Help with Royal Engineers service record

My Dad was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers in WW2. He enlisted on the 3rd Dec 1942 and his name was John Gannon and his sapper number was 213306. I have his war record and , like some of the other posts, I'm finding it very difficult to interpret. It looks like he was in Northern Europe throughout that period and he landed on D Day but I am not sure where. The companies that he was attached to are; 612 Field Squadron, 12 Field Squadron, 24 Field Squadron, 32 Field Squadron, that is if I have read the information correctly. Does anyone know of these companies? If so, this may throw some light and help with my confusion. It looks like my Dad was a bit of a lad. He seems to have done more than his fare-share in the "Glass House", maybe that was normal for such a traumatic period! Can anyone help!! Regards Mgan



I have now attached all my Dad's RE records except one that failed. I will attempt to upload the last later.
One of the replies to the above post suggested that there are some members that can interrupt or even explain the Sapper records. I would much appreciate if that could be done because I can not!!

Regards Mgan

 

Hi and welcome to the forum Mgan, I can't help but there are many on here who can, good luck

Regards

Lotus7.

 

Thanks for making contact.

Regards Mgan

 

Can you list the dates he was with the units you mentioned? Trux has a wealth of knowledge on D-Day so he should be able to tell you, when, where and how they landed in France.

 

Hi Mgan,

it might be easier for members to help transcribe the record if you can post pages here.
Often the handwriting can be difficult to read, especially if you are not quite sure what you are looking at.

 

Megan.

If he was in a Fd Sqn rather than a Fd Coy, that would mean that he was in an Armoured Division rather than an Infantry Division.

That should narrow down your search.

FdeP

 

My Dad

 

Hi to everyone can anyone help me Please?

My Dad was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers in WW2. He enlisted on the 3rd Dec 1942 and his name was John Gannon and his sapper number was 213306. I have his war record and , like some of the other posts, I'm finding it very difficult to interpret. It looks like he was in Northern Europe throughout that period and he landed on D Day but I am not sure where. The companies that he was attached to are; 612 Field Squadron, 12 Field Squadron, 24 Field Squadron, 32 Field Squadron, that is if I have read the information correctly. Does anyone know of these companies? If so, this may throw some light and help with my confusion. It looks like my Dad was a bit of a lad. He seems to have done more than his fare-share in the "Glass House", maybe that was normal for such a traumatic period! Can anyone help!!

Sorry about the amount of forms but " in for a pound as well as a penny" I think that's how it goes.

Regards Mgan

 

MGan

First thing to clear up is his number - which s missing two digits i.e 14 at the beginning, as he joined on3rd Dec. '42 -

same day as myself - he would have gone into the General Service Corps for his six weeks of Infantry training AND testing to

where he would have served for the benefit of the Army - that was the Engineers…

Cheers

 

Hello Mgan and welcome.

It looks like your father embarked from the UK on 3.6.44, just before D-Day. Went on X list on 23.7.44


There seems to be a form B103 Service and Casualty form missing as the other two you have listed only record his movements up to 15.3.43.
Have you another page you haven't posted up? If not I suggest you ring the MOD and ask them to re-check their records as this is the most vital page that is missing.

Lesley

 

Hi to you all for your replies. Thanks Owen for confirming my Dads service number. I have his brown Soldier's Service book and Pay book in front of me( in tatters) and that is the number in there.
Lesley, I will call the MOD but can you confirm to me, that it is section 2E21/8256/44 which is the only number with no written explanation on the Service and Casualty Form (Army Form B.103...2.)
Sorry about this but do I contact the Army Personnel Centre, Support Division. Historical Disclosures, Mail Point 555, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, GLASGOW G2 8EX or the actual MOD.I have the telephone number for the Glasgow address because they sent me my Dads army records. Please advise.

Incidentally,I remember my Dad saying something about his landing. He said that their task was to remove any obstacles for the DDay landing. I vaguely remember him saying out of 360 ish there was only ten of them left after the landing! I cannot find the letter, at the moment,but a frogman sent it to my Mum on behave of my Dad in case he never made it after DDay!

Regards Mick

 

Mick

I should point out that in your original posting at 2.39 you claimed that he joined on 3rd Dec 1942 - now it transpires that this

was incorrect enough to throw me off …a long ways as the files were not displayed until 5.51…

Cheers

 

My apologies Mick

Sorry for the confusion as you don't have a sheet missing. It appears that the attachments in your post #9 missed the sheet B103 from 1943 I was talking about.

I have now had a look at your original post and I can see that your grandfather embarked for North West Europe on 3rd June 1944, so before D-Day. He was in 280 Field Company until 23 July 1944.

Can you tell us what you would like to know? If you are interested, there are a couple of members who can copy the war diaries very cheaply for you from the National Archives. His main service abroad was around 2 months with 280 Fld Coy if you would like to look at them.

Lesley

 

From 280 Field Company War Diary June 1944

Intelligence picture of the beach they landed on pre invasion

 

A rather nice report from someone who witnessed the Invasion - Quite rare I'd say, I've never seen or read anything like this before.

 

Looking at the photo you can just make out a mine attached to every other obstacle

 

Nice map of the Platoons landing points

 

And a bit more on the Invasion