Hi everyone, nice to be on this site, a lot of very interesting information here... Can anyone tell me more about the 22nd Armoured Regiment, Canadian Grenadier Guards? I'm looking for their war diary as well, but can't seem to find it. Any kind of information is very welcome! Thanks a lot!
Sonnema The CGG were part of the 4th Armoured Division which fought at Falaise amongst many other battles in the NWE campaign-you could try their diaries Cheers
Here's all the regiments diaries held at the National Archives in London: WO 179/1159 22 Armd. Regt. 1942 Sept. - Dec. WO 179/1897 22 Armd. Regt. 1943 Jan.-Dec. WO 179/3000 22 Armd. Regt. 1944 Jan.- Dec. WO 179/4401 22 Armd. Car Regt. 1945 Jan.-Nov. No wonder you couldn't find them - they were tricky blighters to find
Juno Beach Centre - 22nd Canadian Armoured Regiment (Canadian Grenadier Guards) War Diary, 17-21 August 1944 War Diary from 17-21 August 1944 A snippet on line at least.
I highly recommend the following well-illustrated history of the Canadian Grenadier Guards: Patterson, William J. Soldiers of the Queen: The Canadian Grenadier Guards of Montreal 1859-2009. Montreal: The Canadian Grenadier Guards Corporation, 2009. It is available from Novel Idea (novid@kingston.net) in Kingston, Ontario.
Thanks for all the information everyone! I found the war diaries on Juno beach Centre as well, very interesting to read. Do you think it is possible to order copies of certain dates (maybe anything from a week to a month or so?) Little question, why would Canadian war diaries be in London? Because Canada is Commonwealth? I thought they would be in Ottawa instead.. The book History of the Canadian Grenadier Guards has just become available here in Sweden, so it is high on my wish list for my upcoming birthday in 2 weeks time. :-D The book Soldiers of the Queen I'm not sure if I can order to Sweden. It seems to be huge and VERY heavy. Might be cheaper to fly to Canada and purchase it myself..lol! Thanks again for your help and your replies... hope to find lots and lots of information.!
Sonnema Send a PM (private message) to Andy - Drew5233 who has posted above and given you the war diary numbers. Lesley
I only copy complete files and as I understand it the original Canadian War Diaries are in Canada and a copy is in Kew.
The originals are in Ottawa, including all appendices (maps, air photos, Op Orders, etc.). Drew, am I mistaken in thinking Kew only holds the daily 'narrative' (I never know what to call that) and the Intel Logs?
I have copied many Canadian war-diaries at Kew They are written in triplicate. 1) Original with appendices - Ottawa 2) Duplicate no appendices (sometimes a few bits) - NA Kew 3) Duplicate no appendices - ? I've found the one's at Kew are always clear & precise & look like they have never been touched. Best Rob
I have copied many Canadian war-diaries at Kew They are written in triplicate. 3) Duplicate no appendices - ? Rob Back to the unit I think. Often at the regimental archives/museum or a local city/provincial archive.
Hi everyone, nice to be on this site, a lot of very interesting information here... Can anyone tell me more about the 22nd Armoured Regiment, Canadian Grenadier Guards? I'm looking for their war diary as well, but can't seem to find it. Any kind of information is very welcome! Thanks a lot! Hi Sonnema. We recently ordered service records for my father-in-law who was with the 22nd Armoured Regiment (Canadian Grenadier Guards). A letter that we received from Library and Archives Canada was helpful (see below). "Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding tracing the location of Canadian soldiers during their service in Europe in WWII. Searching for where an individual was located during active service is a two part process. First, it is essential to obtain a copy of the soldier's personnel service record. Information on how to order a copy of a service file may be found on our website at the following link: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-909.007-e.html This file contains a page entitled "Record of Service". Under the section "Record of Promotions, Transfers, Casualties, Reports, etc., from date taken on Strength of Field Force" is listed the name of the units and dates for which the soldier served. There are many abbreviations used, the most important is T.O.S. (Taken on Strength, when a soldier joined a unit) and S.O.S. (Struck off Strength, when a soldier left a unit). The names of the units are also abbreviated and the following link may be of assistance: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-909.011-e.html Second step in the process, once the names and dates of the unit are known it is possible to search the War Diaries of the unit. War diaries are a day-to-day description of unit activities for army units in active service, and contain information about unit location and the military operations in which it may be involved. They provide the most complete first-hand record of where a unit was deployed. To find the archival references for the War Diaries, at the following link: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/arch in the top search box, type in "War Diaries" and the unit name and in the Type of material box, select Textual material. The majority of these files are available on microfilm and may be borrowed through interlibrary loan. With the archival reference and reel numbers, your local library or archives may request an interlibrary loan on your behalf. For War Diaries which are not available on microfilm (Volumes 14,883 and higher) the original files may be ordered from storage and consulted onsite at 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa. As the files are stored off-site advance retrieval is recommended. Information on ordering material in advance and preparing for a visit is available on our website at the following link: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/the-public/005-4000-e.html Alternately, you may request photocopies or pdf of the documents. You may place an order using our online order form at the following link: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/copies/index-e.html Information regarding price, format and delivery is also available at this link. In placing an order you would require the reference, title and dates requested for each file. The two publications listed below may be of interest. They may be consulted onsite or borrowed through interlibrary loan. - Duguid, A. Fortescue. History of the Canadian Grenadier Guards, 1760-1964. Montreal : Gazette Printing, 1965. AMICUS no. 6693666 We ordered the war diaries separately for the periods indicated. January 1944 - August 1944: T-12726 September 1944 - January 1945: T12727. Hope this helps. We had a contact number at LAC which was helpful - 613-947-8443. Good luck.
Hi sapperschild, Thank you so much for all of this information. And my apologies for not replying sooner. I haven't been on this site for a while... I will have a look straight away and see what I can find that is of interest. Makes me wonder if your father-in-law knew the person I'm trying to find information about.. :-D Thanks again and have a nice day! Best wishes, Sonja
