124th Field Regiment R.A (Northumbrian T.A)

Each month is generally four or five pages of narrative and then there will be a similar number of pages of appendix with personnel strength details, though they generally only have the names of the units Officers.

 

Thanks for that. I will make contact with someone, I’m looking for other diaries from the time he was at Dunkirk so will add to list.
Cheers appreciate it

paul

 

We just got a WD for one of our interests which covered over 100 pages for about a tenner, This one turned out to bevery rich in personal information - most do not. However details in Daily Orders can give an insight into what mattered to the CO each day. Also many of ours list the OR's on Guard Duties etc
Overall we have found then well worth the cost
Regards

Robin

 

Have you seen this, Paul?

Middle East: North Africa; 124th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery; missing personnel | The National Archives

 

Hi Steve no I haven’t. I will add this to my list of things to get copied. I’m hoping to get some link to my dad, he died when I was 8 so never got the chance to talk to him about any of this. Picking up the research again has been great especially after losing job during pandemic. This is a great site to be on, everyone is being really helpful. Thanks for that info.

 

Hi Steve are there any books where this info relating to 287th Battery being lost is referenced?

 

Hi Steve any idea how big a document this would be to get copied? Wondering if I should just get the month of June 1942?
Thanks

 

Unfortunately I haven't come across any information on 287th Battery in any books.

 

Thanks Steve. I guess it’s difficult as most info was lost or destroyed before capture.

 

I don’t know, Paul. Most of the work concerning your dad’s whereabouts would have been post 20 June 1942, so start with June and for a few months thereafter.

My uncle, dad’s oldest brother, was a Gunner with the 124th Field Regiment, RA, original parent regiment, the 72nd Field Regiment, RA. He was KIA on 31 May 1940. The War Diary included a first update on previously ‘missing men’ on 21 June 1940, where he is still shown as ‘missing’. Even though the War Diary for the 31 May 1940 confirms that 11 men were killed in the same incident, they were still not certain who the 11 were. Missing men were being found in hospital, confirmed PoW, etc. all the while. The final War Diary reckoning with my uncle being shown as confirmed KIA, is in October 1940 - 6 months later.

If you are travelling to Kew yourself, you could study the file: Middle East: North Africa; 124th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery; missing personnel | The National Archives

-and only copy the relevant parts. Will you be going down to Kew?

 

hi Steve thanks for that info. I'm going to ask someone on this site if they can get me the details. I've never been to Kew and live in Darlington so not easy for me to get there. I'm finding this site very helpful with people sharing their knowledge. I haven't done any research since the early 2000's due to work and family. Work has now gone!! so thought I would try and pick this back up. My previous focus was on the POW side, still looking for info from his time in Benghazi POW and Italian Camp PG73. I have often wondered what it would have been like for my Dad he was only young when he joined up. Whilst I wouldn't wish anyone being a POW I do think he may not have made it through the rest of the war with so much conflict still to go. The one thing about this research for me is its a link to my dad. I've managed to meet and speak to a number of POW's sadly now gone, I did get my dads medals issued to me as he had never claimed them.
People provide info and help and in return you can share it with others. I've been given a few names of people who will get info from Kew for you. I'm just trying to work out what to ask for. I'm hoping I can just request info without having to know which folders to look in as I wouldn't know where to start to look for them. Years ago I made contact with a guy called Brian Simms he was great, went to Kew often and helped me so much. I tried to contact him again but got a return email so don't even know if he is still alive.
I know Dad was at Dunkirk and Gazala plus the POW info. I have some Red Cross Reports from the camps but I'm sure there's more.
The info about his service record is complicated for me so each time someone sends me some details I'm learning a bit more.
Thanks for all your help. Appreciate it

cheers

Paul

 

Brian Sims went by the user name ADM199 on this forum, Paul.

If it is the same Brian Sims, he passed in 2015: Forum Roll of Honour. See post No. 1.

 

Thanks for update, he was very helpful to me. Nothing was any trouble, always happy to answer any questions and never wanted anything for it. It’s like the POW’s I was in contact with, truly genuine people sadly no longer here so they can no longer tell us their stories.