I would like to firstly say hello to everyone on here, this is my first post although I have been looking through this site for the last few months. I think that a website that exists for people like this is fantastic. I have been making a book for the family showing my Granddad's journey through WWII. I have a few question regards British Dog tags. I know what they look like and what would have been stamped on them etc. But I want to know the following: Would EVERY British soldier been issued dog tags in WWII? (or was this something later implemented?) At what point would a soldier have received his tags? In my Granddads' personal collection he has his cap badges, patches, letters, diary's, medals, documents, the lot! but nobody in the family has ever seen or remembers him talking about dog tags. Hope to you can help Gary
He would have received his Identity Disks on Day 1 of his entry into the Forces. Ron Ps If you stop to think about it, the disks held his new Army number, 8 digits in length and something that he would be expected to know immediately on demand. You can see why they were issued on Day 1 ! As a matter of interest, whenever you were asked to bellow out your name you would always add the last 3 numbers so I was always Goldstein 260.
Hello Gaza, Just so you can see, my picture is my late father's dog tags. He kept them as a souvenir and they survived all through his service, including Burma. I think they were made to be reasonably indestructable.
Thanks for that Ron, I didn't know that. I notice in your picture the black cat. My granddad has these patches because he was in the 2/5 Queens Royal regiment part of the 169th. yeah that's what I mean Shiny 9th, I would have thought they would have made it back. I would love to know what happened to them but I am afraid ill never know.
I have my fathers dog tags (the same as you've got Shiney) and will be wearing them next week in India when I visit the battlefield he fought on. I've also been asked to take his compass too to the approximate area of where was last used 70 years ago!! Lionboxer
Lionboxer, That India visit sounds awesome. What an amazing thing to do- especially wearing the dogtags. Take lots of hankies.