I am searching for personal accounts by veterans who served with the 43rd Wessex Division. Are there any others besides these? Has anyone read these? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Alexander Baron - Wikipedia From the City, from the Plough (1948) a novel about the fictional 5th Battalion of the Wessex Regiment British Army. The novel takes place in the weeks leading up to D Day and during the Normandy campaign. TD
The Fighting Wessex Wyverns: From Normandy to Bremerhaven with the 43rd Wessex Division The story of the 43rd Wessex Division's campaign in Northwest Europe, in the words of the soldiers who actually fought with it
A second for the above recommendation from CL1. Thing to say about it, is that's it's a collective history of the Div, so not penned by a single person about their time at war. It's one of the series from Patrick Delaforce (sadly passed away) and is based on war diary information and other works. There's a list of pieces in the intro you may want to follow up on. And of course mentioned among them is Sidney Jary, whose work "18 Platoon" is one you'll definitely need if you don't already have. That is a memoir of his time with the Div when he lead a Rifle Platoon. If you don't have it the prices look shockingly high on the various book sites, however I got my copy from the relevant museum at a normal price (though that was a few years ago now). Gary
Hi Gary, I assume that's the Somerset Military Museum, then? edit: I must have gone right past it on my trip last June!
Yes, my compliment slip was from the Regimental Secretary (Somerset), Light Infantry office, 14 Mount Street, Taunton, TA1 3QE. That must've been 10 years ago (gulp) so I don't know if they still do copies of 18 Platoon at an affordable price. Gary
I believe that one of Sidney's nco's wrote a book too. "Section Leader" or something. Someone promised me a photocopy, but he let me down. I met him once on a battlefield tour. Is Sidney still about?
Likely to be by Doug Proctor according to the intro by Delaforce. I believe Sidney Jary passed away a while ago. Gary
Tank Alert: A Personal Account and Brief History of 236 Antitank Battery, 59th Antitank Regiment, Royal Regiment of Artillery in the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.
4th Wilts. Private Young's War. Private Young's War - The Wardrobe housing The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum They also did one on a 5th Wilts chap , called a Conscript at War by Les Pinner which I also have. Mentioned on this thread Private Young's War Chris Tarrant did one on his Dad who was 5th Wilts. Dad's War Father, Soldier, Hero - The Wardrobe housing The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum
Is it just book's you are looking for ? If it's of any use I have diary my grandfather kept between Jan 1946 and 1st March 1946 before he was demob'. It gives a little personal account into what he was doing in post war Germany. He was in the 112th Wessex D Troop 220 Battery I'm fairly new to WW2 but as I slowly progress through my research I find posts like these which I think I can help ! Is it worth posting on old posts ? On a side note, I enjoyed reading Albert Figg's book "The Ups and Downs of a Gunner" And although I have no way to confirm this I believe my Grandmother (Dad's mum) remarried into his family. Nonetheless, I was fascinated how a Sussex boy ended up as a Wessex boy in the 112th and where my Grandfather a Wessex boy in the 112th ended up as a Sussex boy !