1945-1949 Postings Query

I'm hoping to receive a little bit of insight into the postings/promotions attached document. Thank you kindly!

 

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

Here is my take on the details…..others may chip in.

You’ve posted the rear of the Army Form B102 - a centrally held index card on which were recorded brief details of information recorded in more detail on other Army forms - notably the Army Form B103 - Casualty form(s).

Starting on the left hand column -

He was called up to General Service Corps (GSC) 6th March 1945 but did not report for training immediately and was posted to Class W Army Reserve - presumably he was working in an industry of importance to the war effort and couldn’t be released immediately.

After a month his deferment was concluded and he reported to Number 5 Primary Training Wing 4th April 1945 where he started basic training and had various military and psychological tests and assessments to help the army choose the arm of service for which he was best suited.

He was selected for service in the Royal Field Artillery and was posted to 21 Training Regiment RA 31st May 1945 for additional training.

On completion of his training he was posted to 117 Regiment Field Artillery - in U.K. - 23rd August 1945. He was posted to Y list 9th October 1945. Postings to Y list usually followed a period of 21 days absence from the unit - usually on sickness grounds but more detail ought to be recorded on the B103 form. Based on information further down the form he could have been absent from his unit on a Cook’s Training Course?

He was posted back to 117 Field Regiment 17th January 1946 for 6 weeks before he was selected for service overseas. The letters RAMKJ are a draft code that would be stencilled on his kit prior to moving to a seaport for movement overseas.

He embarked for the Middle East 13th March 1946 and disembarked 21st March 1946. The locations may be shown on his B103. There was civil unrest in Palestine 1945/48 and British troops were serving there on active service as well as on Garrison Duty in Egypt.

There are various mentions of the X list which is explained elsewhere in the forum.

X lists (Service Records)

He does not appear to serve with a Royal Artillery unit whilst he was in the Middle East. After a period of acclimitisation he was posted to GHQ (General Headquarters) Camp and from the next entry I suspect he was a employed as an Army Cook there for almost 2 1/2 years before he was posted to “ACC BD & TC MELF” 29th September 1948. The acronym likely stand for Army Catering Corps, Base Depot and Training Centre, Middle East Land Forces.

Moving on to the middle column…..

He is posted to 152 Transit Camp at Fayid, Egypt 31st January 1949 likely in anticipation of a posting back to U.K. under the Phython scheme. Phython was initiated late in the war to facilitate the return to U.K. of personnel who had been serving overseas for 4 years - subsequently reduced to 3 years. Men would be retained at “home” for 6 months before becoming available for overseas service once again. The scheme continued into the post war period.

He was posted back to U.K. 30th March 1949 under the Phython Scheme and was posted to “the Depot” - likely Royal Artillery - 10th April 1949 and likely had a period of leave before being posted to 49 Anti Tank Regiment Royal Artillery 16th June 1949.

He was discharged from the army 9th November 1949 on fitness grounds (Kings Regulations 1940 Para 390).

The right hand column lists his promotions as follows -

1. An undated promotion to Unpaid Acting Lance Bombardier (U/A/L Bdr).
2. Promoted Paid Lance Bombardier 1.1.1948 and simultaneously promoted to Unpaid Acting Bombardier
3. Promoted Paid Acting Bombardier 10th March 1948
4. Promoted Unpaid Acting Sergeant 1st April 1948
5. Whilst still performing the A/Sgt role his permanent grade was confirmed as “War Substantive” Bombardier on what appears to be 6th September 1948.
6. He reverted to his permanent grade of W/S Bombardier 30th March 1949 on sailing to U.K.

RA Bombardier was equivalent to a Corporal in the Infantry.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask. It might be best if you attach the remainder of his papers as there may be more information to assist in those documents.

Steve

 

Wow thank you so much for this, it certainly reveals more information. He never liked to discuss the war with anyone, but he did tell a couple of people that he did hand to hand combat.

I've uploaded the remainder of his service documents as suggested.

Thanks again!!!

 

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the additional papers.

I can now see he enlisted as a 17 year old on regular army terms of service of 7 years with the colours and 5 years on the reserve, rather than as a wartime conscript, with an aspiration to serve in Royal Artillery

Unfortunately there are no B103 forms in the papers to explain in any more detail his activities when he was on Y list in late1945 or his activities whilst serving in the Middle East. I note his discharge testimonial speaks of him performing Provost duties but it does not automatically follow that he performed those duties for the entirety of his service.

I see he had a months U.K. leave from mid May 1947 under the LIAP scheme - Leave In Addition To Python. I’m confident he served in Egypt rather than Palestine as there is no mention of any entitlement to the Palestine 1945/48 General Service Medal. He was entitled to the British War Medal as he had more than 28 days service before 2nd September 1945. It appears it was applied for before he left the army.

Steve

 

Thank you again!!

A couple more things that have been passed down to me include the following:

He had been a dog trainer in the army - he carried this on after the army by having very well trained, obedient guard dogs. No one was ever allowed to feed them but him.

Egypt is correct as far as what has been passed down, but he also apparently spoke of being in Italy.

He and my grandmother met while they were both in the army (still working on acquiring her service records).

Later in life the two of them owned a pub called The Swan in Old Stratford, Milton Keynes. I believe he had plenty of veteran patrons. I always hoped to find someone who could share some true accounts even from conversations in the pub. A pipe dream.
Jim and Irene Bellingham.

There's no sign of any medal in things passed down. Goodness knows where it could have gone.

 

Oh, also he joined the army because of the civil war in Ireland between protestants and Catholics. His friend (a teen) was killed in the conflicts and he wanted to get away. That's the reason he signed up. It was also known that he was actually a year younger than he claimed to be.

It was known that during hand to hand combat he caught a bayonet to the calf I believe. There's no record of that injury in his records but it mentions an injury to his loin of which family had no idea about. Perhaps a mistake in these records?

 

Hi,

Thanks for the additional information/ family folklore. There is nothing on the records to support any of those recollections. He may have flown back from Egypt and touched down in Italy to refuel or to join a leave train that regularly left Villach, Austria for the channel port ferries via Germany but there is no evidence he spent a lengthy period there.

MOD/NA won’t release any medical information until the anniversary of your grandfather’s 116th birthday although by that time the disclosure rules may have changed again. There is an ongoing process to put WW2 era service records on Ancestry but that may take 5 to 10 years.

Steve