Hi all, While re-organizing my personal archives, I found correspondence from myself to a certain Geoff(rey) K. Rendall from Essex (UK) back in 1990. He was a dispatch rider for the carrier platoon in 1/6th Bn, Queen's Regiment, 101 Brigade, 7th Armoured Division. I would like to know if it is possible to find out more about Mr. Rendall and if there is a way to get a hold of a photo of him (taken in 1944 and one taken after 1945). Any information on his unit is also very welcome, I did find some information via the internet. I appreciate the help, thank you in advance. Regards, Erwin
Hi Erwin To everyone who asks the question you have we always recommend obtaining service records as these provide the factual skeleton on which to build the rest of someones military career, the link for those documents is - Request records of deceased service personnel you will not find them by going to any other site that may infer they have access to 'service records' You will need a death certificate - if you dont have that then members can help provide the details but we would need to know his full name(s) date of death and where he died, - you may already know all this. I was sent a photo of my Dad when I rec'd his records, not sure if the same would apply here TD
Thanks Guy, that gives a service number - looks like he transferred Surrey, England, Regimental Rolls, 1914-1947 Name: Geoffrey Kennard Rendall Event Date: 13 May 1943 Regiment Number: 14571954 Regiment: East Surrey Name: Geoffrey Kennard Rendall Event Date: 1 Apr 1943 Regiment Number: 14571954 Regiment: Queen's Royal West Surrey The above shows why his service record will be so important to tracing his time in WW2 TD PS - In post 4 the initials D N R mean Date Not Reported -
Just a little niggle of mine. Despatch Riders was a trade in the Royal Corps of Signals. If he wasn't cap badged Signals then he would have been a Messenger in his battalion.
I have the 1944 diary. Let me know if you can ID a date he was wounded and I'll look in the diary for you.
Thanks for the information, guys, I do appreciate this. I'm not familiar with looking up Britih soliders, sorry. Yes, his name was Geoffrey Kennard Rendall, Geoff for short. He lost a leg later in the war. I see I typed an error in my first post; it is not the 101 Brigade, but the 131 Brigade. Thanks again, Erwin
His name appears in a Queen's Royal Regiment casualty list published in the Surrey Advertiser 21st April 1945
Geoff was from Witham, Essex (UK). He was also a member of the Normandy Veterans Association. Unfortunately I do not know when (or if) he passed away. I was in contact with him in 1990. In his letters, he told me about the liberation of Ghent, Belgium (September 1944) and a little adventure he had while in Melle, Belgium.
Well his wife died in 2011 England and Wales, Death Index, 2007-2017 Name: MS Matilda Ethel Rendall Gender: Female Age: 88 Birth Date: 1923 Death Date: 20 Oct 2011 Last Residence: Witham, Essex, England Postal Code District: Cm8 England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 Name: Matilda E Johnson Registration Date: Oct-Nov-Dec 1947 Registration district: Hendon Inferred County: Middlesex Spouse: Geoffrey K Rendall Volume Number: 5e Page Number: 1110 I cant as yet find a record for his death, but the records only go up to 2017 .................................... TD
He might ..... - but he also might not be in the same residence as you last spoke to him, I have no idea just surmising from the details I can find - he may also have died between 2017 and today TD
That is also possible. My first thought was to write a letter, but since it has been so many years I thought it would have been in vain.
True. In any case, I do appreciate the help and time you guys spent on this. I am interested in any other information that might surface.