Service Record help please...

Discussion in 'Royal Signals' started by kevparker, Mar 24, 2011.

  1. kevparker

    kevparker Junior Member

    I am trying to trace the activities of my Grandfather, Edgar Joseph Parker, Ser No. 2364076, Royal Signals Corp.
    I have his Service record which shows that on 24/6/43 he was transfered from 13 Corps Sigs to Eigth Army Tps Coy. I guess he was detached from Royal Signals Corp to Royal Artillery. The next entry reads:
    ME/5046/H/43 6. AGRA S/S (8. Army Tps) Moved. Tripoli to 'H' Force ME L/Cpl 18-7-43
    I have searched the web but can not find any mention of 'H' Force. Any information on 'H' Force would be most useful.
    I believe he stayed with 6 AGRA until 9-11-45 when he was posted to 35 Sig Park.
     
  2. RemeDesertRat

    RemeDesertRat Very Senior Member

    never heard of H force, but force H is well known, but as its a Naval group, don't know if any army chaps were involved though, maybe as liaison with ground troops, as your grandfather was signals?
     
  3. AJK

    AJK Junior Member

    I've had a quick look on google - the only H Force I could find was Royal Naval forces - not being an expert in any way shape or form, I don't know if this has anything to do with your grandfaher at all - its listed as 'Force H' and operated around the mediterranean.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    The National Archives has a file on H Force but its Engineer related and has Cyprus in the title. I couldn't find any other files related to H Force but with the mention of Cyprus I wonder if they were an occupation force.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  5. RemeDesertRat

    RemeDesertRat Very Senior Member

    can you post a scan of his service record, maybe some of the experts on here could decipher exactly where/when your g/father was?
     
  6. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Hello kevparker,

    Force H (Royal Navy) covered the Operation Husky landings on Sicily on 10 July 1943. The British Army contingent sailed from Suez, Malta and Tunisia. As RemeDesertRat suggests, he may have had some part in the ground [/sea] liason [for Husky]. Tripoli, given its position, was probably an important supply base for this operation.

    But Andy has another possible angle. I wonder what the ME in "Tripoli to 'H' Force ME L/Cpl 18-7-43" relates to; possibly Mechanical Engineers? And could the 'H' be for 'Husky'?


    Best,

    Steve.
     
  7. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Steve
    Tripoli was still in the MEF (Middle East Force) when some of the invasion force for Husky embarked and was a major reinforcement point along with Bizerta -Tunisia and Bone -Algeria....so it is more than likely he was on some sort of ship relaying info back to senior commanders - who were spread all over - Eisenhower in Algiers - Cunningham and Alexander in Malta and Tedder in Tunis - weird ! No wonder it took a month - they should have all been in Malta - bloody idiots....
    Cheers
     
  8. kevparker

    kevparker Junior Member

    Here are the 3 pages I have for his Service Record.
    I hope someone will be able to help.
    After the move from Tripoli to 'H' Force, there is nothing apart from a promotion to say what he did until he 'arrives' at Villach on 14-7-45.
    There is some hearsay within the family that he worked with some Italian Commandos. Not sure how true this is.

    Thanks for all your comments.
    Kev Parker
     

    Attached Files:

  9. idler

    idler GeneralList

    The campaign in Sicily was 10 July to 16 August 1943 so the dates tally if we assume he was loaned to H Force as a signaller.

    Further down the page I see he gets a 'mention' - a Mentioned in Despatches - so he did something interesting in Italy!
     
  10. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Steve
    Tripoli was still in the MEF (Middle East Force) when some of the invasion force for Husky embarked and was a major reinforcement point along with Bizerta -Tunisia and Bone -Algeria....so it is more than likely he was on some sort of ship relaying info back to senior commanders - who were spread all over - Eisenhower in Algiers - Cunningham and Alexander in Malta and Tedder in Tunis - weird ! No wonder it took a month - they should have all been in Malta - bloody idiots....
    Cheers

    Greetings Tom,

    I think that is the most plausible explanation. I will have to have a look at the service records later though...

    Best,

    Steve.
     
  11. kevparker

    kevparker Junior Member

    Evening evryone,
    Thanks for the response so far.
    Idler - I know he got a MID, as I have the certificate and 'leaf', and I have traced the London Gazette entry, I have not been able to track down the reason for the award. If you or anyone can point me in the right direction, it would be a great help.
    As I live in Holland now, visiting Records Office is virtually impossible, so may have to rely on the generosity of fellow members.
    Thanks

    Kev
     
  12. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Kev -
    Nothing too outstanding in his service records apart from his "Mention" which has a reference # -which is smudged - "for gallant and distinguished service"- so after his service in Force "H" -from Tripoli MEF which is the Navy as I mentioned probably in touch with leaders in various locations - he basically served wtih 6th AGRA (Army Group Royal Artillery)CMF - in July '45 after the war he was on LIAP - (leave in advance of Python) and lost his Mediterranan allowance - which was restored on getting back to Villach-Austria..still CMF at that time ....


