what regiment did father go to India with ?

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by ww2 mike, Nov 4, 2011.

  1. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    hi, i would like to thank all for such a warm welcome in the introduction .i posted under new boy. i have my late fathers service record and i'm try to work it out . his name, Kenneth Douglas rose,enlisted 16/5/40 at the itc Dorset regiment then posted to the 6Th home defence battalion on 23/6/40 Salisbury ?then transferred to the 30Th battalion the kings regiment also home defence 16/6 /42 ring wood ?then to 4th east lancs regiment field transfer 4/2/43 ?? then i have embarked for India on draft RNGFZ 13/3/43. how long would it take to get to India where would he have left from ? the next i have i think he back with the kings ? any help at all please , thanks mike
     
  2. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    Various ports of Embarkation were used for troop ships to India - Liverpool and Glasgow being ones I have seen mentioned often. Journey was about six weeks around the Cape of Good Hope
     
  3. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Mike and welcome,

    As Jedburgh says the Convoy journey was roughly 6 weeks. Most ships leaving Liverpool, north past Clyde then out west into the Altantic. The route soon became southerly as they turned toward the West African coastline, where usually they restocked (but did not disembark) at Freetown, Sierre Lione.

    Rounding the Cape, they would have either stopped at Cape Town or Durban for a few days, then across the Indian Ocean to Bombay.

    I would hazard a guess that your father may have taken part in the 1944 Chindit campaign, judging by his Kings regiment connections. But it is just a guess.

    Steve
     
  4. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    Hi Mike and welcome to the forum :)

    The convoy WS 28 sailed on 16/3/43 which is likely to be the convoy your father was part of I would think. There are a few distractions running around here at the moment, but I'll scan the page that relates to when the convoy arrived at Suez shortly.

    Regards.

    Jules.
     
  5. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Mike and welcome to the forum :)

    The convoy WS 28 sailed on 16/3/43 which is likely to be the convoy your father was part of I would think. There are a few distractions running around here at the moment, but I'll scan the page that relates to when the convoy arrived at Suez shortly.

    Regards.

    Jules.

    Oooops.:rolleyes: Well done Jules.
     
  6. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    A link you may find helpful in regards to 1 kings in Burma. Liverpool
     
  7. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    :D it's usually me doing the ooops!!

    Mike - This page is from "The Winston Specials - Troopships via the Cape 1940-1943" by Archie Munro. Hopefully, it will be of some interest.

    Jules.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    thanks to all, for the help so far ! never thought id find this much and this is just ths start ! again thanks too all mike
     
  9. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    :D it's usually me doing the ooops!!

    Mike - This page is from "The Winston Specials - Troopships via the Cape 1940-1943" by Archie Munro. Hopefully, it will be of some interest.

    Jules.

    Jules, was I correct at least up until Durban????:lol:

    I have looked at buying the book, can you recommend it?

    Steve
     
  10. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Mike,

    This is a good website to supplement Jules info on WS 28. It will show you the route taken.

    WS Convoys
     
  11. RosyRedd

    RosyRedd Senior Member

    Jules, was I correct at least up until Durban????:lol:

    I have looked at buying the book, can you recommend it?

    Steve

    Steve - yes, I am pleased with it. It seems well researched and does have more information to that already available on the internet. In addition there are four maps showing the routes taken by the convoys at different periods, some photos, tables detailing ship speeds, etc.

    From a personal point I was interested in WS 11 and combined with the relevant RAOC War Diary, it helped to give a complete picture of the journey.
     
  12. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    hi,all thanks for the help so far! looks like father probably left Liverpool to India on convoy ws28 . next bit not to clear on service record but moved about a bit plus going to hospital. then posted 1/kings 31/7/43.arrived from BBRC dealati ? and jhansi tos on posting. so my next question is would he have been in 81 or 82 columns if so can i trace the route thanks for any help mike[chindit]
     
  13. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Mike,

    Good progress there. BBRC Deolali. British Base Reinforcement Camp Deolali was the major transitory camp used by just about every soldier landing at Bombay in WW2. It is the inspiration for the TV program 'It Ain't Alf Hot Mum'.

