Matthew (Matty) James

Discussion in 'User Introductions' started by sraine, Feb 19, 2013.

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  1. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    I am looking for any information on my Grandad Matthew James, more commonly known as Matty. He served in the 11th Hussars for a short time before joining the 23rd Hussars for the rest of the war.
     
  2. grimmy

    grimmy Guest

  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hello and welcome to the forum. Have you tried the forums search engine? There should be a couple of threads on those units.

    Andy
     
  4. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    Mum has photos which I will scan in soon and post.
    He was Trooper M P James 7928561 and survived the war.
     
  5. grimmy

    grimmy Guest

    Mum has photos which I will scan in soon and post.

    Great stuff. I checked my indexes last night but found no record of him - which suggests he might have been an A squadron man.

    The 'must have' book, if you don't already have it, is 'The Story of the 23rd Hussars' published in 1946. The War Diary is also very useful, though frustratingly terse during the Normandy period.

    The main 23H thread on here is http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/allied-units-general/36607-hi-my-first-posting-looking-help-23rd-hussars.html though there are others.
     
  6. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    Just read his certificate of transfer to the army reserve dated 10-5-46.
    It says Grandad was employed as a transport driver.
     
  7. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    Should I be putting all this stuff in the main 23rd thread now rather than here?
     
  8. grimmy

    grimmy Guest

    I'd prefer it all in one place but it's your call!

    Your Grandad would almost certainly be with the Echelon, transporting supplies forward to the tank crews - a vital role and one fraught with danger, as the attached photo demonstrates (a 23rd Hussars ammunition truck).
     

    Attached Files:

  9. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    I have scanned and uploaded some photos.

    This is a close up of my Grandad - Matty James

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1029&pictureid=6202
     
  10. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

  11. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    This is the back of the photo.
    It has names written on of people who were drivers as it says "HQ Admin Troop Drivers".

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1029&pictureid=6201

    My Mum has also found a letter to my Grandma in which he says he is in A Squadron.
     
  12. sraine

    sraine Junior Member

    Just noticed on the above picture when I looked closer there is a faint stamp from where I presume it was developed.

    It says "William Craig The Studio, Theftord, Norfolk"
    I take it the photo would have been taken near here?
     
  13. grimmy

    grimmy Guest

    Thanks for the photos. Yes, 23H were training at Thetford for a while.

    The photos are too small for me to make out individual faces, but 'O.W Higham' is Oswald William Higham from Lancashire, b. 2 Jul 1912, d. 1991. His wife Lydia Nancy (born in Ceylon) died in 1995. His father William James Higham was KIA, 9 Apr 1917 in WWI.

    I can't (yet) tie any of the names to A Squadron, but if that's what it says in the letter then I have no reason to argue.
     
  14. Len Deans

    Len Deans Junior Member

    Grimmy, Len here, done a bit of digging, my Uncle David, 23rd Hussars, came here from " 5r8z squad, D Squadron, 60th T/Regiment. RAC. Catterick camp yorkshire. Any ideas where to go for more information. Len
     
  15. grimmy

    grimmy Guest

    Grimmy, Len here, done a bit of digging, my Uncle David, 23rd Hussars, came here from " 5r8z squad, D Squadron, 60th T/Regiment. RAC. Catterick camp yorkshire. Any ideas where to go for more information. Len

    Hi Len,

    That would be 60th Training Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (Dad was in the 54th). Dates and locations of David's training would be detailed in his service record. There are threads on here describing how to go about ordering a copy.
     

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