Help with photographs, uniforms and history.

I have recently become the proud owner of some photographs of Dennis William Trinder, who is a close blood relative of mine. He was born in 1917, and joined up as a private just before the outbreak of WW2 - and finished it as an acting captain in the military police. He was in the Leeds Rifles 66th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment in 1940, and went to Wireless house in Leeds. He was in Orkney in 1941, in 184 Battery Leeds Rifles. He went to Officer training in Schrivenham in September 1941 OCTU. He was the in the 81st Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment of the Royal Artillery 254 battery, and was in Easington in 1942. He was in Blackhall rocks with some of the regiment of the 81st Heavy Anti Aircraft regiment in July 1942. He then joined the 59th Heavy Anti Artillery Essex Regiment by August 1942. He was with the 59th Heavy Anti Aircraft REgiment in North Africa in 1943, and looks to be having a ball in the photos. He was then in Italy in 1944, and again, looks to be more 'on holiday' than in a war.

I have uploaded the photographs of him, which my grandmother labelled. I'm wondering whether anybody can help me identify any of the places in the photographs, or identify any of the people. There are some quite obvious landmarks in the Italy pictures that I don't recognise, but somebody might. In particular, I'm interested in finding two guys called Cliff and Doug who my grandmother knew well enough to label in the photographs.

Apart from these specific queries, I'm interested in knowing what these particular regiments got up to in the war. I know that my grandfather was responsible for organising the entertainments in Orkney, and possibly afterwards, so if anybody knows anything about that I'd also be really glad to know. It would also be interesting to work out who the guys in the OCTU training photograph are. I'm not sure what else you can tell from photographs, but please do tell me if you can see anything that I can't.

Thanks very much, I've found this forum so helpful and friendly.

 

Thanks for sharing wonderful pictures. I can't help but look forward to reading this thread with interest

David

 

Great photos, thanks for sharing. Not my area either but we have Royal Artillery members who can help I am sure.

Lesley

 

That's a cracking set of photographs. Thanks-ever-so for sharing them. Nice to see the little Austin 8HP Tourer there with it's hood up (unfortunately no markings visible...)

The church behind the beach looks like Positano.

 

Service record topic via below link.

Steve Y

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/54479-any-pointers-for-a-novice/?view=getnewpost&fromsearch=1

 

Thanks for that link, Steve. Every time I think of the moment I opened his military records from the British Army, and found out that he went from private to acting captain during the course of the war, I feel really proud all over again. My dream, really, is to find somebody alive who knew him back then, and to shake their hand and ask them about him, but that seems a hopeless task.

Also a massive thank you for an identification of the vehicle and the church, Rich - amazing that people can do that! I sense a trip to Italy coming on. I might even find myself standing in the same spot he did in the picture, taking a picture of my own. .

 

This is the Austin, for the sake of good order and the 'Battle Wagon' is a Morris Commercial but the hood sticks are puzzling me too much to have a stab at the model.

I'm no great Italy expert by the way, but visited Positano as a lad. It's a beautiful spot.

 

Criddy1979: You might want to obtain a copy of Leeds to Rangoon and Back: With the 66th Leeds Rifles Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (TA) and 5th Light Indian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment edited by Gerald Tyler, published by the author in 2008.

 

These are fantastic and I don't know how I missed them! My grandfather was also in 254 battery 81st HAA, from early 1941 through to 1944. I have the battery and regiment war diaries and a few more photos (those are on an earlier thread of mine). I'm parked up near easington right now and will be trying to locate the sites at easington and blackhall rocks tomorrow, have already visited some of the sites and will be at rysa bay gunsite on Orkney next week...if ever you see this again please message me! Sadly I don't recognize anyone on the photos.