Dear Everybody, I too have only recently come across the site and was a bit unprepared when I first responded. r I do have a number of photographs from D day onwards and amazingly many are documented with names and places. I also have all my father's diaries, letters home and copies of daily reports and signals etc which he used in the preparation of his account. I also have his uniform, Sam Browne and camp bed ! I have it in mind (when I've finished the book) to give all the source material (and his MC) to Bovington. I want his stuff to be safe, accessible to the family and to the families of those he served with and I would hate for his MC to end up in some sale room in years to come ! If you think there is a more appropriate place, please make suggestions ! Simon Cave
Hello again Simon Could you post the pictures and diaries if it is not too personal? There are many Recce's on here who would be delighted to see them. Lesley
Dear Lesley, I will certainly post the photos but the diaries are virtually unreadable except to me (who knows his writing. don't be surprised if it takes a little while ! Regards Simon Cave
Dear Lesley, I will certainly post the photos but the diaries are virtually unreadable except to me (who knows his writing. don't be surprised if it takes a little while ! Regards Simon Cave Hello Simon, I look forward to seeing and reading when posted; as I am sure a lot of other forum members are as well! Best, Steve.
Hi Simon Thanks very much for joining and posting info. on the photo. I look forward to the book! Chotie's Daughter
How can the war diaries be "lost"? As I understand it they were sent in each month to 2nd Echelon (some sort of rear HQ?) and so even if a unit was completely overrun not all it's records would be lost. There are sadly several examples of this from the Western Desert. Strange! Tom
Strange yes, Tom, but so it is. I have searched for the diaries at Kew, as have many others, and they just aren't there. 61 Recce was broken up in the winter of '44-45, and perhaps the diaries just got lost in the shuffle.
TTH, But the diaries got returned each month - so the fact they were disbanded should not matter. Is there a regimental museum? Tom
* RAC at Bovington, but they don't have them either! The War Diary was supposedly drafted in triplicate; so one copy should now be at the National Archives and one at Bovington, but where did the other copy go? Presumably it was a 'guard copy', but where would it have been finally stored? Best, Steve.