Decode this letter cover please.

Relative wants this decoded. Any help appreciated.

 

The Service Number is not readily id'd online, including on the CWGC database.

The next line with DBDQY is a draft code denoting movement only and in wide use. It is no trace here. See Post 2 in: Acronyms in WW2 Service Records

BAPO is the WW2 abbreviation for Base Army Post Office (now BFPO). BAPO 1 was at Cherbourg in WW2, from early on and a sentence is on pg.6, the next is the Google text:

Link: https://www.britishthematic.org.uk/kcfinder/upload/files/Etherington Frame 1-compressed.pdf

MV Cheshire appears from this to be a Bibby Line cruise ship: BBC - WW2 People's War - MV Cheshire Cruise and a passage on her: CHESHIRE (1927)~Bibby Line - AMC - HMS CHESHIRE - Troopship | #486968948

She was afloat in use as a transport in December 1944: Passengers Ships ww2

 

Hi

Best guess is he was part of a mass mobilisation with a draft ID of DBDQY sailing on board MV Cheshire.

As far as I am led to believe Draft IDs were entirely random and didn't actually stand for anything

BAPO stands for Base Army Post Office. Probably the office which handled mail to and from this draft.

Hope this helps

Gus

 

Thank you so much for your help everyone.

 

Any idea of date? His eight digit Army Number looks later than WW2, but an expert will confirm/deny. I had wondered if Hong Kong (formerly BFPO 1) could be involved? Ships Nostalgia have some associated submissions on the MV Cheshire (Bibby Line), including some suggesting use for trooping Service families in mid-50s.

 

According to this site British Army Service Numbers: Explained 22885485 was issued between July 1951 and June 1955, although the dates do not appear to be entirely accurate.

p.s. Too slow!

 

Apologies, I thought it was to do with WW2. Thank you all for your time. I think it may be my great-great uncle who was doing national service. However, I’m still confused why Google brings up D-day when searching for DBDQY.

 

What difference would one or two numbers in 22885485 being removed from the service number? Notably the 2 & 8 both appear twice.

So removing one 2 would put this number into 2,865,001 to 2,921,000, which was assigned to the Gordon Highlanders etc.

Did any Gordon Highlander unit upon mobilization become an artillery formation?

National Service started in 1947 (though some sites say 1949).

Conscription is different:

From: Conscription in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

 

There were at least two Gordon Highlander battalions that converted to an artillery role:

1) 100 (The Gordon Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment RA (TA) was formed in November 1941 from 8th Battalion The Gordon Highlanders. From: 100 (The Gordon Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45
and later converted: 100 (Gordon Highlanders) Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

2) The 4th (City of Aberdeen) Battalion was converted to an artillery regiment on 1 November 1941, becoming the 92nd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery... From: History

I could not readily see anything after 1940 for BAPO 1, though Google searches depend on stamp collectors.

BAPO 1 was in France in WW1 too. See: History of the British Army postal service - Wikipedia

This is one puzzle I can leave alone.

 

British Army Post Overseas Number 1
Motor Vessel Cheshire

MV Cheshire

London: MV Cheshire (Bibby Line) travelling from Rangoon to London. Embarking at... | The National Archives

The magic of the mighty "G".