Essex Regiment North Africa / Italy

Hi, I’m researching my Grandad’s war service.

I downloaded a record from "xxx" that says he was in 5th Battalion Essex Regiment but I have his diary from 1st Jan 1944 thru to Dec same year, left Egypt early Jan, arrived Taranto Sat 8th Jan on Ship Princess Kathleen. He was at Cassino from Feb 1944 and ended up in Greece in Dec 1944.

That would have meant he was 1 / 4th Essex correct ?
Was it common to change Battalions ?

Would like to know how he got to Africa & what happened to him there.

Simon

 

Simon,

xxx gives 'snapshot' data. I.e. your grandfather was once recorded on some document to be with 5 Essex. You really need his full service records from the MoD.

In this case, if it was 2/5 Essex, he'd have to change battalion because they were captured or killed almost to a man near Alamein in July 1942. It's worth noting that a number subsequently escaped, though usually after the Italians swapped sides. This would also have generated more paperwork for xxx to find.

There was also a 1/5 Essex in Italy, but Cassino in Feb and Greece in Dec does indeed sound like 1/4th Essex. My hunch is that he was a reinforcement--what was his year of birth?

That's my own grandfather's old unit. You're the third person this week to enquire about them here. If you could provide his name and army service number--and message me an email address--I'll check my records after work and get back to you.

Welcome to the board.

 

Simon,

Welcome aboard. Others may come along and help: Charley is not the only expert here. Always apply for his Service Record, even if the turnaround is reported as a year plus now. See: Get a copy of military service records Upload the records here once you've obtained them and then the forum can get to work on them.

Please do not pay for any site on the internet who promise you his service records they will not have them, and you would have wasted your money.

An illustration of what a record can provide: Pte S Attley 14685855 4th Wilts Service Records | WW2Talk

Adding what you have already found can help, saves others from duplication. A Date of Birth and a Service Number help, though the experts here can surmount that gap.

I have noted the 'Other Ranks' rarely feature in Google searches unless they have been awarded gallantry medals or written their memoirs.

Searching Google will sometimes bring you back here. The site’s search engine is rather simple. You must be agile and keep going.

War diaries can contain almost anything. At the very least, they give the daily movements and most important actions of every unit. They may also contain information on casualties, message logs, rolls of officers (but not O.R.'s), maps, orders, and much else. They are available at the PRO to everyone. Drew5233 and some others are willing to scan them for the benefit of those who cannot get to the National Archives at Kew.

It depends of course how much you want to know, just one battle or campaign for an example.

Please come back and tell us what you found. Scanning threads it is clear some discover the site years (yesterday 8yrs later) after your posts and add their information or request help. Good luck.

 

Thanks for your reply, that's most helpful, will contact MOD, 6027970 Edward Keys, born 1911,
Thanks again,
Simon

 

Than you, I'll start digging,

 

Yes, he was with 1/4th Essex.

First trace of him--there may be more:

6027970 Pte Keys E - Abrasions to the head: 19/3/44.
6027970 Pte Keys E - Gunshot wound to the buttock: 28/7/44.

With reference to the first injury, this was probably the heaviest day of combat for 1/4th Essex at CASSINO. A tank was firing in support of a German attack on the castle the battalion was holding, which caused the west wall to collapse, burying ten men. Your grandfather's injury is quite consistent with those sustained by some of the others buried, and might indicate that he was a member of Major Beckett's C-Company.

With reference to the second injury, the battalion was in action around GELLO. Multiple companies were sending out 'fighting patrols', and B Company seems to have been in the thick of it, but all were in the firing line, so to speak, so there's no real clue as to which company he could have been with at this point.

 

Thanks Charley, that's amazing, see attached from his diary..by the way, end of July he reports his mate killed & himself wounded, he said in the head not the buttocks but I guess buttock's not as glamorous.

 

Remarkable, I hope he kept that tin hat!

And I'm pretty pleased with my guess work, too!

I've emailed you some more material.

 

Could you show his diary for the days before and on 19 Mar 44?

Regards

Frank

 

According to the casualty lists the second injury was 25.7.44 and he was with 5th Essex.

 

Weird.

 

Hi

I have the diaries for their time in Greece during Dec 44 and Jan 45. If Charley hasn't beaten me to it.

Greece was no post Cassino holiday camp eiither. It was horrible nasty counter insurgency operations. Bit like worst of Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghan, Lebanon, and Palestine all rolled in to just six weeks.

500 killed, 1500 wounded and another 1000 taken prisoner. Atrocities against those who were captured were horrendous. Especially against the Paras and Indian soldiers.

Dad, who was in 23 Armoured Brigade, who fought as infantry and had just 12 tanks in support instead of over 100 was one of the lucky ones to get through it in one piece. He never talked about his time in Greece.

Hope this helps

Gus

 

Still trying to understand why my Grandad appears to have temporarily changed Battalion. After being injured end of July 44 he was taken to Lake Trasimere Hospital & then flown to 66 Hospital Naples.
There are no entries in the diary until Oct, see attached. Also, he specifically says he was away from the Battalion for 2 months. Does anyone know where the places are, that he mentions in the Oct entry ? see attached. Thanks

 

Simon.

By Oct 44, the British were through the Gothic Line but had got bogged down on the Marecchia Plain beyond it because of the awful weather. XIII (BR) Corps were in the mountains to their left under command US Fifth Army.

Regards

Frank

 

Hi,
My wife is in the same position, her farther served with the black watch in Africa then in January 1944 suddenly appears in Italy as Essex regiment and within days is captured but we can’t find out any information on his capture at according to his service record was at Pesco does anybody have any idea as to action here?

 

98099F1D-0FF4-4AFF-A02F-6833AD44B29A by dibly posted Jul 28, 2022 at 1:14 PM

D9746C24-73E2-49D2-8197-00AE99DD73A4 by dibly posted Jul 28, 2022 at 1:14 PM

E50B28B9-D548-470E-B130-11E71C9455B6 by dibly posted Jul 28, 2022 at 1:14 PM

 

By the end of Dec 43, the Eighth Army advance up the Adriatic coast towards Pescara had ground to a halt between the River Moro and the River Foro. The Allied activity switched from offensive to aggressive patrolling. It is likely that he was captured on 8 Jan 44 as part of one of those patrols.

To really know more, you need to get hold of the War Diaries for 1/5 Essex. They were in 19 Indian Infantry Brigade who were themselves part of 8 Indian Division.

Regards

Frank

 

I'm going to join in the thread rather late, as I've only just found the site.
I'm looking for some history on the 4th Essex, in particular an Edward Sidney George Smith, number 5030330, KIA 07-10-1944 as somebody has asked me to try do some research (unpaid, as a favour) on him, and what he might have done during the war. I'm going to find a replacement set of medals and get them framed as well as his CWGC memoriam page.

She seems to think he was part of the 8th Army in Africa (8th Army bar on Africa Star?), before going to Italy.

Thanks in advance

 

I am probably your man here.

It's close to bedtime in my time-zone, but I'll have some information on Edward Smith and will post it here.

My grandfather was with 1/4th Essex throughout the war.