American Volunteers in British Army. (KRRC)

Could be; they might have been supplying close support for the division?

Something for you to look up when you go to TNA perhaps?

 

Ok, here's what it says in the Regimental History:



Sorry for the threadromancy. Paul where did you find this? My Grandfather is Captain M. L. Lejeune in this article. He is currently alive and living in Santa Barbara California, USA.

My Grandmother recently died, and when I wrote her obituary, I learned some things about both of them that I hadn't previously known. For example, my Grandfather fighting in North Africa, I had always known he was in Greece but had never known his unit or what other campaigns he had fought in.

In fact, he never really talked about it at all, so his children don't know much either.

Edit: BTW he always maintains that there were 18 americans, not 17.

Asperon Thorn

 

This is a very interesting thread - Thanks for posting!

 

Asperon,

The King's Royal Rifle Corps is odd as it has three WW2 histories: an initial one - Swift and Bold (from memory) - written just after the war by Hereward Wake. Later on, Two volumes were written on WW2 in the 'proper' series: the Annals of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps. I think Paul's extract is from Swift and Bold; I can check later.

There are also the Chronicles of the King's Royal Rifle Corps - the annual journals - and he may be mentioned in the wartime editions.

 

I called my Grandfather last night.

He insists that there were 18 and that the last one came later.

The other note in this article that disagreed with what I knew of my Grandfather was the part of the United States claiming their service. My grandfather served in the British Army for the entire war right until he was demobilized.

My grandfather confirmed both that some of the other's did roll into the United States Army, just not all, including him. (Which actually made it fairly difficult for him to get home, which worked out good for me, because he met his wife of 63 years in England while trying to get home.)

Asperon Thorn

 

There were eighteen! The missing name is F E 'Ted' Ellsworth. He is mentioned in Vol VII of the Annals at an event in New York in 1960; ten of the fourteen survivors were present. He, Alsop and Braden seem to have voluntarily transferred into the US Army

The Chronicles have obituaries for the four who were killed, I will see if I can get the scanner going later.

 

What I really want to know is what engagements my Grandfater was likely to have been in so that I can get his accounts. I actually drive down to see him tomorrow.

Asperon Thorn

 

He was with 11th Battalion in Italy, 1944 and then Greece up to June 1946, when he left the KRRC. Fowler was in the same battalion. Nothing leaps out earlier than that.

Check that he was with 11 KRRC for the duration (if not, who else) and ask him which Company and Platoon he served in so you can tie him in to other accounts.

 

Before checking with him, (sorry pulling details out of him is like pulling teeth sometimes, if I don't go in with the right questions he won't volunteer information.)

He was in the same Battalion with Peter Wilson, of Clyffe Pypard, Wiltshire. (My Great-Uncle and later his brother-in-law.) If that in any way helps.

So I don't keep sending you guys on goose chases . .do you have links to any resources I can find myself? I can't seem to locate a lot of what you reference.

Edit: Peter Wilson was also an officer, although I do not know his rank.

Asperon Thorn

 

There is a Captain P W Wilson mentioned in Greece, so that could be him. Unfortunately the Annals aren't written by Battalion, so it's a slow process picking things out.
Swift and Bold is better for that. This one has him joined 'by April 1944' with regard to 11 KRRC. He's not listed as being at Alamein where quite a few of the Americans served.
Good luck - and tell him his efforts are remembered.
Andrew

 

I think Paul's extract is from Swift and Bold.

Yes it is! Swift and Bold was a condensed version of the KRRC Chronicles

 

Where can I find it?

 

Copy here -SWIFT AND BOLD: The Story of the Kings' Royal Rifle Corps in the Second World War 1939-1945: Wake, Major-General Sir Hereward, BT., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.; Deedes, Major W. F., M.C. (editors) - AbeBooks - BLACK SWAN BOOKS, INC., ABAA, ILAB

 

Aahh, looks like there is one in the Los Angeles Public Library.

I'll get my father to pull it.

Asperon Thorn

 

This is excellent, when I started the thread I didn't think we'd find relatives of the men joining in.
Can you ask him what he remembers of Chiseldon camp, might be a good way to get him going , asking him about life in the UK before going into his active service.

Sounds like a great starting point.

If there are any other questions along these lines, I am open to suggestions. He is very detailed if I can get him in the right direction. It's "priming the pump" that is tough. He is still sharp as a tack.

Also, I am positive that he was in North Africa and Italy prior to Greece.

In fact, I had jokingly asked him, "You were in North Africa? So you were under Monty. Did you have the typical American Prejudice against him?"

His response, "No I didn't. But I only served under him for a little while at the end [of Africa]"

Edit: Correcting the quote.

Asperon Thorn

 

Only just picked this up as I am away on the battlefields.

Any photos of him to post?

 

Lot's of postwar one's. . .

Very few in Uniform. I've got my Grandmother in her Wren Uniform (She outranked him when they were both demobilized. She was a second Officer.)

I am sure they exist, but I am going to have to have my Father and Aunt dig through boxes and boxes to find them.

Asperon Thorn

 

Chiseldon camp

aka No.1 Motor Training Battalion