10686156 K G MASLEN, Royal Army Service Corps: help please with Service Records interpretation

Discussion in 'RASC' started by billyboy200, Apr 13, 2020.

  1. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

    Hi, I am hoping that you can help me with the attached service record of my late Farther in Law. He did not speak too much about his time in the Army but from what my wife tells me he was an ambulance driver and also drove a surgeon around. I believe he went to Dunkirk on D Day plus 1 from Telford docks. I believe that he was also involved with the repatriation of Belson. I wish to make up a display mount of what would have been his uniform badges and medals, although we do not have the actual medals but I can get replicas. His family think that he had three medals but I can only find two mentioned in his service record. I would love to add any formation badges for the groups he was in/attached too. I have a group photo of some of his pals by a lorry with an insignia of a boar painted on it, I believe this indicates 30th Corps? Any information that you can give reference units he was in and his whereabouts during his service would be very much appreciated. You can proberly gather that I have no idea of how to decipher the service record, so please once again any help would be much appreciated.

    Regards

    Kevin
     

    Attached Files:

  2. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    Welcome to the forum.
     
  3. Bruneval

    Bruneval Well-Known Member

    Hi Kevin,

    I expect these are the three medals your family refer too: 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, and The War Medal 1939-45. However, someone better than I might be able to determine if he was eligible for the Defence Medal.
    upload_2020-4-17_10-57-55.png

    Regards

    Bruneval
     
  4. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

  5. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Kevin,

    In looks to me like he embarked for NW Europe on 7th July 1944 with his unit, the 1619 H.A.A. Pln R.A.S.C. This would have been an RASC platoon that carried 2nd line ammunition, petrol, etc, for a Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. I've got some extracts from their war diary for 1944
    (WO171/2590)
    and indeed it records that :

    7 July 1944 Marshalling Area
    0600
    Pl. move to Embarkation Area.
    1400 Loading completed on to LST 410.
    1530 Sailed.
    1700 Anchored in Thames Estuary.

    […]

    10 July 1944 Normandy
    0700
    Disembarkation began (dryshod).
    0900 Pl. arrived in Assembly Area.
    1000 Pl. moved from Assembly Area.
    1100 Pl arrived at location.

    11 July 1944
    0900
    Pl. left for new location, attached 725 Coy RASC (Arty).
    1800 Pl. left for new location, attached CRASC 30 Corps Tps.

    Regards

    Tom
     
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  6. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

    Thank you for your reply, he definatly had both stars and it looks like the 3rd medal would have been the War Medal 1939-45. Thank you for your help, I can now go ahead and buy copies of these medals.

    Regards

    Kevin
     
  7. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

    [​IMG][​IMG]


    Hi Gus, I would think that the 1st badge would definatly apply but would the second i.e if he was attached to 30th Corp would he have worn the badge.

    Regards
    Kevin
     
  8. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Kevin,

    Can you post up the photo you talked about? It would be great to see what lorry they would stood in front of.

    Regards

    Tom
     
  9. hutt

    hutt Member

    The entry on the 27 10 43 looks interesting. Am I reading that as he volunteered to drive at Porton Down?
    And by a very good stroke of luck, his unit has a diary at Kew for the period 1943 Sept.-Dec.
    WO 166/13247
     
  10. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

    I don't think he would have been driving at Porton Down, it is believed he voluntered for CW testing in order to get a couple of days home leave from it.
     
  11. hutt

    hutt Member

    Yes your right should have read it at half speed. Diary might still be of interest
     
  12. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

     

    Attached Files:

  13. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Kevin,

    Thanks. I'm afraid I can't make out exactly what type of vehicles these are. The photo showing the front of a vehicle numbered M5418097 is particularly baffling to me. The Suffix 'M' suggests it should be a light or heavy utility vehicle.

    Edited to Add: My eyes were deceiving me and that should have been A5418097 which explains everything.

    But the shape of the bonnet and the grille on the side look like they are from a Austin K2 ambulance and looking through the doors on the photo of the chaps sat in the back of one vehicle I think I can see a red cross on the vehicle to the left. If you search on line for photos of the Austin K2 you will see what I mean. Hopefully a British truck expert will come along and explain all!

