949781 Gunner Francis John SEENEY, 135th Field Regiment RA (Herts Yeomanry): POW

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Stu1885, Jan 17, 2025.

  1. Stu1885

    Stu1885 Member

    I'm looking to find out which battery Gunner Francis John Seeney (949781) was in - I currently dont have access to his records in full - is there a commonsense way to ID this without his records?
     
  2. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Welcome aboard Stu,

    The RA became a corps with a million plus members, so individuals rarely appear in online research - unless they got a medal, wounded and died.

    Neither his name or number have appeared here before.

    We always recommend applying for the subject's full service record. Yes, it may take a year to arrive - either from the MoD or National Archives (TNA). It is not available online and is the definitive record. There is nothing you can do about the wait.

    If the subject is Royal Artillery please post up his Tracer Card, which is available online (££ may be req’d) and the experts here may be able to help interpret the scrawl.

    If you search online with his unit(s) if known or later, so for example: "XXth Anti-Tank Regiment" site:ww2talk.com that may identify threads mentioning them, at a glance without adding much. If you drop the 'th' more may be found.

    Searching the National Archives for the subject or unit(s) can identify those who were awarded honours / medals and the existence of War Diaries – which rarely mention individuals soldiers. They do give context and details of activity.

    The "go to" reference site for a summary history, locations served and battery numbers has:
    From: 135 (East Anglian)(Herts Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

    Were you aware he is likely to have been a Japanese POW? That opens up another angle and we have POW expertise here who can check their records.

    What do you know about him? It appears to be just what you have posted.

    Some research tips next via PM and good luck.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2025
  3. Stu1885

    Stu1885 Member

    Thanks. frustrating wait but I will bear with the NA! Your go to website is great, thank you, I haven't come across that.

    I am aware he was a POW in Thailand and I'm lucky enough to have been and got some good records, unfortunately none of them refer to his battery - I don't think. I am reading up through JD Sainsbury's Herts Yeomany FA book and it does a reasonable job of splitting out the batteries. I haven't got as far as his arrival overseas yet, but so farm am particularly interested in identifying where he was training and billeted.

    I will post his tracer card - the initial crossed out ref "4 F.T.Regt 1940" I cannot pin down

    image.jpg
     
  4. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Very little on the RA39-45 site for 4 Field Training:
    In mid-1942 IIRC all soldier's initial reception, assessment and training was done by the General Service Corps before allocation to a Corps / Regiment. So I would have a dig around them @ Bulford (which I think is still an army base).
     
    Stu1885 likes this.
  5. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Pinning down a Battery is often difficult. None of the records for Seeney that I have looked at shows his Battery. The best I can come up with is to view WO 361/2094. Prisoners of war, Far East: 135th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery; nominal roll | The National Archives The nominal roll for my father's Regiment was split into RHQ and the three Batteries. You will have to go to TNA or get someone else to look/copy.
    A brief look at Seeney shows he was captured at the Fall of Singapore 15/2/42, sent to work on the Thai-Burma Railway, returned to Singapore (River Valley Camp) and then transported to Saigon. You say you already have some of his records. Do you have his Japanese Index Card, his Liberation Questionnaire etc?
    If you haven't already done so, contact the very helpful Thai-Burma Railway Centre, TBRC Online: THE THAILAND-BURMA RAILWAY CENTRE who will be able to provide details on his time constructing the railway.
    Consider joining https://www.facebook.com/groups/FEPOW.Family/
    See also:
    135 Field Regiment RA
    Death Railway

    Tim
     
    Stu1885 and davidbfpo like this.
  6. Stu1885

    Stu1885 Member

    thank you - I've put a request in so we will see what we get. I actually managed to visit the centre in Thailand some years ago, and see the location, but going back over all of the records I have I still cant find a battery
     

Share This Page