7375489 Thomas Cunningham WILSON, Royal Army Medical Corps: Service records help needed

Discussion in 'RAMC' started by Thistle746, Jan 9, 2022.

  1. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    Moved to this location and will likely stay for a while… Researching my grandads WW2 history.

    Images of my grandads service records are attached below. Any info that could be volunteered would be greatly appreciated.
     

    Attached Files:

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  2. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    Some pics…. ⬇️ 42E29D59-C89E-4575-B1EF-C67D65D421D2.jpeg EB7A5409-7F4A-413F-BEA7-C8EF3A15B28E.jpeg 42E29D59-C89E-4575-B1EF-C67D65D421D2.jpeg EB7A5409-7F4A-413F-BEA7-C8EF3A15B28E.jpeg
     

    Attached Files:

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  3. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Thistle746.

    From his Service Record i can deduce that he spent the whole war with 167 Fd Amb RAMc who themselves supported 167 Infantry Brigade in 56 Infantry Division. The dates in his Service Record match 56 Infantr6 Division’s comings and going’s in the Italian theatre of operations.

    That therefore places him at:

    Sep 43 - The landings at Salerno.

    Oct 43 - The crossing of the Volturno.

    Nov and Dec 43 - The First and Second Battle of Camino.

    Jan 44 - The crossing of the Garigliano.

    Feb-Mar 44 - The Anzio beachhead.

    Aug-Sep 44 - The assault on the Gothic Line.

    Oct 44-Apr 45 - The rivers of the Po Valley.

    Apr 45 - Lake Commachio and the breakthrough the Argenta Gap.

    Regards

    Frank
     
  4. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    (I thought I posted this question in a previous post, perhaps not…)

    Can anyone assist with transcribing the locations in the image attached? (re: blue asterisks). It looks like St. Hornsby(?) and Wortisden Camp(?) but I can’t seem to find any place names that match. I note that one of these driving schools was with the Royal Army Service Corps. Perhaps that may help.
     

    Attached Files:

  5. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Raymond.

    Wantisden Camp was just east of Woodbridge in Suffolk. It was right next door to Butley Camp. The complex morphed into RAF Bentwaters which was a USAF base during the Cold War.

    Regards

    Frank
     
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  6. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    You’re an absolute wealth of information Frank! Thank you!
     
  7. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Suffolk boy for most of my early life.
     
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  8. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    Greetings all, I'm finding out some interesting facts on my grandads service history. Refer to post #1 above (the Service Record one). Note the signatures of the officers certifying entries (far right column). Major Alan Graham Porter (Service Number 202267) sadly lost his life at the Battle of Salerno on 10th September 1943. The other officer, far bottom right, was a Captain David Wright. Could this be the same gentleman? David Wright | ParaData

    His distinctive signature also appears on page 2 of the Service Record.
     
  9. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Raymond.

    Quite likely and a good find.

    I am in Salerno running a battlefield study 31 Mar-3 Apr 22. I will stop by Maj Porter's grave and tip my hat to him.

    Frank
     
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  10. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    Hi Frank,
    That would be a very honorable gesture. Respect. He is laid to rest at the Salerno Cemetery, coordinates 1.B.1

    I am actually working with a researcher who went to Kew Gardens today to get a feel for the size of the war diary for the 167th FA. The sample pics he sent me were quite moving (as was learning about Major Porter). I'm finding that this research is quite an emotional experience - and I'm not saying that lightly. Just feels... well.. different.
    One day I'll join you on one of your tours. It'll happen, just not sure when ;).

    Best regards,
    RC
     
  11. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Raymond.

    If your researcher is Gary Tankard, you are in good hands. Gary will be in the cemetery with me in 1 Apr 22.

    Regards

    Frank
     
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  12. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    Perhaps our administrator may want to put this in a different area, but I found some pretty detailed information on the aforementioned Major Alan Graham Porter. Credit to Gary Tankard for sourcing copies of the 167th Field Ambulance, RAMC War Diary. Thank you again.

    I have posted the entries for September 10th (the day of his death) and September 19th (the day his body was retrieved and buried).
     

    Attached Files:

  13. Gary Tankard

    Gary Tankard Well-Known Member

    I was in Salerno with Frank and took a photo of Major Porter and Lieutenant-Colonel Brown's graves.

    IMG_2154[13395].JPG

    IMG_2174[13397].JPG
     
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  14. Thistle746

    Thistle746 Active Member

    Thank you so much Gary. Wow. Beyond humbling. Respect to you both for visiting them.

    PS: In reviewing some previous posts, I noted that you and Frank were over there. Frank kindly invited me to join, but it's quite a trek from these parts. One day I'd love to. Have a great trip and credit to both of you for keeping that history alive. Best regards, Raymond C.
     

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