Lt. Col L.S. Harland M.C., D.S.O.

Hello
I would appreciate some help to find out any information about my Grandfather, he was C.O. of 6 Royal Tank Regiment under General Wavell in 1941/42.
I would really like to find out what his service number was and what his citations were (MC, DSO and bar). He died in 1987 aged 93, healthy to the end.

I know he was with the Dorset regiment in his early career (Lt.) and in the trenches including the Somme.. In WW1 he volunteered for tanks and stayed with the tanks for the next 30 years.
He was very reticent after the wars and never mentioned his service life.
With appreciation.
Michael Fisher

 

Hi Michael - welcome to the forum

With any military research it is always best to start with service records, for WW2 they can only be obtained from the MOD, the form are in this link Request records of deceased service personnel - GOV.UK from there we can help as we will have commenced on the right trail. Disregard this if you already have them

For WW1 (if you need those) they can (if they survived) be found on Ancestry and several members here can help if required

TD

 

I assume this would he him in WW1

British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
Name: L S Harland
[Leonard Stuart Harland]
Regiment or Corps: 1st Hants R, 4th Tank Carices Co



TD

 

Recommendation for Award for Harland, Leonard Stuart Rank: Lieutenant Colonel ... | The National Archives
Reference: WO 373/17/76
Description:
Name Harland, Leonard Stuart
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Regiment: 6 Royal Tank Regiment
Theatre of Combat or Operation: Middle East (Egypt and Libya)
Award: Distinguished Service Order
Date of announcement in London Gazette: 25 April 1941
Date: 1940-1941
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

£3.50 to download a copy

TD

 

Hi

Here's his one of his DSO citations. I suspect the MC was before WW2. Don't pay for it as some of us already have them. I'm just going to work so I'll try and post it up tomorrow for you if I have time. The London Gazette should be able to tell you the rough dates of his awards.

Recommendation for Award for Harland, Leonard Stuart Rank: Lieutenant Colonel ... | The National Archives

 

Ah TD beat me to it.

 

Ps have you searched on here for him? I recognise the name but don't know why, possibly Dunkirk related and I may have posted something on him.

 

Welcome to the forum, Michael.

Here is the Edinburgh Gazette issue covering your Grandfather’s MC: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13375

The award title is on Page 23 and his personal entry on Page 26, right hand column, 4th from top. It does have him slated as the Dorsetshire Regiment and 4th Supply Coy, Tank Corps.

The War Diaries reveal that he asumed Command of the 6RTR sometime between 27 February and 2 September 1940, that he learned of his award of the DSO on 5 March 1941 and that he appears to have been replaced as CO 6RTR on 23 June 1941: War Diaries of the 6th Royal Tank Regiment

 

Thank you so much for this help.
I have tried unsuccessfully to tackle the internet before but only today someone mentioned this WW11 TALK page.
I was very close to my grandfather but grew up in Zimbabwe. After the war my grandmother died and he remarried a much younger lady (an architect with whom he had a job before retirement assessing bomb damaged buildings for re_housing returning troops).
The two of them rebuilt an old farm house in Somerset where my step grandmother still lives with a carer at 92 and I am her POA.
I am looking forward to learning more about my grandfather.
He never mentioned the war! He never bought anything made in Japan of Germany though, the last car he drove was an Austin Allegro and he spent a lot of energy explaining to me what a fine machine it was!

I will get right on the that form you all mention tomorrow.
Michel Fisher

 

Yes Tricky Dicky, Leonard Stuart Harland, that is indeed him.
What is that document you have posted up and what is it saying.
Mike

 

Its his - British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Card

every soldier had one and showed their progression, as sort of precis of his Army record, but it was also used to note the medals they won, namely 14 Star, 14-15 Star, War Medal, Victory Medal.

Many of the actual full records were burnt in 194?2 I think when a bomb(s) started a fire in the old PRO office, everyone having said the WW1 records would be safe. The Medal Index Cards to me are the first database point of contact to find out about someone from WW1, as they provide service number(s) which you can then use to search other databases

TD

added:
at the very top of the card you can read "15 Star" BW&V medal - i.e 1915 Star, British War medal and Victory medal (issued 6th June 1921)

Before you ask I have no idea whay someone has written him up as 1st Hants R when it probably should read Dorset -

 

Hi Drew5233,
That would be great if you could unscramble that citation.
Family legend has it the MC was won in WW1 when he was leading his tanks over the Hindenburgh line on foot as they were falling over in the ditches.
Who knows, it may no be like that.
The army tell us that citation was lost in WW11 bombing of the war ofice in London? Again a fact I am very unsure of.
Mike

 

Thank you TD. On that card, which was his service number please. I need that to try and help my Step Grandmother.
Mike

 

I cant see one at present - you dont need a service number to apply for records if thats why you need it, a death certificate is the important document.

I need to add that he seems also to have been awarded the 1914 - 1915 star on the medal card top right corner in red - so he would have been issued all 4

TD

 

IWM Photograph ?
Lieutenant Leonard Stuart Harland | Imperial War Museums



Kyle

 

The IWM site also states:

Lieutenant Leonard Stuart Harland MC. Unit: 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment

I'm confused here - was he Hants or Dorsets

UK, British Army Lists, 1882-1962
Leonard Stuart Harland 1916 Dorset R 2nd Lieutenant
Leonard Stuart Harland 1917 Dorset R 2nd Lieutenant
Leonard Stuart Harland 1918 Dorset R. Lieutenant
Leonard Stuart Harland 1922 Dorset R Lieutenant


TD

 

TD he was commissioned from the ranks Hampshire Regt

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29106/page/2746/data.pdf

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29687/page/7491/data.pdf

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31092/supplement/26/data.pdf

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37919/supplement/1483/data.pdf


Major (acting Lieutenant-Colonel) Leonard
Stuart Harland, M.C. (Service No 5445). Royal Tank
Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35144/supplement/2345/data.pdf

Kyle

 

Thank you Steve Mac,
I don`t know what happened to him after June 41 except he once told me he Wavell was an admirable general. Perhaps he was purged by Monty, would the dates fit?

 

Churchill sacked Wavell on 20 June 1941, so the dates fit. The Commonwealth Forces had just suffered a number of setbacks in Greece, Crete, Battaleaxe (attempted relief of Tobruk) and a reshuffle of senior people ensued. It happened. Some of it was fair and some of it not.

Monty was not Wavell’s replacement, Auchinleck was. Alexander was Auckinleck’s replacement circa 13 months later. With Alexander’s appointment came Monty’s, the former being the latter’s boss. Gott was supposed to take over the 8th Army under Alexander, but the aeroplane he was travelling in was shot down and he was killed. Monty was second choice for command of the 8th Army and his appointment fortuitous for him (but bad news for Gott). Wavell, Auckinleck and Alexander were Commanders-in-Chief.

This doesn’t mean that your Grandfather was shuffled out. Remember, from what you say he won a Bar to his DSO later. More likely he was moved to a new appointment. Wavell went to India.

Do you have your Grandfather’s service records?

Best,

Steve.

 

Very good History thank you. I guess I should have known that as I have read quite a few books on the North Africa campaign but quite a while ago now.
Unfortunately I have no records.
I think that after the war my Grandfather got rid of everything. All that survives is a medals case, and a dress sword. No uniforms or pay books or anything like that.
Over the years when my mother wrote to the War Office they didn`t come up with anything due to apparent loss of his records in a bomb or fire.
Makes it a bit complicated I`m afraid.
I don`t do well on computers so that avenue hasn`t been explored much except that google finds various sections of 6 RTR logs.
Thanks again
Mike