    There are a few Artillery experts on the forum - thinking Ramacal - who can help trace the movements of 6th Agra - I know I bumped into them in the Liri valley- in fact I think everbody bumped into them there ....
     
  13. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Kev -
    Might shorten your search by tracing the movement of XIII corps through Sicily and Italy.That corps had many famous Commanders from Horrocks at El Alamein to Dempsey in Sicily - Kirkman in Italy - then after the war Harding.

    Kirkman of course was one of the three asked for by Monty to join him in the 8th Army - Leese went to XXX Corps - Horrocks to XIII and Kirkman was given the task of organising the Artillery for the El Alamein barrage - which needs no commendation - he finally made Corps Commander when Dempsey went home to take over 2nd Army for the NWE campaign -

    6th AGRA and XIII corps were prominent through to Cassino and the Liri Valley then transferred to US 5th Army for the battles from Perugia to Florence then back to 8th Army for the spring offensive which finished that campaign - so it should be easy to trace !
    Cheers
     
  14. Morning Kev,

    Don't know if this is of help but my Dad's service records for 50 Div Signals show similar entries:
    6/7/43 Moved from Egypt as 'H' Force

    directly below and stamped as on your Grandfathers record is:
    S.O.S. M.E.F. to B.N.A.F. 29/8/43.

    As 50 Div took part in the Sicily landings as everyone else has suggested the 'H' most probably refers to Husky.

    After refering to the War Diary and appendices I cannot see any reference to 'H' Force.

    Mel
     
  15. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Mel -
    I was the one who suggested that the Force H was most likely for a signaller to get in touch with the commanders- the 50th Division did of course land on Sicily in operation Husky BUT that was on 10/7/43 - so whoever stamped your g'fathers record was a bit slow as that campaign was all over by then but it states that he was struck off strength from MEF and TOS BNAF on 29/8'43 ...
    Cheers
     
  16. Hi Tom,
    Dad served in Sicily (landed D3) and onto the toe of Italy before embarking for UK on 19/10/43.
    He says that Sicily was the nastiest place he served. Not least for the recurrent malaria he picked up there.
    What I was meaning is that on 6 July 43 his record show he moved from Egypt to H Force,together with the rest of 50 Sigs. So I guess everyone would have had this entry.

    Also that the stamped MEF to BNAF is the same stamp and has the same date as Kev's Granddad 29 August 43. Again it would seem this would be a standard entry.

    Cheers
    Mel
     
  17. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    well camel
    your Dad had it about right that Sicily was a hole -to be avoided yet there was an ancient magnificence about the place- especially around Taormina which makes all the other problems go away- I was in Hospital there later than the campaign and couldn't get away soon enough..
    Cheers
     
  18. zaziork

    zaziork Junior Member

    I'm reading this thread with interest; I'm trying to find out what "H" Force was, as it's referred to on my uncles' Army files. He was 1st SAS (Special Raiding Squadron), and departed for "unknown destination with 'H' Force" on 7/7/43. I'm speculating that H Force refers to Operation Husky (the codename for the Sicily campaign).
     
  19. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Zaziork - you may be perfectly correct in your speculation that "H" Force meant the Husky code word for the Invasion of Sicily - as does Mel from Darlington in stating that the WHOLE of 50 Div signals knew this also to be a fact..

    I just find it strange that all these people were aware they were about to invade anywhere especially from a place such as Egypt where security was invaribaly non existent- and anywhere on that whole coast was very similar.

    Most people only knew where they were going about an hour before they got there- security was the main reason for Monty to cancel the original Dieppe Raid - so it was a great big factor in all we did during that war.....

    I was on a troopship for 12 days without a clue as to where we were heading apart from heading West - then South - then East until we reached Algiers - all I had to go on was a draft code of XZYWH which meant nothing to me or the other 1500 others as we were literally all in the same boat- and I can't see that system changing...for anyone !
    Cheers
     
  20. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Hi Kev

    Hang on a minute while I put my Sicily cap on………….. that’s better, now I can start :)

    First the background.

    I had arrived in North Africa in April ’43 (a fortnight before the campaign ended) and kicked my heels in a forwarding unit until finally joining the 49th LAA Rgt at Tunis. I first wrote about it here, on the BBC site:
    BBC - WW2 People's War - Sicily, Then On To Italy

    From there we finally moved to Sousse where we were part of the 78th British Infantry Div and as a “Reserve” Div had to wait whilst the initial landings were made in Sicily.

    I was not to return to Sicily until many years later and posted an account on ww2talk here:
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/veteran-accounts/21562-return-sicily-after-66-years.html


    I also posted, on my personal page, all my Army Records so you can have a look and see how they compare with your own.

    Hope this is of some help

    Ron
     

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