I have reached a point in my research where my father Douglas Wood 4868739, was transferred from active service with the 2/5 Leicestershire Battalion to x(ii) List, I understand this is when someone was evacuated on medical grounds beyond the Regimental First Aid Post. The posting order was “2/5 27/43” to x(ii) list on 24/4/1943; he was posted back to his Battalion on 21/5/1943, posting order 2/5 33/43 I have identified the General Hospitals that were in N. Africa at the time, this did not help with either a general search on the internet or one in the national archives. Being transferred to x(ii) list also happened to him on 2 further occasions, so if there is some way of identifying a) if the posting orders can be reviewed or b) if there are casualty lists/hospital admission records that can be reviewed I think it would be worthwhile to pursue. Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated, thanks Dave
Have you got his official service records? Whilst you almost certainly will not get any medical records his service records may well show something like 'admitted to xx gen hosp' or 'transferred to xx convalescence depot' etc (the xx will give the number). The posting orders are meaningless.
Wondered if this might be the case with posting orders & medical records! Unfortunately nothing in the service records to be of help. Thanks for the response
That's unfortunate, whilst I appreciate you can't delve deeper this site shows the WW2 hospitals: Hospitals WW2 - Scarlet Finders
Not necessarily to an RAP (Regimental Aid Post). Many men were hospitalised due to illness or disease. North Africa was rife with Malaria and what they called Infectious Hepatitis (Jaundice) . Being placed on xii was in fact putting someone on the sick list, just like hourly paid workers. Officer were of course monthly paid. I suspect but cant confirm that they received the equivalent of sick pay - less than normal active duty pay. AB64 might be able to help there. Returning to unit was often a major concern...for those who wanted to. Lt Bill Beadle Tunisia November 1943 I’ll start from the beginning and say that I’m in hospital with Infective Hepatitis, our local brand of Jaundice. I’ve been here for a week now and before that I was languishing in my tent for a few days so the disease is now well on its way to recovery. I can’t say it’s been enjoyable and I received the wrong treatment to begin with, which gave me some considerable pain (That was before I was sent to hospital) But I am now much improved and hope to be out of bed for a couple of hours tomorrow. Amazing how tempting the thought of getting up can be! For days now I’ve been directing every thought to convincing the doctor that I’m fit enough to escape from the blankets and today, to my great joy. I succeeded. My complaint is very common out here and mysterious too. Nobody knows what causes it and the treatment is completely empirical. Earlier in the year it was a common complication of malaria but a couple of blood tests have shown that I’m free from that. I chose a most unfortunate time to fall ill when everything was a sixes and sevens, which was why I had such a bad time before coming to hospital. As it is, when I get out of here in another week or ten days, I shall be very much like bread cast upon the waters and it will take me some time to find my unit again. Indeed my only worry is that by one of the frequent muddles that occur in the L’s of C I may find myself posted to a completely different unit. That however is only a pessimistic fear and if I make enough noise, I shall almost certainly find my way back to 266 eventually. Later......... I arrived back to find that “Juppy” my troop commander was in dock with jaundice and several key NCO’s in my Troop. So since my return I have been acting Troop Commander. Letter to his mother when she criticised his decision to decline evacuation when wounded by shrapnel at Anzio. I seem to have drawn a considerable amount of fire by my so called “fire eating” decision at Naples, when I returned to my unit instead of touring the rear echelons. As you can guess, my reasons will be difficult to describe, for it was obvious to me as to you that blood-lust for the Horrible Hun enters into it not at all. But at the risk of sounding smug, one reason was definitely that the sort of people you find in Replacement Depots are more calculated to brown you off than any number of shells, bombs or sleepless nights. We all talk glibly of how wonderful it would be to get a staff job or be the town Major of Naples but we all make the most strenuous efforts to get back to the 67th when we become casualties. Back at the Depots it is a nasty business to see the hard core of hangers on, who have wangled off one draft after another and eventually managed to become malaria officers or i/c’s of Transit Camps. You can always get yourself kicked out of affront line unit if you try and many do. These are the people who congregate behind the lines and make one so anxious to get back to ones friends again. That of course is a sweeping statement but it is the general impression.
Hi Dave In Army Casualty Lists 1939-1945 on FMP , he is posted as missing on 22/02/43 but then changed to 'no longer missing'. As this is the only mention he has, this means he wasn't wounded, killed or taken POW. He was therefore ill or sick when he was x(ii) listed. I doubt you will be able to get any more information about what got him hospitalised. Hope this helps Gus
Dave, Re your original posting. There was a lot of Malaria, Jaundice and Bush Typhus around and much more, carried by the millions of flies. "The most common tree appears to be eucalyptus which line all the roads and makes a pleasant hygienic smell to counter act the odours of the native dwellings and the open sewers!" It wasn't unusual to be hospitalised many times. It simply proves that once sick, he was keen to return to his unit to be with his mates.
