Gunner Thomas Allan, 72 Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery, 1944/1945

The lovely lady in the photo spoke to me after a CWGC talk to the Lothians Family History Society on Wednesday. She’s holding two cards which her father sent to her from Italy at Christmas/New Year in 1944.

She spoke about her father being at Monte Cassino and the family had always thought he died in Italy and couldn’t understand why he was buried in Austria. It would be nice to give her a little bit of background and information about what his unit were doing after Monte Cassino.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Dave

 

I suggest she gets a copy of this book to start off.

》 Mailed Fist 《

Mailed Fist by Ken Ford.

 

Thanks very much, I’ll let her know.

Dave

 

Hello Dave.

In connection with Thomas Allan's entry on Official Casualty List No. 1776 below (whole page and cropped close up) and his entry in RA Attestations book (whole page and cropped entry also below) you may want to try and find out more (the circumstances?) and this may then meter what you wish to say to his dear daughter.

The fact that the war in Europe had been over for two weeks, well, for me there's an extra element of tragedy in there.

A war diary may hold details, or the book "History of 72nd Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery 1940-1945" by J W Moore may have information as to the circumstances. There may even have been an inquiry given hostilities (in europe) had ceased.

If I can find anything more out I'll be sure to let you know.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Thanks very much Jim.

As you say, there may be some tragedy surrounding this story.

Cheers,
Dave

 

Klagenfurt "rings a bell" with me. Probably due to the city being the main town / city in Carinthia, the border province with Yugoslavia, where there was tension and the forcible return of Soviet citizens to the USSR. Could his unit have been involved in that distasteful episode?

See: Klagenfurt - Wikipedia for a short history of the city.

The 72nd AT Regt. was part of the 6th Armoured Division; little detail after April 1945, except it moved to Trieste after VE-Day and formed part of the occupation force. From: 6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

Post 1 in this thread gives details of their advance to Klagenfurt, though the officer was with HQ 61st Infantry Brigade: Major Howard Hillier M.B.E., Royal Artillery

A gunner from the regt. died 27/7/1945 and buried there too. See: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2805265/gordon-james-burnett/

Another gunner, Walter Oakes, died after VE-Day:

From: Roll of Honour - Lincolnshire - Louth

A 'battle accident' (as Post 4) suggests to me handling ammunition (including mines).

There are twenty-seven other soldiers buried @ Klagenfurt, between 8th-31st May 1945. He is the only one from the 72nd AT Regt.. Note two others died that same day, could that be a line of enquiry? See: Search Results | CWGC

 

Thanks very much for this.

Dave

 

PVT Thomas Allan (1912-1945) - Find a Grave Memorial

 

You may also be interested in this book. The author served with 72 Anti-Tank Regiment throughout the war.

A Share of Time, by Donald Low MC

 

Thank you both!

I will gather all these posts together and send them to Anne. It really was a lovely moment when I met her and she showed me the cards. I turned them over and written in pencil on the back was “to Anne have a lovely Christmas” and of course I said who’s Anne? That’s me, she said, I’m Anne. She must have been very small at the time and the cards are obviously such a very special link to her father. The chapter in the book “A Share of Time” “The mountains and winter 1944” may tell her exactly where they were when her father sent the cards.

Thanks again everyone,
Dave