Hi, After receiving my Dad's Personnel Record, I would like to put some detail to them if possible. Thomas William Jack, (Dad) was from Kilmarnock and served in the Royal Corps of Signals. His Service Number was 2383283. His service history, as far as I have been able to decipher so far was, I think: With the MEF from August 1942 with the 8th Armoured Division Signals and 201 Guards Motorised Brigade With the BNAF from August 1943 with 5 Division Signals With the MEF from July 1944 with 5 Division Signals I'll be grateful if anyone can help me fill in some details. Yours hopefully Dorothy McCall
Dorothy The 8the Armoured was a Brigade - not a Division 5th Division AKA "Globetrotters" fought in Sicily and Italy as of July '43(CMF) Cheers
Hi War diaries are at National Archives and for the 5th they are amongst these - http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_aq=5+Division+Signals&_ep=&_or1=&_or2=&_or3=&_nq1=&_nq2=&_nq3=&_cr1=wo&_cr2=&_cr3=&_dss=range&_sd=1940&_ed=1946&_hb=&_ro=any&_rd=&_rsd=&_red=&_st=adv&_rv=&name=Search They will give you some Ides where he went, but someone has to go there to view them. Try googling them as well and see what comes up. regards Robert
Dorothy 8th Armoured bde went home after Tunis fell to land alongside 50th Division on D Day - so your father must have been transferred to 5th Div to make up strength for the Sicily Landings - THINK the 5th Div went back to MEF after Rome - not sure though- war diaries would show their movements… Cheers
Dorothy. 5 British Infantry Division were at the crossing of the River Garigliano in Jan 44 and then moved up to reinforce the Anzio beachhead shortly after. They spent Mar-May 44 in the Anzio beachhead before pushing on to Rome. They were then withdrawn to North Africa and sent back to UK for training for NW Europe. They were not called the Globetrotters for nothing! Regards Frank
There was an 8th Armoured Division, but it never entered battle: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1004910 All the best Andreas
Andreas There was also a 2nd Armoured Division which was a waste of space as it nearly fought Rommel for a whole week near Benghazi before being wiped out - my reasoning of pointing out the 8th Armoured BRIGADE was that it fought extremely well as of El Alamein then to Tunis before going back to the UK to fight once more in the Van of D Day and beyond - this is the unit the man served with until the landings at Sicily then on to Italy with the 5th (Globetrotters) who also did their fair share at Anzio etc… Cheers
Sometimes a man with a similar Service Number can give a bit of a clue, but from reading what your fathers unit seems to have done, this chap was in Italy a long while after he had left, so probably not in any connected unit - unless he died in hospital a long time after being wounded. LIDDELL, GEORGE. Rank: Signalman. Service No: 2383207. Date of Death: 05/05/1945. Age: 25. Regiment/Service: Royal Corps of Signals 46 Div. Sigs. Grave Reference: VII, D, 10. Cemetery: FORLI WAR CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of William Gordon Liddell and Martha Liddell, of Glasgow.
Dorothy If your father remained with 5 Infantry Division Signals he ended the war on the Baltic Coast near Lubeck The Division were then involved in a series of short notice moves as the British, American and Russian Forces adjusted their locations to reflect the longterm Zones of Occupation. 5 Division moved to the Wismar area in mid May 1945 to relieve the British 6th Airborne Division for service in the Far East (they got no further than Palestine). Shortly after they moved to the Magdeburg area before settling in the British Zone around Brunswick (Braunschweig)
Many thanks for the helpful hints and advice which I found very useful. I have had another search of some of Dad's [Thomas William Jack - 2383283 5th Division Royal Signals] papers, and have been able to decipher some of his movements - I think. After El Alamein, he seems to have joined up with a New Zealand Division and following the Battle of the Mareth Line, headed for Tripoli. Next move was to Italy and Anzio then to Rome. Tel Aviv is also mentioned. I can also make out a couple of names - Ralph Gunning and Eric Shrimpton, but no more information about them. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Hopefully this information will be of interest. Regards Dorothy McCall
Dorothy After the Mareth with the KIWIs he probably went off to Tripoli for a rest BEFORE landing in SICILY - then Italy as they went up the west coast to Salerno - then the Sangro then back to the west coast for Anzio etc etc.. Cheers
