67 Field Regt RA

I have my grandads mod papers and his demob papers.
I for the life of me can't be sure where he was when posted abroad.
Looking online is driving me nuts and i'd love to be able to tell my mum who has given me these where exactly he was at each time.

Hands up i'll be honest i can't understand it.

If anyone can help i will make my mum very happy.

 

67th (South Midland) Field Regiment, R.A. (T.A.)

HQ, 265th (Worcester) Bty: Worcester

266th (Worcester) Bty: Malvern


The regiment served under command of 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division from 3 September 1939 until 31 January 1940. It mobilized at Worcester and moved to Ramsbury to train. It left for France on 15 January 1940 under the division. It moved into positions at Evin-Malmaison and Courcelles initially. It then joined 1st Infantry Division on 31 January and moved into new positions at La Coquerie on 2 February. It remained a part of 1st Division for the remainder of the war. It advanced into Belgium on 12 May as part of the division and came into action near Leefdael. On 14 May, 5th/22nd Medium Battery was attached. Orders to withdraw were received on 17 May while the regiment was at Neertssche on the Dyle. It was in action at Zobbroek later that same day and at Voorde on the 18th. The regiment then moved to Bailleul passing through Tournai. The regiment eventually made its way to Dunkirk and was deployed in anti-tank positions along the Canal south of Les Moëres. It embarked on 31 May and arrived in Dover.

On return to England, it assembled at Leeds on 4 June with HQ at The Cornerhouse, Moortown. It moved to Sleaford, Lincolnshire by 21 June and operated as infantry in an anti-para role. 446th Battery was added at Heckington on 1 January 1941 as ‘R’ Battery. It was numbered on 26 March 1941. The regiment left the United Kingdom by sea on 28 February 1943. It arrived in North Africa on 9 March 1943, in Pantelleria on 11 June 1943, and back to North Africa on 15 June 1943. It embarked on 5 December 1943 and landed in Italy on 7 December 1943. It remained there until 27 January 1945 and arrived in Palestine on 2 February 1945, remaining there until the end of the war.

 

Thank you for the fast reply and great info dryan67.

My g'dad was in the 266th.He was didn't go abroad till 27.2.43 from what i'm reading on the mod papers.
From the info i do understand it seems to match up date wise.

Home...15.7.29 - 26.2.43
N/Africa...27.2.43 - 23.1.45
MEF...24.1.45
Home...12.10.45 - 8.1.46
2 (T) Res...9.1.46
This is from pic 1

Pic 2 is the same time frame but i can't understand it.The part orders and some of the terms.

Now in pic 3 he was sent on a course in west ham but i can't read what it is.

Also i have an mod paper saying.
Proceeded to 4th field training regt RA for the purpose of attending 12 (th?) potential no's I course.
Assembles 6.7.42
Disperses 8.8.42
I can't find what either of these courses mean.

Pic 4 My G'dads number and regiments.

Any help would be great,any pointers to war diaries or nudging in the right direction,all info will be a help,thank you.

 

Forgot to ask if anyone knows what the stamp is between 7 and 8 on pic one.

 

I would suggest that you should have another paper that looks like sheet 3 that records his later service. Possibly an earlier one, too.

 

67 Fd Regt RA was an integral artillery unit in 1 British Infantry Division - it went where ever the Division went. That places it at Anzio from Jan-Jun 44.

I am taking a group to Anzio on 7-10 Jun 18 if you would like to see what 67 Fd Regt RA got up to and understand your grandfather's involvement in this grim part of the Italian Campaign.

Regards

Frank

 

Thank you for looking in Charley and minden.

Here's the rest of what i have for during the war years Charley.

minden thanks for the info,anything i can find out is great.As much as i'd like that trip there's no chance my missus will allow it,not a hope!

 

Cheers Owen...Street fighting?

 

Cheers Owen,that clears that bit up,thank you for the help.

 

Close-quarters fighting as opposed to knuckle dusters and broken bottles!

I'm on my way to work (via the dentist), but if nobody else has a chance to do so before this evening I'll have a bash at deciphering it all for you, Scott.

 

Forget the order codes as they're untraceable now. Also ignore the second page that you were struggling with as it only duplicates information from the main history in abbreviated form (can be handy if you can't make something out though). In the records that follow there will likely be multiple postings to 'X' and 'Y Lists'. These are products of the army's needing to have continual statements of a soldier's location/unit/status. Y List had--I think--eight categories each of which was a reason why you were a) not with the unit to which you were posted and b) not effective as a fighting soldier: here, for instance, it is hospitalisation, but elsewhere it might be travel, training, detention... 'X' list does much the same thing but for different reasons--both have turned up a lot on this board and you can search for details.

