2612945 Guardsman Thomas George TEBBUTT, 2 Grenadier Guards

Hi everyone,

I'd appreciate some help on where to find information about my grandad, Thomas George Tebbutt. He enlisted in 1930 and was in the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards. He trained in baracks in Aldershot. He saw Foreign Service in Egypt for 5 years and was then recalled in 1939 where I believe he was in the 2nd (Armoured) Battalion. He received a 'Certificate of Merit' (I have this certificate) from Montgomery for 'Devotion to Duty'. It was in the local newspaper in 1945, which said he had been in France in the early days and served through Dunkirk. It also mentioned going over the Channel on D-Day. I have applied for his military records, but I have been waiting for 6 months and I am impatient to know more! I have tried searching for his name on The National Archives but nothing comes up. I have googled his name and trawled through any images to see if I can spot him. I have added the only picture I have of him in uniform.

Could he also be added to the list of names?

Thomas George Tebbutt - 2612945 2nd Armoured Battalion

Any help or suggestions on where to look would be gratefully received.

Thank you!

 

Thanks for posting. As requested, I've added your grandad's details to the Roll.

• Grenadier Guards, Other Ranks: unofficial Nominal Roll by Army Number order

I've also moved your post to create a separate, dedicated thread.

In case you haven't already got it, here's a link to online copy of GG History

• The Grenadier Guards in the war of 1939-1945, by Nigel Nicolson and Patrick Forbes v.1.

 

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

The definitive way forward is to apply to UK MOD for his service records via this link -

Get a copy of military records of service

On receipt of the records you will have a firm foundation on which to base your further research.

Newspaper articles and family folklore often contain “mistaken facts”.

No GG units landed in Normandy on DD Day. Guards Armoured Division disembarked at Arromanches beach 13th June 1944.

I doubt he served 5 years in Egypt pre war. From memory 3rd GG were in Alexandria for 2 years 1934/36 - the normal Guards tour of duty in Egypt - and were replaced by 2nd GG. In light of the dates of that posting he might have elected for 7 years service and 5 on the reserve.

Good Luck

Steve

EDIT TO ADD

You’ll likely gain an insight into his experiences during recruit training at The Guards Depot, Caterham (not Aldershot) and during his time in Egypt from the chapters of this book that are available to read on Google books -

An Active Service

 

Thank you both for responding and the book recommendations. I will definitely take a look.

I have applied for his records, but as they’re all being moved about I guess I’ll be waiting a while to receive them!

 

Hi,

If you’ve been waiting for 6 months for his record you need to be chasing them up at 2 monthly intervals until you receive them.

Good Luck.

Steve

PS

My father was in 3rd CG who relieved 2nd GG in Mustapha Barracks, Alexandria. He was based there Nov 1937/July 1940 (except for 6 months active service in Palestine) when they left for active service on the Egypt/Libya border after Italy entered the war.

 

I have been, but I’ve had the usual reply of ‘we’re handling an exceptionally large number of cases so it will take longer to respond to your request’. So who knows when I’ll get them!

Thanks for your help

 

I searched on just his name and Google returned the following:

The info is on rootschat.com and when trying the link it returned something akin to 'server too busy'.

There is a WW1 death of a Tebbutt from Wolverton, so digging around there may help.

There is a T.G. Tebbutt born 1909 @ Newport Pagnell, Northants and who died 1991 @ Buckinghamshire, b. 12/12/1909. I assume that is your grandad. No marriage shown alas.

Clarice Herbert b. 1905, died 1992. Newport Pagnell is shown as Buckinghamshire (possibly due to local boundaries being altered).

 

Hiya,

Yes I've seen that newspaper article- that is what started my need to know more about what he got up to during his time in service! My line of Tebbutt's come from the Earls Barton area- my great grandad (Thomas George's dad) moved to Bradwell in Buckinghamshire and that is where my grandad was born. There is a marriage entry on the Hanslope Heritage page, which is where it is mentioned that his residence at the time was Barracks at Aldershot. He then lived in Hanslope until he died.

 

Zoe,

Welcome aboard. As you can see there is plenty of knowledge and expertise here.

We always recommend applying for the Service Record. It is the definitive account of his service. Yes, it can take time and regularly has good and disappointing responses. A very short note (copied from Clive): you will need his date of birth and death cert available here for £7 https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ Link for service records
Select the service - Apply for a deceased person's military record - GOV.UK

It might be worth checking if there is a local newspaper article about him. Most public libraries have access to the British Newspaper Archive when in the library, not online. Perhaps still worth trying?

On your current information he has not appeared here before last Wednesday.

Some research tips, now a four pg. PDF available on: WW2 Soldier Research - Tips and Links for New Researchers (update) Plus: How to Start a new Thread / Edit Post / Upload Image

 

Thank you.

I have applied for his records. I applied for them about 6 months ago, first to the MOD and then to TNA. I have been told it could a 9 month wait before I get them. I also used to have a genealogy subscription which included the papers, so I have found a couple of stories. One was the wedding announcement and another was when he was awarded his Certificate of Merit. So I guess it is now just a waiting game for his records.

