63rd Anti-Tank Regiment, RA

Hi I am looking for information regarding the 63rd Anti tank reg my Dad was in this reg his number was 1491514 and I understand there is a museum that is associated with this I wondered if anyone has any contact details for it as I would like to pass on several photos and documents.
Thanks

 

welcome from the netherlands

 

Welcome to the forum

Cheers
Paul

 

Welcome. 63 A/Tk Rgt were converted to RA from the Worcestershire Yeomanry in March 1939 and the Oxfordshire Yeomanry were added to them on their conversion. It was mobilised at Oxford in Sept 39 as part of 61 Infantry Division. In Apr 41 in transferred to 53 Inf Div and back to 61 Div Jun 41.

The regt went to NW Europe in Sept 44 as part of 2 Army.

 

Hi thank you for the information I have lots of photos and Dads discharge papers etc and his number was 1491514 I was hoping a museum would take them and his medals as this was my Mums wishes I will try to upload some photos as soon as I work out how to do it!
I find this very interesting Dad would never talk much about the war and Christmas was not a good time according to my Mum I think it was something to do with going into a concentration camp.
Than you again for your replies

 

Hi there thanks for all the replies you are so kind I have put some photos on of my Dad's army days I don't know if anyone would recognise him his name was Jasper (Joe) Truelock.
They may be of some interest to someone.
Regards Tyniesha

 

You may not be aware but your father was awarded a Mention in Despatches. The Oak Leaf is clearly visible on the post war picture with his medal ribbons.

 

Some great pictures of your Dad and his unit. Thanks for sharing.

 

Hi thank you for that information is it possible to find out about the mentioned in despatches thing?

 

Whats his name? It may be listed online?

Edit:

Just searched by unit and only three citations listed:
The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Search Results=*

 

Hi there he is Jasper Truelock he was always known as Joe though Thank you

 

Confirmation that he received an MiD is in the London Gazette

Viewing Page 4047 of Issue 37213

 

Hi Tyniesha

My father was also in the 63rd Anti-Tank Regiment RA. He was originally in the 91st A/T Regiment (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders). The link

Royal Artillery Units Netherlands 1944-1945 - 63 Anti Tank Regt

shows that his battery was transferred to a reformed 63rd A/T Regiment on 10th Dec 1944. They retained the A&S badges. I still have his A&S cap badge and a photo of him wearing it. I think I read somewhere that the 63rd took a bit of a battering in a fire fight over a river. This reorganisation may have been a result of that action.

He was Gunner Wilfrid Ratcliffe. Where are your photos posted? I have a photo of his unit 146 Battery firing a 101 gun salute in what is left of Kiel Harbour on VJ Day.

Units from the 63rd A/T Regiment were first to Bergen-Belson Concentration camp.

Bergen-Belsen

I have not yet found out the details. Are you interested in following up your initial research? I am happy to share. My father would also not talk about his experiences when I was little. The best I got was "I fired 2lb loaves and the waste from the kitchen." He died when I was 10 but he kept all his army mementoes.

John

 

Hi there I think that my dad was one of the first regiments into Belsen I have been talking to a guy they are opening a museum the link is sofo.org.uk I am sending Dad's medals etc to them they are hopefully going to send me some published information from some one who was in the same group going in to Belsen if I get it would you like a copy?I have put some of the photos on here I have an album I am not sure how you find it maybe if you search for me I would be very interested in looking into it further as I said my Dad wouldn't say anything he died two years ago aged 90 years.

 

Hi. Thanks for your response. I would love a copy if you get anything. I will see if I can find your photos and post my material.

I am particularly curious about Belsen and whether my father was involved. As I said, he never spoke to me about his time in the army. It was clearly a time that must have meant something to him because all I have to remember him are items from that period. He died in 1965. All other close relatives are also dead, so I have no first hand references.

I was told that if you write to the Regiment then they can supply the unit diary with details of movement and actions. I am not sure if you get more than the diary on the web though. I will write to them anyway and see what I get.

There have been some useful suggestions made earlier in the thread. Thanks to everyone for these. I checked, but did not find any further material.

 

I did a little research on the first units to enter Belsen a while ago ,It seems to have been initially Two SAS jeeps of 1-SAS John Randall, Peter Weaver and others arriving about 3pm on Sunday the 15th of April 1945 and followed shorly after by 35 men and Crusader Gun tractors of the 249 (Oxfordshire Yeomanry) Battery of the 63rd Anti Tank Regiment under Lt Derrick Sington (the SAS left shortly after with the exception of Weaver who stayed on as a translator for the 63rd C.O). ,they controlled the camp overnight before other SP Artillery vehicles (that look like tanks but are actually not tanks being M10 17lb Tank Destroyers) and more batterys arrived the following day . I'm not sure but some of the arrivals the next day were probably the Worcester Yeomanry Battery or two Batterys of Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders which comprised the rest of the Anti Tank unit .There was also a loudpeaker van from 14 Amplifier Unit of the intelligence Corps . So there were quite a few troops from the 63rd present for some time .Neither of the two names mentioned appear on the Relief Staff list (but it is not complete and you may wish to ask to have the names added ?) see link below




Relief Staff

Hope this is of help

Brian

 

Hello, my name is John Armstrong. My father Timothy was one of the Argyll and Sutherland soldiers who were transferred to the 63rd. I came across this forum when looking for details of my father's war record etc.

Dad would never talk about the war and it was never discussed at home. When I grew old enough to understand and question, my mother told me that his experience at Belsen still gave him nightmares at times. He wrote to my mother every day that he could and she promised to give me the letters "one day". Unfortunately, on his death bed he made my mother promise to destroy them and she burned them so a valuable piece of history was lost.

I hadn't realised until now that it was this regiment who actually were first into Belsen. My mother was a bit vague about it and because after being wounded my father had been retrained as a cook, I was under the impression he had been brought in to help with trying to feed the prisoners who had been found there. I was aware that he was there right from the start and this now explains it.



The above is a picture of my father taken around 1942. I still have that cap badge which someone told me was the largest in the British army.

Thanks to all those who posted above and gave me a few more pieces for the puzzle.

Also for anyone who might be interested, I wrote a song about my father's life which can be viewed here http://youtu.be/IE9yIArtuN8