Booby traps and bridges - Stunning tech plans from 236 Fd Coy on the Rangoon Road

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by PackRat, Jul 23, 2018.

  1. Ken876

    Ken876 New Member

    Thank you for pointing out the correct ribbon placement I’ll get this corrected. It’s very helpful having people like you seeing this post and I appreciate your advice.
     
  2. Rachael Baker

    Rachael Baker Member


    My grandfather was also in 130 Field Regiment, RA (315 Battery) so this is fascinating, thank you. If you have any more information about the Regiment's experiences, I'd love to hear it. I'm just starting to research this myself. Thank you.
     
    PackRat likes this.
  3. PackRat

    PackRat Well-Known Member

    Welcome to the forum, it's good to hear from another 130th Field Regiment relative.

    When I started researching my grandfather's experiences I found that very little had ever been written about the Regiment. I've spent the last few years digging through various archives to uncover its story and I'd be glad to share what I have with you. To start off with, if you let me know your grandfather's name I can have a look for him on the nominal rolls that I have, and if you have a copy of his service records from the MOD I can help you work out where he went and when.

    I would be really interested in anything at all that you have from your grandfather's time with the Regiment. I'm currently putting the finishing touches to a (very!) long narrative which follows 130 Field in depth right through the war, so any little details are hugely useful, especially things like personal stories and photos.
     
  4. Rachael Baker

    Rachael Baker Member

    Many thanks for getting back to me so quickly and I'm relieved to hear that you also found very little has been written - and it's not just that I'm really bad at this! My grandfather was Cecil John Hawdon. I'd be happy to send you a copy of his service records and some pictures I have but I'm afraid that's all I have that may be of use to someone who's done so much more research than me. To be honest, all I've managed to uncover so far is the name of the convoy in which he travelled and, even then, I'm struggling to find information about the ship he returned home on as there are two possible spellings!
     
  5. PackRat

    PackRat Well-Known Member

    It's definitely not you! I was absolutely stumped when I started researching as there's barely a mention to be found of the Regiment online or in general books about the Burma campaign. I've been lucky that I live near to a military reference library and not too far from the archives in London which has given me access to a lot of buried material (and I've learnt a huge amount about how to make sense of it all from the helpful and knowledgable people on this forum).

    I think I've found your grandfather in one of the Regiment's nominal rolls. Does 965118 Bombardier C. Hawdon sound right?

    BdrHawdon.jpg

    This roll was taken in June 1943, at the end of the failed First Arakan Campaign, as the Regiment embarked at Chittagong docks for the journey back to Calcutta on an old coastal steamer called HT Winsang. It's not a long list as 130 Field had suffered substantial casualties during four months in constant action on the Mayu Peninsula. Your grandfather being named on this means he had a lucky escape.

    I would love to see the pictures you have and his service records - would be really interesting to compare his records with my grandfather's. Rather than put them all in this thread I'll send you a 'conversation' message (should appear in your forum inbox).
     
  6. Rachael Baker

    Rachael Baker Member

    Wow, that's great, thank you. That is indeed, Bampi. Your sentence about his lucky escape gave me goosebumps. I'll check my inbox now.
     

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