Raoc/reme wartime service

i am new to this forum , but i am heavily Invovlved in WARTIME RAF Research so the ARMY IS A NEW THING for me i hope someone can help point me in the right direction



For Sometime now i have been meaning to find out more about my Grandfathers wartime service , T,A MOBILISED 39 , ROAC DUNKIRK , Home ,
training SCOTLAND THEN FAR EAST BURMA REME ? he talked about being at IMPHAL /KOHIMA? , i have his service no,BUT I WOULD LIKE TO get his ARMY Service Records , Does such a thing exist ? can i apply for this . and from where ? cost?. and any other help that may help me find out more .

i have the no1 uniform he was married in and his insignia shows 2 crossed keys which i assume whould be a division ? plus other insignia and cpl ceverons . hope someone can help

tia phill jones

 

Welcome to the forum

Regards

Keith

 

Welcome Phil and good luck with your research,

Best wishes,

Lee

 

Hello and welcome. Have you any photos you would like to post for us all to see?

Lesley

 

Hello Phillip, You'll need to get hold of the service records in order to be sure exactly what he did but the system of War Diaries will let you find out a lot more once you can pin them down.

I have quite a lot of information on 2nd Div during the 1940 campaign including some extracts from the Ordnance diaries but it's all fairly general stuff.

This image shows a training exercise in the UK between their return from France and posting to India.

 

Hi Phil - welcome to the forum. Are there any references to his units on the backs of photos or elsewhere which might give you something to go on whilst you wait for the service history?
Jules.

 

Hi Thank you all for answering my thread , some good pointers here , sadly i have no Pictures , and i will get the Service records before i go any further again my thanks to all

bw phill jones

 

At long last i have now received My Late Granddads Army Records , so i am now able to Provide more detail of my Granddads service In the Hope that fellow Forum Members can Perhaps help Me understand where he was and what he was Doing or at the very least point me In the Right direction Details of service is thus
1/ TA Service Enlisted at Birmingham 25/10/38,Joined as a Motor Mechanic .

2/ Mobilized 4/9/39 And Joined the 4th Inf bde Aldershot .

3/ HQ 4th Inf Bde ,Posted BEF Overseas 20/9/39.

4/ 220 S.LTP.REG,No 1 Sec 6/2/40 ,From BEF , (Very Difficult to Read form Document ).

5/ GHQ 2nd Bch ? ,Arrived 220th Searchlight S.R.R.A? ex BEF.31/5/40.

6/ Nominal Roll ,with 4th Inf Bde, HQ,24/6/40.

7/4th Inf Bde, Place on Y List ,6/1/41.

8/ Y List ,Att 4th Inf Bde , Reposted ,6/2/41.

9/ Embarked for India 24/5/42.

10/ ROAC , Transferred to REME CPL ,.1/10/42.

So i he Joined the ROAC then Transferred to REME 1/10/42 .

other Documentation States REME 2nd Battalion The Manchester Regt 12/9/43.

XII list 3/8/44 .

X list 2nd Batt Manchester Regt 12/9/44.

Embarked from Bombay for UK .30/10/45,Disembarked UK 16/11/45

4/1/46 Static W/S 7grp

TOS Y List 26/1/46.

His record State Python 16/11/45 i understand this the Scheme that he came home on , after the had qualified by time served .He ended His time as W/Sgt

that i assume would be Workshop Sgt , his Qualifications are listed as Thus

MI fitter MV IIIA 15/7/40

Fitter MV II V 21/10/41 -4th Inf Bde /S list.

Also Vch Mech June 45 .

Now it is know by the family he was a Dispatch Rider Motor Cycle while at Dunkirk , Here he was wounded by Shrapnel in Foot , i am therefore Assuming he was Running signals to and fro , among his things a letter for the CO the 4th Inf Bde , thanking the Men under his Command for the work they carried out while at Dunkirk , In and Out of Hospital after Removal of Appendicks when the Op went wrong at SCAPA FLOW ? During Training in Scotland , then to Burma , If he was with the MANCHESTERS is it possible to find out where they were during his time in Burma.

