Very nice. Is M. Narayana Raju's rank stated as Recruit Gunner? Can you tell me anymore about the Indian Airborne Division? Did he enlist into the Royal Artillery?
Yup, recruit gunner - the stamp is "7 training ba? No3 Madrassi?" it has very limited dates so not sure if he left the Army or got a new book The other Gunner was with various RA Anti-Tank units and I think went to Boulogne in 1940 - he went to the Far East and went through a couple of units but without action, then on to 159 Para Field Regiment 159 Parachute Light Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45 (ra39-45.co.uk) in 44th (Indian) Airborne Div 44th Airborne Division (India) - Wikipedia
I bought a replica MIL-K army pocket knife. I had a genuine WWII era one when I was in the Cub/Boy Scouts that my dad gave me but it got lost in the following years. Chinese but I'm very happy (and surprised) with the quality and the edge. We were allowed to wear pocket knives on our belt when we wore our Cub Scout uniforms to school. Age seven. Different times for sure. Already used to avert a mini crisis later in the day. Non twist off Boston Lager with no opener on boat.
I really should avoid the internet when I'm on holiday - I somehow managed a better haul than usual - it did mean coming home to a bumper bundle of parcels REME officers medals AB64's - 2 unissued, KSLI wounded in Normandy, ATS, RA Despatch Rider, Gunner who joined 7 Commando and was captured on Crete, Cameronian (possibly Chindit) who then transferred to REME and was recalled for Korea Small Books - Sapper who lost a leg at Arras in 1918, and a Lincolnshire Regiment lad who seems to have been wounded 1st day of Loos and was then wounded between 1-3rd July 1916 at the start of the Somme offensive Certificate of Service - unissued AB439 - to a British Indian Officer who served with the 14th Punjabs and 40th Pathans Wehrpass - killed in a Soviet counter attack during Barbarossa A church Service book and couple of photos
Yesterdays find, kept by the recipient to remind him of what he had left behind. I have looked them up and it seems that they were not long married before William went off to the war. Dorothy was just 22 when she married William Watkins in Chepstow in 1942.
I'm slowly putting together a set of the various badges my grandfather wore with the R.A. This Land Forces Hong Kong patch arrived today. He wore these from 1948 until mid-49 when 40 Inf Div came into being:
No photos yet, but I've just paid for a promising eBay purchase: a 110-picture photo album from the School or Artillery in Deolali (India) in 1947. It includes labelled photos of the whole instructional staff as well as many shots of the site and various guns being fired in practice. For £15. I watched for days, expecting a flurry of bids to push the price out of sensible reach, but when none came, I put down the minimum price, went to bed and woke to find I'd won it.
Charley I would be extremely interested to learn whether there are any Archer photos in that lot. There are two postwar photos of Archers I'm aware of in postwar India, though they seem to be from an (unidentified) armour training school as I think there are other tanks in the background. I think it unlikely that there's a connection, but still...
I won't get a look at it for some time (in the wrong country at present), but I'll check when we finally cross paths.
Those 40 Div signs are very interesting - the amount of detail suggests they were locally produced, rather than ordnance issue.
Quite right . A bit of speculation on my part, but 25 Field Regt R.A had been part of Land Forces Hong Kong since redesignation in 1947, but as HQ 40th Inf Div did not become operational and arrive in the colony until mid-1949, I've assumed the founding units might have had the fairly common 'homemade' ones before the printed versions became available.
I would add that the upper badge in post 27 was still in use in 1966/67 as the badge of HongKong and Kowloon Garrison, and probably until the place was handed over to the Chinese. Chris
The album is in the UK with my family, but a quick flick-through over Skype suggests that a photo of a Sexton on the range is as close as we're getting to your interests.
True, though my uninformed perception is that the printed version predominates as the years pass and those embroidered ones became more uncommon.
Yes, the printed ones got more common and often appear on press studs for ease of removal for laundry.