Hi I was in G Parachute Battery (Mercer's Troop) RHA and both my Grandfathers were Gunner's too. I'm very proud of that, shame my Father let the side down and joined the Royal Corps of Signals. Pah! lol. My Father's Dad 45848 William Waters was a WW1 veteran who served in 5th Bty, 45 Brigade RFA, 8 Division BEF from 1909- 1938. There's a great little booklet called Young Contemptible by John Wedderburn-Maxwell about the authors time in the same unit. Sadly Grandad has no mention, as expected. My Mother's Dad was a WW2 Gunner 840434 William Frederick Moore but his Regiment is unknown. He was transfered to z Reserve in 1946 then discharged in 1954. In 1936 He was in Leipzig Barracks, Ewshot, Hants and I think during the war he was in India. Batman at some point to a Captain Peplow Regiment unknown. I've searched for Captain Peplow but no joy either. Just wondered if there are anymore Gunner families out there?
Hey up and welcome to the forum. You can apply for a copy of the WW2 chaps service records from the MoD for a cost of £30, they will tell you all the RA regiments he served with. Cheers
Hi There are lots on here, my Dad was a Gunner. Also Captain Peplow is in here - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36928/supplement/794 - left hand side near the bottom, well he was a Lieutenant then, but in India so it could be him. These are all the Peplows that come up for 1940 to 1947 - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/notice?end-publish-date=1947-01-01&text= Peplow&start-publish-date=1940-01-01&location-distance-1=1&categorycode-all=all&numberOfLocationSearches=1&results-page-size=10&results-page=1 and I cant see a better match?! regards Robert
Son of a gunner who was the son of a gunner who's uncles were gunners 70yrs of gunner service :biggrin: BSM W E Dickers MSM. 68th Bty.14th Bde RFA Served:1898-1921. Mentioned in dispatches. Le Cateau.1914 Rob
Proudly have three older Brothers who served during the Second World War in the Royal Artillery and were at Dunkirk. They had joined their battery as pre-War Territorials, telling me when I told them I had decided to be an infantryman and had joined The Royal Scots as a TA man, 'they were not going to march anywhere' as they would be in transport along with their guns! True, being younger was probably more able and fitter than they were (!) and on one occasion had to march 13 miles carrying loaded rucksacks before reaching the forming up place prior to launching a night attack to capture Heinsberg. Joe Brown.
good day joe brown.ww2 veteran.yesterday.08:05am.re:gunner from a gunner family any others #8.i found it very interesting reading you marched 13 miles with full pack before going into battle.you were certainly fit.can the young soldiers of today do the same.??a most intresting post.regards bernard85 :m8:
Bernard. As always it is good to hear from you and send warm regards. I was only 23 and very fit when I did that long march before we went into an night attack. We were trained in high-altitude warfare in the Cairngorms in the Highlands of Scotland. We did a lot of hill climbing and walking along craggy paths carrying a heavy load of all we needed in our rucksacks to care of ourselves plus rifles, Bren Guns, 2-inch mortars and ammunition. However, all the very heavy stuff like 3-inch mortars, stores and reserve ammunition were carried on mules in panniers. We had an Indian Mule Company attached to Division HQ. On the occasion we did the long march, we didn't go straight into attack. We reached an 'assembly area' were we stopped whilst the Company CQMS brought up a hot meal for their Company and we had that before moving on to the Forming-Up Place, then crossed the Start Line into the attack. As it was night time and the plan was to encircle Heinsberg, we were assisted in keeping direction by Bofors guns firing down the centre-line of the attack with every tenth round or so being a tracer shell. At the end of that attack and whilst we were consolidating against a likely counter-attack I was wounded by shells from the heavy artillery based in the Siegfried Line, most likely pre-ranged and very effective. I was evacuated from the battlefield to the Battalion First-Aid Post and then on to the Casualty Clearing Station. Although shrapnel penetrated into the left knee joint and also the elbow of the right arm, I was fortunate not to lose my leg and/or arm, although I still have what my doctor refers to as 'a foreign body' in my left knee, presumably a fragment of shrapnel still remaining! It is frequently painful, but as it is the knee I am leaving it alone although I believe it is the possible cause of embarrassment when I go through sensitive detectors at Airport Security as invariably there is a bleep and subsequent hand searches produces no cause! Joe
