Help deciphering Service Records, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Tinap, Mar 8, 2020.

  1. Tinap

    Tinap Member

    Hi, I have been helping a friend with his Fathers Service Records but I am having trouble deciphering them. I have attached copies if anyone would be kind enough to have a look at them for me. I have also done a close up of his medals awarded as I am not sure of the lettering after 39/43 star, I think it is AF B2067?

    There seems to be a lot of blocked out information and I wondered why...is there a particular reason for this?

    George was also mentioned in despatches at some point during his army years but unfortunately due to a family dispute everything was destroyed. Is there any way of finding out about this?

    Many thanks for your time
     
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  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Adn to 47 BGH [Admitted to No 47 British General Hospital]

    47 British General Hospital
    Goodwood 9/41 to 6/42 then overseas; Calcutta 1/43 to 2/45 then to Ratu; Ratu (nr. Ranchi) 2/45 to 6/45;[also an entry under Ranchi which gives no dates but says 'see Ratu' and then 'see Silivai']; Silivai 6/45 to 10/45 then to Singapore; Singapore 10/45 to 12/46 (no further War Diary).

    He seems to have started with Leics, transferred to Warwicks, and later is released from Army service serving in the Royal Artillery (613 Regt RA S/L {Search Light])

    He also seems to have reached the rank of Sgt in RWR but took himself down to Pte at his own request

    TD
     
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  3. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    It looks to me that one of the “cover ups” on his statement of services is in relation to a period of 14 days detention in 1940. I’ll look more closely at all the papers tomorrow.

    Steve
     
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  4. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    I’ve had a long look at his records and will attempt this synopsis of his service - hopefully others will add to my efforts to amend any errors or omissions.

    in relation to the MID - I would ordinarily expect to see it recorded somewhere amongst his papers but it is absent so I can only suggest you search for him in the London Gazette. Having said that you will likely only find him in a list of names as it is unusual to discover what particular act lead to the award.

    He enlisted into the Leicestershire Regiment on the day after his 18th birthday on Regular Army terms of engagement - 7 years with the colours and 5 years on the Reserve. He would’ve been posted to the Regimental Depot for his initial/recruit training and would’ve ordinarily likely have remained there until attaining his 19th birthday and then been posted to one of the 2 Regular Battalions of the Regiment - 1st were in India and 2nd were in Palestine - had not war been declared.

    As an 18 year old he could not be posted to a fighting unit overseas so on conclusion of his initial training in Jan 1940 he is posted to a Holding Unit and quickly onwards to the home details of 2/5th Battalion at Leicestershire Regiment Training Centre as 2/5th Leicestershire Regiment had joined BEF in January 1940 as part of 46th Division.

    He is cross posted to Details 46 Division in late April 1940 - another U.K. based posting. The first blank in his record occurs about this time with an entry of 14 days service “lost” on 14th June 1940. That suggests to me that he has been subject to military discipline and likely spent 14 days in detention for a breach of army discipline.

    On conclusion of that sentence he is posted back to 2/5th Leicestershire Regiment - recently evacuated from Dunkirk - on 29th June 1940 and remains with that unit at various U.K. locations for 18 months securing promotion to Corporal.

    He is posted to the strength of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment ITC 26th December 1941 in preparation for an 8th January 1942 U.K. departure on commencement of his journey to India as part of convoy WS15 arriving at Bombay 4th March 1942.

    WS (Winston Specials) Convoys in WW2 - 1942 Sailings

    After a period of acclimatisation on arrival he is posted to 1st RWR at Barrackpore, near Calcutta 28th March 1942.

    From Wikipedia -

    The 1st Battalion of the regiment had served from 1937–39 on the North West Frontier in British India.[48] Throughout the war, the 1st Battalion remained mainly on garrison duties and internal security operations, despite many times being promised a chance to fight in the war. In late 1944, it began training for jungle warfare. The battalion only very briefly fought in the final stages of the Burma Campaign under Lieutenant-General Bill Slim, an officer who served with the regiment during the Great War and who led the British Fourteenth Army and took part in Operation Dracula, the capture of Rangoon, with the 4th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the 26th Indian Infantry Division, in April 1945 but saw little contact with the enemy and, on 20 May, the battalion received orders to prepare to, again, return to India. On the 23rd, Major J.A. Collins, Officer Commanding 'A' Company, led his company against a group of between to 50 and 100 of the enemy, in Tinzeik, and inflicted heavy casualties on them before withdrawing into the jungle. For this action, Major Collins was awarded the Military Cross for his leadership, along with Lance Corporal Brooks the Military Medal, and PrivateMcCullum a mention in despatches and the 1st Battalion "earned the commendation of the Division Commander, Major-GeneralChambers."[49] 'A' Company then rejoined the rest of the battalion in Rangoon, which departed on the 20th, and then moved to Bangalore.[50]

