1549771 Charles GILLAM, 4 HAA Regiment RA - Any Info / Photo pls

Hi,
I'm looking for information on my grandfather who was in the 4th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment and 182 LAA Battery Malta. Can anyone help at all? We don't have any photos and I'm trying to find one...
Many thanks
Lisa

 

Hi Lisa
Can you please add your grandfather's name?
Do you have any further details such as an Army number? Any documents?

 

Sure his name is Charles or Charlie as nickname but his records just show C. Gillam
Gillam, C
Service Number 1549771
Age Code 25
Type Of Medal 1939-45; Africa; Italy; Defence; War
Rank Troop
Regiment R. A. C. T. D.
Unit 4 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment and 182nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery also Yorkshire Hussars
Reference Number WO 460/206
Conflict Period World War II
Served For United Kingdom
He went to Malta and Africa I believe

Thank you

 

Hi,
I'm looking for information and/or photos on my grandfather.
Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
Gillam, C
Service Number 1549771
Age Code 25
Type Of Medal 1939-45; Africa; Italy; Defence; War
Rank Troop
Regiment R. A. C. T. D.
Unit 4 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment and 182nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery also Yorkshire Hussars
Reference Number WO 460/206
Conflict Period World War II
Served For United Kingdom
He went to Malta and Africa I believe

 

Do you mean 152 LAA Regt RA? LAA Regt only go up to 152.
F

 

There was a 182 LAA Battery.
Which is what Lisa posted.
Battery Finder - Batteries 150 - 299 - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

182 Light Anti-Aircraft Bty 65 Light Anti-Aircraft Regt Jul 41 - Oct 44 From 4 HAA Regt
Disbanded

 

Moved from 4th Heavy A.A Regiment R.A
to create a separate, dedicated thread

Good luck with your research

 

182 LAA Battery is shown with 48 LAA Rgmt in November 1940, but has gone by May 1941, this was when they were in the UK. The rgmt moved to the Far East and was captured in Java in February 1942. From: 48 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

As 182 battery is shown with 65 Light Anti-Aircraft Regt in July 1941 in the Middle East. - as per Owen's posted link.The unit was disbanded in Malta.

Batteries often were redeployed to other units, although I do wonder if it was detached from 48 LAA en route to the Far East.

Alas no threads here for 182 LAA Battery and in full LAA.

There are a number of threads here id'd with: 48 light anti aircraft regiment ra | WW2Talk At a glance all refer to Java and being POW. Similar results when using: "48 LAA regiment" site:ww2talk.com

Now with 4 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45 There is a clue, this HAA unit in July 1941 is shown to have 182 LAA Battery, by September it has gone. The rgmt was posted to Malta, as part of HQRA, 10 Anti-Aircraft Brigade; they left Malta by June 1944.

dryan67 has a 2012 post:

From Post 2 in: 4th Heavy A.A Regiment R.A

There are a few threads id'd using "4 HAA" site:ww2talk.com . This has posts about their time in Malta: 5/4th HAA MEF

There was a Yorkshire Hussars unit, threads here id'd using: "yorkshire hussars" site:ww2talk.com At a glance it was in the MIddle East and was not a RA unit. Wiki has a short history: Yorkshire Hussars - Wikipedia

 

Now some introductory research tips. Incidentally finding an individual photo is difficult, official photos rarely appear online, so you may find a photo of a battery in action.

The RA became a corps with a million plus members, other corps were smaller, individuals rarely appear in online research - unless they got a medal, were wounded and died.

His name or number have not appeared here before.

We always recommend applying for the subject's full service record. Yes, it may take a year to arrive - either from the MoD or National Archives (TNA). It is not available online and is the definitive record. There is nothing you can do about the wait. The records were never intended to be read today.

If the subject is Royal Artillery his Tracer Card, which is available online (££ may be req’d) and the experts here may be able to help interpret the scrawl.

There is a massive amount of information, details of books, records here. If you search online with his unit(s) if known or later, so for example: "XXth Anti-Tank Regiment" site:ww2talk.com that may identify threads mentioning them, at a glance without adding much. If you drop the 'th' more may be found.

Searching The National Archives (TNA) for the subject or unit(s) can identify those who were awarded honours / medals and the existence of War Diaries – which rarely mention individuals soldiers. They do give context and details of activity. Some are available via Ancestry (££)

If you have Service records etc create a document with a table for the dates and events in chronological order first and where the information came from. This will enable you to identify the more important entries first (dates of wounding, promotions, embarkations and disembarkations). You will learn more if you do most of the research yourself, but don't be afraid to ask questions about service record entries and things you come across on this forum. Adapted from Post 4 in: Help researching relative - Ivo William (Bill) SMITH, 42nd Battalion AIF

Some research tips next via PM and good luck.

 

Welcome Lisa, the essential first step is to get hold of his of his official service records, only available here: Get a copy of military records of service: Overview - GOV.UK

He attested into the Royal Artillery, and reposted to 65 LAA Rgt on 9.9.42 and to the Royal Armoured Corps on 27.9.44. Casualty lists state that he was wounded in Malta on 3.1.42, unit given as 182 Lt AA Bty, 4 Hy AA Regt.

Medal card application was for 1939/45, Africa and Italy stars plus the Defence and War medals.

 

Lisa,

The Yorkshire Hussars was a cavalry unit and became part of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC). The Hussars became a reserve unit and did not go to North West Europe, which would have - from limited knowledge - so not entitled for medals for service in France / Germany etc. Wiki does explain this role briefly.

By 1944 the need for HAA / LAA had reduced, with Allied air superiority over the Luftwaffe, so many units were disbanded and personnel posted elsewhere, especially to infantry units as manpower was short by that time in the war.

 

David, I cannot thank you enough for spending the time to write back to me. What you have written is beyond amazing as I've been trying to work out these regiments with very little luck. Thank you so much.

 

Than you so much for writing back.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write back to me with this information.

 

David, I cant thank you enough for spending the time to write all this information. I've been so stuck and this is beyond amazing. Greatly appreciated

 

David, I can't thank you enough for spending the time to write all that information. I've been so stuck in my research and this has shed some light. It's greatly appreciated. I have a casualty list with his name on it from 3.1.42. Do you think I could possibly trace a photo that way? Do you know where I'd look?

I'm trying to find his war medals too which were stolen.

 

Thank you Tony for taking the time to write back with this information. I really appreciate it.

 

1549771 Gnr. Charles Gillam
Attested Royal Artillery 1938
Served in Malta with 182 Light A.A. Bty. 4 Heavy A.A. Regt.
Wounded Malta 03.01.1942
Possibly served with 65 L.A.A. Regt.
Transferred to R.A.C. 27.09.1944

 

Lisa,

In-service photos of individual Other Ranks during the war are rare. If photos were taken when he was injured and in hospital that would be, at least to em, unusual and not retained by the hospital, let alone returned to the UK after the war ended.

 

Thank you! I have the casualty list but not the information on the yellow card above that tells me when he was reposted. So grateful for your help