Help needed to decipher WW2 service record

Hello everyone…I have obtained my Grandad’s Army service record but need some help of how to decipher it or where I could go to for help.

He was a driver attached to the RASC and I can see he served in ME (Middle East)? BNAF (Africa?) and CMF?
He was awarded the Africa Star 8th Clasp, Italy Star, Defence Medal, 1939/1945 Star and the War Medal 1939/45.
It would be great to have a better understanding of how and where he served. My own Father died some years ago so I am unable to ask him what he could remember. I will attach a couple of pages of his record in the hope someone can help me with this task. Thank you for reading.
Martina Butler

 

Oh thank you so much for replying so quickly.. I will try and get clearer copies posted up .. I’ve tried posting them again (as thumbnails) to see if it makes any difference.. fingers crossed!

 

I will try and do that or post them from directly from my email. They are quite clear my end… but obviously no clearer to me!!
Thank you Owen!

 

Tried to enhance the picture what document are we looking at please? Doesnt relate to anything like Service Records I have. Is it a tracer card as I have never seen one before
Seems to relate to discharge only. Medal Entitlement etc No postings that I can decipher.

 

I’m hoping these will be clearer… thank you so much Owen and Uncle Target.
Martina

 

Much clearer now I think see new pics below
Thank you

 

Have added new pics.. think they are clearer now … thank you Owen.
Martina

 

It’s not a Tracer Card.

It’s a Statement of Services (continuation) form - or at least a portion thereof.

 

Yes there are 7 pages in all.. enlistment, appointment, medical, etc.. but these two pages show the detail of his movements..
Martina

 

I am afraid that Uncle Target is a Royal Artillery Term but I have given it a go. Please find attached my attempted transcription which needs to be taken further by someone familiar with RASC terms.
I would generally expect more detail re postings but RASC were here there and everywhere, so probably used their own unit designations i.e. Companies rather than Regiments, Batteries or Companies. They do at times mention their "customers" one of which seems to be a Royal Artillery Unit. (RA) 6AAPG
These Records are really for administrative purposes i.e. pay and costings. They never reveal activities such as battles or tactical activity. Interesting that he never appears to be off sick and the one time he Disembarked at a Port is to me at any rate unreadable.
Hope this is of some help.

 

Thank you so so much!.... that gives me a brilliant start! He had a very hard war..Middle East, Northern Africa and then Italy! … just amazed he survived it all in one piece - no mention of any injuries/ hospitalisation whatsoever on his paperwork. Hoping to hear from others with an interest in the COYs he was attached to, or others in the 8th Army!
Thank you once again! Martina

 

Sorry…It’s me again… I have since found out a couple of little details..

GHQ 2ECH - I can see it means 2nd Echleon.. but not sure what that actually means?? It’s written twice on his papers.

On reading through some stories written on the WW2 people’s war on the BBC website… about the journey out to the Middle East.. and a chap mentioned landing at the port of Tewfik.…. That’s it!! Tewfik!!!! It’s so clear when you know what it says! Any help?
I know it’s not much but it may just help..
Thank you again
Martina

 

Try Port Tawfiq orTaofik. It is a port in Egypt, at the southern end of the Suez canal, a few miles from the city of Suez, so opening onto the Red Sea. There is very thin: Suez Port - Wikipedia

I am not an expert on this, so caveat aside. Convoys could not pass through the Mediterranean without heavy losses, let alone a convoy with troopships so they took the long route round the Cape of Good Hope. I'd guess this happened after May 1940 and into late 1943.

 

Thank you.. yes you are no doubt correct…I think I definitely may have spelt it incorrectly (I just copied the spelling from the BBC ‘peoples war stories’ page) but it seems to match up for sure. The chap who posted his story sailed around Africa.. it must have seemed like a never ending journey of hell to them.. and that’s before they even got there!! (From his papers my Grandad arrived there on 19/9/40)
Martina

 

GHQ 2ECH - I can see it means 2nd Echleon.. but not sure what that actually means?
Echelon refers to the units position in relation to the main units task.
1st or sometimes called A Echelon is the main or front line unit and 2nd or B Echelon is the backup unit
2nd echelon would be delivering stores or whatever from a main supply area to the 1st Echelon stores local to where the action is taking place.
An Artillery Regiment would be supplied from its B Echelon area a few miles back out of harms way. Its where the Quartermaster lives with his storemen.
RASC are the delivery boys a bit like Amazon deliveries. There would be a chain of stores like warehouses where equipment anything from boots and uniforms to food or ammunition would be kept then passed on to whoever needed it. RASC usually work for Divisional units (big orders) Regiments often had their own transport to collect from B echelon stores.
GHQ is General Headquarters in other words Head Office. 2ECH would I assume be where they draw their supplies from.
Nowadays the RASC are the Royal Logistics Corps.

 

Thank you for the info Uncle Target.
He was a driver/mechanic so no doubt was required to get things moving when needed! I’m sure the heat/ sand /storms made things extremely difficult and caused many problems keeping everything moving!

 

Note: Driver is a rank in the RASC equivalent to a Private it does not mean he actually drove vehicles. Your Grandad was therefore not 'attached' to the RASC but was in the RASC. He probably didn't drive vehicles until he qualified as a Driver Mech in April 1941.

Tim