im currently researching my grandads military records, he never told us much and hes since passed. All i know he was in the General Service Corps in 1942 then transferred to the Army Reserves until 1947. It was mentioned he had been to Burma, could this have been the case? Theres very little about to inform me of the Corps role during WW2. Can anyone help? He was 14327733 E Clarke Many thanks in advance.
Hello Lee, Your Grandfather will have enlisted in the GSC but after his training he will have been posted to another Regiment or Corps . If theres nothing online then it will have to be the service record route..and these days it may be a long wait . Get a copy of military service records Kyle
Thank you. So what was the role of the army reserves then, does any one know? Bless him, he never spoke of his actions during the war and took, what happened to the grave with him.
Morning Lee, The reserve was where your Grandfather was discharged to following regular service. ie signed for 7 and 5 is 7 years regular service with a commitment to 5 in the reserve. The reserve was where you could be recalled from to the colours during a national emergency. An undertaking, `reserve liability` . A great many men on the outbreak of WW2 were `recalled from the reserve` Lee just an observation but you have his begining and end details ? 1947 is a specific date do you have any of your Grandfathers papers which might give you a clue as to his service ? Area of enlistment ? As 51Highland has kindly added , the quoted number is not recorded on the Findmypast site ? Without more I`m afraid it will all be guesswork . Kyle
Yes of course. We have the papers as attached, detailing his service and number. We believe he was from the Edmunton/Middlesex area before locating to North Essex after the war. I hope this helps!
That document suggests he went into the 'Z' (Territorial) Reserve after being demobbed in 1947. For more than a decade after the end of the war, millions of men were technically a part of this reserve force - 'technically' because they had no further training and no association with any active unit once they had finished their war service or national service, and most had no clue that they even remained under reserve liability. The government maintained the reserve in case of national emergency. The vast majority were never called on again, though some unlucky men received recall papers through the post during the Suez and Korean conflicts. Some of those flatly refused to return to military service (and there doesn't seem to have been a penalty for doing so), others were assigned to a unit and grudgingly left their families and jobs to attend a few weeks of 'refresher' training (for which they were paid) but then heard nothing more. As the years passed questions were asked in Parliament as to why this vast reserve was being maintained, even though it was only on paper. In 1954 the Navy, Army and Air Force Reserves Act decreed that ex-servicemen should remain liable for the General Reserve until they were 45 or until the 30th of June 1959, whichever was the sooner. That document you have also suggests that he ended the war in the Royal Artillery, in a field artillery regiment. It is entirely possible that he served in Burma, but only his full service records will reveal more.
Thats great, i appreciate all of your input. I initially thought the "R.A" stood for reserve army, the Royal Artillery never came into my thinking and we never knew even what regiment he was in. As i say, he never spoke about his experiences of what we believe was his war in Burma which as i read more and more, I can see why.
You're welcome, good luck with your research. From your grandad's transfer certificate it definitely looks like he served with the Royal Artillery. His rank seems to be 'Gnr' (Gunner). The 'Field' means he was with a field artillery regiment (as opposed to anti-aircraft or coastal artillery). And that stamp in the bottom left is from the Royal Artillery Record & Pay Office in Sidcup - the same stamp appears on my grandad's records, and he was a gunner with a field regiment (including service in Burma): That only confirms he was with the RA before being demobbed though - he might have passed through other branches earlier in the war. Getting hold of his service records will tell you exactly which units he was with and when, and from that information you'll be able to get a clearer idea of where he travelled and what he experienced.
