Location of Photograph sought for 2/4 The Hampshire Regiment

Stormy (Sue) is a new member to the Forum and saw a thread mentioning my late father being in Taranto, Italy, on Christmas Day 1944.
My late fathers 4th Recce Regt was pulled out of the Gothic line and sent to Taranto for embarkation to Greece on 1st January 1945.

Sue's Father was with the 2/4 Hampshire Regiment and was also in Taranto on Christmas Day 1944.

Is anyone able to say if Sue's Fathers Regiment remained in Italy or also travelled to Greece?

The attached Photo is one that Sue has asked me to post in an attempt to locate where the photograph was actually taken as there is no reference on the photograph.

It Looks to me like Greek writing on the sign.

Any help would be most gratefully received.

I had to resize a lot smaller to get the photo to post on the Forum.

View attachment O-Oakley photos (20) (Small).bmp

Regards
Tom

 

TCS -
It's all Greek to me
Cheers

 

:biggrin:

Tom,

Hopefully someone may be able to read it.

Regards
Tom (TCS)

 

Hi

2/4 The Hampshire Regiment were part of 28 Infantry Brigade, 4 Infantry Division

They joined 3 Corps in Greece on 12-Dec-44 flying into Kalamaki on board 38 x Liberators out of Grottaglia on 12-Dec-44

War Diaries for Dec 44 WO 170/1399
War Diaries for Jan 45 WO 170/5014

There are a few members who speak Greek who should be able to translate,

I will add more info tomorrow.

Gus

 

Gus,

Many thanks for your reply and confirmation. No Information in the 4th Recce war diaries of them travelling with the Hampshires, but more than likely they did.

Perhaps the Units you mentioned that flew to Greece were an advanced Party and the rest followed by boat.

I will try and read up a bit more on the subject.

Sue, I am sure will post further Details of Information she holds.

Regards
Tom

 

Thank you Smudger jnr for posting the photo for me.
I have so many questions that I wanted to ask my dad but the time never seemed to be right.
Late last year I plucked up the courage to ask where he was during the war. He told me exactly where and when but I was so shocked so didn't really take it all in. I said I will buy a map so that he could plot his route. Christmas was looming up and I didn't get around to getting a map. Christmas evening my brother phoned to say dad was poorly and mum didn't tell us because she didn't want to spoil our xmas. He died on 14th January.
I have sent off for his military records

 

Thank goodness for auto save.......

I have sent off for his military records but don't hold out much hope for too much information.
I don't have much information at all just a few photos with dates and names.

22-08-44 Rome
25-12-44 Taranto
27-03-45 Athens
April 45 Khania
05-05-45 Khalkis
12-05-45 Athens
14-06-45 Khania

Any other information I have came from Wikipedia which starts 10 july 1943.
Where was he from 18-10-39 until july 1943 ?

Sue

 

That sign on the left seems to have the letters LB ANIA! Possibly a border town to Albania?

 

Geoff,

4th Recce Regimental War Diaries do state that my late fathers "B"quadron were out patrolling the Greek/ Albanian Border, so perhaps this fits in.

Unless someone has the war diaries of the Hampshires already, Sue will have to wait until she receives the Service Record.

Regards
Tom

 

Hi

I scanned the sign above the chaps on the photo using OCR setting the language as Greek and the top word comes out as ΕΠΙΠΛΟΣΚΕΥΑΙ

Google translate then changes it to EPIPLOSKEVAI.

EPIPLO (ΈΠΙΠΛΟ) in Greek for Furniture. Could this be a furniture shop? or repairs?

Could Π.Π. ΚΟΤΡΩΝH be the propriators name on the bottom line?

I will email DIMBO who will translate it properly.

As fas as 2/4 Hants go. I only have their diaries for Dec/Jan 44/45.

Original plan in December was to send the Battalion from italy to Middle East (ME) and an advance party, under command of Major R.I. Lawrence had already left. But the battalion was sent to Athens at short notice instead along with 2 Kings (also 28 Inf Bde). A rear party was held back in Taranto under command of the Quartemaster (QM) Captain V.A. Blake. They looked after the unit vehicles and Regimental Stores.

The Advance party that went to ME arrived in Greece on 18th December 1944.

it would appear that the absence of their vehicles, limited them to Operations in Athens. Even when ELAS withdrew to the hills. 2/4 Hants stayed in the city.

After the ELAS ceasefire. The battalion was ordered to be ready to move (ie. leave Greece) on 14 Jan 45. This was however postponed to 29 Jan 45 when it was cancelled. It was decided that Greece was still too volatile a place to be sending troops away.

When they are ordered to move to Petromagoula on he 27th Jan 45, the movement order mentions the QM commanding another rear party but this time in Athens.

This would suggest that the rear party in Taranto had moved over before then.

I have also found a signal from GREEKMIL stating it was intended for 4th Inf Div to be completely in Greece by the 24th March 1945.


PS Just to confuse things. The 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment (128 Bde, 46 Div) also went to Greece in 13 Jan 45 on board MS Hai Lee arriving in Piraeus on 16 Jan 45.

I'll add more if I find anything

hope this helps

Gus

 

Hi

"Furniture Manufacturing"
"P P Kotroni"

If you have a better scan of the poster on the left, it could yield further clues.

Pete

 

Thank you all for you`re help. This forum is amazing I`m so glad I stumbled across it.
I`ve figured out how to attach a photo, thank you Tom. This is my dad in his bren gun carrier Patsie 3 in Athens 27-03-45.

Sue

 

Sue,

Glad that you are now able to post photographs and don't worry, you will soon find your way, navigating around the Forum.

Regards
Tom