Uncle Tom was based at Appledore in 1942 and papers relating to his OCTU (Alton Towers December 1942- May 1943) show that he was previously a gunner with '1st Independent S.R Battery RA'. Can anyone point me at information about this unit? Tom was in the TA with 4th Durham Survey regiment .. attended their camp in July/August 1939. By late 1939 he was with the 6th Survey Regiment which seems to have been disbanded in June 1940. Believe they were in the Appledore area at this time ...but no evidence from then till Jan 1942. Robin
I need to read up more about the Survey units. However, the history of 94 Locating Regiment here http://www.duffy-eu.com/94loc/history.htm says during the First World War the 1st Survey Company Royal Artillery was established on Salisbury plain to retain and develop expertise in survey, sound ranging and flash spotting. In 1939 this was expanded to form separate batteries for each discipline, hence the '1st Independent S.R Battery RA'. and all three were mobilised and deployed as the 1st Survey Regiment. So from the information you have provided I would hypothesise that your uncle had been mobilised in 1939 and served at some time with this regular unit before it was formed into the 1st Survey Regiment, I don't know how the personnel attending courses at the RSA worked pre WW2, but given that this was the only regular sound ranging unit I wonder if it represents either attendance on some course?
Thanks for the input. Unfortunately the duffy site gives an incomplete picture .. there were 11 Survey Regiments during WW2 see http://nigelef.tripod.com/regtsumm.htm#svyregt Uncle Tom was a Gateshead man and was initially in the 4th Durham Survey regiment and attended TA cam p in July 1939. Some time during 1939 he was transferred to the 6th Survey Regiment. The 6th seems to have stayed on home duties until it was disbanded ... we are not sure of the date ?June 1940? ... were they used to reinforce the 1st Survey Regiment after Dunkirk? Leads to the puzzle is that in 1942. We have applied for his Service Record which should establish which regiments he served with. Robin
Uncle Jack. Google led me to an account by an officer who served in the 1st Independent Sound Ranging Battery which split from 1st Survey Regiment in 1940 http://www.caffnib.co.uk/ronmem/ronch4.html Its "independent " status may have been because it was deployed at Eythorne in SE Kent to locate German guns firing across and into the channel. Your uncle Tom wasn't called "Baker or "Wilson-Hasley" by any chance? If so you might not be pelased!
Thanks ... Uncle Tom was Thomas Edward Dixon I'd down loaded the whole of Ron Bromley's memoir in Feb this year and reading it then was interested in the Eyethorne references as my father in law was there for a short while in 1940 with a small unit from the 4th Durham Survey Regiment ..... so now it knits together ... Rom Bromley's memoir also states for 1940. 'Here we were to join the Sound Ranging Battery of the 1st Survey Regiment, which was deployed along the Kent coast from Deal to Dungerness. The task was to locate the German guns on the French coast who were being such a nuisance to shipping in the Channel and to Dover and the surrounding area. ' The Battery was split into 3 Troops, one at each base, A Troop with HQ at Eythorne, B Troop (Centre Base) at Sellinge between Folkestone and Ashford, and C Troop (West Base) at Appledore down in Romney Marsh' Seems S.R. battery was left there when the 1st Survey Regiment was deployed elsewhere. Hence the 'Independent' tag. Thanks again
Should add that we have Tom's personal diary for 1942 which states that he was at Appledore for the whole year and has many days when he is at the AP. Also gives the time line for his interview at WOSB No2 and the further training at Pre Octu and going to Alton Towers to start OCTU .. then no entries at all....
There are several pages about this battery in Mangilli-Climpson's book 'Larkhill's Wartime Locators'.
Not unsurprisingly the 94 Loc Regt history is wrong. 1 Svy Coy RA was formed c.1922. During WW1 SR and FS were made a RE responsibility in 1915, Svy Sects grew into Svy Coys and eventually into Svy Bns RE. However, RA officers filled positions in these units. By the sound of it 1 Indep Svy Bty grew into 11 Svy Regt. 6 Svy Regt was disbanded in a hasty and ill-considered decision, leaving an independent bty. You'll find more about it in Magilli-Climpson's book.
As i posted above ...Finally bought a copy for Margaret as a B'day present .. decided she'd enjoy it more now than waiting till between Christmas and New Year .. fate of many 8th Army babes to be born in December 1944 .. shows when the men got leave pre D Day Turns out to be a brilliant buy not only because Massimo M-C has done a massive piece of work (with full references) thus allowing us to sort out who was where doing what for the survey regiments we are interested in - 4th for Margaret's dad BQMS Clarrie Hird plus 6th/1st and 1st Independent for Uncle Tom Dixon but she's also found that her father is also mentioned by name! The pages about Survey Batteries on the south coast are full of detail and we've found it all fits with the scraps of information from Uncle Tom's papers and a couple of WWII Memoirs of men who also spent time there The book has a wonderful anecdote arising out of the rather secret nature o his battery ..makes the tales we heard from Auntie Margaret about her visits to Appledore in 1941/42 even more lively.
