I had a count up yesterday and I now have 292 complete war diaries covering the BEF's time in France. I will break 300 on Tuesday. I have all the Armoured units, RHA and virtually all of the Infantry diaries whilst deployed in France if anyone wants a date etc looking up. Cheers Andy
Hi Dave. No one seems to have asked for this so if you are still offering the service, could you look up anything you have for 2/RSF in the early part of 1940? April/ May would be preferred. Thanks in advance. Paul.
Hi Astie I assume your interested in 4th battalion Green Howards , my uncle Harry White was with them and killed on 29th May 1940 at Ypres. This was all the family knew until recent times but with the great help of people on this forum I found out much more. I can also recomend the book 'No time for Dreams ' Robert Metcalfe a subaltern in the 4th bn. Fortuitously the entire 1940 section of this book can be read on google books here - No Time for Dreams: A Soldier's 6 Year Journey Through World War II - Robert W. Metcalfe, Jan Buchanan-Redden - Google Books There is also a dissertation on the of 4th and 5th Green Howards 1938-1941 by Dan Hebditch here with a good bibliography- http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dheb/2300/Historical/MA/45GH3842.pdf The Friends of the Green Howards did a Dunkirk issue of their magazine in 2000 which is excellent with personal recollections and diaries of the 4th and 5th when some of the guys were still around . A PDF of it can be bought on net for £5 here and is well worth it. The Green Howards Drew of this address could give you the full diary for France 1940 but it is frustratingly brief , obviously they were under great pressure . In the brief May battle the 4th saw lots of movement and action. It has been said they travelled more in three weeks than the Bn. did in the whole of the First War . My uncle was killed by a shell explosion with 3 others and others wounded on the ramparts near the Menin Gate, Ypres in the early hours of 29th May but I have never found an official mention of this anywhere yet. Frustratingly (for me) Robert Metcalfe gets wounded and shipped out of Ypres on the 27th as I believe he was their company commander. Good hunting Craig
Hi Craig, Yes my interest in the 4th Green Howards is that my Grandfather served with them through France... Jan 1940 until his evac at Dunkirk. His records show his Embarkation as the 6th and his disembarkation in the UK as the 9th June 1940, we know he was one of the last to leave the beaches as he mentioned having to swim for his boat to get home. He was awarded an MID for his service in the field sometime around the evacuation. I just received his records after 10 months of waiting and enclosed was his MID certificate which he never received, it seems to have had several attempts at reaching him but he had moved to Northern Rhodesia after the war ( He served with the NRR ) and began working for Sir Stuart Gore Brown as his estate manager at Shiwa Ngandu. Drew informed me a while back about the 4th going out to North Africa, I wasn't sure why my Grandfather didn't have the Africa Star.... Turns out he was medically downgraded in December 1940 so did not go with his batt to North Africa but was transferred to 70 (YS) KOYLI.... This has been far from easy finding anything out about them. Anyone know what the YS relates to? I would like to get hold of copies of the 4th's war diaries for their time in the BEF just so I can plot where my Grandfather would have been and obviously the actions he may have been involved in. This is all new for me so I'm getting hooked by the research bug :biggrin: He had such a varied service career - Green Howards, KOYLI, Airborne, Northern Rhodesia.......... I have so much to chase up and investigate.... should keep me busy for a while at least. Thanks again for your input and help. Be Lucky Karl edit..... You asked where my Grandfather was from. He enlisted at Northallerton on th 2nd May 1939, he was born in Northallerton and lived in Sowerby Grange and Brompton.
