1st Bn The King's Regiment, (Liverpool), Chindits.

Michael,

I have nothing on my database on Pte Albert Davies. Can you check his army number as research indicates that the number 5110813 was issued to Pte E. Pate of the 5th battalion, Wiltshire Regt, wounded in N.W. Europe 10th August 1944?.

It will be worth your while having a look on the Chindit Chasing website as it covers the first Wingate Expedition.

Simon.

 

Hi Simon, thanks for the prompt reply. Sorry it was my mistake, the number is 5116813. I sent the message, because I believe Albert is in one of the photos you posted some time ago. It is a copy of a old photograph (not very clear), which includes an A, Davies. The photo is of C Company at Dehra Dunn 1945. I have been in touch with Steve Fogden at Chindit Chasing and shared information with him, which he has included on the website, with a story about Albert. I hope that my input may allow you to put a bit more detail to another face on the photo. As the name is with the photo, I hope there might be some additional information about Albert or of the group in the photograph. All the very best, Michael

 

Michael,

I can find no record of Albert Davies in the Casualty Lists which are about the only record of a WW2 British soldiers service that can be found on line. His service number indicates that he originally enlisted in to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Albert may well be the A. Davies in the C Company photograph but I have no way of confirming it. I am pretty sure that he is not mentioned in the Defence Medal roll as I would have included him in my database. I will check the Chindit Chasing website now that I have his Army Number, but for the moment he remains a probable for the man in the photograph. As he didn't serve on Operation Thursday I would think that he moved over to the 1/King's when the 13th battalion disbanded in 1945. There is no other information on the photograph. Do you have a photograph of Albert that I can compare with the C Coy photograph?

 

I have now seen Albert's photograph on the Chindit Chasing website and I think that the A. Davies in my photograph is not the same man as his face is much thinner. That said he does appear to be wearing medal ribbons which I would expect Albert Davies to be wearing having served on Longcloth.

Unfortunately, the photograph is in poor condition and A. Davies has a scratch right across his face, probably from the broken glass of the damaged frame. See what you think.

 

Hi Simon, Thanks for the last 2 messages and taking to trouble to check the other website. I have Alberts Release book and the notes and results of a Farriers Trade course that he completed. These would indicate that he was already in the 1st Kings before August 1945. He was eventually released on the 1/1/46. His Release Testimonial was signed by Lt Col Newall. In his medals he does have, what I believe to be, the Defense Medal (just waiting for confirmation from my son, who has the them). If he received the medal is there any reason that he would not be on the roll. Was there additional criteria to be included? As for the photos, I agree, it is not possible to make a definite identification, but believe that there is a similarity and hope that now, or later, we can confirm one way or the other. I have included another photo of Albert, wearing uniform and Hat for interest. Thanks, Michael

 

Michael,

thank you for your reply. It is always difficult to be 100% sure when comparing photographs particularly if one was taken before and one after a Wingate Expedition, they could well be the same man. Albert is certainly the only candidate that we have for " A. Davies, C. Coy, Dehra Dun" and he was certainly transferred to the 1/King's. The problem is pinning the names down to individual soldiers as the photographs are literally a snapshot of the Company on one single day and we do not know what that day was. At this time the make up of the 1/King's was changing rapidly, with men moving out of and men moving in to the battalion.

When I first saw the Dehra Dun photographs, I had foolishly assumed that all the men depicted had taken part in Operation Thursday. Clearly many of the Operation Thursday men had been repatriated if wounded, or transferred to the 15th Btn Indian Parachute Battalion or some other unit. Many Royal Artillerymen were drafted in along with other odds and sods to make up the numbers and rebuild the battalion. 1811190 Henry Robert Smith transferred to the 1/King's on the 12th November 1945 so the photograph cannot be earlier than that date. (See post 656 of this thread). I would imagine that there was several photograph of each Company taken over a period and that the three known photographs were not necessarily taken on the same date.

It would seem that quite a few 13th battalion men (Long Cloth veterans) transferred before their battalion disbanded. We know from the war diary that the rest of the 13th battalion transferred en masse to the 1st battalion around November 1945, (I will have to look in my notes for the exact date), and other soldiers newly arrived from England also joined the battalion. Do you have a transfer date for Albert?

The C Coy photograph does seem to have had more Long Cloth men in it than the other two Company photographs.

With regard to the Defence Medal roll, again it seems to have been a snapshot of those who were entitled to receive it at a particular time, i.e. those who were with the battalion when the roll was compiled and not all those men of the 1/King's who were entitled to it. I would imagine that the 13th battalion would have compiled their own roll, and the names of those 1/King's men who had moved on would appear on the medal rolls of their new regiments. The issue of campaign medals is often recorded in a soldier's pay book so it might be worth checking Albert's book.



I hope that this answers your questions.

Simon.

