Pte. Peter Sutton, 4809811, Royal Lincolnshire Regt. and Royal Artillery

I am researching the above (deceased) man on behalf of his son. His Service Record has been applied for, but from reading other similar threads on the forum I believe there is a good chance someone will be able to provide some information while we wait.

The son tells me his father enlisted on 29th January 1942, joining the Royal Lincolnshire Regt. at Lincoln. He caught pleurisy and so was not able to go with the rest of his unit when it was sent to N. Africa - which I believe indicates he was serving with the 6th Bn.?

He later joined the Royal Artillery's 101st Anti Tank Regt. On D-Day +4 he was with 91st Anti Tank Regiment (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders); and in December 1944 was a L/Sgt with 146 Battery of the 91st Anti Tank Regiment, equipped with 17 Pounder armed M10 Achilles.

I am aware the 91st A-Tk Regt. was amalgamated into the 63rd Anti-Tank Regiment in December, 1944, and that although the 91st did not go into suspended animation until January 1945, an exchange of personnel took place on December 10th, 1944. The 250th and 252nd Batteries of the new 63rd Anti-Tank Regiment were actually the re-numbered 144th and 146th Batteries of the old 91st A-Tk Regt. (Within 2nd Army, they were still known as 144th and 146th (A & SH) Batteries, and I have seen official documentation that supports this.)

Can anyone suggest where Peter would have done his basic infantry training; how long that might have taken, and what date he transferred to the RA and where his re-training might have occurred, please? Or anything about the wartime movements of 146th / 252nd Batteries?

Many thanks
Malcolm

 

Peter Hazelwood SUTTON, 4809811

He was conscripted (not enlisted) into the Lincolnshire Regiment between August 1940 early 1941 and The Lincolns only became The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment in 1946.

His name is shown in the Nominal Rolls of the Lincolns.

His name is shown in the Appendix of 101 Anti-Tank Regiment, when it was converted to the Royal Artillery from the 8th Battalion, The Lincolns on 23 December 1942. 101 A/T was disbanded, but the the last page of 101 A/T war diary I have is January 1943.

The 8th Battalion was activated on 9/10/1940.

Until you get the actual service records, never assume where he actually went.

 

Thank you so much for your interest, Rob - Having seen your responses to similar queries I was hoping you might be in a position to help. I stand corrected regarding the two errors I made in the heading and first sentence of my original post! Having re-read the notes given me by the son, he does indeed state that Dad was conscripted. The son and I weren't at all sure how Dad's transition from the 8th Bn. Lincolnshire Regt. to the RA came about, but your reply and attachments explain it completely. The son remembers his Dad telling him of a friend he lost when the friend's Achilles was destroyed, but we will wait to see what his Service Record states and then I will try and trace his movements. Thank you again.

 

The Royal Artillery needed to recruit men from other units to bolster Anti Tank & Anti-Aircraft Regiments and that's what happened. The 7th Battalion was converted to 102 LAA Regiment and the 8th Battalion became 101 AT Regiment. Post 1942, 101 AT was also disbanded and it sounds like that's what happened to Gunner Sutton.

They were VIII Corps A/T troops 1944 onwards in North West Europe. See attached:-

 

Thank you once again - much appreciated.