I am doing some research for a D Day veteran freind of mine and hope someone can help. I have just seen this website and had a look around but cannot find too much related to the 198 battery in France & Germany in 1944/45 and would be grateful if anyone can flesh out some of the details I have. My friend is 90 years old and memory is not what it used to be so the following may not be quite accurate. He landed on Gold beach at around midday on 6th June 1944 in an M10 with a 3inch gun and spent the night sleeping in the cemetary on the outskirts of Arromanches. The next few days and weeks are blurred but he remembers a lot of action around Tilly Sur Suelles, which I guess would have been around 19th June but the details are vague. I would imagine he would not really know where he was most of the time even if he could remember! He was in France for a period before moving up to the Rhine at Eindhoven/ Nijmegen - which I guess would be around September, and then back into Belgium and Germany. After the war in Europe he was moved to Egypt - not sure when he was demobbed. Are the war diaries of any use and would they still be available? I have seen WW1 diaries but these were for specific regiments whereas the 73rd AT regiment was used ( I understand) as a support to numerous infantry regiments and as such may be difficult to pin down a specific Battery. He has memories of the Sherwood Rangers and I know they were in action around Bayeux during June 1944 but I have no details. I have seen a photo of soldiers of the 196 battery, it would be great if one existed of the 198 battery. I dont have much else to go on except numerous annecdotal stories ( which are fascinating in themselves) but I would like to find out more about where he was during the days and weeks after D Day. Anything that might jolt his memory would be great. Many thanks Bill
Hi, There are some war diaries on this unit at the National Archives in London WO 171/942 198 Battery 1944 Apr.- Oct., Dec. WO 171/4784 198 Battery 1945 Jan.- May WO 166/1645 73 Anti-Tank Regiment.1940 Nov.-1941 Dec. WO 166/7102 73 Regiment. 1942 Jan., Feb. WO 166/11343 73 Regiment 1943 Dec. WO 169/1522 73 Anti-Tank Regiment 1941 July- Dec. WO 169/4724 73 Anti-Tank Regiment 1942 May- Dec. WO 169/9625 73 Regiment 1943 Jan.- Nov. WO 171/924 73 Regiment 1944 Jan.- Dec. WO 171/4776 73 Regiment 1945 Jan.- Aug. They will tell you what the two units were doing on a day to day basis and where they were doing it.
No dramas - If you can't get or don't wish to travel to the National Archives give me a shout. Cheers Andy
Hi Just found you posting relating to 198 battery 73rd anti tank regiment. I realise this is now a year out of date but if you are still interested I can advise you that my father was in this battery all the way from Gold Beach D Day to the end of the war in northern Germany, Bremen I believe. Your description of post D Day events for 198 battery coincide exactly with what may father has described to me over the last 50 odd years. Unfortunately my father although with us in body (91 years old), his memory is now completely shot. Fortunately he has photos and memorabilia, and we have recorded a potted history he was able to dictate a few years ago. If you still need information I can you a run down of 198 battery significant events from being stuck on a sand bank in the LST from approx. 9.00am till I believe midday when the tide allowed them to land right through to being attacked by aircraft whilst stationed under the bridge on the causeway at Neijmegen through to the end if the war going into a concentration camp I believe called San Bostel, in northern Germany. He also saw 3 Germans being arrested by his colleagues in 30 Corp who subsequently he thinks may have been Himmler. I do have additional information relating to other events the battery experienced if you are interested. I strongly suspect your 90 year old friend may well have been crew of one of the 4 M10s in the battery. Regards PatPending
The archives at Firepower have battery war diaries not held by the National Archives. These are particularly useful for Atk Regiments as the batteries were frequently detached form their parent Regiment, particularly so in the case of the corps Anti tank regiment
You mean these ones? WO 171/942 198 Anti-Tank Battery 1944 Apr- Oct, Dec WO 171/4784 198 Anti-Tank Battery 1945 Jan-May