If 9th June is correct he must have left from one of the western ports as Dunkirk was in German hands by the 4th. If from Northallerton area maybe he was with Battalion HQ or D company, from Hebditch's dissertation- By the end of 1938 the 4th Green Howards had finally finished transferring their Battalion HQ from the county town of Northallerton to Middlesborough alongside the HQ Company. Of the rifle companies; A Company was based in Redcar and Yarm and C Company in Skelton all around the outskirts of Middlesborough. B Company was stationed in Guisborough on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and Thirsk in the Vale of York. Finally D Company was in Richmond close to the Catterick Garrison and the location of the Green Howards Depot and Northallerton near Thirsk6. Craig
Hi Astie, Drop me a PM if you want a copy of the 4 Green Howards war diary for 1940 France. Cheers Andy
If 9th June is correct he must have left from one of the western ports as Dunkirk was in German hands by the 4th. If from Northallerton area maybe he was with Battalion HQ or D company, from Hebditch's dissertation- Craig Richmond apears all over his records after his return to the UK followed by a transfer to 70th batt KOYLI - Loughborough. (Grimsby & Cleethorpes) As for his return from Dunkirk I'm a tad confused over the entries - could the extra 6 days have been regarded as disembarkation leave or processing of troops after the evac? Looking through his service & casualty form he "Ceased to be attached to 50 (N) Division 11\5\40" "Arrived in UK (BEF) 3\6\40" Yet his form B200 states BEF 25\1\40 - 9\6\40
Hi Astie, Drop me a PM if you want a copy of the 4 Green Howards war diary for 1940 France. Cheers Andy Thanks Drew, PM on it's way to you Cheers Karl
Richmond apears all over his records after his return to the UK followed by a transfer to 70th batt KOYLI - Loughborough. (Grimsby & Cleethorpes) As for his return from Dunkirk I'm a tad confused over the entries - could the extra 6 days have been regarded as disembarkation leave or processing of troops after the evac? Looking through his service & casualty form he "Ceased to be attached to 50 (N) Division 11\5\40" "Arrived in UK (BEF) 3\6\40" Yet his form B200 states BEF 25\1\40 - 9\6\40 Richmond was the regimental home of the Green Howards with their barracks and depot being there . Arrived in UK 3rd June would fit in with when the 4th Bn left Dunkirk , They left from the mole ,they were down to about half their original number but left as a fully formed unit with their rifles and personal kit. Craig
Richmond was the regimental home of the Green Howards with their barracks and depot being there . Arrived in UK 3rd June would fit in with when the 4th Bn left Dunkirk , They left from the mole ,they were down to about half their original number but left as a fully formed unit with their rifles and personal kit. Craig Drew has mentioned he is going to move these posts to a new thread specifically for the 4th GH so I'll leave off posting further until then. Thanks for the info BTW. I've started to put all of his records in order as I have his attestation papers, OR records and his Officers records to play with. I should know better when I get it all ordered. Cheers Karl
The Friends of the Green Howards did a Dunkirk issue of their magazine in 2000 which is excellent with personal recollections and diaries of the 4th and 5th when some of the guys were still around . A PDF of it can be bought on net for £5 here and is well worth it. The Green Howards Bugger me.... I ordered the magazine as you said... very much worth it. Page 7... Private Fred Walker. 4th Batt Green Howards "I searched along the beach trying to find anyone I knew. Then I spotted my best friend Lance Corporal Crawford of 17 Platoon....." I wonder how many Lance Corporal Crawfords there were in 4th Batt? The rest of the story sounds about right with the few details we have of his service - the cellar in church \ hotel.
7/Warwicks Hi could I ask whether the above in your list would include the 1/7 warwicks , my wifes grandfather served with them and we have his service record which states disembarked France 12 jan 1940 , granted 10days leave to uk 1.5.40 and then disembarked uk 1.6.40. his name was Charles Mercer army number 5105024. my question is with these dates would he have been at Dunkirk
Many thanks for the update ,he finished the war as a gunner in150 laa but his record mentioned 36 and 38 rhu regards David
Does anybody have 1942 war diaries for 4/East Yorks & 4/Green Howards? Would be much appreicated. My Grandad was attached to one of these in Feb 42 when they joined 150 Brigade for the Battle of Gazala Thanks in advance Steve
