David Cooper KIDD 1537301 228/76th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment RA

Greetings everyone,

I am new to this site, and am hoping for some assistance with researching my father's service history. I have received his records from the MOD (scans attached) and have made some progress deciphering them, but would be very grateful for some expert guidance.

Dad spoke occasionally of his time in Ceylon and Burma (emphasising the humorous aspect of his experiences rather than the difficulties, as so many men appear to have done) but less of his time in the UK. I am interested in fleshing out all aspects of his service.

Dad was born in Glasgow in 1919, and signed up in March 1940.

As far as I can make out, an outline of his service is as follows:

15/3/1940 Joined 213rd AA Training Regiment in Carlisle (U/L/Bdr)
10/7/1940 Posted to 44/101st Light AA Regiment
23/9/1940 Spent a week at Warren Road Hospital
1/11/1940 Posted to 61st Light AA Regiment (promoted through ranks here, made A/Sgt 5/3/1941)
7/8/1941 Attached to 8th LAA PC Watchett
27/2/1942 Posted to 228th LAA Battery, 76th LAA Regt.
19/3/1942 Embarked from Glasgow for service overseas (W/Sgt)
28/5/1942 Disembarked Colombo
9/11/1942 Attached No. 5 BCD until 19/11/1942
21/1/1943 Attached No. 5 ICD until 3/2/1943
22/5/1943 T.O.S "X" list (v) RA on attachment to Command Welfare
5/5/1944 Admitted to 35 British General Hospital (released 22/5/1944)
22/5/1944 Attached to Ceylon Command Welfare
17/6/1944 Posted to 264 Battery RA, 43rd Light AA Regiment
9/8/1944 Embarked Colombo
17/8/1944 Disembarked India
8/1/1945 Posted to 3rd Indian Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, 13th AA Brigade
3/4/1945 Granted war leave with pay
18/4/1945 Sustained injuries (motorbike accident at Penang Beach)
27/4/1945 Posted to X List (i)
3/11/1945 Disembarked at Home, having travelled from Karachi by air. Posted to C Depot RA
2/4/1945 Posted to 406th Battery, 130th Light AA Regiment
30/5/1945 Posted to Y list on proceeding to No. 5 MDU on 30/5/1945
6/9/1945 Released to Army Reserve

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I have requested Dad's medical records in an effort to find out more about his periods of illness and hospitalisation. The attachment to Ceylon Command Welfare probably related to his work with the Radio Station. A variety artist before the war, Dad co-hosted a show with Bert Waller at some point during his time in Ceylon, no doubt aimed at entertaining the troops!

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I would be very interested in any information anyone might have about any aspect of Dad's time in the army. I would love to know which war diaries and other records to consult in order to gain a fuller picture, and can't wait to get started. As I live in Australia, a long way from the relevant archives, I am really excited to have found this resource.

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Thanks in advance,

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Jamkid

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HI Jamkid

I am in the same boat, but was not as advanced as you when I asked here, this is my post - War Records - help with abbreviations & interpretation of service records
With the war diaries, they are at National Archives UK or at Firepower (but I think it is closed at the moment). I got Firepower to give me a summary as shown in the link above, but there are guys on this forum who can look them up, you just have to get the references for them (and pay them).
Here is one example - Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries: 264 Bty. | The National Archives
Hope you get what you are looking for

regards

Robert

 

hello Jamkid
if you require war diaries a couple of members on here visit Kew and offer a copying service at reasonable rates.


regards
Clive

 

Other threads that might be worth a browse through

Indian Light AA/Anti Tank Regiments

39th LAA Regiment

LAA Regiment Batteries

102 LAA (Light Anti-Aircraft) Regiment, Royal Artillery (336, 337 & 338 Batteries)

laa regiments ww2 site:ww2talk.com - Google Search

TD

 

Hi,

I doubt you will get any medical records from MOD. MOD use UK Data Protection rules to withhold medical papers (unless strict request criteria are met - does not include family history research) unlike in Canada & Australia where their online WW2 Service records do contain medical records.

 

RA Museum Archives are in business.
Enquiries to Firepower Museum – Temporary Suspension

The Royal Artillery Museum Archive is now open!

Do e-mail us if you would like to visit and look at some of our amazing records. Or drop us a message on Facebook with your e-mail address and we will send you details.

We are open two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) at Larkhill in Wiltshire. We're still fairly small, and we are on an army base, so please book at least a week in advance so we can make sure we have a place for you, and sort out a pass.

Do also let us know if you have any questions about our records. We're happy to answer brief enquiries, and we've started a paid service for more detailed historical research. Contact us with your questions, and we'll let you know how we can help.

We look forward to seeing and hearing from you!

E-mail: sm@salisburyplainheritagecentre.com

Archivist is very helpful. You can, as stated above, get a summary of the information on their database for the Regt War Diary (I think it costs about £20}. The copy I obtained for my Dad's Regt contained info not in the War Diary.

Tim

 

Thanks to you all for such prompt responses and helpful advice.

I have spent some time browsing the suggested threads, and think it would be a good idea to try for war diaries and related documents. I should probably start from the beginning, so I will approach a member to request a copy of the war diary for 101st Light Anti Aircraft Regiment between July and November 1940. (I have seen some pages reproduced on the 1940 forum, but only covering the period up until June.)

Kind regards,
Jennifer

 

Born in the Eastwood District. Did he marry Elizabeth Edgar Gellatly in 1939? (St. Giles District)

If your doing your family tree, some resources here for you Scottish Research

 

Hi! Yes, that’s him. Do you have any personal knowledge, or are you working from records? (I am keen to contact anyone who may have known Dad during this time.)

Thanks so much for the link, there are some great resources there!

Cheers,
Jennifer

 

Hi Jennifer, I used the free indices at Scotlandspeople website.

You will be able to view his birth register entry on line for a few credits in a couple of years time (100 year privacy law applies here in Scotland) or you can order a copy of birth cert for a few £'s.

The 1939 marriage entry you will be able to view though on line for 6 credits.

I did find two deaths post 1974 using the maiden name Gellatly. There was a Mary Kidd died age 79 in 2011 in Dundee & Agnes Margaret Kidd age 69 in Dumbarton 2013.

It's just a hobby I picked up from doing my own family tree. Do you know David's mothers maiden name?

Try the Electoral Register Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1857-1962

 

Dear amberdog45,

Thanks for you reply. I have actually done a lot of research into Dad’s family tree using the records on Scotland’s People and at the National Library, the Mitchell Library etc. It certainly is fascinating and quite addictive. My focus has really been on earlier generations, and I’ve managed to piece together quite a lot of history about Dad’s parents, grandparents and so on.

It’s only recently that I discovered Dad’s first marriage to Elizabeth Gellatly in 1939, which only lasted a couple of years. (He married my mother some 20 years later.) I have now been prompted to look into his life at this time in more detail, hence my quest to study his war service. As a child, you grow up thinking you know everything about your parents, but it seems there are very often surprises in store!

Thanks again for your interest.
All the best,
Jennifer

 

I did wonder if that 2nd marriage was his.

I've yet to get down to the Mitchell Library myself. One day I'll get there. My family were all from there also.

Now that you're into previous generations use familysearch.org for births and marriages. It's a good 2nd reference tool to use alongside Scotlandspeople.

Family trees reveal some amazing tales. Best of luck with your research.