Hi Thanks for this I am always interested in finding anything on the 73rd 198Bty RA and I'd be very keen to learn more about your fathers experiences as it will act to flesh out what I have already found out since this time last year ( with the generous help of Dubman ). My friend ( Bert ) was a radio operator in an M10 Tank Destroyer and was in K troop ( there were 3 troops ( J, K & L ) with 4 M10's in each) . Can you tell me your father's name and what was his role - I'll ask Bert if he knew him. I won't get high hopes though as good as Berts brain is it was over 70 years ago and the years play tricks with the memory - we have found a couple of anomolies in Berts memoirs. Also, it seems that most of the guys had nicknames by which they were known and a lot of the time they did n't know their comrades real names. Bert often says he can remember the faces but cannot remember the names. It is possible that your father was in a different LST as Bert tells me that they were travelling back and forth along the shore looking for a space to land - nothing about being stuck on a sand bank. Then spending time on the beach waiting for oprders to move off. Having seen the opening shots of Saving Private Ryan ( and yes I know it was a different beach and that Gold beach was not like Omaha ) it must have been terrifying. I have so much admiration for these guys . I would love to see any photos and also read your fathers history and compare with Berts memories Regards Bill
Hi Bill Struggling to get to grips with how this system works. If you send me an email address I can forward an electronic copy of father's potted war history that he completed some 10 years ago for my niece's school project. I will try and include some photos we found and a brief list of recollections that he told me about. Regards Ian
Sorry Bill, Forgot to give you fathers name, its Donald Paton, and looking through his photo from the period, he was in L troop, as all photos refer to L troop. There are some names against some of the L troop photos which I list below. Wilf Evans (Bunny) Austin T Ward V (crash) Duggan L Rogers T Parry C Davis C Hague N (jock) Campbell F Spencer J France Cpl Roulston Regards
More information (photos) found with more names, A Hunt T Davies J Freke By the way father was a radio operator as well. Regards
Please note that the Firepower archives are now at Larkhill. For access contact the archivist/. sm@salisburyplainheritagecentre.com There is also an audio file at the Imperial War Museum of an interview with Peter Lennerd a troop commander in 73 Anti tank Regiment. He commanded one of the M10 troops Lennard, Peter Nigel (Oral history) (33311)
Hi i am just starting to piece together my Wife Uncle's Time in the 73rd Anti Tank Reg 198 Battery L Troop 1943 /1946 the end of the War and on into Palestine His Name was Sydney Howard Rickkets , He was the Tank Driver / Radio Operator , He was Based at Clevedon Somerset at the start of his Training for what turned out to be The D DAY Landings on the 6th June 1944 , he went over on that day landing on Gold Beach, we have his Dairies and Many Photographs that he wrote and took during his time in the Royal Artillery and while in Palestine , just a snippet of info in his M10 Tank was a Charlie an Ernest and Srg Todd ? i am about to start reading his Dairies of the pre landings and his time working their way up to Germany and as i said on to Palestine Regards Roger A Heard ,Wiltshire England
only just started ti go through his things have this 14353421 DVR/OP l TROOP 198 BATTERY 73 RD ANTI TANK REG R.A. Roger
I assume this might be him - have been searching for Rickkets, looks like he might be Ricketts UK, WWII Royal Artillery Tracer Cards, 1939-1948 Name: Sydney Howard Ricketts Enlistment Date: 19 Nov 1942 Branch of Service: Army Regiment: Royal Artillery Military Unit: 55th Field Regiment Service Number: 14353421 TD Suggest (strongly) you obtain his service records from the MOD (only place to get them from) the forms can be found in this link Request records of deceased service personnel For his service records you will need a copy of his death cert, details copied below, if his wife is still alive then she can apply for them for free, otherwise its a £30 fee, but well worth it England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Sydney Howard Ricketts Death Age: 82 Birth Date: 9 Feb 1924 Registration Date: Dec 2006 Registration district: Trowbridge Inferred County: Wiltshire Register Number: 40C District and Subdistrict: 797/1 Entry Number: 244 Due to bad copying and transcription errors - found him in Palestine UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 Name: J N Ricketts Service Date: 1945-1948 Service Place: Palestine Campaign or Service: Palestine Regiment or Unit Name: 2nd Field Regiment Regimental Number: 1435 3421
Wow Thank you for your Help TD really did not expect that, As ni said i have lots of items to go through may find info on this really looking forwards to the research , Thank you . regards Roger
