I have my father's WW2 Records for his service in the 65th Medium Regiment R.A. These records shows quite a lot of detail from his enlistment up until his hospitalisation in the UK for wounds received in Normandy in early June 1944. After that date his records dry up completely with no detail at all being shown until he was discharged on the 15th May 1945.In the period June 44 to May 45 it just shows under the heading of country ''HOME''. I have his Regiments War Diaries courtesy of Andy on DREW 5233 and the Regiment remained in North West Europe until May 1945. Whilst my father would have spent some time in convalescence he was described on his discharge as being permanently unfit for military service. I am wanting to find out what happened to him during the year long period when he was not in action with his Regiment but had recovered sufficiently enough for him not to be discharged and his service to continue but not to have his Records maintained ? Would anyone have any suggestions.? Middy
Hi, Your fathers service file at Glasgow ought to still contain his medical papers - unless they have been culled (IMHO doubtful as they would be held pending any claim for pension etc) but due to UK Data Protection UK MOD will not release medical papers with service files. I've seen numerous medical papers on the Canadian deceased personnel service files available online. A cross section of the documents you may find should include - sorry I can't quote the Army Form numbers 1. The cardboard (it looks like Card anyway) Casualty Card attached to the casualty at the point of receiving his first medical treatment - probably at the RAP or FA. 2. Hospital records from the CCS & General hospitals, Convalescent Depot etc - including temperature charts & contemporaneous medical notes from the RAMC doctors. 3. Army Medical Board forms noting the time date and place of the soldiers appearance before the board - with a description of the injury and details of where it was sustained plus a synopsis of the treatment provided and the prognosis as it related to his abilities to perform the duties of a soldier. You may still want to ask Glasgow if they will release his medical papers or at least release a synopsis of your fathers treatment and journey through the casualty chain to the point of his discharge. Good Luck Steve Y
Thanks Steve for your reply. I know that my father was evacuated on 14th June 1944 to Summersdale Emergency Hospital in Chichester and later transferred to Larbert (Bellsdyke)Hospital nr Edinburgh.I have the w/o records for the latter but they don't give any information. Whilst i would like to have access to his medical records i am also really trying to find out how he could still be in the Regiment, a year after his wounding, whilst they were still active in Europe ie i assume that on recovery, that if not able to perform military service, that they would have discharged him prior to May 1945. I don't know if Regiments still had some form of operations to which recovering wounded service personnel may have been transferred whilst the country was still at war. Regards, John
Hi, Speedy discharge after wounding or injury was never the norm. In current parlance the Army owed a "duty of care" to provide medical treatment for wounded/injured/sick personnel and would usually retain personnel while that treatment was ongoing. There were major casualties in NWE and I'm sure Army would've been hoping he could have been of some military use thus freeing up a more able man for deployment overseas. Steve
Thanks Steve, it sounds reasonable but would there still not have been a Services Record to show what he had been doing over the X month period when released from hospital eg transfer to xxxx, granted leave with R.A.L.R., etc. other records i have seen of other personnel who recovered carry details as before eg joined such and such/ transferred overseas etc. My dad's record just stops, which doesn't make sense. John
Hi John, It's a little difficult to offer an opinion without having sight of the original documents - presume you are referring to B103 - but some service records are sparse in detail compared to others for reasons it is difficult to establish 70+ years after the event. In the Canadian files I've seen - both WW1 & WW2 - there are often 2 or more copies of B103 - as the Army always did things in "triplicate". Perhaps usually held and maintained at the Unit, 2nd/3rd Echelon & centrally in U.K.? I've seen same entries in different handwriting and occasionally some detail is recorded on one copy but not the other. It may be that UK MOD have only retained one copy B103 and the detail you feel is missing was recorded elsewhere? Just a thought....... Steve
Hi Middy My fathers service record is blank from June 1942 until June 1945 when he was demobbed - dont think they are always detailed to the day TD
There is no document number visible on the form but again i have seen the same document for the same Regiment for another person and it does contain a lot of detail. The bottom of the page is stamped with the discharge detail so i don't think there is a second missing page.The discharge stamp does however include the wording ''390 K.R. (XV1) 1940... any ideas on what this may refer to ? I think i may try and contact Glasgow again and see if they have a view. Their original letter suggested that the Veterans Agency lost many records and the ''part 2'' i am looking for may ( if one existed) have been one of the lost. I doubt it and i'm forming the view that he just stayed as part of the Regiment ( even if at home) just in case he was called up at some point in the future. Just as a footnote i have a very clear image as a child of the piece of shrapnel ( shell/mortar) that they removed from his leg, leaving a hole i could get my little fist into....itself now lost, but something as i learn about his war service i would now cherish having. John
Hi, If it's not a B103 it sounds like you are describing the Statement of Services form from the 4 page attestation "package". Your 390 reference refers to the paragraph of 1940 Kings Regulations under which the Army discharged him as no longer fit for military service. Steve
King regs 1940 Para 390 (xvi). No longer physically fit for service. Looks as if it was added during the war. Discharge (King's Regulations) (Hansard, 27 February 1945)
