Dads Service record Italy 1944

Hi,

I am trying to research my fathers service records.

I started, by using Ancestry.co, Could not find his records, for any service, I have tried the Gov site, and I have had a reply that they cannot find his records anywhere.

Unfortunately he passed away in 1993, and I never gave it a thought until recently to find out more about him.

I do know that he was an apprentice carpenter/cabinet maker, at the Shorts Brothers aircraft factory, in Swindon when the war broke out in 1939. I believe he was called up in 1942, at the age of 20, and he did some training in Scotland(as I have copies of a picture taken of him next to the Forth Road Bridge). He was there for best part of a year, as he unfortunately went down with Pneumonia twice, before he finally was sent to North Africa. From there on to Italy, and Naples. His diary from 1944 is scant but does give a number of places and dates.

March 22nd 1944 Vesuvius erupted, ending on 26th March. He climbed Vesuvius on April 1st(he came home with some lava rock with Italian coins embedded. Nothing then until June 3rd when he was told he was on the Draft, his diary gives no more details.

June 4th Left Naples at 06:00 for Castellammare.

June 5th Embarked at 12:00 departed at 17:00 on LCT720

After 2 bad days and nights at sea, they arrived at Porto-Vecchio Corsica.

From Corsica, they eventually left for Rome on June 14th, arriving on 18th.

September 30th Left for Foggia, then on to Porto St Giorgio, with the main party arriving on the 22nd.

That is all I have. I do not have his service number. I have not seen any WW2 war medals. I believe he was in the Royal Engineers, as he was involved in building/ repairing ship landings.

Any help would be great. I have a couple of photos of him in his uniform with and without a cap, I cannot determine which unit the cap badge represents, the badge looks like it might be a Royal Engineers badge, ( and that is the unit he always said he was in) that I can post. Other members of his unit, Frank Baker, Jonny or Jimmy Cummings, and Roy Kirk.

Steve

 

We're pretty good on badges.

If you upload the photos you have here, one of us might be able to ID them for you.

Anything at all military could throw up a clue, so give it a whirl.

 

Hi,

It might also help members if you posted his full name plus his date and place of birth.

There are a selection of Royal Engineers casualty cards on findmypast.

You won’t find his full service papers anywhere on the internet as the vast majority of WW2 personnel are still with MOD.

The only place to make an enquiry is with U.K. MOD. Did you submit a written application to Army Personnel Centre, Glasgow? If so how long ago?

Steve

 

Will do. I have asked my brother for a close up...

 

Sorry should have put all that info.
Name: Leslie Harold Gough
Date of Birth: 11/08/1922
Place of Birth: Swindon
Home address: 5 Iffley Road, Swindon, Wiltshire
He passed away, 09/08/1993.
I have made an enquiry to To the Army Personnel Centre, Glasgow, on 15/05/2020.
I received a reply from them on 28/07/2021.

A search has taken place for the records required to answer your enquiry, but I am sorry to have to tell you that no file was found.
The full name of the subject and his service number and/or date of birth are required to facilitate a search.
I did supply all the info I have, Name date of birth etc, (I do not have his service number), and a copy of his death certificate.
They did send the cheque back!!!
Steve

 

Welcome to the forum
Looks like you have done all the right things re the service records
Where did the info re his service come from

 

Hi,

Sorry but I can’t see him on FMP RE Casualty Card collection.

Steve

 

England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Leslie Harold Gough
Death Age: 71
Birth Date: 11 Aug 1922
Registration Date: Aug 1993
Registration District: Swindon
Inferred County: Wiltshire
Register Number: C40B
District and Subdistrict: 7961C
Entry Number: 292

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
Name: Leslie Harold Gough
Death Date: 9 Aug 1993
Death Place: Swindon Wilts
Probate Date: 10 Nov 1993
Probate Registry: Winchester

 

I found a Frank Baker??? But may not been him?

BAKER, FRANK HENRY

Rank: Sapper
Service No: 4758881
Date of Death:14/11/1944
Age:39
Regiment/Service:Royal Engineers 204 Field Coy.
Grave ReferenceII. 90.
Cemetery
BRUNSSUM WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Husband of B. O. Baker, of Whinney Hill, Yorkshire.