By 1943 fighting in North Africa was in Tunisia, which came to an end in early May the letter from Lt Beadle above was from the main hospital in Sousse. Not sure where you transcribed these numbers from posting order 2/5 33/43 they look like Part 2 orders which I doubt you will find although they do appear in many War Diaries as supplements. Could really do with seeing scanned or photographed copies of his Service and Casualty form (B103-2) posted on here. If I cant help others may well do.
Hi all, many thanks for the replies I was so pleased to hear that he was sick and not wounded, although theres no doubt he would have been uncomfortable from any one of the prevalent illnesses described. The posting orders are Part 2 orders as suggested, file uploaded. The only casualty forms I have is for 22 to 28/2/1943 and have uploaded them just in case they provide further comment. Once again many thanks as I can now proceed past this point to the end of the Tunisia Campaign.
I assume that you have seen this but just in case: War Diary - 2/5th Bn Leicestershire Rgt - Sept 43 - Salerno Landings This is an old thread which I hoped might have told us more about earlier actions. Where did you get the lists from? Have you not got his official Service Records from the MOD? You should give it a thought if you want to know where he was and when. They cost money but tell you all the places he was posted and paid. From his enlistment to his discharge. Training, courses, hospital admissions etc all general admin but nothing about battles. Only available from the MOD Get a copy of military service records It will probably look like gobble di gook to you, all military jargon but put it on here and people can transcribe it into ordinary language. The other big spend would be the Regimental War Diaries. Stored in the National Archives. Others on here can advise you about them. They list day to day comments about what is happening, written by the RHQ Clerks using reports from the Company Commanders for the War Office Records Some members might have the pages that would interest you so wait and see if they come along. Take a look at the 2/5th Leics War Diary WW2t link above.
Not quite sure about that. It is correct that he was first reported missing (along with a number of others) on 22/2/43 but the subsequent correction, on the list dated 5 April 44, which states that he was 'since located' is within the wounded section of the casualty list.
Yes I noticed that a while ago but haven't had a chance to research that.I am afraid that I tend to live in the world of 1st Div in North Africa. History of the Regiment (4/5) - Royal Leicestershire Regiment 2/5th Battalion, also mobilised in 1939, went to France in 1940 as part of the 46th Division, and, after being evacuated through Dunkirk, it spent 2½ years in England. In January 1943 the Battalion took part in the 1st Army’s landing in North Africa, and heavy casualties were sustained in the Kassarine Feb 1943. Battle of Kasserine Pass - Wikipedia The date of being missing is within this period when the Germans got the upper hand. The Americans were in retreat and chaos reigned. Tunis fell to the Allies on 13th May 1943 From #1 line 3 Dave wrote: The posting order was “2/5 27/43” to x(ii) list on 24/4/1943; he was posted back to his Battalion on 21/5/1943, posting order 2/5 33/43 Not sure where the casualty lists come in or whether he made a mistake in his introductory paragraph. (easily done). The Service Record from the MOD should provide dates of either injury or being missing in dates (beginning and end) and number of days not available for duty. There would have been an enquiry at the time or later and If Missing they could deduct his pay if justified. There was no such thing as being let off without it being recorded. This is Govt money and like taxes everything is audited. The records were not kept for future students of history to use as reference. Only one way to find out. The Battalion next saw action at Salerno in Italy, followed by actions at the crossing of the Volturna and Teano Rivers, and at Mount Camino. It spent the first half of 1944 in the Middle East, training and re-equipping and being brought up to strength. It returned to Italy in time to take part in the battle against the Gothic Line in August 1944. In December 1944 the Battalion was moved by air to Athens where it took part in the fighting and remained until the Greek Government was restored in the Epirus. It then returned to Italy and after the Armistice was moved into Austria, where it remained until disbandment. I think that is as far as I can go for now, there are plenty of others to give advice, just watch this space.
Thanks for the above, quick response is: Casualty Lists were from FMP I do have the service records, that's where I got the part 2 orders from, they also advised he was wounded in action on 22-2-43. I do have copies of the 2/5 Leicestershire War Diaries Dec 1942 to June 1943 I have also taken photos of the 2/5 Leicestershire Battalion Records. I have transcribed both the War Diaries and Battalion Records (latter for North Africa only) I am not sure what the position is regarding the sharing of the War Diaries & Battalion Records if they are covered by copyright? I have now finished my research into the 2/5 Leicestershire Battalion to a level of detail I am satisfied with and will move onto their role in Italy later in the year, so thanks for the additional heads up on Italy and all of your other comments.
