My Grandfather (a Chindit) Charles Turner

Hello!
I am looking for information about my Grandfather, Charles Turner, who I was very close to but have very sketchy infomation about his War Days - he rarely spoke about his experience. I attach a pic of him (bottom right) however I do have a full Word Doc of where I am up to but it doesnt seem to be accepted as an upload. Happy to email it to any interested parties! I believe that he was a Chindit. If anyone can offer up any info I would be very grateful. Thanks everyone! x

 

Hello Kristen,

If possible, convert/save your word doc. in pdf. format, you should then be able to attach it to a post using the "upload a file" function.

There are members of the forum with a wealth of knowledge of service in the far eastern theatre of war who will hopefully be able to assist you.

Good luck with all your research.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Thanks so much Jim - Great advice. I hope that people here can help me decipher some of the sketchy information I do actually have! PDF file below

 

Hi Kristen,

I recently replied to your email on behalf of the Chindit Society. Although we had no definite information about Charles, I'm pleased to see that you have made some headway in researching his WW2 pathway. If you do ever close in on his Chindit credentials (regiment at that time), then get back to me and we can close in a little more on his service in Burma.

Best wishes

Steve

 

Kristen,

Good to read your story. A PM next with some research tips.

I would advise you add footnotes to show where the information came from (on a master copy of the research, rather than a public document).

Inter-regimental transfers feature here quite a lot. It happened for a variety of reasons, notably it reflects the scale of the losses in combat and the dwindling manpower pool available to the British Army (I'm not sure it affects the RN & RAF the same way).

 

Hello Steve - God you must be sick of me!!
Thanks so much for all your replies, it really is kind of you....
This is half my problem - his actual regiment..,.. he always told us the Cameronians and Black Watch but the badge is clearly KOSB? There are clearly pics of him as a Chindit.... I just wish he had spoken more to me. Now it feels like I am chasing a ghost! Thanks Steve

 

Thank you David - great tips and I will do that moving forward. Its a great way to keep track!

 

Thank you DBF - this is the info that came back when we made the MoD application for his records - however the date of birth is 04/07/1914 and my Gramps is 04/07/1915 - so I am hoping that it is a typo and these are in fact his records. Waiting to see what comes back but because of the time that it will take I am trying to get as much info as possible in the meantime. His story as far as I know it up to now is in the PDF attachment above. Thank you for all of your help!

 

Keep at it Kristen, and as per dbf's post (and links) above, give consideration to obtaining your grandfather's service records.

Good fortune to you, may you find the answers that you seek.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Only wish I could have helped more straight away. All three regiments have strong Chindit connections, the Cameronains and Black Watch more obviously providing battalions for Operation Thursday in 1944, but also that the KOSB's sent a large section of NCOs (Non Commissioned Officers, Corporals and Sergeants etc) to the 13th King's in July 1940 to bolster this fledgling battalion a couple of years prior to its own involvement with the first Chindit expedition in 1943.

 

Have you seen this before Kristen?

Royal Artillery Attestation from 1933 (including an update note showing your grandfather's re-enlistment into the KOSBs in 1940)

Information courtesy of FMP.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

You are more than helping me now. I think its wonderful that people like you on this thread now can help people like me. I think you are all marvelous. And to give up your own time etc. This is great info and I am going to add it to my sheet so I dont forget. I understand why people like my Gramps were tight lipped given their experience so to learn so much from knowledgeable people like you bunch is just amazing. As you can fill in the gaps!

May I ask, do you think that there is any significance that my Gramps was posted at Sandringham just before he was dispatched to Burma? I think he was there 1938-1939 time..... he was in charge of organising the King's shooting days.... My Gramps remembers talking to our late Queen when she was about 12 years old? We didnt believe Gramps ever received rank so seems odd that this was his role before Burma, or would this give any clue to what his Regiment was? - or is this a red herring? Thank you!!

 

Holy Moly Jim..... I cant believe you have just posted that. I have never seen this before. I am in tears.... what an emotional document to see. I cant thank you enough. This is just wonderful Jim.

 

Unbelievable isnt it?? Can't believe that they did this.....!!

 

I think you really need to have sight of his Army records Kristen, otherwise the tendency is to chase apparent leads, only to find they do take you away from what you are trying to achieve. I know, as this happened to me when I began to research my own Chindit grandfather way back in 2007.

 

I very much think dbf has it Kristen. Your grandfather may very well have bumped his birthday back by a year for his original enlistment (into the Territorial Army, Royal Artillery).
Must be TA RA unit as his discharge from same in 1937 notes "Section 204 TAR", the "TAR" part being Territorial Army Regulations.

Forum members ab64 and Timuk are the chaps for these regs. They have both posted up about section 204 previously. I'll try and find a link to same.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

EDIT: As per Bamboo43's post above, Army records are the way forward, once you have them they will hopefully provide you with many more answers than questions.

 

Good advise - I have my hope up but you are right. I should wait for the records. You lot have been brill tho...

 

Thank you Jim - that would be so useful. You have all been amazing and I can't thank you enough!