76th HAA Regt RA, (236, 237, and 349 Batteries)

Well found! Any idea whet the date is on the article?

 

Thank you. The advert is from 4th April 1939 and the notice of training is 21st August 1939.

 

The remains of the Rockingham AA Battery has had some tidying up and had a display board added.

Smoke Lane - preserving a World War II Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, Rockingham

 

That's great news. So many of these sites are open to vandalism. I passed one of our local ones today, listed, but in a real mess. If it was a medieval castle the public would be mightily concerned, but as it's WWII, it just gets ignored. But great news about Smoke Lane.

 

I've found this archaeological report from 1981 on all the HAA sites around Bristol which makes for interesting reading (although it's surprising they don't seem to have talked to veterans of whom there were lots at the time). It has the grid references of all 20 sites around Bristol, which I've attached.

 

Thanks, could you give a link to the report? Ta!

 

Oh yes! here it is https://bristolandavonarchaeology.org.uk/app/uploads/2021/04/barg-review-2.pdf

 

That's brilliant, thanks for posting the whole report!

I'm not sure that all Heavy Anti Aircraft activity around Bristol was confined to these sites. My dad's regiment was posted to the Bristol area in 1942. Here is an extract from my site (page: Sergeant ACK-ACK: Moving out of Essex in 1941 ):-

According to a spoken account by Henry Moore of 164 Battery (Imperial War Museum website), they were sent to Weston-super-Mare with 3.7 inch guns due to intelligence reports which anticipated air-raids...

The Battery were positioned on the edge of a cricket pitch, and they were given ridiculous instructions not to walk on the pitch, or to lay down sandbags (which were normally used around the guns to reduce the blast).

During a very heavy raid, bombs were dropping all around them (including the precious cricket pitch). The raid was so intense that the troops were given the order to disperse, which meant “run away from the guns fast, in any direction you like”. This was the only time during the war that 164 Battery received the order to ‘disperse’.

After the raid was over, the troops regrouped for a roll call. Three men were missing. They never found their bodies, only pieces of flesh scattered around over a large area.

According to information on the 'Bristol Past' website, this incident probably occurred during one of the two air raids on Weston-super-mare that took place on the nights of 27/28 or 28/29th June 1942. ​

 

Thank-you, much appreciated.

 

Thanks. Really interesting account and I'm sure you're right as they could have temporary positions. There's also this website but it's less accurate in terms of locations. Map of Heavy Anti-Aircraft gun sites in England, Scotland and Wales

 

My Grandfather was in the 76th HAA RA and spent time in Bristol and North Africa then Italy. I don’t know much as he passed away before I could ask much. I came across these images from the ‘Daily Rounds’ which mention him. He was Capt. Roy Grundy. I thought I would share these images with you all in case anyone recognises his name or other names!

 

Hello Everybody!
New to the site.
I’m Christopher Wiltshire originally from Keynsham. My father was Jack Austin Wiltshire. He served as lance corporal A battery 236/76 HAA. From the defence of Bristol until the end of the Italian campaign. As usual not much detailed information from him but my mother kept all his letters. He wrote several times a week. Most of the content is very anodyne domestic stuff. Clearly little military material. I read with interest the letters dated on and after the Bari raid. Not the slightest hint of anything amiss! He was so law abiding he wouldn’t have risked the censor! I have a few photos which I will spend in due course.
Any shared information would be gratefully received.

 

Chris,

Welcome aboard. You are always advised to apply for a Service Record, even if the turnaround is reported as a year plus now. See: Request records of deceased service personnel Upload the records here once you've obtained them and then the forum can get to work on them. Please do not pay for any site on the internet who promise you his service records they will not have them, and you would have wasted your money.

PM to follow.

If you hover over the tag for the 76th Regiment it will show you other threads. That does not mean everyone uses Tags, so a wider search for the battery / regiment may find more threads / posts.

 

Hi Christopher, that sounds interesting and really looking forward to seeing your photos. I'd really recommend the 'Ever Your Own, Johnny' books mentioned previously as they cover much more of 236.

All being well I'm off to the National Archives next month to look at the records for the 237th that my grandfather was part of.

 

thanks I have ordered the 3 volumes of the Johnnie books.

 

HI Chris, Just caught up with your post - not been on here for a while. I saw the name of your father which immediately rang a bell. He was L/Bdr to BSM John Kemp whilst in Italy - you'll find a name check on page 260 of the 'Ever Your Own, Johnnie - Sicily and Italy 1943-45' book. No photos, unfortunately. If you have any from the time, I would love to see them to see them.

 

Thanks for this post. yes i have read the 3 Kemp volumes and confirm i have noted my fathers name as you indicate. With the aid of these fascinating volumes i am transcribing my fathers 300 or so letters to my mother. In the past i had been hampered by the strict censorship rules that my father strictly adhered to. Most of the content of the letters relates to the fact that Jack courted my mother via these letters. They had been in a relationship pre his posting abroad, but this appeared to have cooled for some reason. The correspondence is mostly a record of his growing relationship, or his side thereof. Culminating in an engagement and ultimately marriage in 1946. i am the first fruit of that.
I have images of the various periods. Not many. but of great significance is his relationship with the Italian family near Viareggio. Marisa ( Kemp calls her Marita) seems to have particularly pleased him. He fantasised to my mother that he would like to take her back to UK after the war. The child seems to have been keen too! Reason prevailed and that never happened.
clearly this family was a solace at least to the three of them who were regular visitors. My father never went back to Italy, or anywhere abroad again.
I have not yet transcribed the period in 1945. 1943 (59 letter) done, 1944 just started. in the letters Jack identifies who took the photos of him and Marisa in March 1945. i would love to know the family surname and wonder if there ae any relative who could be contacted.
I have more pics, of the Po, and images and names of his comrades .
any fiurther gen from anybody would be gratefully recieved and i will post more as the letters reveal more detail.

 

I visited the National Archives last weekend to have a look at the records for 237 Battery and this is one of the highlights so far. On 20th August 1939 the 76th were called up for one month's service window and travelled down to the Portsmouth area for training. However after 4 days they were recalled to set up positions in and around Bristol. 1 and 2 section went to Portbury - see the two hand-drawn maps that were included in the war diary. Section 3 and 4 (including my grandfather Bill Stanley) went to Filton and were told to dig in positions for light anti-aircraft guns (twin Lewis guns). They didn't have any stands available for the guns so had to improvise. My grandfather was stationed in a field behind Filton Laundry and used a fallen tree to mount the guns, taking over a hut in the field to sleep in. The map included shows the locations of these sites, which were manned until October by No 3 and 4 section when they moved onto Yate and Portbury. When war was announced they had been called over to the aero works and told to wear their helmets. On the way back they stopped for a pint and were given a big cheer by the locals!

 

Hi there just joined this group. My father served in the Regt, his name was James B Watson. I will see what photos there are that he had from his time with the Regt.