I know he was in Cairo in 1934 as I have a postcard he sent to his wife and he had written the date on it, so hopefully his records will tell me more.

 

Hi all,

Thomas George Tebbutt- 12/10/1909
2612945
I have finally received my grandads service records and have found what I assume is a record of his military history between 1939-1945.

It looks like he rejoined the Grenadier Guards and was in the 2nd Battalion. He was mobilized on 1/9/39, arrived in France 30/9/39 and entered theatre operations (what did this consist of?). He was then attached to 48 Coy RASC- 3rd Div Supply Colm on 28/10/39- I'm assuming that is Royal Army Service Corps and the 48 Company was a supply division? What would he have been doing during his time with them?

He was on leave for 10 days between 12/1/40-22/1/40, and then he rejoined the 48 Coy RASC. It then says he rejoined BN in the UK on 6/6/40, but I'm unsure which regiment they mean. He was in the UK from 1940-1944 and then he was in NWE (North West Europe?) until the end of the war. In September 1943 he was appointed an unpaid Lance Corporal, but again I'm unsure which regiment he was in. In May 1944 he began being paid for it.

Where can I find out what he was doing during his time in both regiments? Also, is there a way I can find out what he was doing during his time in the UK? I have tried googling 48 Coy RASC and all I could find was that they proceeded to France in September 1939, saw action during the Battle of France, (this could coincide with an article I found in the newspaper regarding my grandad receiving a devotion to duty during the Battle of France certificate from Field Marshall Montgomery) and were then evacuated the the UK in May 1940. They then saw action across NWE from mid 1944 until the end of the WW2.

I have taken screenshots of the pages in my grandads records (which I think has been uploaded). I would just like to know more about what he was doing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Zoe

 

Zoe,

Nearly a year waiting then. It is best to stick to your original thread to stop duplication etc. I will ask the Moderators to merge this thread to the original.

The first screenshot you've already covered the dates.

It does appear he was attached (so temporary) to the 48 Company (Coy) RASC, assigned to the 3rd Division, from 28/10/1939 from 2 / 2nd Grenadier Guards. After his Home Leave he returned to the same RASC unit.

His battalion formed part of the 3rd Division whilst in France, that could have meant he was a more than a "dogs body" or driver - a point of contact / liaison? The then General Montgomery was the divisional commander. See: Grenadier Guards - Wikipedia and 3rd (UK) Division - Wikipedia

The RASC was a vital part of the normally away from combat in a support services, that did change in France 1940. Wiki refers to:

See a very thin Wiki: Royal Army Service Corps - Wikipedia

After the evacuation from France (Dunkirk or other ports) he rejoined 2 Grenadier Guards on 6/6/1940.

He remained with the Grenadiers Guards when he landed after D-Day on 30/6/1944. Wiki refers to:

From: Grenadier Guards - Wikipedia

He was a "tankie" and no longer in an infantry role.

The last line refers to an undated 1945 medical examination that he was fit.... This may indicate he had been wounded or had been ill whilst on active service.

Have got his medals? Others here can supply the application card.

Are there other pgs. from his record? Injuries notably and when he was discharged.

 

Hi David,

Thank you for your response. It ended up being about a year and half of waiting until I received them! Thank you for moving the post- it makes sense to be on this thread.

Thank you for sending those links- definitely sheds a bit more light on what he was doing. I can't find anything regarding him being injured. It just says that he was medically examined and found fit for further service in med category A.1 BAOR 23/8/1945. SOS 2 Gren Gds to X/8/A list for class A release 24/9/1945. Embarked NWE for class A release 26/9/1945. Disembarked UK and SOS BAOR 26/9/1945. Seems to have been released to class z Royal Army Reserve in December 1945 and then in 1954 no further liability for recall because he reached the age of 45.

There are 53 pages in his records, but it doesn't actually tell me a lot, if that makes sense. It starts from 1931 when he first joined and was out in Egypt, but theres very little information in it.

The medals I have for him are: War Medal 1939-1945, Defence Medal, France and Germany Star, 1939-1945 Star. I don't have a medal card, but I'm assuming he had all the medals he should have. I also have his GG issued medals, cap badges, bed plates, collar badges, guards armoured division patches, shoulder insignia, his Montgomery certificate.

 

Hi,

Members may be able to tease out more information if you are able to post the full service record file.

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Yes, that's no problem. I wasn't sure if it would be allowed, so didn't want to just do it.

Zoe

 

Hi

The BEF was short of drivers being rapidly mechanised at the start of the war. I suspect almost certainly he would have been attached to the RASC for the 'Dunkirk' campaign because he had a driving licence and possibly drove a lorry before the start of the war. After the Dunkirk evacuations he would have returned to 2nd Grenadier Guards as the demand for drivers in the UK was less so and infantrymen were needed to fight the expected German invasion.

Cheers
Andy

 

Hi Andy,

Thank you for this. That makes sense.

Zoe