90th (City of London) Field Regiment, RA

Dear All,
Please excuse me but I've just registered to put a message about my father who served with A Troop 357 Battery. He passed away aged 95 in 2009 and really didn't say much about the war and what he did. He closed the war as a chapter in his life. I'm now trying to put together a history of my family.
I have an incomplete copy of the History of 90th ( City of London ) Field Regiment R.A.
His name is L/Bdr Robert Curtis shown as wounded on page 37. This was at Nimejen on 6/10/44.
I have some info he said to me about being on Jig Green at H +30 in waterproofs laying matting for the Brigades SP's.
I would like to ask if :-
- Anyone would be interested in any more info about his time in the 90th
- Can someone provide page 28 of the history
- he was a specialist GPOA in his Service and Pay Book. What does this mean. He said he had a Sherman.
Curt


Hi Curt

Small world. My dad was also 'A' Troop - 357.



GPOA or GPO-ACK is a Gun Position Officer's Assistant

Perhaps if your father 'had a' Sherman then he was a crew member of 'Aurora' - A Troop's OP (Observation Post) Tank.

Regarding the matting on the beach. This was coconut brush matting that had to be laid between the ramps of the landing ships and the beach to stop the Sextons, Shermans etc sinking in the soft wet sand when disembarking. I have spoken to some veterans from the 90th who wore PE vest shorts and plimsols to do this! The Germans must have thought they had come for a run!

Have yo managed to find any photos of your dad during the war?

Regards

Chris

 

Thanks for the missing page.
i'm just getting to grips with the website. i'm a computer luddite. hope this gets through.
My dad said he was wounded at the island at Nijmegen on 6 October 1944 but having read the rest of the threads it might have been 2 October when Gnr. Callander died. my dad said Callander died from shrapnel the size of 3d when my Dad lost one eye, plus shoulder wound, foot and ankle and shrapnel inside his body for the rest of his life.
My father was a Graduate from Glasgow University and a teacher in Classics when called up. He was offerred an Officer's Commission but having gone through Africa , Middle east and Sicily with the 357 Battery he turned it down to be with the lads who had been through it all with him.
Curt

 

Chris,
Thanks for the missing page. As a computer luddite I'm tryingto get to grips with web site. Hope my message get through.
My Dad said he was wounded at Nijmegen Island on 6 October but reading the threads it might have been 2 October. if you've lost an eye and damage to foot, ankle and shoulder plus shrapnel inside for the rest of your life so what if a date is wrong.
Curt

 

Curt / Chris

Very interested to note your comments about A Troop 357 Battery, as my father was also in that unit. I have this photo which you might not have seen:

 

I think Chris will like the picture as its in front of attacker II which was his dads sexton

Alistair

 

Hello All,

At Message # 6 I provided a link to a blog about an Officer of the 90th Field Regiment, RA, Oliver Perks and his service during WWII. I have just been contacted by his daughter who has informed me that, sadly, Oliver died peacefully in his sleep on the 3rd November 2012, aged 92.

I commend his blog to those interested in reading about the 90th Field Regiment and indeed, there is a 'feast' of photographs of the men he served with, equipment used and places visited...link: http://www.oliverperks.com/

RIP Oliver Perks.

Best,

Steve.

 

R.I.P. - Oliver Perks

A great album of photos in his blog.

 

Oates - thanks for posting the picture of A Troop in-front of AttackerII. Great picture. (I will reply to your pm). I too was contacted by the late Oliver Perks daughter regarding his passing (always sad). News that the website will continue and grow is however, good news and the recent addition of the photo album is fantastic. Great images from Juaye Monday and the 'run up' through the low countries.

I have recently noticed the IWM have put more of their film stock online and there are snippets of the 90th in action to be found on the IWM website, plus a few empty links (no images) which means there should possibly be more to follow.

Dragon Models have recently released a plastic kit of the Sexton with box art by Ron Volstad (images can be found online). Mr Volstad has depicted the Sexton in two tone camouflage. This scheme was used - but its news to me that the 90th used it. I always was lead to believe the vehicles were plain OD as seen in the later photos (shown in this thread). But I do know they got frequent re-paints. Anyone got any views on the 90th and this 'Normandy' camo scheme? I guess hi res large images of the guns in Oliver Perks album may help.

Best regards

Chris

 

Last year my son interviewed SSgt Wally Harris REME MM who was in charge of one of the Fitter sections as a 19 year old. He had served with 90th Field in Sicily.

He was awarded the MM for his role in a battle in the 1st week of September in Belgium when 90 Fd Regiment intercepted a German column trying to break through. Wally moved to a flank in his jeep and engaged the column with the unofficially mounted Browning on his Jeep. The browning had been taken from a damaged tank on Gold Beach.

If you want to make contact with Wally, send me a PM and I will put you in touch.

 

Hi,

Many thanks for posting the link to the Oliver Perks' blog.

Oliver Perks' Wartime Blog - Photo Album Page 3

I think that the lorry in the photo at centre bottom is a Bedford. Could anyone confirm that?

Sad to see that Mr Perks has recently passed away. Thankfully his family have done a great job ensuring that his experiences have been recorded.

Regards

Tom

 

Bedford QL

Chris

 

It has been a long time since I posted anything but it has taken months to get my father's, Robert Curtis, Service Records.
He was enlisted on 19th Sept 1940 to the 38th Signal Training Regiment Royal Artillery at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh.
His Postings record has him on 16th July 1941 with HQRA HB ( scored out ) EX Forces. The 24th June 1942 has him with the 2nd Reserve Field Regiment.
He was posted to the 90th Field Regiment on 16th July 1942.
He believed that before joining the 90th he was not sent to Burma because he played violin in the Royal Artillery ' RA Rascals ' dance band.
While with the 90th on 10th Aug 1943 there was a posting to HD ( Highland Division ? ) but this was cancelled and he stayed with the 90th until being wounded at Nijmegen on 2nd October 1944. After staying in hospitals in Swansea and Larbert he was discharged as unfit on 17th May 1945.
Shortly after joining the 90th he went to Suez via Capetown and drove a 3 ton truck to Kirkuk, Iraq. It may be of interest that my mother recorded that stops on the way to Kirkuk included El Tahag, Ismalia and Asluj in Egypt, Tulkarem in Palestine and Rutbah, Wadi Muhammad and Habbaniyah in Iraq. On the way back to Kabrit in Egypt the stops were Damascus in Syria, Haifa in Palestine and El Qantara in Egypt. The 90th joined the 50th TT Division at Amarya near Alexandria.
I'm now interested in whether there is information on the 38th Signal Regt and 2nd Reserve Field Regt.
On one of the Service Record sheets it has his Trade as S(?)Q Signaller M/C. Can anyone clarify what this means? Also his rank was U/L/ Bdr. Could this be Unpaid Lance Bombadier?
Curt

 

*
Hello Curt,

I have no information about the 38th Signal Regt and 2nd Reserve Field Regt, but agree with you regarding his rank.

The 90th Field Regiment, RA, served with the 50th (Northumbrian) Division from 27 April 1943 to 30 November 1944, so they would have been with Fifty Div through the Sicily Campaign and for most of their duration in the NW Europe campaign.

You may find this blog for Oliver Perks of interest: http://www.oliverperks.com/ Unfortunately, Oliver died last year.

Best,

Steve.