Part One:

15/7/40: Posted to 67 Fd Regt at Donington at rank of Bombardier.

23/1/40: Admitted to ADS 2nd Field Ambulance at Sleaford

13/11/40: Posted to 'Y' List

29/12/40: Discharged hospital at Foots Cray. Granted leave with R A from
9/12/40 to 29/12/40 & posted to Depot R.A. from 'Y' List

15/1/41: Posted to 12 Regt R.H.A.(Royal Horse Artillery) Regis(tered)
23/1/41(Location illegible, possibly: '--church’ abbreviated as 'ch.'). All subsequent
entries marked D/12 RHA--'D Battery' (Depot)

24/1/41: Admitted to East(?) Reception Hospital at Longworth - rank now appears as
'W/Bombardier: Wartime substantive.

31/1/41: Discharged from above (hospital) with effect from 29/1/41--Longworth.

12/2/41: P. (Personal?) Leave R.A.L.R. [Possibly from Royal Artillery Light Repair or Possibly
Longworth Something]: 11/2/41 to 17/2/41--Longworth.

11/2/41: Posted to 67th Field Regt R.A. Sleaford Lincs. with effect from 11/2/41 - Location 'St.
[Something]'--it looks like St. Ives, but this seems unlikely.

2/5/41: Granted seven days leave.

8/8/41: Granted seven days leave.

10/11/41: Granted leave 10/11/41 & 19/11/41.

18/12/41: Awarded the Efficiency Medal (Territorial) at Fakenham.

9/2/42: Granted nine days leave.

14/6/42: Attached to 190 ''Z'' AA Battery RA whilst attending Street
Fighting Course at West Ham. Assembled 14/6/42, Dispersed
21/6/42.

 

Part 2:

22/6/42: Ceased to be attached to 190 ''Z'' AA Battery RA and rejoined until after completion of course--unit here is 266 battery / 67 Field Regiment R.A. at Fakenham.

6/7/42: Proceeded to 4th Field Training Regt R.A. for the purpose of attending potential No’s 1 Course. Assembled 6/7/42, Dispersed 3/8/42. (Never heard of this: perhaps for those thought destined for promotion or for posting overseas)

3/8/42: Rejoined unit on completion of course.

29/8/42: Attached to HQ RA 1 Division.

17/2/43: Ceased to be attached to HQ RA 1 Div in excess of W.E. [War Establishment] (Full) and rejoined unit with effect from 17 Feb 43. That basically means the unit was over strength and had to 'slim down' by shedding certain men at certain ranks--at Kilmarnock.

27/2/43: Embarked and Entered Theatre of Operations [North Africa]

14/3/43: On the X(IV) List.

6/4/43: Posted to the 2 I.R.D. (Infantry Reinforcement [Training] Depot)--a bit of a guess as it’s hard to read.

 

Before finishing, here are the references/links for the 67 Field Regiment's War Diaries:

Reference: WO 166/1493
Description: ROYAL ARTILLERY: FIELD REGIMENTS: 67 Field Regiment.
Date: 1939 Sept.- Dec., 1940 July- 1941 Dec.
Link: ROYAL ARTILLERY: FIELD REGIMENTS: 67 Field Regiment. | The National Archives

There appears to be a gap in the paperwork between January and June 1941 and the second half of that year has been gathered with 1939-1940. Anybody?

Reference: WO 167/489
Description: 67 Field Regiment Royal Artillery
Date: 1940 Jan.-June
Link: 67 Field Regiment Royal Artillery | The National Archives

Reference: WO 166/6988
Description: ROYAL ARTILLERY: FIELD REGIMENTS: 67 Regiment.
Date: 1942 Jan.- Dec.
Link: ROYAL ARTILLERY: FIELD REGIMENTS: 67 Regiment. | The National Archives

Reference: WO 175/331
Description: 67 Regt.
Date: 1943 Jan.- June
Link: 67 Regt. | The National Archives

Reference: WO 169/9491
Description: Royal Artillery: 67 Field Regiment (RA Fd Regt)
Date: 1943 July- Dec.
Link: Royal Artillery: 67 Field Regiment (RA Fd Regt) | The National Archives

Reference: WO 170/950
Description: Field Regiments: 67 Fd. Regt
Date: 1944 Jan.- Dec.
Link: Field Regiments: 67 Fd. Regt | The National Archives

Reference: WO 170/4745
Description: Field Regiments: 67 Regt.
Date:1945 Jan.
Link: Field Regiments: 67 Regt. | The National Archives

Reference: WO 169/19977
Description: Royal Artillery: 67 Field Regiment (RA Fd Regt)
Date: 1945 Feb.- Dec.
Link: Royal Artillery: 67 Field Regiment (RA Fd Regt) | The National Archives

Reference: WO 169/23182
Description: 67 Fd. Regt.
Date: 1946 Jan.
Link: 67 Fd. Regt. | The National Archives

 

Part 3:

30/5/43: Posted to 67 Field Regiment ('in the field')--30/5/43

1/2/44: Admitted to 2 Casualty Clearing Station & Posted to X (ii) List (see comments earlier): N.B.C: A Non-battlefield Casualty (an accident is likely, but--frustratingly--no medical information will be disclosed from privacy reasons: grandma finds out that grandpa had VD in Naples...)

