Gwyn Morgan - 175/85 HAA & 2/4 Hampshire

Hi all,

I am researching my grandfathers time in the army and couldn’t with some help. He was a HAA gunner in the 175/85th and was sent to North Africa in April 43.
The first thing is, the regiment were apparently in Bone. But until December. But I can’t really find much detail about what happened these during that time.
In December, he was apparently sent to Manfredonia in Italy. But again, I can’t really find anything about what happens there.

Then, in July 44, he went to Cervinara to the IRTD. Which I understand is Infantry retraining depot with the Hampshire Regiment.

After training, he was posted to the 2/4 Hamps, near Rimini. I think just in time to capture Forli.

Does anyone have any detail or anything to fill in some blanks? Or even correct anything that I may be wrong about.
TIA

 

Welcome to the forum
Do you have his service records
That would assist you

The main thing is not making assumptions and get bogged down.
if you have his service records post them on here and forum members can help further

if not link here Get a copy of military records of service

date of birth and death cert required

 

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. I do have it, but it doesn’t give much detail.

 

This might help too

 

Can you check the embarked/disembarked dates (not clear on the posted copy) but it looks like he probably sailed with convoy KMF 13: Arnold Hague convoy database - KMF convoys

He may have sailed from Liverpool a few days early to join the convoy in the Clyde.

See my post to get some idea of conditions on these convoys: Sergeant ACK-ACK: Operation Torch convoys

 

The 85th HAA regiment: 85 (Tees) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

 

Hi Steve,

Thanks so much for your help. I had already found the convoy, and I think your right it must have been that one he sailed on. I didn’t think about sailing up from Liverpool thought.

The extracts about the crossing were exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! It’s amazing to read them and be able to create a picture of what he did.

And that last link is where I found the mentioned of Bone and Manfredonia. But I can’t find any stories like the ones on the crossing to Africa.

Thanks again Steve

 

Seems to indicate he may have started out in the 10th AA in 254 battery
...can't make any sense of that.
10th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Wikipedia

 

Its always worth checking this resource: BBC - WW2 People's War - Archive List

Also advise you to talk to the Royal Artillery Museum about the DRAMA report for the 85th: Sergeant ACK-ACK: Royal Artillery Museum: DRAMA Reports

 

This explains IMHO why he was transferred from artillery to infantry. It is from a 2011 thread:

From: 289/93rd Hy A.A. Regt R.A. - any info?

His move predates the 85th being placed in suspended animation.

 

Yes, AA personnel were being moved around in Italy by the summer of 1944.

In my dad's regiment (59th HAA) from the Regiments Drama Report;

On 2 Jun 238 African ORs were posted to the regt to replace British gun numbers. All were trained in AA gunnery duties with 120 HAA Regt in Cyprus. On average, each Battery now had 215 British ORs (BORs) and 75 African ORs (AORs).​

...and a friend of dad's named Syd Pullen was dead within 10 weeks of transfer out of another AA regiment: Whatever happened to Syd Pullen, 9th Battalion Royal Fusiliers?

I wonder if his re-training from gunner to foot soldier really prepared him for what was to come.

 

Yes that makes sense.
Was your grandfather an HAA gunner in Italy before becoming an infantry soldier?
And if so, do you know what sort action he seen it Italy during 1944 during his time as an HAA? I can’t really find anything about the intensity of the Luftwaffe attacks during this time

 

Steve and others,

I am curious where such personnel came from:

Given the commitments of East and West African formations to Burma, probably from Southern Africa, excluding South Africa. The High Commission Territories they were called and there is a thread here on them.

 

By mid 1944, enemy action was low, although my dad's regiment managed to sink a couple on enemy ships around Naples.

They were Basuto soldiers (Bantu people from Basutoland, now Lesotho).

Both points covered in more detail here: Sergeant ACK-ACK: Italy

 

The process of employing Africans in the HAA Regts was known as 'Dilution'. There is some information about this on my site RA39-45.