Freedom of Information Act

Good evening,

Recently whilst in the Forum I read that one of the members' had posted details about applying for further information re the WW2 Italy Campaign. As I am seeking more than my late Father's Service Records and War Diaries, I thought I would make application. The address given was in Stockport and a very helpful gentleman called me to say that he was actually the Sergeant in charge of the Stockport Army Recruiting Office! No joy there then..... so if anyone else has this information perhaps they might to post it.
Many thanks
Ann

 

For some reason OP has duplicated her post - original below.

I’ll ask a MOD to delete this one -

Recent Posting ref Application for Freedom of Information Act

 

I wou

l'd suspect that at this date most info is in TNA and available if you know what and where to look. Perhaps if you said what you are looking for members of this forum might be of greater help.

 

One starting point is the classified Cabinet histories. These are the official narrative, written by historians based on the War Diaries and other official documents. They are the historian's best efforts at what happened, and the base documents for the much much smaller official histories. Where your father's unit gets a single line, or no mention at all in the official history, the CAB series will say a lot more.

Here is a link to the series for Italy.
Browse records of other archives | The National Archives

 

Hello Sheldrake,

Thank you for your kind information and helpful information, I will certainly give this a go. Much Appreciated.
Kind regards
Ann/

 

Hello Robert

Thank you for your reply. As you can see I am a junior member and am trying to learn the protocols as fast as I can.
I have Service Records and War Diaries from supposedly my late father's journey through North Africa and Italy. I am trying to find out which Bty my Dad was with, his Regiment states 110/39 LAA RA. However I am looking for a list of names of the veterans who would have served in this Bty so that I may follow the activities more clearly.
My Dad left the UK, with his Regiment, as part of the 1st Army, via Liverpool and then joined Convoy KMS or KM8 on the Clyde in early January 1942 together with 52 AA Bde and arrived in Bone, Algiers in early February the same year. The name of his ship was, I believe, either "Empire Pride" or Duchess of York." I have sent a small photograph of my later Father, JAMES RICHARD MIDDLETON

 

If he landed in Algiers then surely that would have been in 1943 - as Operation Torch took place in November 1942. I'm guessing that was just a typo.

 

Convoy KMS was a series of convoys and ranges from KMS 1G all the way to KMS 98G so it would be deciding on which one

Convoy KM was also a series and ranged between KM 3 through to KM 7

TD

Further details

Convoy KMS.1G
Departed CLYDE on Oct 22, 1942. Arrived ALGIERS on Nov 8, 1942. (TDS = 46)

The KM series didnt start until 1944 so that eliminates them
Convoy KM.3D
Departed KILINDINI on Mar 23, 1944. Arrived D SUAREZ on Mar 26, 1944. (TDS = 1)

 

Hi Chris,
Thank you for your kind reply.
To be honest, I have no idea where Dad landed in North Africa, I was informed that Bone was the landing and gathering of equipment area prior to going to the frontline. I will re-check.
Meanwhile from North Africa Dad was sent to Italy, landing at Taranto in late December 1943 so, yes, it was a typo, apologies.
Kind regards
Ann

 

Hello TD
Thank you for your reply and the information.
My Dad departed the UK for North Africa in January 1943 on, according to Regimental History for Serial R2539, as part of 1st Army and 52 AA Bde. He was sent to Italy in late December 1943.
I obtained information about the Convoys from the Maritime Authorities and it was they, who suggested that the KM8 was wrong on the Regimental History it should have read KMS?
I am now even more confused. I will go back to them both for clarification.
Many thanks
Ann

 

Hi Ann

Checking Convoydweb then they show a multitude of convoys starting with the prefix KMS

Convoy KMS.1G Departed CLYDE on Oct 22, 1942. Arrived ALGIERS on Nov 8, 1942.

through to

Convoy KMS.98G Departed EX OS 124/KMS 98 on Apr 27, 1945. Arrived GIBRALTAR on May 1, 1945.

So would need a closer date of departure. Many convoys left from various ports, often in the case of North Africa they left Clyde (Glasgow) and Liverpool at slightly different dates but joined up off Ireland to make an even larger convoy

TD

Convoy KMS.8G Departed CLYDE on Jan 21, 1943. Arrived BONE on Feb 8, 1943.

 

TD I'm not sure why you aren't giving Ann the link to convoyweb (unless someone provided it before). Ann, it's Arnold Hague Ports database

The site doesn't have information on an Empire Pride or Duchess of York. However, there is an Empire Prince which sailed with convoy KMS.8G. (Although SS Empire Pride did exist, according to wikipedia)

 

Its not an easy site to find your way around, and until the details of the sailing are nailed down closer it may well prove a distraction rather than a help

I was of the view that Ann had enough on her plate but hey ho

TD

 

Hi Chris,
The weekend is nearly here and I will have more time to look through the many sheets of paper I have to check and re-check what I have been told. In the meantime, I will look at the Arnold Hague Ports Database.
Thank you for your time and effort in trying to offer assistance, much appreciated.
Best wishes
Ann

 

Hello TD,

Thank you for your wise words I do have many sheets/notes here in my ever growing collection and time always seems against me but I will check and re-check information I already have and then look at the Database Chris has suggested.
Have a good weekend.
Kind regards
Ann

 

Hello Sheldrake,
Thank you for your useful information, I will certainly check this out over the weekend and see what further information I might be able to find - at times I feel that seeking more details is like looking for a needle in a haystack!
Kind regards
Ann

 

When you do have more concrete information let us know and we can go from there, whether its you, me or someone else. just so ,long as you have the correct details

TD

 

Will someone please correct me if I am wrong, but would the entire regiment have embarked together? If so, here are the details from Frank Thomas of 111 Battery 39 LAA Regiment. Frank left Liverpool

''on the troopship “S.S. Samaria” for embarkation to Algiers. ...'We sailed on the 23rd January and formed a convoy off Glasgow the following day...
We passed through the Straights of Gibraltar by night and arrived at Algiers on Feb 1st 1943, where for the first time in my life I set foot on foreign soil. We then went onto a brickyard 17 kilometres outside Algiers at a small village called Baraki.
Our regiment with its supporting R.A.S.C. unit numbered about 1,000 men and we were all encamped in the brickworks.''

Can we thus take it that Ann's father was also on the S.S.Samaria and encamped in the brickworks?

Vitellino

 

In general terms I would say that the Regiment would be embarked together on one ship. However nothing can be certain. In my father's case going to Durban and then Singapore the Regiment were embarked on the one ship however detachments were placed on the accompanying merchantmen carrying the Regiment's guns, ammunition and stores to bolster the DEMS gunners.

Tim

 

The only contribution I can make is that when 56 Recce left Glasgow for Operation Torch in October 1942, half went on SS Viceroy of India and the other half on SS Marnix van St Aldegonde. To my mind it would make sense to split units in case the worst happened.