Hi (and Hurrah for the CRE!) from Paddy

Hello to the many contributors whose experiences I've enjoyed reading. I'm currently looking into my fathers wartime record with 1st Fd Sqn RE from N. Africa to Austria with 1st Armoured Div and 25th Armoured Engineer Bde ending up as commander of a Sherman dozer amongst other exploits.
I'm an ex RE (Commando Engineers) planty and I'm in Yorkshire, guess that means I can sneak up behind you and make a mess - not responsible for Bradford though!

 

Hey up and 'ow do

 

Hi Drew, how's the house move gone?

 

Plang876
- Just to keep the record straight as it might very well be bent in the passage of time - the African campaign was in two parts- the longest and major was known as the desert campaign which 1st Armoured Div was a vital part of from El Alamein to Tunis - then finally Italy as of August of 1944.

The 25th Armoured / Engineers- or rather the 51stRTR armoured/engineer battalion/with the 25th Tank bde HQ - had it's origins in the 25th Tank bde which started from Algiers to Italy and was broken up in December 1944 near Cesena with the original Tank units of 142RAC being disbanded- The North Irish Horse replacing the 145thRAC from 21st Tank bde and the 51st RTR being organised into an Armoured / Engineers unit- which will be the unit in which your father served as Sherman Tank dozer.....
Cheers
PS - the 1st Armoured Div was broken up after the Gothic Line battles in October '44

 

Welcome and enjoy.!!! Tho' you have been lurking a while it seems.

 

Welcome to the forum Paddy - enjoy!

Best,

Steve.

 

Welcome to the forum


Cheers
Paul

 

Hello Paddy,

Welcome to the forum.

Regards
Peter

 

Hi Steve, Time spent in recconnaissance is seldom wasted!

 

Plang876.

As a former member of 59 Cdo Fd Sqn RE, you need to get out to Monte Cassino and see the Amazon bridge that 59 Fd Coy RE built for the 4 BR Inf Div crossing on 12-13 May 44.

Regards

FdeP

 

Hello and welcome from Yorkshire

Lesley

 

RoyalEngineerSqns50_59

 

Good guess! I 'S'typed into 59 Indep Cdo Sqn RE from 131 Indep Cdo Sqn RE(V) and then did exactly what it says on the capbadge and became ubiquitous.
Had to do a presentation on crossing The Rapido on my seniors course though if I went there I'd be following my fathers 1st Fd Sqn RE footsteps. Like trying to find the location of the Bailey Bridge Xing they were supposed to backstrip but 'sold' to the Italians instead, not to mention the palazzo of a senior Italian 'Generale' where he was sent on open arrest and used the roof timbers for firewood - evidently the winter of '44 was a bit nippy!
Regards, Paddy

 

Hello and welcome.

 

Hi Paddy and welcome from me, too.

....... Time spent in recconnaissance is seldom wasted!

....... I need to browse around as well, must try to do some every day, just wish the day had more hours to it.

 

Hi Paddy
My father was 1st Armoured Div too, from Sep 41 to July 42. He was a driver with Div Workshops RAOC. Just learning out about one scary moment he had on 23rd Jan 1942, when 40 enemy tanks rolled into the small hamlet of Saunnu in Lybia where Dad was laagered The panzers destroyed a lot of 2nd Armd Bdes tanks and 2nd Arm Bde's B Echelon vehicles. Fortunately for my Dad the Div workshops got out just in the nick of time, but one member of the workshops, was not so lucky. Pte John ThomasLorston was killed during the action.
If there's anything I can help you with, I'll be glad to help.
Gus

 

Hello and welcome to the forum from a Lancashire lad in exile .

Regards
Tom

 

Paddy
Welcome to the forum

 

Hi Paddy .
Cheers mate. Sapper

 

Hello Paddy and welcome to the forum

Steven