Lieutenant D.F.A.T.Baines and Lieutenant Colonel Peck Royal Horse Artillery.

If I've got it right then Peck was CO of 5 RHA in 1951. This being the case it's extremely unlikely that he was in that regt in WW2, not impossible but there were around 600 RA regts during the war and he could have been in any of them.

During the war officers did stay in one regt for an extended period without being posted out, although they were posted to other regts, staff appointments and even other 'extra-regimental' jobs.. In 1946/7 the army reverted to peacetime practices. This meant that officers were posted every 2-3 years and seldom returned to the same regt for a second tour.

As a Lt Col in command in peacetime in 1951 I'd suggest that Peck was commissioned before the start of WW2, almost certainly from RMA Woolwich, its just possible he was a pre-war TA officer but I think this is unlikely. As CO 5 RHA I think it highly likely that he had at least one staff appointment during the war, he may even have done a wartime staff course.

 

Hi D Here is information from WO373/121 re Baines's GM including the citation. Some images are barely legible but can be read. They are in the same order as in the file.






Cheers
Paul

 

Just to clarify the issue of C & CC Bty, ass recorded in 5th RHA Quarterly Report for the period ending 31st December 1946 [National Archive Ref - WO267/309] on 22nd November 1946, just over six years after its creation, CC Battery ceased to exist and all personnel and equipment remained in the Regiment known as C Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. The title was received from 21st Field Regt (S.P.) R.A., late 4th RHA and it was hoped that the title (Campbell's) which had been provisionally granted to this Battery during the war would be confirmed and granted later to the new Battery.

In effect CC Bty was used to reform C Bty and somewhere I have an email from C Bty confirming this.

 

For 1947, I believe the CO was Lt.Col Welsh.