7th Loyals / 92nd (Loyals) LAA Regiment, RA, 1940-1946

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by tmac, Oct 11, 2009.

  1. op-ack

    op-ack Senior Member

    WW2Talk members may be interested to know that I have now had the True Loyals history published as a book in memory of my father and his comrades, marking the 70th anniversary of the raising of the 7th Loyals.
    It is not a commercial enterprise and my main purpose is to give the veterans and their families a keepsake. However, if anyone is interested in the book, it can be bought from the publisher, Countyvise of Birkenhead, who are at Countyvise Limited.
    I have put details on my True Loyals website at Home.
    If any money is raised from sales, I will donate anything I receive to the Royal Artillery Museum.

    tmac

    Just purchased a copy via e-bay. Congratulations on getting it published.

    Phil:)
     
  2. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    I've bought a copy as well Tom.

    Regards - Rob
     
  3. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Tom

    Whilst reading the May & June 1944 War Diaries, I noticed that part of your Dad's unit were in T3 & T7 Marshalling Camp. My own Dad's battery were in T4 at the same time.

    Found a file at Kew about the T Marshalling camp and here is a map of the actual locations in London. T3 is right by the Blackwall Tunnel.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Hi Tom

    Got your book yesterday and have almost finished reading it.

    Excellent work. You should be very proud of your achievement.:)

    Regards - Rob
     
  5. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    Hi Rob,

    Thanks for your kind comments and thanks to you and op-ack for your interest in the book.

    Tom
     
  6. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Tom

    Reading the last part of your book, a name sprang out from the pages and the person served in both our Dad's units.

    Major C.M. Adderley, S/N 38378 joined 102 LAA Regt on 3 October 1942 and immediately became OC 338 Battery, which used the 40MM Bofors and the Land Mattress.

    He left 102 LAA on 28 March 1945 and was posted to 51 Heavy Regt, 4 AGRA as 2nd in Command.

    He then turned up as 92 LAA’s new CO on 10 May 1945 and had a brief stay until 5 August 1945. Was then posted to the War Office.

    Thought you might like this small piece of information.

    Regards - Rob
     
  7. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    Hi Rob,

    Thanks for that info on Major Adderley - and what a coincidence that he was also with 102 LAA. Any small piece of information is welcome, because - as you know - it's extremely hard to find anything of a personal nature about men in Army units. It took me ages in some cases to even discover the first names of several officers, because they are known only by their initials in official documents. In other cases, I had to give up. If I get the chance to do some additions to the book, I'll certainly incorporate any information such as yours that emerges.

    Best wishes,

    Tom
     
  8. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Tom
    got the book
    nice photo of my Father

    thank you
     
  9. gliderrider

    gliderrider Senior Member

    Struggling to find much out about the above, step-Dad was with them during the Blitz, before transferring to the Far East, had a great pic of him with the King on a HAA site in 1940. Just now trying to track down their sites or rosters.
    many thanks
     
  10. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Just ordered ny copy of Tom's book
     
  11. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Tom, I finally managed to get to the local Library and dug the piece below out of the Archives.

    Name: RATTIGAN, DENNIS
    Rank: Gunner
    Regiment/Service: Royal Artillery
    Unit Text: 7 bty., 92 Lt. A.A. Regt.
    Age: 32
    Date of Death: 06/03/1945
    Service No: 3863657
    Additional information: Son of Thomas and Sarah Rattigan; husband of Irene Rattigan, of Widnes.

    I dont know if the 1st part of 1943 saw any significant event that could have led to him spending 2 years in Hospital? Next time I am at the Library, I will see if I can find anything else regarding his enlistment, injury or discharge, which is a mystery in itself given that he is listed on the CWGC Debt of Honour

    Phil

    Having now received a copy of Dennis rattigans death certificate, i can confirm that he was listed as an Army Pensioner (Formerly a Electricians Labourer) and died of Pulmonary Tubercle (Tubercolisis)

    Not sure how or of he would have caught TB whilst with the Loyals?
     
  12. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    Phil,

    Thanks for that information on Gunner Rattigan - it solves the question of how at least one of the 'unknown' 92nd LAA casualties died.

