Hello, Was hoping someone maybe able to help. Recently got a service record back for a family member so I am busy piecing together where he went, it has been brilliant to be able to see when he would have transfered into the Royal Sussex Regiment from the RAC but after that there is no information as to what battalion he would have gone to (please see picture attached from service record). One of the documents I received shows that he served in the Middle East and NA which I assume is North Africa. The dates Tie in perfectly to his pay book which is held within the family (discharge certificate from pay book attached). My questions are can I have an educated guess as to what battalion he would have seen service with? And secondly his pay book states North Africa, Italy and Sicily but his service records just says Middle East and North Africa. Which one is to be believed? Any help will be gladly appreciated. Many thanks Scott
One observation, he re-enlisted and therefore was not transferred from the RAC (service was from 1919-1926 as shown in your first document) .
Hello, Scott. Definitely some inconsistencies there (why no Italy Star?). I know it's tedious, but if you can upload images of the full documents you have (not just extracts), it's odds on that we can get to the bottom of this one. There are almost always contextual clues that rule possibilities in and out.
Thank you for your reply. I was totally unaware of his previous military service until I received his service records. Apparently he served in the 8th Hussars from 1919 to 1935, regular and territorial. Scott
Thank you for your reply, there definetly seems to be some inconsistencies. I have attached the full pages for you. Thank you again for the reply.
Have you got his B103, Service and Casualty form? Usually provides more information. From Ancestry - no other info I'm afraid. Name: Tw Andrews Birth Date: 7 Sep 1900 Service Number: 7944728 Rank: Army Other Ranks, Discharges for 1939-1971 Additional Regiment: R SUSSEX Reference Number: ADH000596430 About UK, Military Discharge Indexes, 1920-1971 Within These Records These lists comprise the names and service numbers of those who were discharged from the armed forces after 1920, and born before 1901. Details given for over 300,000 individuals found within this collection may include (where available): Initial and Surname Date of Birth Their Service Service Number Ministry of Defence Reference Number
If he was in Italy with the R SUSSEX, and he definitely has the 8th Army Clasp, then I would place him in 4 Indian Division as part of 1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment. That would place him at the Second and Third Battles of Cassino. Regards Frank
Hello, Unfortunately not, there wasn't a huge amount delivered in his service records. The first page was all the information regarding him such as address and previous service and then it was the two pages I have posted. We also got documents relating to us previous service but they are also fairly brief. Thank you for looking on ancestry for me. Scott
Hello, Thank you for the reply. That is what I was thinking but wasn't too sure on the dates and whether they seemed to match up. Scott
Scott. If he was in 1 R SUSSEX then he did well to survive the brutality that the Battalion endured up on Snakeshead Ridge during the Second Battle. The Rifle Companies were decimated over two nights but, given his age, I suspect that he was in either Support Company or Headquarters Company. Those Companies supported the Rifle Companies with extra firepower or administrative tasks so were less likely to be killed in direct assaults on the German positions on Point 593 and 569. It was a grim few days for 1 R SUSSEX. Regards Frank
Hello, Unfortunately it wasn't included in the service records I received. I take it will be quite hard without it. Many thanks Scott
Scott I am guessing the pay book and service records have different definitions of service locations. My soldier's history closely mirrors yours in that they both entered NA (North Africa) in August 1943 from the ME (Middle East), both received the Africa Star, yet the eligibility for the medal end in May 1943 so why did they get it? Both then served in NA until 1945, clearly yours did serve in Italy and mine was awarded the Italy Star, listed in his Certificate of Service book although it contains no mention of Italy other than the eligibility for the medal. Did NA as a service location include Italy? I wonder if the omission of the Italy Star for your soldier is just an oversight? So many questions, so many unknowns. David