14419325 Leslie J HANCOCK, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by Les Hancock, Nov 19, 2019.

  1. Les Hancock

    Les Hancock New Member

    Good Afternoon all,

    As mentioned in my previous post please find attached the service record of my father Leslie J Hancock whom I am named after.

    I am hoping that one nice person will take sympathy on lack of knowledge and translate these records into lay mens terms for me Please!!

    I am interested where he was posted(Where was he D-Day) and would like to know if there are and dairies out there which are relevant to those postings so I can investigate further.

    Thank you for taking the time to read this post and hopefully my fathers records.

    Les Hancock
     

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  2. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting your fathers records.The best forms to follow his service are the various B103 forms you have posted.

    He appears to have been conscripted shortly after attaining 18yrs 6 months in January 1943 but his commencement date was deferred until March 1943 - perhaps he had a personal commitment to fulfil or deferment was on welfare grounds.

    He was posted to the General Service Corps, as was the norm at that time, and started his training at 68 Primary Training Wing at Carlisle, Cumberland (there were 2 Training Camps in the area). During this initial 6 weeks training various assessments would’ve taken place so the Army could best place him as a “round peg in a round hole”. He was considered as most suitable for training as a Driver in Royal Army Service Corps - no surprise given his civil occupation was as a Lorry Driver! He was posted to Number 1 Training Battalion RASC for specialist training including a driving course the result of which is noted at the top of the first B103.

    On completion of his training he was posted to 909 Anti Aircraft Transport Company RASC in June 1943. He remained with this company until he was admitted to Number 7 Canadian General Hospital in February 1944 for a lengthy stay (over 21 days) meaning he was posted away from his RASC Company as was policy at that time.

    He was posted to 458 Company RASC sometime after his discharge from hospital and went to Normandy with that unit 9th June 1944. He appears to have remained with this unit until the end of the year before returning to U.K. in early January 1945. The British Army had a manpower crisis and it is likely he was returned to U.K. for infantry training.

    He was posted to what appears to be Number 1 Holding Centre for 2 months before a posting to 9 Battalion Warwickshire Regt in early March. He passes through several home based Battalions of that regiment - with a short spell in hospital and a brush with Military law in summer 1945 - until he is posted to 8th Warwicks in November in anticipation of a posting overseas to Middle East Forces in December 1945.

    He remains with 8 Warwicks through 1946 - probably in Egypt - and is promoted L/Cpl in November 1946 and Cpl in February 1947 shortly before returning to U.K. for a period of leave. He returned to Egypt in late April 1947 for a short time before returning to U.K. in June 1947 for demobilisation. On his arrival in U.K. he goes on terminal leave before his formal discharge in late September 1947.

    You need to have sight of 458 Company RASC War Diary for June to December 1944 to discover his movements in France and into Belgium and Holland.

    I’m sure others will add to my efforts.

    Steve
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2019
    dbf likes this.
  3. Les Hancock

    Les Hancock New Member

    Steve,

    Would like to thank you for your time and effort in helping me today.
    Would I be able to find out why he was in hospital in February 1944?

    Thank you again an best wishes

    Les Hancock
     
  4. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi Les,

    You’re welcome. If you want to pursue WD a couple of members offer a look up and copying service at U.K. National Archives at a far lower cost that NA would charge. Just contact Andy Drew5233 or Lee PsyWar.Org via a Personal Message.

    MOD don’t release medical records - maintaining 100 year disclosure rule for medical records - so you will have a struggle to get anything but there is nothing to stop you making a request under Freedom of Information Act.

    Australian & Canadian Service files online do contain medical records. You likely won’t be surprised to hear that most of the hospital admissions “out of action” are for normal sickness, road traffic collisions, military training accidents etc but some are for other matters that family might not want to hear about.

    Steve.

    EDIT TO ADD

    NUMBER 7 CANADIAN GENERAL HOSPITAL WAS AT TAPLOW, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2019
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  5. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Or is it 459 Coy?
     
    Tullybrone likes this.
  6. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    You’re quite correct. Well spotted. Thanks for the prompt:salut:

    Looking at the B102 I can make it out on 26th March 1944 he was posted to 459 “TK Bde’ Company which I interpret as 459 Tank Brigade Company RASC?

    Steve
     
  7. idler

    idler GeneralList

    I feared you'd got it from a stamp somewhere but hard to check as zooming in on the phone is problematic.
     

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