Help to tracing late fathers details

Hello,

I'm sure this straightforward but I'm not at all familiar with these badges. Can anybody kindly identify my late fathers regiment from the attached photo. Thanks in advance.

Alan

 

Welcome Alan, Im pretty sure its Royal Irish Fusillers. I look forward to anything you may be able to tell us about your Dad.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum, there are many knowledgeable people on here who will be able to help, I'm sure.
I am not an expert but would guess an Irish regiment? maybe Royal Irish Fusileers? Someone will be along soon and give you a definite answer.

 

Fusilier A S Metson, 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers"
The battle insignia on Fusilier Metson's shirt denotes that the 1RIF were part of the 78th "Battle Axe" Division and the shamrock, was worn by the 3 battalions that formed the 38th "Irish" Brigade. Fusilier Metson saw action in Italy (where the original photograph was taken). He is wearing the Scottish "bonnet drab" which the RIF adopted as a caubeen during the later stages of the Italian campaign.
This portrait was taken from an original photograph given to me by his son.
Soft pastels on textured coloured pastel paper

 

Alan welcome to the forum

if you haven't already send of for his service records
Ministry of Defence | About Defence | What we do | Personnel | Service Records | Making a Request for Information held on the Personnel Records of Deceased Service Personnel

 

Hello Alan,

Welcome to the forum, looks like members are already helping out.

Regards
Peter

 

Hello and welcome to the forum. Coincidently I received a excellent looking book on the 1st Bn RIF during the 1940 France and Flanders Campaign in the post y/day. Whats your fathers name?

Regards
Andy

 

Sorry to bring up an old post but the OPs photo is not A S Metson as he was my Grandfather and I am the nephew of the son who gave Wills his picture. I have his records and hope to be asking lots of obvious questions over the next few months as I trace his route through North Africa and Italy with the 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers.

Dave

 

Dave.

You have come to the right place for all things 38 Irish Infantry Brigade. Bexley84 is the guru.

Regards

FdeP

 

Dave,

Bash ahead with your questions.

The Faughs' record in Tunisia, Sicily and mainland Italy is a story to follow closely...

best

and oh yes....Fàg An Bealach

 

"They landed in Africa to clash with the Hun,
And came out in good time to miss none of the fun;
They jumped into action with three hearty cheers,
Did the Rifles, the Skins and the bold Fusiliers.

'Haw Haw' is a lair of truth you'll admit,
He said that our lads were not doing their bit;
But they'll dash Hitler's hopes and they'll crown Goering's fears;
Will the Rifles, the Skins and the bold Fusiliers.
+ +

Copyright - Brigadier TPD Scott, Italy 1944.
editor's note - my Dad was a Rifleman...

 

Thanks Bexley84 I have found your site and have entered the timewarp of research. 2 hours disappeared in an instant! Was able to track down where he was wounded (battle of Maletto) and a few other things. Just want to know why he had a serve repremand by the CO for loosing a prisoner and escort in Cairo and why he asked to be demoted to private on another occasion in Sidi Bishr!

Dave

 

Maletto - on the lava beds of Etna..a bit ugly at the end of that campaign...and at the start.

Egypt - was it during July/August 1944 ? Not sure why he would have been escorting prisoners there - far from the front line.

Sidi Bishr notorious camp for the Irish Brigade - i always thought my Dad was swearing when he mentioned the name.
You could revert, of course, as an NCO's life wasn't exactly a bed of roses.

Have you got his service records that you can share ?

you might also want to set up a newly named thread as that might bring in other interested parties....

best

 

I will scan them. He was wounded on the 12th. I am not sure which company he was with.

According to the diaries the day he was reprimanded was the time of the riots in Cairo, 11th/12th August 44. Don't have the records to hand but will have later.

 

12th August 1943 - ok. Maletto, that is.

oops - he might have been picked up by the MPs..but wasn't quite sure if anyone got "into too much trouble"...I had understood everyone was at the cinema at 8pm.

There was no "Metson" on the Faughs' officers/NCO roll as at Nov 1942 so he was either a fusilier then or came out in a replacement draft in the spring/early summer of 1943 before Sicily.

The service details will have the dates, of course.

good stuff,

 

Maybe his prisoner was a fellow soldier who "accidently" escaped? I will start a new thread later this evening.

 

excellent - lots of new learning for all...maybe one or two of the more experienced members on here were in Cairo during August 1944..

 

He was on the troop ship in 1942 so went through North Africa. Started out in the RUR for training in Northern Ireland, training near Bangor. He was originally from Essex but family lore says he worked with Irish workers building airfields so signed up with them.

 

The training connections between RUR/RIrF and Skins were quite close - and also the allocation to the specific units could be a bit random. Is his army number in the 701... or 702/703 sequence. (Royal Ulster Rifles 7006001 - 7040000) ?

Irishness or being of Irish ancestry wasn't always a prerequisite of whether you served with an "Irish" regiment" - but it might possibly have helped. I was speaking to the widow of an RUR commissioned officer, who was an Iraqi born Jewish man. Your Granddad would have probably travelled to NI to sign up (or may have gone to Chelsea to sign up with the LIR - who were the RUR aligned TA unit in the UK)...of course, the Irish workers were actually (technically) volunteers.

As you know, he would have
- Arrived with RIrF in Algeria in Dec 1942 - late, after their boat was hit near Gib.
- Moved to the Bou Arada front for Jan/Feb 43,
- Transferred north to the area north of Medjez in April (The Kefs etc),
- Advanced into Tunis during May

and
- Back to Guelma for relaxation in late May/June,
and
- Across to Hammamet and then from Sousse to Syraruse in late July 1943.

 

Yes, 701 I think. He trained at Lorne which is now the Girl Guide headquarters and somewhere I stayed a few years ago. If only I had known then!

Will start a new thread this evening and loose days off my life!