Looking For The Gunners

Discussion in 'User Introductions' started by paulrun26, Nov 11, 2009.

  1. paulrun26

    paulrun26 Junior Member

    Hi all

    Not the Arsenal type but 30th Field Regiment. RA My grandfather Gunner RD Furness - cook, 112/117Battery

    All I know is what I found here RA 1939-45 30 Fld Rgt

    Regards

    Paul
     
  2. Pike

    Pike Senior Member

    Good evening Paul,

    And welcome.
     
  3. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    Hello Paul
    30th Field Regt
    Part of 4th Inf Div BEF
    Rob

    [​IMG]4th Infantry Division

    [​IMG]

    4th Division
    MAJOR-GENERAL D. G. JOHNSON
    HQ Royal Artillery
    · 17th Field Regiment, RA
    · 22nd Field Regiment, RA
    · 30th Field Regiment, RA
    · 14th Anti-Tank Regiment, RA
    HQ Royal Engineers
    · 7th Field Company, RE
    · 9th Field Company, RE
    · 59th Field Company, RE
    · 18th Field Park Company, RE
    · Divisional Headquarters
    · 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
    · 2/Royal Northumberland Fusiliers [MG]
    10th Infantry Brigade
    2nd Bn. Bedfordshire Regiment
    2nd Bn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
    6th Bn. East Surrey Regiment
    10th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company
    11th Infantry Brigade
    2nd Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
    1st Bn. East Surrey Regiment
    5th Bn. Northamptonshire Regiment
    11th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company
    12th Infantry Brigade2nd Bn. Royal Fusiliers
    1st Bn. South Lancashire Regiment
    6th Bn. The Black Watch
    12th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company
     
  4. paulrun26

    paulrun26 Junior Member

    Hi Pike.

    Hi Rob - Thanks for that :)
    :poppy:
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hi Paul and welcome to the forum....There's a few 'Long Range Sniper' types on here that I'm sure will be able to help you out.

    Regards
    Andy
     
  6. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Hi Paul and welcome.

    Do you know when your Grandfather served with this Regiment?
     
  7. paulrun26

    paulrun26 Junior Member

    Hi Ramacal

    Yes, I have various original documents that he kept.
    He volunteered on 22/04/1940 at Northampton
    03/09/1940 - Don Troop, 112 Battery, Training, Bordon , Hants
    09/1940 - School of cookery 12th Field rgt, Havannah barracks Bordon.,
    1940 - attached to 206, anti-aircraft training Poperhinge Barracks Arborfield Crosds, Reading
    12/3/1943 - TSS Cameronia sails to North Africa

    According to some crosses on maps I guess he was engaged in action at Beja, Medjez el Bab and Tunis - Tunisia

    I also have " Permission to proceed to" slips for Naples and Taranto in 1944.

    And a photo with a date on the reverse on January 1945
    02/03/1946 - Demobbed.
     
  8. paulrun26

    paulrun26 Junior Member

    Good Grief - can't believe I'd forgotten about this forum for the last 10 years - I have just picked up my research following the find of another photo of Grandad in Bari (as part of the 8th Army).
    I haven't applied for his service records yet so that is my next step.

    I could however, do with a little guidance on what to do next; I have a good idea where 30 Field Regt. were but am I right in thinking I will need to visit the National Archives to view the War Diaries. So Question, How can I find which diaries are correct?


    Since my first post I found the Italian map - also marked up. Not assuming anything I would like to confirm these locations and fill-in any gaps.

    Thanks

    Paul


    FurnessRD_WW_Italy Map.jpg FurnessRD_WW2001.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

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  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

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  10. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    As far as correctness goes I think it should be fairly straightforward but you could do a search on their website and check the dates to ensure which files you think you need, and post what you've found here and I'm sure one of us can double check your work.
     
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  11. paulrun26

    paulrun26 Junior Member

    Thank you all.
     
  12. paulrun26

    paulrun26 Junior Member

    For some reason I just don’t seem to able to get my head round the National Archives search engine. Looking for 30 Field Regiment RA, I eventually came across the following - assuming there for I need to arrange to look at WO 170/936 , and WO 169/9480.
    Assuming these contain a fair bit of information, roughly how long will it take to sift through? This is completely new to me and I simply have no idea what I’m doing or looking for.

    Thanks in advance.
     

    Attached Files:

  13. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Chris C likes this.
  14. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I didn't know about those sites! It looks like WO 169/16018 sits in between the two that Paul referenced. Sorry you had a hard time with the site.

    How much material in a war diary can vary. The amount of information written for each day can be more detailed for some units than others - depending on the writer so far as I can tell. Then there can be a lot of extra material of varying levels of interest. For instance 'returns' of personnel, that is, just listings of how many people in the unit, which can be pages and pages.

    For an artillery unit there may also be orders for operations, fire plans and the like.
     

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