    Edited to add: That would maybe make sense for his post-war service in an Ambulance Car Company.

    Regards

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2020
  14. dml34

    dml34 Junior Member

    Tom

    I agree with you. It looks like a K2 Ambulance to me and the serial number confirms this. Possibly the photo was taken when he was with 257 Coy (MAC) in early 1946. There is an AoS marking on the mudguard, but I can only make out the last two digits of a corps unit. These seem to be --32. 257 Coy converted from an Inf Bde Coy (with marking of [72] to a MAC in March and presumably was given a new serial number.

    Dave
     
  15. dml34

    dml34 Junior Member

    Kevin

    1619 Arty Pl RASC was mostly attached to 90 HAA Regiment RA, and was part of 324 Coy RASC (Arty). It was in 100 AA Bde for most of 1944 and 1945. I can offer you a few Platoon locations (taken from the War Diary of 100 AA Bde and not necessarily the complete list of wartime locations).

    20 May 1944 Haseldine, Bury Rd, Romsey, Hants
    8 Jul 1944 Le Manoir (France)
    19 Jul 1944 St Martin Les Entree
    30 Jul 1944 Bussy
    15 Aug 1944 Aunay sur Odon
    29 Aug 1944 Houlbec Cocherel
    11 Oct 1944 Beuningen (Netherlands)
    12 Jan - 7 Mar 1945 Nederweert

    You can get more information from the 1619 Arty Pl war diaries at the National archives:-

    WO 166/13247 Sep - Dec 43
    WO 171/2590 Jan - Dec 44
    WO 171/6420 Jan - Jun 45

    Dave
     
  16. Bruneval

    Bruneval Well-Known Member

    Morning Chaps,

    The third photo with the WD Number: A5418097 is an Austin Ambulance 4x2 (4-Stretcher) K2 which was produced under contract number: S.2797. See attached photo of the contract ledger and the bottom entry.

    upload_2020-4-19_11-0-40.png

    upload_2020-4-19_10-56-53.png

    Regards

    Bruneval
     
    dml34 likes this.
  17. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

    Hi everyone, I can't believe how much information you are all giving, it is taking many hours to take it all in and leading me off in different paths. I have looked at photos of the very vessel that took Ken over to France and looked at many photos of the anbulances that he would have driven. From wanting to know what badges he would have worn on his uniform I am now drawing up a time line of his service and putting all the information that you have all so kindly given on each entry. Many many thanks, stay safe.

    Kevin
     
  18. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    If you wish to know what medals he was entitled to and was issued with, then suggest you contact the MOD Medal Office, always found them exceptionally helpful, there contact details are at the bottom of this link Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility and within this link you will also find the parameters for eligibility for the various medals

    For example
    The Defence Medal is awarded for non-operational service such as those service personnel working in headquarters, on training bases and airfields and members of the Home Guard. The medal is also awarded for non-operational service overseas for example in India or South Africa.
    To apply for the Defence Medal, you must have either:
    1080 days (3 years) service in the UK between 3 Sep 1939 and 8 May 1945
    1080 days (3 years) service in the Home Guard between 14 May 1940 and 31 Dec 1944 (you will also need to fill out and send the Home Guard service questionnaire)
    360 days (1 year) non operational service overseas between 3 Sep 1939 and 2 Sep 1945
    180 days non operational service in an overseas area deemed to be closely threatened or subject to air attack between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945
    The colours of the ribbon symbolise enemy attacks on Britain’s ‘green and pleasant land’ and the black out.


    TD
     
  19. Mark Stevens81

    Mark Stevens81 New Member

    Hi first post her sorry to piggy back your post, but my Grandfather was in 1619 L.A.A, and I am really struggling to find any information about the platoon and its movements and involvements. Currently this is all I have (picture Below).
    Is there a way of trying to find my grandads "soldier number" ?

    Walter James Alfred Stevens - born 09/02/1911

    [​IMG]
     
  20. billyboy200

    billyboy200 Member

    Hi Mark, try the following link, you should have enough information for them to find his service records.
    http://www.mod.uk/contacts/army_records.htm
     

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