12/2/44: Transferred to 70 (or a fancy 10?) General Hospital & 3 New Zealand General Hospital. Edit: based on locations it's 70.

24/3/44: Transferred to 11 Con (Convalescent) Depot.

10/5/44: Transferred to 103 General Hospital.

10/5/44: Posted to the X (4) List: 1 Rec (Recovery) Camp.

31/5/44: Posted to 67 Field Regiment, Struck of Strength (removed from) X (4) List (as now fit and back with unit).

6/8/44(?): Awarded Africa Star with 1st Army Clasp.

10/7/44: Admitted to 31 FA.(or F.H.? Field Hospital), Returned to Unit: 18/7/44.

21/9/44: Admitted to 31 G.H. (General Hospital), Returned to Unit: 24/9/44.

24/1/45: S.O.S. (Struck of strength: i.e. removed from) CMF (Central Mediterranean Forces) to MEF (Middle East Forces)--Stamp to same effect. This is leaving Italy and moving back to North Africa.

20 to 25/2/45 Leave with H.R.M. at 77d p.diem (pence per day). There has been some speculation about H.R.M.--it may mean Higher Messing Rate: the more generous rate for living expenses.

27/8/45: To X (VIII-a) list & IMCC or 1 MCC squiggle?? 67 Field. Likely to be some kind of Clearing Camp for preparing soldiers for a return home. Military Clearing Camp is a guess.

2/10/45: Embarked for UK & Struck of Strength Royal Artillery in Middle East Forces. Reason: Release.

8/1/46: Released to Class 'Z' (T) Royal Army Reserve. (Class 'A' Release).

 

According to this excellent site,
Hospitals WW2 - Scarlet Finders

70 British General Hospital (see record for 12/2/44):
Algiers 11/42 to 12/42 and then to Bone; Bone 12/42 to 3/43 then to Souk Ahras; Souk Ahras 3/43 to 5/43 then to Thibar; Thibar 5/43 to 6/43 then to Sousse; Sousse 6/43 to 8/43 then to Catania; Taranto 10/43 to 1/44; Pompeii 2/44 to 5/45 then to Udine; Udine 5/45 to 11/45 then to Vienna; Vienna 11/45 to 9/46.

Nice views...

103 British General Hospital (see record for 10/5/44):
Netley 11/42 to 3/43 then overseas; Algiers 4/43 to 5/43 and then to Chateaudun; Mechia 5/43 to 5/43 then to Chateaudun; Chateaudun 5/43 to 1/44 then to Nocera; Nocera 1/44 to 15/12/45 then disbanded.

It's in Italy, but you'll have to figure out which Nocera...

31 British General Hospital (see record for 21/9/44)
Hellingly 1/40 to 8/40 then to Belfast; Belfast Campbell College 8/40 to 6/42 then to Hatfield; Hatfield House 6/42 to 10/42 then overseas; Algiers 11/42 to 12/42 and then to Oned Athmanra; Cancello 1/7/44 to 1/8/44 then to Arezzo; Arezzo 1/8/44 to 8/45 then to Lendorf; Lendorf (Austria) 8/45 to 12/46 (No further War Diary).

 

Charley,thank you so much for going out of your way to do that for me,you've made my day.

Part 3 1.2.44 Very funny hahaha but a very valid point.

12.2.44 A google tells me this hospital unit was in Italy then,Can you tell when he was posted to Italy?

Again thank you so much,i'll be spending this evening checking what i can before i ask more questions.
I have a clearer idea now and will try my best to do some digging.

 

See post number 2 above:

Pantelleria is in Sicily.

My guess for the return to Italy is through Taranto as everybody seems to have passed through there from North Africa.

The war diaries--should you wish to delve deeper--will have specific dates and locations (and a lot more).

Edit: Just noticed that I missed the sheet with his early war service--but you've cut off the top part: Post No. 7 - 4th attachment.

 

A 25 pounder (266 Battery, 67 Field Regiment) in use as a mortar.
November 1944 in Italy.