I'm researching my Dads wartime service and found a record on this site for 2nd Recce Battalion Welsh Guards,GAD Tank Casualties 1945. I know that my Dad was in this regiment and according to his Army Records was sent back from NWE on 14/4/1945 as a result of losing his left arm. The casualty list for this period only records one guardsman with this injury (Serial no C84 dated 3/4/45,WD No 121806) My questions are; Is WD the war diary reference if so its not listed like 171/1260 or others so what is it? Secondly what does Discharged hospital 12/52 category E mean. I know he was treated in europe and then sent back later. In sort Im pretty sure I found his injury but trying to understand bits of it. Many thanks in anticipation. RogerD
Hi, Is there any chance of attaching a copy of the casualty record? Presume it's a page of his B103 from his service papers. Steve Y
Serial no C84 dated 3/4/45,WD No 121806 Could mean that he was the 84th Casualty of that day, and 121806 just a War Department ref no. Discharged hospital 12/52 category E 12/52 could be a medical term meaning how much mobility he had and the E. meaning he was permanently unfit for Army service. A1, A2, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5: These seven categories were based on vision in relation to shooting and driving, physical endurance, the ability to march and the manifestation of any other disease which would affect military duty. The categories also had caveats which determined both task and location worldwide. · C: Home service only. · D: Temporarily unfit. · E: Permanently unfit.
http://www.annals.edu.sg/pdfSep01/finnegan.pdf Medical Category E means Permanently unfit for military service 12/52 could possibly mean [after] 12 weeks out of 52 [in the year], but then again, without seeing other examples elsewhere (e.g. x/52) it could also just be some clerical bit of jargon which we might never be able to decipher.
Do you mean the War Office casualty lists, held in TNA and now accessible online through FMP? TNA WO 417 - War Office: Army Casualty Lists, 1939-45 War Using Lee's War Diary Search engine, these are the refs for War Diaries for 2nd Armd Recce Bn WG, covering the period 1944-45 WO 171/1260 2 Welsh Guards (Armoured Reconnaissance)1944 Jan.- Dec. WO 171/5152 2 Welsh Guards 1945 Jan.- Dec.
Dear All thank you for your responses its very reassuring when joining a new online site that there are very professional people involved who have a genuine interest in the subject matter-many thanks. Tullybrone- His B108 states ceasing to fulfill army physical requirements the records I have referred to are on this site they look like a study conducted at the end of the war by two army captains. RCG/DBF - I think you observations are correct. I think the only way to get to the bottom of it is to get the war diaries as you have said. I personally think Find my Past is poor as I have used a number of different searches and they have not turned up any records whatsoever,although I did have some success for my grandfather in the second Boer War Kind Regards RogerD
Sorry Roger, it's finally clicked where you got the refs*. When we read "casualty records" we are more used to those from a service record or published War Office list. *See link/quote below. The purpose of the report was to compare casualties in different types of tanks with a view to improving safety, so they are tank casualty surveys rather than reports into individual crew members. Which is why the men are only identified by their crew role (location at the time of injury/death). So, W.D. No.: 121806 refers to the individual tank, Serial No.: C.84. refers to the tank casualty report & photograph if one was taken and, 12/52 would indeed be [hospitalised for] 12 weeks. [While it does seem likely this was a reference to your father, it should also be noted that the listings of tank casualties in that survey are not exhaustive, i.e. they may not have received reports for all cases, they could not inspect all the tanks personally, and some of those they knew about lack details or photos. As a pertinent observation on the conditions under which the survey was conducted and compiled, co-operation and communication between the authors and REME recovery units/the armoured units themselves was noted as being problematic. (And there will be typos by me and by them - one GAD unit was given an incorrect title throughout the survey.) ] 2nd Recce Battalion Welsh Guards, GAD, Tank Casualties, 1945
