Hello, I am researching a man shown in the photo below (Rear left) and this is what I 100% know about him so far: Born 1925 in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire Employed in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, as a Police Auxiliary Messenger in 1940 Enlisted with the Welsh Guards in 1943 Attended a course with the Guards Armoured Division Training Wing in February 1944 Wounded in late April 1945 whilst serving with the Guards Armoured Division in the European Theatre of War, receiving an injury to his shoulder and shock, being hospitalised, (From local paper cutting) Can anyone tell me anymore about the photo please? Why 5 men and an instructor, were they training as a tank crew? where was the training wing? If they are a tank crew, I presume he could have gone into 2nd Armd Recce Bn Welsh Guards? The men named are: Front Left to Right: E. BAKER, CPL BRADSHAW (INST), W. WILSON Rear Left to Right: G. HICKS, F. CLARKE, C. DONALDSON (Appears to be a mix of Grenadier, Welsh and Scottish Guards badges) Any information or advice is much appreciated! Jon
Jon Unlikely to have been a Tank Crew - from various battalions of Guards - more likely - five men being trained to be part of a Tank Crew and undergoing their various trades - Wireless Ops - Driver Mechs - Gunners- welding those into a Tank Crew would be done at the Battalion to which they were posted - and in Feb '44 - this would be as a reinforcement...and would have gone where the need was greatest - for his particular training - and he had five months to fit into a crew before D Day... Cheers
Thank you Tom, very helpful, did not think about them training as a trade rather than as a crew. I believe I may have found him in a 2nd Battalion casualty list on this forum by DPF, which has the correct date and injury listed, it shows him as an observer in a mark VI (Presume Cromwell)? Jon
