9th bn Royal Berkshire Rgt

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by marauder125, Apr 16, 2011.

  1. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Hi everyone, we just got my father in laws service records back from the MOD today and have spent most of the day trying to decifer the writing,
    his name was Charles H Howlett and he was a duty SGT in the Royal Berkshire regt 9th Bn, posted to India, he said he also served in Burma but the records only list, Deolali, Parbatipur, and Bombay, also mentioned is Python, there is no mention of medals awarded on the records, when I get the time I will load some images of the records in case someone can help with the decifering, I have posted the only photo we have of him in uniform he is the rider of the bike, any help would be great,
    many thanks
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    There's three 9 Royal Berks war diaries at the National Archives (See link below). They are all in the Home Forces series so I wonder if they were a training battalion.

    Detecting your browser settings

    Do you have any dates to go with the unit?

    Nice Pic.

    Regards
    Andy
     
  3. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    In regards to Python, this quote from ARRSE . "PYTHON was the name given to the scheme started after VE Day that concerned repatriation and accumulated leave of regulars who had been serving overseas and also demobilization of overseas non-regulars, plus leave entitlement.. The favourite item of conversation in messes and canteens was one's PYTHON number. This number was based on a points system with points allowed for total length of service and the length of time one had been overseas. Points were also given for decorations awarded and for married men with children under 18. years of age.

    LILOP was another scheme, it stood for Leave In Lieu Of Python. This was popular with regulars who were entitled to repatriation according to their Python number but who volunteered to be sent overseas again.

    LIAP was a third scheme which was Leave In Addition to Python. I applied for LIAP when I was in the Arakan and had been 4 1/2 years overseas. I flew back to UK in a Dakota from Rangoon or perhaps Calcutta and landed at an RAF airfield in Somerset. I have no memories at all of this flight. I had 14 days leave and then I reported to the RE Depot Bn at Halifax. After about a week spent in drinking beer in pubs and chasing congenial nurses I boarded a troopship that arrived in Bombay three days after the Hiroshima bomb went off. Hurrah! - a free bottle of beer for all on board".

    What was 'PYTHON' (Post WW2)
     
  4. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    I wonder if he was part of the 2nd Berks in 19 (Dagger) Division - some of the books listed on this page might help as they have lists of names (but the books might be hard to get hold of). Contact the webmaster direct??



    Books


    following on from Drew's comment - by the looks of it the 9th remained on home duties and provided replacements to the Battalions overseas -

    Anyone know anyone who served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment in India & Burma with my Uncle Jim, Robert Lowe? He was also with the 9th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment in East Anglia in October - December 1940 to November 1943 & was in the 213 Infantry Brigade which was responsible for the defence of the Norfolk coast between Caistor to Somerton. I have two photos, one from the period in this country & one from we think India before fighting in Burma/India Frontier or it could be Burma after the war, we do not know.
     
  5. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    There's three 9 Royal Berks war diaries at the National Archives (See link below). They are all in the Home Forces series so I wonder if they were a training battalion.

    Detecting your browser settings

    Do you have any dates to go with the unit?

    Nice Pic.

    Regards
    Andy
    Found this,


    "Anyone know anyone who served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment in India & Burma with my Uncle Jim, Robert Lowe? He was also with the 9th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment in East Anglia in October - December 1940 to November 1943 & was in the 213 Infantry Brigade which was responsible for the defence of the Norfolk coast between Caistor to Somerton.I have two photos, one from the period in this country & one from we think India before fighting in Burma/India Frontier or it could be Burma after the war, we do not know" The Royal Berkshire Regiment, Burma - Family History UK Genealogy Forums
     
  6. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Hello again wtid45,
    trust me to forget that, he enlisted 19/02/42 posted Bombay BBRC? Deolali 19/03/43,
    listed as T.O.S x(1) R.Beila?R India 19/05/43
    hope this helps,
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    1st and 2nd Battalions Royal Berks served in the far east.
     
