Hi My dad, John Duvall, 7645657, joined in Leicester in Oct 1940. After training he was sent to Egypt in Feb 1941 and drove trucks in Egypt / Syria until Mar 1942. He was then sent to India / Burma until Jan 1945. He then came home until Nov 1945 when he went to Belgium until he was demobbed in May 1946. If anyone has any info, I’d love to hear it. John
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing photos. Have you applied to MOD for copy service records? Request records of deceased service personnel
Thanks for the reply. I looked at the info I could get from the mod. I have almost all of it and I will think about whether the rest is worth the £30 admin fee. Best wishes, John
Have a location entry for 14 Forward Trailer Section RAOC on 22 Sep 45: Caserne Technique, Vilvoorde north of Brussels, Belgium under command HQ 20th Line of Communication Sub Area Best of luck with your research
John, Do you know which unit he was with in the Middle East? I thought 14 FTS was part of 14 AOD RAOC and therefore home-based before moving into NW Europe after D-day. Regards Tom
Hi John I had my father's photos, his pay book, release docs, currency from Algeria, Egypt and Italy, his Africa and Italy campaign medals, badges of 23rd Armoured Brigade and some family stories of his adventures in Egypt. So I thought I had almost all of his wartime history too. Then I posted a question here and the forum advised me to apply for his service record. Only after receiving his service record, did I find out he: 1. Sailed to France in Jan 40 with a Dundee based RAOC Army Field Workshop, on the SS Contractor and returned on the SS Killarney on 29 May. Two of his unit were killed during their evacuation. 2. Defended RAF Syerston, in Lincolnshire in preparation for a German invasion. 3. Was on fire watch keeping duties in Liverpool during the Blitz.Two of his unit were killed during air raids. 4. Went to North Africa on Convoy WS-12 with 1st Armoured Division and was very nearly taken prisoner during the Gazala gallop. 5. Left the RAOC and joined the REME in October 1942. 6. Missed El Alamein due to an illness. 7. Joined a Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment after coming out of Hospital. 8. Only joined 23rd Armoured Brigade 10 months before the end of the war whilst training in Palestine, so never went to Italy. 9. Went to Greece in November 1944 just two weeks before the start of a civil war, during which, over a hundred of 23rd Armoured Brigade were killed or wounded. The research into my father's involvement in the Liberation of Greece in late 1944 turned into a book published in Greece a few years ago. I am currently researching for my second book covering the civil war in Athens. So getting my fathers service records was the best £30 I have ever spent. Hope his helps Gus
The vehicle in the second photo appears to have a 6/70 Division formation sign. Was he with them in NA only (I'm assuming that is where the picture was taken) or did he go to India with them? Do you know which unit he was with?
Thanks for all the replies. Steve- he was in Egypt / Syria from Feb 1941 to mar 1942, then India / Burma mar 1942 to jan 1945. He came home for a bit, then went to Belgium (Brussels?) nov 1945 to May 1946. Tom - I assumed he was always 14 FTS, but I only got that from his Campaign Star certificate. Gus - so much info. I think I’ll apply to mod. Do you need to send a death certificate, or will an on-line photo of it be OK? Jitter Party - I assumed the photos we’re Egypt, as some had the pyramids and a memorial to a downed Italian flyer (El Adam 1942). Best wishes, John
Any idea what the “8” and “65” mean, maybe 8th army? I assume the bit above the “65” shows the division.
Some more of dad’s wartime photos The first two are Aleppo, Syria Aug/Sep 1941 The next is a convoy in Palestine Oct 1941 The next is Colarba camp, Bombay Apr 1942 The next in Gaya, India 1942, with the char wallah Then at Namkom camp, nr Ranchi, India may1942 Then on what looks like a small boat (maybe Ceylon or Burma) Next is a collection of sergeants in mess in Brussels, just after the war The last looks like Christmas in the mess in Brussels, with sergeants serving other ranks.
John, the '8' was the bridging classification - so dependent on weight of vehicle and its load. The '65' is the unit serial and, as Jitter Party, the red star above the 65 is the divisional sign of 6/70 Division (it changed name in mid-1941). Regards Tom
Photo Six: Anybody have any idea what the 'FF in a circle on a triangular pennant' on the door of the lorry means?