I have obtained service records of my uncle, Ronald Ernest Mead who served in India from 1931 to 1937 with the 1st Battalion Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment. He was mobilised WW2, posted to 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment and left for France with the BEF 30th September 1939. I have obtained War Diaries, so know that he was evacuated from Dunkirk, arriving back UK 1st June 1940. From then his service record is as follows:- Attached No 15 Army field workshop, Manchester 16, 2nd June 1940 Attached Reception centre Yeovil, 8th June 1940 Posted to 2nd Battalion, Nominal Roll, Yeovil 13th June 1940 Appointed unpaid Lance Corporal 24th July 1940 Appointed paid Lance Corporal 29th July 1940 Medical 17th August 1940 Category A1 Deprived paid Lance Corporal appointment 6th September 1940 for absence Admitted to No 4 Casualty Clearing Station 13th January 1941 Discharged No 4 Casualty Clearing Station 27th January 1941 Medical 28th January 1941 Category C Posted Infantry Training Centre 8th February 1941 attached 7th (H.D.) Brigade Attached 7th Home Defence 9th February 1941 (First Aid Post) to ‘D’ Company Awarded 14 days F.P. for neglect of duty 11th March 1941 Discharged, permanently unfit of any form of military service 16th April 1941 There is no record of any injury sustained at Dunkirk, and he was classified Category A1 at a medical in August 1940. Then my cousin, his daughter, has just come across the letter as attached amongst some documents. The way I read it, it would suggest there was a pre-existing condition which was aggravated by an injury at Dunkirk. I would appreciate others thoughts on this. He was not a well man as time went on and died in 1968 of respiratory failure, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Many thanks.
Hi, Unfortunately UK MOD do not provide personnel medical records with service papers so you will remain completely in the dark about the medical condition leading to the dispatch of the letter you’ve attached. The medical papers will be with his file but just won’t be released due to “patient confidentiality”. Steve
Yes, thanks Steve. I thought that this was probably withheld, although another soldier's records I applied for did have the medical reason for discharge....perhaps a mistake on their part. What I am trying to establish that, from way the letter was worded 'his peace-time disability', does it seem as if the condition was pre-existing? Judy
Hi Judy Do you know what he eventually died of?? - it may have been related to the "peace time disability" England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Ronald E Mead Death Age: 54 Birth Date: abt 1914 Registration Date: Dec 1968 Registration district: Leighton Buzzard Inferred County: Bedfordshire Volume: 4a Page: 116 From my experience you may be able to access his medical records but only after 100 years after the event, the interesting question there is which event and when was that - sorry cant be more helpful TD
Hi. Always good to see any info from a Beds and Herts soldier. My grandad was with the 2nd Battalion 33-37 then 1st Battalion 37-44. Do you know who your chap was with between 37-40? Happy to help you with any info you might like to do with the Beds and Herts Alex
Thanks for replies. Tricky Dicky - he died from respiratory failure, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis in 1968. His brother died of similar at a very early age, in his 20s. Other brothers lived longer but still died from lung complaints. If this was pre-existing, as the letter seems to suggest, I am surprised he was categorised A1 at medicals. Alex - Many thanks for your offer. Being Bedfordshire born, I have many extended family relatives who served with Bedfordshire regiments. Uncle Ron was opposite way round to your grandad, he was with the 1st Battalion for Indian service, then WW2 the 2nd Battalion. Between 1937 and 1939 he was with Section A Army Reserve. Thanks again Judy
Started looking at Kings Badge and found: The King's Badge and of course: King's Badge - Wikipedia Thoughts - may be that he contracted something whilst in India, which became exacerbated whilst in Northern France 1940 and this eventually lead to his Kings Badge Without upsetting anyone, from my experience India had, and possibly still has, high levels of respiratory diseases. I'm not quite sure why he would be discharged in April 1941, yet the official letter re the Kings Badge is dated Dec 1944, that would seem a long gap TD
TD, Reading the letter - Para 2 - I think the gap was probably because his 1941 discharge was not considered attributable to his war service but that was reconsidered in 1944 and belatedly attributed to his war service thus making him eligible for a Kings Badge. Steve
It would seem logical that he could have contracted something in India. And I think he might have had a bit of a fight on his hands to get them to acknowledge his injury at Dunkirk. Whatever this was, it doesn't seem to have affected his service straight away as he followed the process of assembly at Yeovil then home service at Bognor. Things seemed to start to go wrong in September when he was deprived of Lance Corporal for absence but It was not until January 41 that he was hospitalised. Oh that there was some family member still living of his generation to ask!!
Indeed I do Alex...I have him in Territorials before India, at a very young age. There are others of him in India and a couple I'm not sure. Do you want me to email them to you?