Morning, I am trying to research a General Service Medal with the clasp for Palestine 1945-48 named to 21002786 PTE. A. RAMSEY. A.A.C. The medal is with the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star and the War Medal. I have found Andrew Ramsey's Royal Artillery tracer card - copy attached - with this service number but this does not mention him transferring into or from the Army Air Corps / Parachute Regiment. This shows he first joined on 1st December 1947 and he was based at the 64 Depot RA and then Draft DBAOP with a location of 21 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment. The card shows from 11th April 1948 as being X List (4) ME which I understand is for X List Middle East with a location of Y List (6) The next entry from 7th May 1948 is 173 DIV L.T.P. CB Staff. I'm not sure what this relates to. The next entry from 23rd December 1949 is 52/ME Q HQ / 50 SOSME but again I'm not sure what this relates to. The reverse of his tracer card shows he was discharged on 11th November 1954 - Para 390 XXI - The termination of his period engagement. Any help in any of the information on his tracer card or if there is any link to the AAC would be most welcome. Thanks in advance! Harry
Hi Sorry I cant help you with the codes, not my area, especially post WW2. ME could be Mediterranean which would fit in with the Palestine clasp. But I don't understand why he would have ww2 medals? His service number does not fit in WW2 numbers - see - Army Number Block Allocations Army Air Corps not formed until 1957 - https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/army-air-corps/ All seems a bit odd? regards Robert
Your man might have “broken service”. Some men didn’t adapt to civilian life on demobilization and quickly sought to reenlist. If a man desired to rejoin their original unit it wasn’t straightforward. I’ve seen Scots Guards records where the Regiment declined the application if the man didn’t meet the fitness criteria or simply declined to have them back with no reason given. They had to apply elsewhere. Men who re enlisted after the 8 digit service number series for Army, Navy & RAF were introduced in the late 1940’s were allocated a number from that series despite having previous service. British Army Service Numbers Explained: 1950 Onwards Steve EDIT TO ADD AAC initially created 1941 but disbanded 1949 before being reformed 1957. Army Air Corps | National Army Museum.
ME = Middle East FARELF = Far East Land Forces The Tracer Card also shows service with 173 Locating Battery. 173 DIV LTP CB Staff. Possibly Divisional Locating Troop, Counter Battery Staff. Richard
Hi Found at British Army units from 1945 on - 53rd to 59th Regiments RA ME = Middle East 6 AB Div went to Palestine 6th Airborne Division in Palestine - Wikipedia 54th HAA = 54th (City of London) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Wikipedia DBAOP is just a unique draft code. '64 Depot RA' is the authority for him to move to to the location in the column to the right. x lists = 'X' Lists 1939 -1945 | ͏ I would suggest you post his Palestine GSM as there might be something useful there, Hope this helps Gus
Many thanks for your replies - very useful and interesting details. I'd never have worked out some of those abbreviations on his tracer card so many thanks and I'll add this information to my research! These are the photos I currently have of his Palestine GSM named to him in the AAC. Hope these are of use. It sounds like he possibly served in the parachute regiment during World War Two and in Palestine soon after the war - 1945/46 - and then left the army and re-enlisted into the Royal Artillery in 1947 with the same service number. Kind regards. Harry
Thanks Gus, that's great and useful info. I presume he must have served in the Parachute regiment during World War Two and post War in Palestine and then left the army and re-enlisted into the Royal Artillery. I've posted a couple of photos of his GSM which may help. Kind regards Harry
Thanks for the information Steve - much appreciated. It could well be therefore that he served in the parachute regiment during World War Two and in Palestine early post war then left the army and re-enlisted into the Royal Artillery. That would make sense in terms of his service number and the World War Two Medals. I've posted some photos of his GSM medal below. Thanks again. Harry
Found in WO 100. General Service Medal 1918-1962: Clasp Palestine 1945-48: Oxfordshire and... | The National Archives There is a Private A Ramsey (though it might be Ramsay) belonging to the 2/3 Parachute Battalion was awarded a GSM with Palestine Clasp The SN is not clear but looks like 1913 (3 or 8) 55 (3 or 8) From Paradata https://www.paradata.org.uk/unit/3r...post-war,(light Infantry) Parachute Battalion. During the first post-war deployment in Palestine beginning in 1945 the remnants of 2 and 3 PARA were combined to form the 2/3rd Parachute Battalion, which was disbanded in June 1948. So this suggests that and that's only if we are definitely found the same chap he may have joined the 2/3rd, or the 2nd, or the 3rd sometime prior to their amalgamation. I would still have expected the medal service number to have matched. So this might be the wrong man. Hope this helps Gus
