I have my Grandads war records and he seemed to move about in different battalions- why would this be? I'm a complete novice to all this so the answer might be quite obvious to you all! I'm trying to get my head round the differences between batallions, companies, divisions etc and have a flow diagram I keep referring to! Briefly he was in :- March 1940 - 6th bn Y& L ( transferred from md coy to A coy) Jan 1941 - attached to (looks like) G ITC 7th Ex Y & Lancs Trans to RAC from yorks and lancs reg and posted to 15/19 hussars April 1941 -transferred to ITC York Lancs Regt posted to 1 Bn March 1943 SOS, PaicTo.MEF June 1943 embarked H force It's really hard to read the writing in the next few lines but I can make out ' Egypt from 9.10.43' and ' to BNAF SOS ME' and ' posted to 1Bn Y& lancs' Nov 43 He seems to stay here till the end of the war. On his Notification of release paper it gives his unit as '1 or 7 ( not sure which) INF HLDG BN of Yorks and lancs' I think I understand most of the abbreviations on the above apart from HLDG Thanks in advance for any help
Presumably he asked for a transfer or the Army decided his skills were of more use in another unit after basic training (ITC is Infantry Training Corps) RAC is Royal Armoured Corps which suggests he chose/was sent to a Tank Regiment when he joined the Hussars. Then he was sent to Egypt as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force before becoming part of British 8th Army North Africa. He was Struck off Strength in Nov 43 and returned back to the 7th Yorks and Lancs where presumably he remained until being demobbed.
Although it doesn't look it, your Grandad's service is relatively straightforward. The Yorks & Lancs was his 'home' and is the common theme. Most of these moves would mean he kept the cap badge and his records stayed at the depot. Generally post 1902 for a line Infantry Regt. 1st and 2nd Bn. were regulars, 3rd Bn. Depot and reserves, 4th to about 8th pre war Territorials and above that temporary War Service Bns. All wear the same cap badge and have loyalty to the traditions of the Regiment. The Regiment as such does not fight. Any Battalion however could however be attached to any higher formation and serve in any part of the world and alongside any other formation. During the war a recruit could find themselves in any of the Bns. In the Second World War most Y&L Bns remained infantry (10th became RAC) which helps keep it 'in the family'. So - most of the moves your Grandad had were either within a Bn, as support to the Battalion (ITC) or between Bns. The other movements are of the elements of the higher formations the Bn. was with (eg H Force, MEF). The ITC may have involved being part of a 'cadre' or detachment to serve with other cadre as the training element within the Brigade or Division as the higher formation (sometimes even higher - there was a MEF ITC). His move to the cavalry appears brief and is a 'posting' not a transfer - he would not have changed cap badges for that. He obviously had a skill they needed. I trust this helps.
Thank you both- that's really helpful. As I said I'm a novice so still trying to get my head round how the Army works. We were always told that he was in the 8th Army and so I've just started ready Robin Neillans book ' 8th Army'. It starts in the desert in June 1940- my grandads records start with evacuation from Dunkirk in June 1940 and so far the book doesn't fit his records- now I know why!
If he was is 1 Y&L from a Nov 43 then he would have been at the First Battle of Cassino. 1 Y&L were in 15 Infantry Brigade who were part of 5 Infantry Division who, at the time, were part of X (British) Corps. X (British) Corps had the task of crossing the enormous River Garigliano on the night of 17 Jan 44 and securing the Minturno-Tufo Ridge. This they achieved but at great cost. 1 Y&L had the task, after the crossing, of sweeping the ridge from Tufo to behind Minturno at a place called Monte Natale. This they did but got back beaten up for their efforts. It is all quite a story. After this, they were moved to Anzio where they endured a hellish few months in the beachhead. If you are interested in seeing the ground, do get in touch. I am running a battlefield tour to the Garigliano & Anzio on 7-10 Jun 18 and the role of 1 Y&L is included. Regards Frank
Thanks Frank- that info is really fascinating. I was only 10 when he died but remember asking him about a scar on his neck which he said was a shrapnel wound from Monte Cassino. I remember him saying it was very close to his jugular and could have been a very different story. In his records it shows he was wounded in action on 21.1.44 Wounded in action 21.1.44 Admitted 141 forward ambulance 21.1.44 Transferred to 93 Gen Hospital 26.1.44 Then his next entry is ' posted to 1BN' on 17.6.44 so he was out of action for quite a while. Not sure if he missed Anzio- I'm off to do a lot of googling now, thanks so much For that. Can you PM me the details of your tour? We have a small child so not sure how feasible but worth having a look Nicola
The line: "June 1943 embarked H force" means embarkation on ships for the assault landings in Sicily. 'H' is for Husky, as in 'Operation Husky'. These landings took place on the 10 July 1943, and the 5th Division took a leading part in these and the fighting in Sicily. Best, Steve.
Thanks very much Steve I'm off to google right now! I love the site it's so helpful for someone like me. I try hard to find out the answer on line before I ask a question but the war is so complex and detailed it's difficult for novices like me to understand! Nicola
