War Records - help with abbreviations & interpretation of service records

Hi Ron

Thanks for the clarification, things wern't the greatest at home(Dad did not go home after the war) so I was speculating Dad would have done this. I wonder what he did do? Thanks for the attachments and the link, they will give me some idea of what Dad would have done there.
Appreciate that

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

Here is the first page of the summary I got for Dad's regiment diaries

regards

Robert

 

Robert

Fine, the Regimental Diaries are very important when establishing dates of movements and actions in which the Regiment took place, but, for the purpose of linking these to personal diaries or personal records, I can't stress too much the need to look at the relevant Army Record sheets and I'm pleased to see that you placed these in your thread earlier on.

Now you are in an an excellent position to ask plenty of questions

Best of luck !

Ron

 

Hi all

Looking at the first sheet where he was posted to the 86 LAA Reg, the towns I can look up, but did they have any signifivance then? Also what do VP and number mean and can anyone give their positions. They were using LMG's then - so Lewis's? Were they on the bomber flight paths to London? Rainham and Watchet tie in with service records. Dad was posted to depot 30/1/42 and then to North Africa, so he was taken out of 281 LAA Bty? as the top piece says 30/09/41 to 31/12/44, when I suppose they were demobbed?
Any onther insights appreciated

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

Also what do VP and number mean and can anyone give their positions...

Just seen this - VP in this context I think is "Vulnerable Point"...having checked some early "Defence of Britain Project" material...this was an archaeological survey of UK defences undertaken in 1990s, I had interests in it for Scotland...yes, the introductory volume states...

"...LAA [Light Anti-Aircraft] weapons were organised differently [that is, to HAA, Heavy Anti-Aircraft]. Throughout the war they were deployed to defend vulnerable points (VPs), which were smaller targets than those protected by GDAs [Gun Defended Areas, i.e. cities and towns protected by HAA batteries] - such as airfields, radar stations, or munitions factories - and were generally sited with a single gun at a single site. Being smaller and lighter, LAA weapons were also capable of greater flexibility in deployment than their heavier cousins. The VPs defended by LAA weapons were numbered, and this scheme forms the basis for the site listings in the gazetteers..."

(Redfern, N.I., Twentieth Century Fortifications in the UK, Volume I, Introduction and Sources, Council for British Archaeology, 1998, p.5)

Unfortunately I only have the Scottish site gazetteer listings...I have part of another document, Dobinson, C.S., 20th century fortifications in England, Vol. 1.4, AA Artillery, site gazetteer WW2 LAA, Council of British Archaeology, York, 1996, with listings of some in England, but not those in southern England in the 1-- series than you mention (feel free to scream !). I could however email you a few pages of this photocopy as it explains the VP system in a bit more detail - if you want this PM me your email - unless some kind soul has the whole document to hand ? There are some DofB/ex-DofB chaps on here I think.

For more on Defence of Britain, see Defence of Britain Project | The Council for British Archaeology - however, I tried quickly to search in their database for VPs and couldn't make it work... maybe you can or try contacting them...

Just noticed - Brooklands - that was where Vickers were building Wellington bombers, so an obvious potential target - there was an 'Antique Roadshow' episode from there recently and I remember them mentioning it...

 

When I sent to RAF Records for mine all I got was a photocopy of the front and back of one foolscap sheet and a covering letter to say that no other records existed, even though references were made to other documents. No charge was made, but the records were very sketchy, just dates of training courses, promotions and Military Hospital entry/exit.

 

Hi
Thanks for the information - I appreciate it
Will PM

regards

Robert

 

Here is the first page of when he was in the 14th LAA

Will post questions later

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

It has been a long while since I did anything on this. Just looked at the first page and realised he was not even there when the regiment was. He arrived at Egypt 19 April 1942, so here is the next page which does note him coming in as reinforcements. Left at Base Depot due to lack of transport! Looks like they were on the Suez canal for a time. Looks like training going on, when not raining! Moved around Egypt a bit. The they moved into Libya and moved through Tobruk (Dad had said he was in Tobruk) to Gazala. Presume LG's mean landing grounds? 39th battery engaged a ME109 !!!!!

Not much else

more to follow when I can

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

Here is the next page

At the top it looks like a rough road, glad I was not in the truck!
As the moved to Tripoli, it looks like they were not far behind the battles.
Dad's battery sets up around a landing ground near Castel Benito.
I wonder if he was part of the party that heard Churchill speak at 8th Army HQ. Would have been a strong motivator.
Would anyone have old maps showing all the towns listed here? Would make it easier to trace his movements.
39th battery engages 15 ME 109's . It is interesting the Germans used them a lot, I presume it was because they were faster and harder to hit?

Thats about this page

regards

Robert

 

Dad would have been 89 today.

 

Dad would have been 89 today.

Birthdays and anniversaries are always poignant and always full of memories.
Tom.

 

He told me when the Brits started the El-Alamein offensive the night before when all the guns were firing the whole sky just lit up and the noise was unreal.

I have great regrets now that I can't remember many of the stories that my dad told me when I was small, lying on the carpet playing with my Airfix soldiers, but one thing that sticks out in my mind was his affirmation that he would never forget the sound of the guns at Alamein.
Tom.

 

Hi Tom

Thanks , I remember playing with(and I still have) mine, unfortunately Dad did not say much, but I remember him mentioning that.

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

This page ends his stay in North Africa and has him heading for Italy and landing at Salerno.
Can anyone reference me to an old map of North Africa showing all the places mentioned in the 4 pages please? I ahve looked at new maps, but names have changed or are not there??

regards

Robert

 

Hi all
next page

In Italy at Salerno and then moving up. Beachhead under heavy air attack. Bomb killed some crew of the 39 Battery, wonder if it was near Dad?
Stayed at Pompeii, seems weird!
Further down guns set up to stop FW 190's coming along coast to attack and shot down a few!
24th Nov went to Firing camp- what was that?
Defended some bridges.
Warning to join 8th army?
Composite troup -X Tp, why would they do that?

regards

Robert

 

Robert
24th Nov went to Firing camp- what was that?


Here I can help.

When my LAA mob went to Egypt to re-form & re-equip one of our stops was at Quassasin Firing Camp.

This was a location where targets could be towed across the firing line, usually on the coast, and were a practical way of giving gun crews practice

With regards to:
Composite troup -X Tp, why would they do that?

I would surmise that this was one way of creating a Troop for a special job without affecting the Battery as a whole.

Regards

Ron

 

Hi Ron

Thanks for that. I understand that better now.
Any idea what the special job amy have been?

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

Next page

I would not like to be in the Mine Lifting squad!
Lots of bridge protection work.
What would they be doing with smokescreen cover? Firing shells that produce smoke?
Looks like some of them were sent to help the Americans, wonder if they would have liked that?!

regards

Robert

 

Hi all

next page

Still defending bridges.
With all the numbers, ie moved to 8819, does anyone have maps that detail those, or know where to look?
Moved to Cassino, so I presume this is where Dad told me the story about the He111 they shot down
Moved to near Rome and then went to the right side.
Some airfield defence ,then other duties such as traffic control.
Then says " The regt was now involved in AA defence, mine lifting, work in bridge dumps, dismantling bridges, training in Provost duties and in infantry tactics". Certainly varied and I presume Provost was MP?
Kept moving north


regards

Robert