Hello all, I am trying to research my grandfathers war record and unit, he had a photograph of himself in uniform just prior to posting abroad. His parent unit insignia was the 33rd armoured brigade, which he said was part of the buffalos or the 79th, now this all ties in with the research I have conducted. Through conversations we had it came to light he landed in Europe about a week after Dday, he trained at Caterick in churchill tanks, he was a driver, but they changed over to Shermans. I remember him telling me they fought in France and then traced up across north west Europe, Belgium, Holland etc, he rested in Holland and became friends with a Dutch farmer, who let him into the secret hiding place of his farm equipment, I digress! He also apparently went down to the Ardennes to relieve the Americans, and then he stated they converted to buffalo LVT to cross the rhine. This has led me to believe he was a member of the 1st northamptonshire yeomanry! Could someone more knowledgeable than I confirm and or add further to this? His name was Benjamin George Smith, originally from Lydbrook Gloucestershire, he hated his first name and used George as a preferance. Many thanks Vlad
Looks like 33rd Armoured Brigade to me. But after the Ardennes all three regiments of the Armoured Brigade changed over to Buffaloos. So IMO he could have been part of any of them (East Riding Yeomanry, 1st Northamptonshires or 144th Regiment RAC).
1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry 1941 - Valentine Tanks 1943 - Covenanter Tanks 1943 (end of year) - Sherman Tanks Training area - mainly Salisbury Plain with Bovington and Lulworth January '44 - Exercise at Frog Hill, north of Thetford, with live firing from Artillery,Tanks and Infantry. The Regiment departed Southampton June 12th.