Port Operations Technical Training Wing (POTTW) location 1944 ?

Hi, from my Grandad's military records after qualifying as a barge engineer in Royal Engineers he has an entry

"Posted to POTTW PO 4637 - date 13/9/45 "

I believe this is the Port Operations Technical Training Wing of the Royal Engineers Inland Water Transport.
From November he was attached to No 1 PCR (No 1 IWT Port Construction & Repair Group) in Marchwood.

I've been trying to find the location of POTT Wing in September 1944 I believe from other info I have on his movements that it could either have been at No 1 Military Port, Faslane, Scotland or it was at Marchwood.

Can anyone assist or send me in the right direction, many thanks for any help.

Rob

 

Rob might be an idea if you post the records on this thread for forum members to have a look at they could possibly add more in your query

 

Sure. Here is the relevant page, thanks

 

Updating this thread in case it becomes of use to anyone in future. In 1944 certainly for the period I was interested in the Port Operating Technical Training wing of the Royal Engineers was based In Scotland at Cairnryan, military port number 2.
There's useful information within the National Archives - ref WO 166/16335

 

Rob,

Curious that after VJ-Day the Royal Engineers continued to train for this role.

A much larger role than I can recall from reading before long ago: Cairnryan Military Port | Solway Military Trail

Even more so:

Link: SCOTS - The Cairnryan Military Railway 1941-1959

So by September 1944 it was an isolated "backwater".

 

Thanks for the link, interesting reading, I'll take a look.

My basic understanding is that military ports No 1 and 2 in Scotland were built and run by RE. Cairnryan also acted as a training base for IWT all sorts of trades from Stevedores, Crane drivers, Lightermen, Marine Firemen, Barge engineers.
My grandad had been in Royal Artillery but was transferred to RE in March '44. He was trained as a barge engineer on the tugs/craft operating the engines etc. He went to Cairnryan in Sept to Nov 1944 (one of my post above may have in error said '45) ! He undertook further training barge engineer - steam and straight after was attached to No 1 Port Construction Repair Group in Marchwood Nov '44. No idea what company as its not been listed, maybe he was working in home waters.
In March '45 he was attached to 980 Coy a heavy workshop coy with another 12 barge engineers and sent out to Burma where they worked on the Chindwin river, based around Kalewa then Prome then eventually down to Rangoon getting military vehicles, provisions and ammunition down river to logistically support the push to reach Rangoon before the monsoon hit.

 

From reading the war diary at Kew for the port it seemed to have more going on with training in that period than much traffic going through the port. I had been trying to find out where this port operating training wing was for the period for some time, Had initially thought it may have been at Faslane or Marchwood but clearly from the diaries it was at Cairnryan for that period. Each week they give a report of activities and breakdown of the numbers training there in each trade, under the heading Port Operating Technical Training Wing. It was interesting and enlightening given it was the last document I looked at after 5 hrs !

 

Curious that after VJ-Day the Royal Engineers continued to train for this role.

- My mistake it was 13/9/44 not 45 - IWT crew and technical roles were needed for UK, French, Belgian and eventually Dutch ports as well as on rivers in Burma