Hello Please see the following London Gazette entry: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37340/supplement/5444 I get confused regarding The Queen's Regiment, is this the Royal West Kents? I am interested in Lance Corporal Arthur J. Horstead 610277. He is awarded a Mention in Despatches for North West Europe, for assumed early/middle 1945. Does anyone know where the Queen's were during this period? or anything further on Lance Corporal Horstead? From what i can gather the 5th battalion were fighting in Holland as part of a Canadian brigade? Any assistance would be appreciated, at the moment the above is all i know (in addition his father was a CSM in the Suffolks and Arthur was born 1912). Thanks.
Queens Regt were the West Surreys. 1/5th Bn was in 131 Brigade in 7th Armoured Division. http://www.desertrats.org.uk/orginfantry.htm#15Queens
Owen, thanks for the clarification, much appreciated. Drew, i have looked under the gallantry section on the national archives website and had no luck. I think my only way forward is to email the west surreys museum and see if they hold any data.
I have had a fairly good search on the Archive site for any mention of Arthur's citation, and have been unable to find anything. I have also tried searching for people around Horstead's name on the Gazette page, and nothing has come up. I have also tried the North-West Europe listings on http://www.********.co.uk/WW2data/awardindex.html, and come up with nothing. All the records previously held by the regiment are now held by the Surrey History Centre (https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/heritage-culture-and-recreation/archives-and-history/surrey-history-centre), they have been extremely helpful to me in the past and may be able to assist. Mark
Additional information: I wonder if Clive Wiley will have any information, his father was a bandsman with the 1/5th Queen's and served as a stretcher bearer. I have him sent a PM. Mark
Adam-It may be worth a look in the diary when you are at Kew next. Some citations were given for a collection of incidents and it may not get a mention beause of this but if it was an individual act theres a good chance it will get a mention in the diary.
Adam, Below is the section from the Regimental History which covers the period 4 September, 1944 to 5th September, 1944 to provide you information with regards to Arthur's wounding, which I believe, from this excerpt, would have occured on the 4th or early on the 5th: Mark
Hi Dads note book only goes up to July , My uncle was MID but my cousin cant find out why . I see that Arthur is on a list of men that went from Africa to Italy when he was a private.
Hello all, The information you have provided is much more than i expected. I am very grateful. Mark, thank you for providing the account of the battalions actions, where did you get the information regarding the wounding? and thanks for the nod towards the Surrey History Centre. Clive, the confirmation that he went from Africa to Italy opens up much more research for me as to the battalions history. Thanks again
You are welcome Adam, Here is a book that mentions the QRWS 1/5 in Holland ( I must buy it my self) ,https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cUQRBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT118&lpg=PT118&dq=Lt.+Derrick+Watson&source=bl&ots=X3eppswnN-&sig=99i9_EQ9HVcV8WEeDSgpDu_vPgE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-qouuo9_NAhWCJ8AKHXvVDLkQ6AEISDAH#v=onepage&q=Lt.%20Derrick%20Watson&f=false