Major Ardale Vautier Golding RTR

Discussion in 'RAC & RTR' started by Roy Martin, Sep 14, 2011.

  1. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    [FONT=&quot]Can anyone help with information about this officer? I am assuming that RTR means Royal Tank Regiment. The Major was in France during 1940, with the Earl of Suffolk and two lady secretaries. They saved a vast amount of equipment via Bordeaux. All I have so far is by the kindness of Hans at:

    British Army Officers 1939-1945  -- G - Mr J N Houterman

    Roy Martin
    [/FONT]
     
    CL1 likes this.
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hi Roy,

    RTR is Royal Tank Regiment-I'll check the diaries for you.

    Whilst I have your attention and aware of what you are researching. Have you looked at the Excel spreadsheets I've uploaded of files held at Kew? One of the latest ones I posted contained a file (Can't quite remember the exact file name) that was called something like 'Equipment and items to secure/evacuate from Holland, Belgium should the Germans invade.
     
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Roy,

    I've checked the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th Battalions of the RTR and as far as I could tell from Officer Field Returns etc he was not with any of these battalions. That doesn't mean he wasn't with one of the amoured brigades of 1st Armoured Division as a staff officer or working in France attached to another formation. I have found quite often with the BEF in France knowing a cap badge or battalion doesn't automatically place him with that unit.

    Regards
    Andy
     
  4. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  6. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Andy,

    Fantastic, I will work my way through them. Many thanks to both you and Andrea. I have written up the story of the Earl of Suffolk's mission. If anyone wants a copy please let me know - or perhaps I can have the OK to post it here?

    I am still interested to find out more about the others - Major Golding and Miss Nicolle and a little more about the brave Miss Morden.

    Re the Binney reference above - is he the same Binney who masterminded the ball bearing trips from Sweden?

    Best to all,

    Roy
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    - or perhaps I can have the OK to post it here?
    Feel free to post away.
     
  8. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

    Andy,

    Fantastic, I will work my way through them. Many thanks to both you and Andrea. I have written up the story of the Earl of Suffolk's mission. If anyone wants a copy please let me know - or perhaps I can have the OK to post it here?

    Best to all,

    Roy

    I am waiting in anticipation for the posting. :D

    Mark
     
  9. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Here is the chapter that includes the story of the Earl and Major Golding - plus their two lady secretaries. Feed back would be welcome as the book goes to the publisher shortly.

    Roy
     

    Attached Files:

  10. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    I'm Ardale Golding's (younger) son, and have in my possession a number of documents relating to your inquiry, including his diary titled "Flight from France," covering the events from June 10th. through June 22nd. 1940, typed by his secretary, Marguerite Nicolle.
    I would be happy to share them with you.
    Cordially,
    Ian Golding
     
  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I'm Ardale Golding's (younger) son, and have in my possession a number of documents relating to your inquiry, including his diary titled "Flight from France," covering the events from June 10th. through June 22nd. 1940, typed by his secretary, Marguerite Nicolle.
    I would be happy to share them with you.
    Cordially,
    Ian Golding

    Gotta love this forum ! :D
     
  12. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Ian,

    Thank you for your reply, I would very much appreciate the chance to read the papers. The book is with the publishers, but I still have a month to amend/correct it. As you can gather I have the reports that your father made jointly with the Earl of Suffolk, but nothing of his own. Nor have I found anything about Marguerite Nicolle.
    I can send you a PM with my e-mail address, if that helps; though I assume that the information would be better posted on the Forum for all to use.

    Regards,

    Roy

    I'm Ardale Golding's (younger) son, and have in my possession a number of documents relating to your inquiry, including his diary titled "Flight from France," covering the events from June 10th. through June 22nd. 1940, typed by his secretary, Marguerite Nicolle.
    I would be happy to share them with you.
    Cordially,
    Ian Golding
     
  13. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Andy,

    I missed yours until I posted a reply. I agree you really gotta love this Forum. Having a first look at the overnight postings is a pleasure.

    Roy
     
  14. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    Hi Roy,

    I'd be happy to post to the general forum, as per your suggestion in your private response, but I clearly haven't quite got the hang of using this forum as my initial reply to your response has ended up in my own private box!
    Apart from the diary, I also have:
    1) Supporting documents [BEF travel doc.; Bordeaux 'facilites' doc.; Diamonds receipt; Embassy travel doc.; French travel doc.; List of French engineers].
    2) My father's letter to the Sunday Times, dated March 27, 1960, with regards to an extract of Lord Morrison's memoirs published the previous week.
    3) An article titled "The Incredible Earl of Suffolk" published in the Reader's Digest in April 1943
    4) An article titled "Earl Raided Bank Vaults, Foiled Invading Germans," published in the Sunday Dispatch.
    The two articles are somewhat fanciful, owing more to wartime propaganda than the facts as I've been given to understand them.
    My father's obituary in the local [Nantucket MA USA] paper includes details of his career, which I can either post in its entirety or selectively.
    His obituary in the Royal Tank Regimental Journal stated [here I paraphrase] that he was the only officer in the history of the RTR never to take up a regimental posting, which is why, perhaps, that Andy found no mention of him in the battalion records he refers to.
    With the exception of his obituary [a Word document], all the others are PDF files; a total of 23 files in all.
    Please let me know if it would be acceptable to post that many files to the forum.

    Best wishes,

    Ian
     
  15. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Hi Ian,

    Many thanks for this and for the PM that you sent me. I have seen a couple of the items that you mention, though for completeness sake would ask that you post them all. The administrators will no doubt guide us, but, as attachment file sizes are limited I assume that it will be necessary to send several messages each with a file attached. I am sorry that will entail you in some work, but think that you will agree that the true story should be told. As you said in your PM some of the things that have been written in the press are fanciful, as was much of the BBC TV series 'The Dragon's Opponent'.

    There are others who will be most interested - including the New Zealand author Kerin Freeman who has written a biography of the Earl - yet to be published.

    Best regards,

    Roy
     
  16. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    Hi Roy,

    Attached are the eight PDF files that comprise the record of events Marguerite Nicolle kept between June 10th. and June 22nd.

    Ian
     

    Attached Files:

  17. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    Hi Roy,

    The extract from Lord Morrison's memoirs, with my father's letter "straighten(ing) out some facts."

    Ian
     

    Attached Files:

  18. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    Hi Roy,

    My father's obituary, with details of his military career.

    I would be interested in reading the report that he and Suffolk filed, if you would care to post it.

    Best wishes,

    Ian
     

    Attached Files:

  19. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    Hi Roy,

    BEF travel doc.; Bordeaux 'facilites' doc.; Diamonds receipt; Embassy travel doc.; French travel doc.; List of French engineers.

    Ian
     
  20. ian golding

    ian golding Junior Member

    Hi Roy,

    BEF travel doc.; Bordeaux 'facilites' doc.; Diamonds receipt; Embassy travel doc.; French travel doc.; List of French engineers.

    Ian
     

    Attached Files:

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