    I don't know enough about TB to say how he caught it, but it was quite a common condition in those days. It's possible it happened when he was in the Army, or he may already have had it when he was enlisted - then, as it worsened, it was diagnosed by the medical officer.

    Looking on the Internet, it seems there was no real treatment for TB until modern times. The first effective antibiotic was found in 1944, but it was not until the early 1950s that the first specific drug was developed.

    It's a terrible shame to read that a soldier who served his country fell victim to such a dreadful disease.
     
  13. Driver-op

    Driver-op WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Here's my two penn'orth; the T1 Marshalling Area was on the Wanstead Flats by the Hollow Ponds, not far from where I lived, but my Marshalling Area was Waterlooville near Portsmouth. When I left the army I joined a firm where the boss developed TB I took over his job and desk, later I was found to have caught it too! Spent nearly a year in a TB sanatorium on the new wonder drug streptomycin, which didn't work so had a lung resection. One of the side effects of strep was to make you deaf, that's why I have two hearing aids.
     
  14. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Phil,

    Thanks for that information on Gunner Rattigan - it solves the question of how at least one of the 'unknown' 92nd LAA casualties died.

    I don't know enough about TB to say how he caught it, but it was quite a common condition in those days. It's possible it happened when he was in the Army, or he may already have had it when he was enlisted - then, as it worsened, it was diagnosed by the medical officer.

    Looking on the Internet, it seems there was no real treatment for TB until modern times. The first effective antibiotic was found in 1944, but it was not until the early 1950s that the first specific drug was developed.

    It's a terrible shame to read that a soldier who served his country fell victim to such a dreadful disease.

    Tom, I am now in contact with the grandaughter of Dennis Rattigans Sister. i dont have a great deal of additional information yet but can confirm that Gunner Rattigan contracted TB whilst still with the Regiment.

    Phil
     
  15. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Here's my two penn'orth; the T1 Marshalling Area was on the Wanstead Flats by the Hollow Ponds, not far from where I lived, but my Marshalling Area was Waterlooville near Portsmouth. When I left the army I joined a firm where the boss developed TB I took over his job and desk, later I was found to have caught it too! Spent nearly a year in a TB sanatorium on the new wonder drug streptomycin, which didn't work so had a lung resection. One of the side effects of strep was to make you deaf, that's why I have two hearing aids.

    Jim

    Here is a map showing the T1 marshalling camp. Hollow Ponds is exactly as you said and one showing the area where you were near Portsmouth. It lines up with the camp A1 on the second map.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
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  16. karlsadil

    karlsadil New Member

    7th Loyals / 92nd (Loyals) LAA Regiment, RA, 1940-1946
    Started by tmac , Oct 11 2009 09:55 AM

    Just in case you want to know,
    The former WW2 army training camp referred to in this post, Coed Helen Camp, Caernarfon is in an area where
    Gwynedd Council are proposing to close the only footbridge to get there. Without a car, it's 4
    miles by foot/wheelchair to get there and back. If you aren't happy with this, please send objections to
    Gwynedd Council.

    karl
     
  17. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    I moved your other post to this thread, to keep the issues separate
    http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/59087-closure-of-access-to-ww2-site/
     
  18. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    Just to let people know that I’ve added a PDF version of my book True Loyals to my website at …

    www.trueloyals.com

    The book is a history of 7th Battalion, The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) / 92nd (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 1940-1946.

    It was first published in 2010, but hard copies are no longer available because the publisher has ceased trading.

    This was unfortunate, because I used lots of pictures, maps and documents in the book that had never been seen elsewhere.

    Luckily, I’ve unearthed the PDF and anyone accessing it on the website can now read the book and see the pictures, etc, almost as well as if they had a hard copy.

    An earlier version of the regimental history is here on WW2 Talk in the Unit Histories section (Royal Artillery).
     

    Attached Files:

    Staffsyeoman, Chris C, Owen and 5 others like this.
  19. Clint_NZ

    Clint_NZ Member

    Just downloaded this onto my phone, I've had a quick browse through it and it looks like good reading.
     
  20. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    It is an excellent read.
     

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