My Dad Gunner Leslie Rossiter was posted to the 71st Field (WR) Regiment on 31st July 1945 from the 10th Indian Division Counter Mortar Org which had been disbanded. He talked very little about the war and until I received his service records I never knew he was in Austria for 4 months prior to home leave and demob. I have the War Diary from 1st August 1945 to 30th November 1945 The regimental headquarters had just moved from St Paul to Gratkorn. The diary pages don’t give very much information. Their job was to conduct House searches and comb the area. The Appendices give details of house searches and the arrest of a few Nazis, capture of rifles etc. and are interesting. However I found the attached Appendix B Inst No 1 Extract from METP No 9 Part X111 “Notes for Officers on Internal Security Duties” interesting. Especially the summary “Do not undertake Internal Security Duties with the attitude that whatever you do will be a mistake. Act firmly and at once and you will be right. Do nothing and you will certainly be wrong”
Hi Diane, My Dad also served with the RA (Wilhelmshaven). His unit did the same type of role. To maintain order and police the local population. There were a number of attacks against German civilians by Russians who had escaped from displaced person camps. He hated having to spend another 10 months in uniform before being demobbed. Having got recently married, he just wanted to go home with his new wife. War diary entries were also minimal. His unit was disbanded (March 1946) and men not yet demobbed were then posted to other RA units.
Hi, I can't imagine what it must have felt like not being able to go home. Dad spent 43 months overseas and must have been overjoyed to hear he was going home. (He also didn't get embarkation leave) The Russians are also mentioned in the Diary. During searches of houses they were told the Russians had already searched them and that they had "pilfered" valuable trinkets.
