W.J. McBurney, RA WW2 & RUF Korea

Hello, Are you able to provide me with info. regarding my uncle W.J. McBurney at all? Originally in Royal Artillery in Normandy later in Palestine. Demobbed joined Royal Ulster Rifles serving during Korean conflict.
Any help appreciated.
Regards, Martin McBurney.

 

Martin,

Welcome aboard. You will better help if you start a new thread. This thread is about a particular individual. Use this area: Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy

The title needs to get attention, so, like his full name, Date of Birth if known, serving in WW2 RA and Korea RUR.

Then tell us what you know, e.g. Service Number. That will help stop members duplicating what you know. Some tips on research via Private Message (PM) next and good luck - you will get help here.

 

Martin - Just to avoid confusion there's no need to start a new thread, posts moved to create this separate, dedicated thread.
Good luck

 

Hi Martin

Looking in the Royal Artillery Tracer Cards on ancestry there is only one soldier called W J McBurney & his post war service fits with your narrative.

image from ancestry.co.uk

The joining date given is confirmed by the card of another gunner with a very near service number.

Can't be certain as to what he was doing between enlistment and 4 Dec 1945, I read the card as being with 2 Field from at least Dec 1945. Some gunners served as infantry in the later months of WW2 attached to infantry regiments, although this is usually recorded on their card. Looks like he joined 2 Field Regiment in the Middle East Sep 1946 & transferred to 41st Field Regiment April 1947.

April 1947 was the month that 2 Field was re-designated as 41 Field. 2 Field had been in Palestine in Feb 1945. The re-numbered 41st Regt left Palestine for the Canal Zone in Aug 1948.
2 Field Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45
British Army units from 1945 on - 41st Regiment RA

Curiously I could not locate him on the Palestine medal roll on ancestry.

Having been discharged in 1948 to the Z (Territorial) Reserve he was released from this when he enlisted in Dec 1949 in the regulars as 22294725 North Irish Brigade. One of the units that made up the North Irish Brigade was the Royal Ulster Rifles.
North Irish Brigade - Wikipedia

By 1949 the RUR had one battalion of regulars the 1st Battalion. They arrived in Korea Nov 1950. In 1951 they were involved in the Battle of the Imjin River, when the enemy were halted just 5 miles from Seoul.
Royal Ulster Rifles - Wikipedia

I had no luck finding him in the WW2 Medal Card Index or army casualty list on ancestry, but he may have received his medals for WW2 while still serving so no card.


Travers

 

From the Tracer Card, his Service Number was 14817680 and this is shown on: Army Number Search as originally being issued by the General Service Corps, an all-arms initial training and assessment unit that started in early 1942. His date of enlistment is shown as 3/8/1944, so two months after the D-Day landings in Normandy.

For a summary history of 2 Field Regt. see: 2 Field Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

 

Hello Travers, Apologies for tardy response. Delayed by some health issue.
Many thanks for that information, very useful.
Reagrds, Martin.