Not yet - I'm working on it. This Grandad was actually my Mum's Dad. My Mum died a fair few years ago now so I need to ask an Aunt/Uncle (there are many of them as he had 9 children) whether they will sign the forms for me as next of kin. I also need to track down who has his death certificate. I'm going to work on that one more when I'm back from my holiday - fingers crossed I can get the forms sent off asap! OK South, I hope you find what you're looking for. All the best...............
Well - my Uncle received my Grandad's service records a few days ago. I am seeing him tomorrow so hoping to find out more then, but from what I gather so far he joined in 1942 and left in 1946 and what happened in between - I'm not sure yet.
I went over to see my Grandad's records today, with a view to scanning them in, but they are A3 so that will have to wait. I started making notes on them, then thought it would be easier to just take photos. But, like the fool that I am, I've managed to delete them by mistake, so now I'm back home an hour away with just a few notes! I do irritate myself some times!! Anyway, I have some more details from the basic notes that I wrote. The writing was very difficult to read, hopefully I've got most of it right. My Grandad signed up to the Royal Ulster Rifles and then transferred to Recce, ending up in 1st Airlanding Recce Sqn. He signed up on 15 May 1940. His Army number was 7016894. On 8th January 1941 he was posted to 31 Inf Bde (writing on that wasn't very clear but I think that's what it says). On 22nd Jan 1941 he transferred to Recce. He did an SWB course(??) at Brecon on 30 June 1941 (this may have read as a course at SWB Brecon, not easy to read the writing). Then an MG (Machine Gun??) course at S Command in June 1942 and something at Netheravon that year too (writing really bad on this bit). 13 January 1943 he was downgraded to medical category B2. He was then transferred back to the Royal Ulster Rifles in March 1943 and spent 21 days in a military hospital in Belfast (the hospital name begins with an S but the rest I couldn't read). He was released to the reserve on 3rd March 1946 with exemplary conduct. I could kick myself for deleting the photos as there were pages and pages of it!
For info the 1st A/L Brigade was 'created' from the 31st Infantry Brigade...my theory is as jeep, anti-tank guns etc could not in those days be dropped by parachute it was realised gliders would be needed in an 'airborne division' and so as the 31st Brigade was trained in 'mountain warfare' I feel a staff wallah felt they would be used to 'breaking items down ' into man packable loads.....this all happened in 1941.... SWB could be South Wales Borderers as their depot used to be at Brecon. MG is machine gun and S Command would be Southern Command....His time in the airborne was limited I see and his records should show overseas service but did he leave the Recce Sqn before they went to NA.....perhaps someone has access to the WD to confirm date of departure.....I can't recall them being in the Sicily op but they were definitely in Italy from Sept 43.....Hope this helps in some small way....
Thank you very much! Very helpful indeed, and very interesting to hear that they were formed from 31st Inf Bde. I had wondered why he transferred so soon after getting there, now I know!
Happy to help....the 31st was I think based in Wales around the time of their 'transfer'.....but then went to Salisbury Plain area
