1945 see: 5 Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) | The National Archives

An online search with: "5th Battalion" + "Wiltshire Regiment" site:ww2talk.com found just over thirty web links.

A smaller number of threads were id'd using: "5th Wiltshire Regiment" site:ww2talk.com and then with: "5 Wiltshire Regiment" site:ww2talk.com slightly more. Yes, there may be duplicates.

A search with: "5 Wiltshire Regt" site:ww2talk.com returned many threads, but after pg.1 the search appears to go "wild", but I did spot a book recommended on pg. 2. Have a look and decide if useful.

At a glance a number of the threads are for individual soldiers who served in the 5th Wilts; those threads often last a short time and the member disengages, with or without an update on their research.

Another member in 2025 recommended:

I checked for the other names: Oram, Tinker and Bainton - in the Wiltshire Regt. a few possible, but on examination not them.

.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to have a look for me

 

That's interesting. I did send his official death certificate with the request so I know they have that document. I was wondering if it was to do with medical records perhaps? I hope I will be able to get it.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, I will work my way through your suggestions and really appreciate it