950300 Sergeant John Richard PORTAS, MiD, RA

Hi, Searching for any information about Sergeant John (Jack) R. Portas, 950300. He was my father's childhood and school friend from the South London area and it appears that they enlisted into the Royal Artillery at around the same time in 1939. I can't seem to find his RA Regiment or his Mention-in-Dispatches citation (1945, NW Europe). Portas married Mary in 1943 and emigrated to Perth, Australia in the 1960s. He died in 2006 and he and Mary are buried in Denmark, W Australia.

 

Very few citations for Mentions survived. Nothing found checking TNA's WO 373 series.

Confirmation, which you probably already have:

London Gazette : 2 August 1945
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37204/supplement/3958/data.pdf
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve that the following be Mentioned in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe:—
Royal Regiment of Artillery.
950300 Sergt. J. R. PORTAS.


Any idea of unit?

 

No, it would have been a London based TA unit I think, recruiting in teh first wave of conscription 1939. My father's service number was 947073 and he was enlisted into the 140 (5th London) Field Artillery Regiment. Possibilities include 139 Field?

 

I've made some progress searching W/Sgt John ('Jack') Richard Portas M.i.D., my fathers long-term friend and comrade.

It appears that he applied for his service medals in 1950 having served in 1st Survey Regiment R.A.

I'd be very interested to learn this Regiment's movements in the BEF and subsequently.

Portas was awarded his Mention in Despatches for bravery in N.W. Europe in 1945

 

If you search online with: "1st Survey Regiment" site:ww2talk.com it will identify a small number of threads. Dropping the st produces a similar number, possibly duplicates. I have not looked at them.

Have you used the "go to" reference site for the RA? It has a summary of their history: 1 Survey Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45