  8. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Hello again wtid45,
    trust me to forget that, he enlisted 19/02/42 posted Bombay BBRC? Deolali 19/03/43,

    BBRC should be British Base Reinforcement Camp
     
  9. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    There's three 9 Royal Berks war diaries at the National Archives (See link below). They are all in the Home Forces series so I wonder if they were a training battalion.

    Detecting your browser settings

    Do you have any dates to go with the unit?

    Nice Pic.

    Regards
    Andy

    Thanks for the link Drew will check it out when I get time.
     
  10. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Ok .... I have scanned all the relevant pages,fingers crossed, feel free to browse them, so many numbers, letters, and also the dodgy writing, anything you could work out from them would be a great help.
    many thanks
     

    Attached Files:

  11. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    listed as T.O.S x(1) R.Beila?R India 19/05/43


    It's R Berks R
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    1 Royal Berks were in the far east from 1942 to 1946 according to the war diaries listed at Kew.
     
  13. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    1st Bn Royal Berks war diary & history from The Wardrobe shop.

    https://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/prodInfo.php?prod_id=175

    WW2 1st Bn Royal Berkshires History & War Diary
    Price: £19.99
    Extract from the excellent History of The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1920-1947 by Brigadier Gordon Blight relating to the service of the 1st Royal Berkshires in World War 2 and a transcription of the Battalion War Diary for the period 1942 - 1946.
    A5, wire bound with acetate outer cover, 276 pages.
    This book is for all those with an interest in the 1st Royal Berkshires during World War 2. The original diary is only to be seen at the National Archives at Kew, London, so publishing this transcript will assist all those who are interested and also hopefully reduce the demand to see the originals.
    The narrative text from the regimental history will hopefully give as complete a picture as possible.
     
  14. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Wtd
    I do not believe that the Python and Liap schemes had numbers attached - what was cause of much conversation was the "age and service" number attached to all records - and never changed and was based on date of enlistment only.

    The Python and Liap schemes were based on service overseas and did change over the period from the end of the war in Europe - in my own case I had Liap followed by Python and shortly afterwards - demobilisation within a twelve month period -

    I got used to the trip from Austria - all across Northern Italy- Switzerland and France - and back ...
    Cheers
     
  15. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Hello marauder,

    In the third panel at message #10 there appears to be an inconsistant blip in his service record. He appears consistantly to work in Motor Control capacity and then the first entry on panel 3, an entry which is difficult to read, has him ranked as as I read it "Fus" for fusilier. I wish I could decipher the whole entry!

    Can anyone out there assist with this?

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  16. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Thanks Sol
    that one slipped by me, Mrs got that one and never told me,
     
  17. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Hello marauder,

    In the third panel at message #10 there appears to be an inconsistant blip in his service record. He appears consistantly to work in Motor Control capacity and then the first entry on panel 3, an entry which is difficult to read, has him ranked as as I read it "Fus" for fusilier. I wish I could decipher the whole entry!

    Can anyone out there assist with this?

    Best,

    Steve.

    Hi Steve Mac
    thats a good spot Fus, and the letters M.C ... Motor Control capacity, what would he be doing in that roll?
    many thanks for your interest and your help.
     
  18. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Hi Guys,
    we had a visit today from 1 of the father in laws brothers and he told us that Charlie was based in India and not Burma, it was 1 of his brothers that went to Burma, confusion does tend to happen when there are 17 brothers and sisters, so there is no connection to Burma for Charlie, so just need to find out more about his time in India,
    many thanks
     
  19. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Hi Steve Mac
    thats a good spot Fus, and the letters M.C ... Motor Control capacity, what would he be doing in that roll?
    many thanks for your interest and your help.

    Hello marauder,

    You really need a veteran for understanding 'motor control', although it suggests an MT logistics expert and for the 'Fusilier' reference, someone who is better with deciphering 1940's handwriting than I am.

    If no-one responds to this message I suggest you PM Tom Canning; a veteran and a fountain of knowledge - he posted earlier!

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  20. marauder125

    marauder125 Junior Member

    Hi Steve, in the same area on the panel it says posted to area HQ movement control, Parbatipur,
    guess that's the same thing?
     

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