Please if anyone can add to the above or offer advice on where i might be able to find out more i would be most Thankful apart form the above many ref /Nos and Orders etc are listed which mean nothing to me if anyone fels thay may help in finding out more please let me know and i can provide detail .

Hope someone can help me , thank you so much

Merry Xmas Phill Jones

 

Is this the letter ?

 

Ref the BEF stuff I suspect he would have been with the Bde LAD if he was a VM. The Bde had 1 WO II and 11 OR's under his command.

DR duties were carried out by R. Sigs and RASC chaps.

 

Hi Drew, thank you for your quick reply , Yes the above seems logical , thank you for this

and yes the letter you shown is the same as mine , is this letter in a Unit Diary ? if so is there more to be gleaned ?

Merry XMAS Phill

 

It's from 4 Bde HQ's war diary. There's over 300 various pages and a quick look revealed the info I posted. I doubt there will be any specific mention on the LAD. Bde files tend to focus on a overview of the Battalions under command and orders from Div HQ's.

 

Hi Drew Thanks again, Would the 4th Inf Bde , have had more than 1 LAD within the Bde during the time of Dunkirk ? , I know my Grandad was part of the 2nd Inf Div Crossed Keys
which was part of the 4 th Inf Bde . In your Opinion would it be worth me Getting a copy of the 4th Bde WAR Diary ? , as it would be nice to try and pinpoint where his Unit was ? or am i wishing to Much , also is it possible to try and find out any information about his wound which i believe was Foot Wound ie were record kept of Wounds treated or were things just to Hectic to even think about keeping such records of things or he could have been just treated in the field ? can you advise on any other records to check in or obtain

Thank you for your help Phill

 

I'm not a LAD expert but as far as I'm aware there was only one attached to a Bde and I would suspect that where ever the Bde went the LAD wasn't very far away as they were there to look after Bde vehicles doing first line repairs and servicing.

The best place to look for any records of his wounds would be in his service records - Any significant injuries should be documented in them.

 

How many LADs would depend on wether or not it was a lorried infantry brigade within an armoured Division .
Each Infantry brigade had at least one LAD at HQ, - if it was a Lorried Inf. Bde within an Armoured Division, there would be one LAD to each infantry battalion.

 

10/ ROAC , Transferred to REME CPL ,.1/10/42.

So i he Joined the ROAC then Transferred to REME 1/10/42 .

other Documentation States REME 2nd Battalion The Manchester Regt 12/9/43.

XII list 3/8/44 .

X list 2nd Batt Manchester Regt 12/9/44.



REME was formed on 1/10/42 taking over repair and maintenance of the Armys equipment from RAOC. Not a transfer as such, doing the same job in the same place, but with a different cap badge.

2nd Battalion Manchester Rgt. were at Kohima in Burma.

 

REME was formed on 1/10/42 taking over repair and maintenance of the Armys equipment from RAOC. Not a transfer as such, doing the same job in the same place, but with a different cap badge.

2nd Battalion Manchester Rgt. were at Kohima in Burma.

Hi Thank you very much for this Input most helpfull

 

Hello , i started this thread some time back it took a year to get my grandfathers service doucumentation , and i am now in thre throws of putting it all together . i have a question and i post it here in the hope some one may be able to answer it TIA Phill Jones

i am trying to establish what the term Y List means

ie Nominal roll 4th Infantry Brigade HQ 24/6/40
4th Infantry Brigade , Placed on Y List 6/1/41.
Then Later in Service record and after return from Burma .
Disembarked UK 16/11/45.
Static Workshops 7 Group., 4/1/46.
Taken on Strengh Y List 26/1/46 .

Hope someone can enlighten Me Thank You

 

X and Y list info;
http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/15663-x-lists-service-records/
Basically waiting to be posted.