Hello, I am trying to decipher a particular line on my Grandads war records. Specifically.. Boseaucr (turtle) - 10th April 1944 – 7th Aug 1944 Can anyone shed any light? We know he was on the AA guns at some point and we also know he served abroad as his medals indicate (my mum recalls mementos from Scicilly, Holland and Egypt). Sadly he wasnt very forthcoming with information when he was alive. Edward George Say CHX 102914 Chatham division. Enlisted 15Th March 41 Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation 15th march 41 - 15th april 44 Boseaucr?? (Turt) ------ cant decipher this..see attached! 10 april 44 - 7th AUg 44 Royal Marines Training Group 8th Aug 44 - 13th Feb 45 Odyssey (NP 2402) Odyssey admin building/stone frigate? NP Naval Party? 14th Feb 45 - 25th July 45 Ports Division 26th July 45 - 18 Aug 45 Royal Marines Training Group (Visiting Officer?) 20 Aug 45 - 12th Sept 45 Chahtam Division? 13 Sept 45 - 14 Nov 45 His medals: -1939 to 1945 Star -The Italy Star -France and Germany Star -Defence Medal -War Medal 1939 to 1945 -Africa Star Thanks in advance! Ben
I read that as Boscawen. There was a shore establishment of that name. This mentions Boscawen & Turtle. Froyle at War
One explanation for Boscawen in WW2: From: Royal Navy Orgnisation in World War 2, 1939-1945 From a very slim Wiki: Link: HMS Boscawen - Wikipedia Another Wiki: Link: RM Poole - Wikipedia Nice tale before D-Day and so fitting your interest: BBC - WW2 People's War - A Marine's Tale Part 3 Good luck.
Thanks Owen thats very helpful. I have read that HMS Turtle was used for training personnel for the D-Day Landings. I think i need to dig deeper and maybe contact the MOD records to find out the full extend of his service as i have now hit a brick wall!
HBL = Home Base Ledger MNBDO 2 - From MNBDO - what the devil does that mean? MNBDO II http://www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk/ Formed about 1 January 1941 under command of Brig H. R. Lambert (later Major General, CBE, DSC) with 500 men from MNBDO I, including 130 from Fortress Unit I. Many junior officers were transferred from Army OCTUs and the men were "HOs". The Organisation was based on Hayling Island (near Portsmouth), and in April bomb damage caused the HQ to be moved at least once. During the summer many of the men of the subunits were trained in various army establishments (cp: MNBDO I) including the School of Cookery at Aldershot. The HQ had moved to Bentworth (Hampshire) area in May, and for a short while had an RAF radar and balloon barrage squadron under command. Units were deployed in the air and coast defences of the UK during 1942-3 before being concentrated in the Nottingham area early in 1943, ready for embarkation for the Middle East, where they arrived in June 1943 just before the HQ of MNBDO I left for the Far East. Subunits of MNBDO II were deployed in AA defences of north-east Malta in April and from 16 June to 9 July, before the Organisation was sent to Sicily under command of the Eighth Army. The establishment of some subunits by this date had been brought in line with army war establishments for personnel and weapons. After service on detached duties with the Eighth Army, the units of MNBDO II were assembled in Augusta (Sicily) for embarkation and arrived in the UK in February 1944. The HQ was disbanded in May 1944, and personnel of all but those AA Regiments forming 5 RM AA Bde were sent to North Wales for selection as landing craft crews, commandos or for other duties. Boscawen (Turtle) = HMS Boscawen at Portland where his records were being held although he was actually serving at HMS Turtle at Poole. Odyssey (NP2402) = HMS Odyssey (shore establishment, Portsmouth), where his records were held whilst serving in Naval Party 2402 From: Naval Party, Royal Navy, 1942-1991 by Ben Warlow 2402 MOBILE LANDING CRAFT ADVANCED BASE Number 3 (*formed DRAGONFLY/to Antwerp 02.45/Op with Force U/Bornhem 04.45/Nijmegen/ to DRAGONFLY 06.06.45 - PAID OFF 08.45*) Bornhem, near Antwerp 25.02 -03.45/Nijimegen 04-05.45/DRAGONFLY 06-07.45/disbanded 08.45 Ports Divsn = Portsmouth Division at Eastney Barracks RMTG (VO) - not sure but it may be Victuals Only Chatham Division at Melville Barracks Tim
Odyssey (NP 2402) is clearly shorthand for a Naval Party (I recognise the name / title from a small RN detachment on Diego Garcia). HMS Odyssey was (from next two links) an: Two officers can be identified for NP2402: John Patrick Kelly, with several entries on:Royal Marine (RM) officers 1939-1945 -- K and Alfred Shadrach Godbehere: Royal Marine (RM) officers 1939-1945 -- G One of the quirks of Google is it can display photos when searching for "Naval party 2402", following the links it is difficult to see why. This caveat apart there is a formal photo for the Rhine Crossing 1945 (23rd March), your subject's name is absent though! See: Photo- Royal Marines 1945 Blue Camp R.N. Party 2402, Rhine Crossing (World War Two) - RootsChat.Com There is an IWM Oral History recording for RM Douglas Charles Bevan and Reel 2 refers to: Link: Bevan, Douglas Charles (Oral history) I expect your reference to: 'Royal Marines Training Group (Visiting Officer?)' is for the preparation of a formal ceremony by a senior officer, RN or RM, even royalty after the end of the war in Europe on the 8th May 1945. They were also known as: From: Service Record abbreviations RN and RM | ͏ This bookseller's summary suggests five RMTG camps were in North Wales, alas the book is out of print! Note the publisher was the RM Historical Society (which I have no visited). See: The Royal Marines in Wales, by Anthony J Perrett This account of a RM's wartime service may offer clues: JACK'S JOURNEY
Thanks so much for the information above chaps. Fascinating reading. God only knows what stories Grandad Ted could have told... How would i go about finding which MNBDO II unit he served in? I have to confess i am struggling to learn the terminology of how they define what troop a RM would be based in! Is it a troop he would have served within!? And would he have had a Commando Nr or is that something completely different?