 

Hi Simon, thanks for the mail. I have been through Alberts info. Unfortunately, no paybook. I have the Release document, Chindit Certificate, Farriers trade test results and course notes with the medals (39-45 Star, Burma Star, Defence medal, 39/45 War medal and a SIND (1944) Team shooting medal), a permanent pass to Karachi (6/10/1943), Record of Service and Transfer to Army reserve. Going through these I can see he was with the Royal Warwickshire from 18/4/40 to 19/9/42 (no information on location), Kings from 20/9/42 to 8/6/46. Transfer to Army reserve 9/4/46. He was released for leave from 1/1/46 from the 1st Kings. His Trade course was dated Feb 1945 (not Aug, as I said previously) with the 1st Kings. His Chindit Certificate was dated 16/9/1944 from Lt Col Cooke in the 13th Kings. Based on this, he would have transferred to the 1st between 16/9/44 and Feb 1945. He was with them until the end of 1945. Given the time he was with the Royal Warwickshire (no idea where), he may well have qualified for the Defence medal with them. Many thanks for your interest and help in this. Your knowledge and support of people like myself in brilliant. All the very best. Thank you. Michael

 

Hi HW. Interested in your reference to Dehra Dun photos. I have only seen one in my possession of the officers of Lancashire Fusiliers after returning from Mogaung. Do have any others from JUly/ August Sept 1944?

 

There are three known 1/King's Dehra Dun photographs dating from 1945 shown on this thread. The 1/Kings were not in Dehra Dun until very late 1944 if I remember correctly, but I would need to get the War Diary out to be sure. I do not have any other photographs from Dehra Dun but there must be others out there.

 

Re: #415 Manning, James Patrick

In a Facebook group I am part of Roland Powell says he was serving with 1 Sierra Leone Regiment, so in the Arakan rather than with the Chindits. He hasn't said where he found that extra piece of information.

 

Many thanks for the update. It would therefore seem that he was 5th battalion King's Regiment attached to the 1st Sierra Leone Regiment.

 

View attachment 346720

View attachment 346720 View attachment 346720

 

This is a photograph of Pte James Forden (3773805) 1st battalion Kings Liverpool. born April 1918, died 28 March 1944, Burma aged 25.

Pvt James Forden (1918-1944) - Find a Grave...

 

Thanks Ruth for placing the photograph of James up on this thread. It is always good to see images of these brave men and learn more about their lives back home in the UK.

 

3718771 Pte Jesse Higson, formerly King's Own Royal Regiment. KiA Namsun 20/05/1944.



Photo courtesy of Mr Jinks.

 

5730036 Pte Donald Wise. Killed in action at Namsun 21st May 1944 as his column made their way to the Blackpool Block.


Photograph courtesy of Mr Jinks.

 

14325577 Pte Donald William Thomas Thompson. Killed in Action 24th May 1944, age 19, at the Blackpool Block.


Photograph courtesy of Mr Jinks.

 

longshot. i d of a possible Chindit i have this phot of my father on the right. we know he was with the 1st kings Liverpool and took part in Broadway landings' i am trying out who his mate was. i can pinpoint the date as father got his strip 6/11/43 then entered concessional are on 21/1/44 so a narrow time for the picture to have been taken. i have often wondered about this man as he has many tattoos . what has spurred me on as i was looking at a ww1 service record and noticed they recorded the mans tattoos. father was from the Dorset's and transferred to the kings was his mate a Dorset man or that could be a red herring ? now all i need is the picture to come out ,mike

 

At last something new has turned up.





Left to Right.

360606. 2nd Lt. Vincent George Rafter. 14836726 2nd Lt. 21/10/1945

298371. Lt. Ronald Leslie Summers. 2392443 2nd Lt. 03/02/1945

354045. Lt. Phillip James Dawson. 14445036. 2nd Lt. 01/07/1945

4699678 Mess Cpl. Hutchinson. F. Formerly K.O.Y.L.I. 'A' Coy. Defence Medal Roll.

283475 Capt. Leslie George Downs. 5625019. Devonshire Regt. 2nd Lt. 03/06/1945

302157 Capt. John Charles Forth. 14508756. East Yorks. 2nd Lt. 04/12/1943

354040. Lt. John Stanley Bennett. 14496241. 2nd Lt. 01/07/1945

3603040 Mess. L/Cpl. Graham. A.S. Formerly Border Regt. Wounded 10/06/1944. H.Q. Coy

330018 Lt. Peter Howard Royle. 14617797. 2nd Lt. 02/09/1944

Lt. - Col. Basil James FitzGerald Donlea. M.C. Royal Ulster Rifles. 2nd Lt. 31/08/1933. M.C. (N.W.F.) 04/08/1939.

293666 Capt. Leonard Gordon Hardell Culy. 2nd Lt. 18/09/1943

149227 Capt. James Ian Hunt. 2nd Lt. 21/09/1940

Maj. (Pop) Hill

327740 Capt. Anthony George Olley. 14583946. 2nd Lt. 26/08/1944

186979. Maj. Ronald Arthur Hurst. Platoon Commander 82 Column

357122 2nd Lt. Eric Walter Whittaker. 14779442. 2nd Lt. 19/08/1945

339941 Lt. Stanley William George Trigg. 14431475. R. West Kent. 2nd Lt. 10/12/1944

352271 Capt. John Chandler Edgcumbe. 7949808. Devonshire Regt. 2nd Lt. 03/06/1945