    A great link for it's history is:


    http://www.ramcjournal.com/2006/jun06/martin.pdf

    Column 81 or 82 will take a major investigation I would say.:)

    Steve
     
  14. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    thanks Steve you sure put some work into this ! had to reply so soon as your comment about it ain't half hot mum really struck home . when we were kids father never watched TV, except you guessed it ! it ain't half hot mum never missed it thanks mike
     
  15. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    That's great Mike. The War Diaries of the 1st Kings might bring something to your research? The reference to the diary at the National Archives is:

    WO172/2515 for 1943
    WO172/4885 for 1944

    You have to be careful with the diaries because there are gaps not covered, I think the battalion's Chindit connections probably change and are covered by the 77th II Brigade diary?

    I'm trying to think of books which might be relevant. All that comes to mind is 'March or Die', by Phil Chinnery. That has some reference to the Kings in 1944.

    The new book 'War in the Wilderness', by Tony Redding also has anecdotal references to several Kingsmen and their time in 1944. But I do not want you running off and buying books which may only offer a small amount of info.
     
  16. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    hi, i'm taking a backward step trying to sort fathers early regiments in India .i now know the importance of deolali .[ thanks Steve bamboo43]this is how it looks in service record unit 30 kings t.o.s 5 coig 1 wing w.e .f 12.6.43 deolali. then hospital 20.6.43 . next in unit coll um KORR ?mistake ?. granted s.s.p ref 19 6.43 deolah. then posted to 1 /kings tos on posting he was injured more than once and i know he was split from his mates . any ideas on the above thanks ww2 mike
     
  17. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Mike,

    KORR is Kings Own Royal Regiment. The 2nd battalion KORR were part of 111th Brigade, one of the original Chindit Brigades in 1944.

    I have seen 2 two other soldiers records, where they leave the UK having served in Kings Liverpool battalions. They arrive in India and are placed in new regimental units, but do not serve with these units due to illness. They are then, when well enough to resume duties, placed into to other Chindit 1944 battalions.

    This is all guess work, but it might account for your father ending up in the 1st Kings?

    Steve
     
  18. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    hi Steve [bamboo 43] and Evey one else,i know with out facts i shouldn't guess but if father was with the first kings from 6/43 what was there objective ? would it have been Broadway ? for instance ?also i can remember asking as a kid if he had ever been on a plane i'm sure he said yes with mules. as a county boy he knew a lot about horses any way of finding out if he was in charge of mules ?lastly for now i have from a non military source i hear he was flow out of jungle after being injured would i get any leads from that ? thanks mike
     
  19. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Mike,

    If your father was with the 1KLR from that date (6/43) he would have been involved in training for the operation in 1944.

    In early March 1944 one column of 1KLR were flown in to 'Broadway' in gliders (some with mules), their task was to secure the base and surrounding areas immediatly on landing.

    This group were led by Lietenant-Colonel W. Scott, who had previously led column 8 in 1943. The 1 KLR patrolled the perimeter of the landing field, acting as 'floating' guard. This was 1 KLR's first function in operation Thursday.

    The rest of the battalion and other columns were then flown in by Dakota trasport aircraft.

    Later on in the campaign the two Kings columns 81 and 82 became seperated, with Scott leading his men towards the stronghold at 'Blackpool', whilst the others joined up with Mike Calvert and eventually fought in the battle for Mogaung.

    The only places you might info (apart from first-hand accounts from living veterans) are in the War diaries or the Missing in Action files. I have been looking through some of the MIA's recently and I have not seen him mentioned there.
     
  20. ww2 mike

    ww2 mike Junior Member

    thanks for such a quick reply Steve after rereading his service record the date he was tos 1/kings 1 battalion on posting 3/8 /43 next entry appointed c ? and to lance/cpl 13/12/43 then i have entd concessional area 21 /1/44. then i have next date 11.5.44 admission to hospital can you glean any thing from this ? with thanks mike
     

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