 

Surrey, England, Regimental Rolls and Recruitment Registers, 1908-1947
Name: Roy Kirk
Military Enlistment Date: 15 Jan 1942
Military Enlistment Place: Surrey, England
Regiment: Queen's Royal West Surrey
Regiment Number: 6106383


Name: Roy Kirk
Military Date: 27 Apr 1943
Regiment: East Surrey
Regiment Number: 14388153


UK, World War II Royal Artillery Tracer Cards, 1939-1948
Name: Roy Desmond Kirk
Enlistment Date: 16 Jul 1942
Regiment: Royal Artillery
Military Unit: BDRA ME
Service Number: 14,219,429

Name: Roy Stanley Kirk
Enlistment Date: 1 Apr 1948
Regiment: Royal Artillery
Military Unit: Royal Artillery
Service Number: 22021728

 

Steve, You say
"A search has taken place for the records required to answer your enquiry, but I am sorry to have to tell you that no file was found.
The full name of the subject and his service number and/or date of birth are required to facilitate a search."

Just to be clear I am assuming that the first line was the response from the MOD - where did the second line come from, did they also say that? Did they receive the birth certificate?

 

What we have on his service, is from what he told us in the years before he passed away.
And his 1944 diary, which is in english and italian.

 

The second line was also from the reply from the MOD. The application form did not ask for a birth certificate, as he had passed, however they did ask for a copy of his death certificate, which I sent them which also has his date of birth, and place of birth.

I have attached a photo of Leslie, Roy, Jimmy, Frank, and Wiggy(no idea of his name) and others, taken I think in North Africa.

 

This is the entry in his diary, giving the Told on draught and sailing to Corsica.

 

A much better view of him in has uniform, with beret, and badge

 

Working back along Steve Gough postings: English and Italian Diary. Born Swindon Wilts 110822
Photo no recognisable features (yet)

Diary entries from March 22nd 1944 Vesuvius erupted, ending on 26th March.
He climbed Vesuvius on April 1st(he came home with some lava rock with Italian coins embedded.
Nothing then until June 3rd when he was told he was on the Draft, his diary gives no more details.

June 4th Left Naples at 06:00 for Castellammare.
June 5th Embarked at 12:00 departed at 17:00 on LCT720 Anyone have a record of this boat?
After 2 bad days and nights at sea, they arrived at Porto-Vecchio Corsica. (before Operation Dragoon).

From Corsica, they eventually left for Rome on June 14th, arriving on 18th. (Two weeks after Rome fell to the American 5th Army).
The American 5th Army and British 1st Div rested on the Tiber for several weeks for the infantry to train replacements after Anzio.
The American 88th Div pushed up the west coast trying to clear the way to the Arno but got stuck.
Ancona fell to the Poles on 18th July
September 30th Left for Foggia,(presumably across country, then on to Porto St Giorgio, with the main party arriving on the 22nd.

Certainly got around a bit but nothing over adventurous behind enemy lines.
Question is what unit were they, certainly very mobile..

Maybe Owen has hit the nail on the head. Sea was better than land to get around around Italy.

You have to Watch these Moon Rakers, my wife was born in Marlborough.

 

Steve, if the MOD said they did not receive a date of birth, and you provided it, I would contact them to try and clarify this point, presumably their letter had a reference and I would quote that and send a copy of what you previously sent.

 

Strangely the first time I looked at the beret badge, I said Royal Marines too.

I have two admiralty lists.

The one for June 1944 doesn't list LCT720 at all and the other for December 1944 states it was at Lowestoft on a refit.

The D-Day Story, Portsmouth suggests it was badly damaged with 26 holes on D-day (overlord) and went back to Normandy afterwards.

So if this was the case it must have been the US one that was in the med.

If anyone has a fold3 account, the diary of the USS LCT720 should be on there somewhere to confirm this.

However: Landing Craft Tank Photo Index says it was in the pacific theatre

Hope this helps

Gus

 

Another vote for Owen's suggestion - that cap badge looks RM, though can't be sure, and Scotland could tie in with RM training. I believe they provided port protection units (apologies, can't recall the correct title and away from resources at the mo - an example would be the RM composite battalion who were part of the port defence of Souda Bay in Crete, a component of the 'Mobile Base Defence Organisation'. There's a thread on the forum about similar units I think).

Edit: thread is here