Can anyone tell me if unit war diaries are available yet at the National Archives. Thanks in advance Mike
Mike Prepare to be overwhelmed, the first time you go it feels daunting BUT you will get the bug and keep going back! What units are you after? You can order online before you get there and register to get a readers ticket Anyway best of luck!" Andy
Thankyou both, i'll look forward to my first trip to the NA. 1st and 6th Battalion Ox and Bucks 1st and 5th Battalion Royal Berks Regt 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards 9th (Airborne) Field Co, RE 79th Assault Sqn, RE 60th Field Hygiene Sec, RAMC 16th/5th Lancers 32nd Army Tank Bde 10th Royal Hussars 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry 13th Anti Tank Regt 9th Battalion East Surrey Regt 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regt 5th Cinque Ports Bn, Royal Sussex Regt Also trying some others like RAOC and RASC but i think that will be more difficult. There are also some Air Force i'm looking for as well. Any hints and tips will be very appreciated. Thanks again Mike
Mike Royal Berks transcibed and for sale here. https://www.ds-secure.co.uk/thewardrobe/prodSections.php?sect_id=19 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width=108> </TD><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%">WW2 1st Bn Royal Berkshires History & War Diary Price: £19.00 Extract from the excellent History of The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1920-1947 by Brigadier Gordon Blight relating to the service of the 1st Royal Berkshires in World War 2 and a transcription of the Battalion War Diary for the period 1942 - 1946. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width=108> </TD><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%">WW2 5th Bn Royal Berkshires History & War Diary Price: £11.00 Extract from the excellent History of The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1920-1947 by Brigadier Gordon Blight relating to the service of the 5th Royal Berkshires in World War 2 and a transcription of the Battalion War Diary for the period 1944 - 1946. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Thanks Owen, I'll get straight onto them for copies. When i get them i'll be happy to do look ups for any of the community. I'll post that in the right catogory when they arrive. Thanks Again Mike
Mike, I've all four Wilts Regt ones if you should ever need a look up in the future. Pity you need War Diary for 2nd Worcesters as 1st Bn for 44/45 is here. Worcestershire Regiment(29th/36th of Foot) Web site
Many thanks again Owen, i'll bear those units in mind should i need a look up. I gather that the actual military records for the guys i'm researching are still in the hands of the MOD who will only give them out to next of kin. I'll just have to track down their next of kin and ask them to get a copy for me if i pay for it. Take care and thanks again Mike
I might be able to help you with the 1st and 6th Battalions Ox & Bucks. I have the War Chronicles for the Ox & Bucks.
Hi Airborne, Many thanks for offerring to do some look ups for me. The dates i'm looking for, for the 1st Battalion is 22/5/1940 and if there is any mention of Samuel Francis Roper who is buried in Bruyelle War Cemetery. Also 19/01/1942 and any mention of Albert Richard Hooker, who is remembered on Brookwood Memorial. If there is any mention of the action they were involved with on those dates and where the battalion were at the time. For the 6th Battalion i'm looking for 03/03/1945, any mention of Ronald Gilbert Arnold, buried at Taukkyan War Cemetery and again where and what action they were involved with on and around that date. Anything you can find out would be a huge help in researching the guys that died from Didcot in defence of their country. Again many thanks for the offer to help. Regards Mike
Sorry there is no mention of your men in the war chronicles. The 1st Battalion were in action around the vilage of Hollain (approx 5miles south of Tournai) on the 21st May. Only casualties on the 22nd were from sporadic shelling on the village by the Germans. Interesting the 1st Battalion were in Northern Ireland (January 1942) carrying out reconnaissance of the defences of Londonderry, Magillian beaches and intermediate aerodromes, this became their operational role. The 6th Bn were in Myebon and Ru-ywa, with orders to capture the village of Thangyo and some high ground over looking some bridges.
Gen What time period do you need for 9 Field Company (Airborne)? I have it for September 44 and the references for the rest of the war somewhere! Regards Andy
Mike, I have some info on the May 1940 campaign but most is inevitably sourced from Battalion War Diaries where Other Ranks are rarely named. Bruyelle is only a mile up the road from Hollain. According to Blaxland in "Destination Dunkirk', 1 Ox & Bucks were the reserve battalion of 143rd Bde and were brought up on the 21st May to remove the Germans from a wood north of Hollain where they had driven a wedge between the 5th Gloucestershire at Bruyelles and the 8th Warwicks. It would not be impossible that your Corporal either died of wounds the next day or was not officially noted as dead until the 22nd. "The plea that the 43rd were desperately weary after twenty-four hours of marching and a week devoid of anything more than an hour or two's rest was of no avail; they had to relieve the even more weary Royal Warwicks and regain the wood. They attacked the wood first and in some stiff and confused fighting drove the Germans out of their most dangerous lodgements and patched up a defence line amid the trees and foliage through which many gaps had been cut by shells from either side. They took over the village of Hollain from the depleted and hard-worn Warwicks that night." On the 22nd, Blaxland also confirms that the Ox & Bucks in Hollain "suffered much torment from the quaking crunch of 150-mm shells." Rich.
Rich and Andy, Thankyou so much for this help, its really given me a lot to go on and has really helped me with finding out where and what was happening to these guys. Makes me wonder how Albert Hooker died in 1942 and why he does not have a grave and only remembered on Brookwood. Guess the next stop could be the local newspaper archives to see if i can find any mention of them in there. Andy, The date for the 9th (Airborne) Field Coy, RE is 29/11/1944. The name of the person is John Everitt and was a sapper, buried at Becklingen War Cemetery. Again guys, very many thanks for all your help so far. I don't have much in the way of resources at the moment but i'm hoping to start building a collection as i continue in this research. If there is anything that i can help you with or anyone else in the community you only have to ask. Thanks again. Mike
You're welcome, Mike. You've got the addiction now, before you know it you'll have more books than you can look through! By the way, if you post the dates for the other casualties, I'll have alook as well. Rich.
Rich, Your right i have the bug again. I did put this down for a couple of years as i seemed to be getting nowhere with it. Now that i have found this forum its given me the bug back again. The community have been awesome with their help. I do have a few WW1 books but only one WW2 book, though i have just ordered the unit histories and war diaries for the 1st and 5th Battalions Royal Berks Regt. When they arrive i'll be more than happy to do look ups for anyone. As for posting the dates for the other casualties, do you think it might be worth starting a new thread for that? Thanks again Mike
Mike, start a thread for each one. I did that for my WW2 casualties and some excellent info turned up, others nuffin.
Thanks guys, I'll do that, just worried about other members threads being pushed down the list too far as there are a number of units, dates and casualties i'm looking for. Mike