    It is possible to follow his service in India from his arrival to Jan 1945 on a single B103. An interesting entry is a stamp denoting the award of the 39/43 Star on 9th May 1944. There is no evidence that he served with 1940 BEF so my supposition is that at some time 1942/43 he saw active service in India in an area where he qualified for the 39/43 Star. You may have to look to the Regimental History for more detail than is disclosed in Wikipedia. The Regimental History may also note the award of the MID.

    From your perspective the challenge is to draw some inference from the 2nd B103 concerning his service in India and the various redacted entries on his statement of services form for the period April/July 1945. Unfortunately I can’t assist other than to surmise that he had further minor brushes with military discipline which lead him to “voluntarily” return to the rank of Private.

    His B103 shows that he has a period of leave in mid March 1945 followed by a single line redacted entry dated 6th April 1945 followed by a stamp and entry dated 25th April 1945 showing he was struck off strength India Command and simultaneously taken onto strength Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALF SEA) denoting a posting to an operational area in Burma (as per Wiki above) - subsequently leading to the award of the Burma Star.

    Whilst his decision to revert to the ranks is shown at 28th May 1945 the B103 entries dated 14th and 25th May and 26th June 1945 are redacted. However I can make out the outline of “text” on my iPad so perhaps if you hold the original photocopy up to the light you may be able to decipher the “text” or even converting the page to a negative via a computer programme may assist. You may want to do the same with his statement of services form.

    By July 1945 he has been overseas for 3 1/2 years so is eligible for home leave under the Phython scheme and leaves India 4th August 1945 arriving in U.K. 27th August when he is posted to 22nd Holding Battalion RWR and proceeds on a months leave.

    His penultimate B103 (in date order rather than the non sequential order you have uploaded them) shows an extension of his 4 weeks Phython leave by 2 weeks into October 1945 followed by an entry showing a late December posting to a draft to BAOR (British Army Of the Rhine) with a departure on 1st January 1946 and arrival at 54 RHU (Reinforcement Holding Unit) 5th January 1946 followed by a speedy onward posting to 613 Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery 11th January 1946.

    As a regular soldier who committed to 7 years service in June 1939 he couldn’t be included in the immediate post war demobilisation process until June 1946 so that RA posting would be recognised as a short term “holding” posting. He clearly had time back in the U.K. in May 1946 when he was married. His demobilisation group was 28C - based on his length of service and date of birth - but I have insufficient knowledge to interpret the DR prefix (edit to add DR may mean Delayed Release?)

    The rear of his B102 form shows that he was formally posted to Section B Army Reserve 1st October 1946. I’d suggest that given his length of service plus service overseas that he would have had 3+ months terminal leave that he likely commenced shortly after his demobilisation medical dated 2nd June 1946.

    I have insufficient knowledge to interpret the first entry on the final B103 - from November 1950 - regarding the AB 334 form.

    The second entry merely confirms the completion of his 12 year regular army commitment on 18th June 1951 on which date he would revert from Section B Army Reserve to the usual post war “conscript” status as part of Class Z Reserve until that was discontinued in 1959.

    Hopefully all the above makes sense?

    Steve
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2020
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  5. Tinap

    Tinap Member

    Thank you for the information and Tullybrone for your detailed reply it gives me a lot of information to go on

    Cheers
     
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  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    In 1942 it seems they moved from the NW Frontier, to Calcutta to take over 'policing duties' and as a side they did do jungle training. So my guess would be that Calcutta was deemed to be within the zone for award of that medal.
    They finally went 'into action' in May 1945 as they landed in Rangoon

    Unfortunately your relative is not mentioned in the Regimental history that I have, written by Marcus Cunliffe

    TD
     
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  7. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Thanks Richard.:)

    I’d forgotten about your family RWR interest.

    Steve
     

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