A casualty that im researching died while serving in the Royal Engineers. He was killed while serving with the Movement Control Pool. Can anyone tell me what this was.
If its what I think it is they for want for a better word move stuff. The RLC do the job today (Assuming it is the same) and they wear a arm band like medics that is red and yellow with a wheel emblem instead of a cross.
Hi Drew thanks for your reply. The casualty in question died on V.E Day while directing Traffic. The story i have is that he was at a junction astride his Motorbike when someone took the corner and crashed into him. To confuse things this was supposed to have happened in Germany but he is buried in Holland.
Even stranger..I was under the impression RMP's did traffic during WW2 unless he was just directing at his unit level? Andy
Hi Izzy, I have just seen your post I work as a resercher for the Movement Control Association, The Movement Control Pool was a pool of officers and soldiers that was formed near the end of WW2 to provide Movement Functions like Rail Transport Officers, Port Operations, Route Clearance etc, your man may well have been manning a Traffic Post on a MSR. It may help you to contact the Movement Control Association and ask to place a request for information in the MCA Magazine, the website is movcon.org.uk, and pass them the details. The will be glad to help you and ofcourse your info will help build our growing database on Movement Control Please get back to me if you need any further info Mick
Good stuff Mick, welcome aboard. (I fixed that link as it was going to a dead page - hopefully to the right one.) Cheers, Adam.
I have just joined this Forum with a view to filling in the bare bones of my father's war service. Following a remark that didn't fit my own perception of what my father 'got up to' during the war made by an elder cousin who first met my father during the war, I sent off for his records and have since received them. Absolutely fascinating. They fill in many answers and also pose a few new questions. If I list below some MC groups and dates, can someone point me in the next direction to start to fill in the gaps and also put in context information such as "How did he get out of France after Dunkirk?" BTW I have read the History of the Movement Control Group which has also been helful in background information. Enlisted in November 1939 and sent to France in December. (4MCG) I know he started work with London Midland Railway in 1933 at 14. Might he have been in some form of Territorial Group to enlist and be sent abroad so quickly? Arrived back in UK 16/6/40. (5MCG) Seems to have been constantly moved around within several groups, eventually to Northern Ireland in April 1941 (9MCG) Married in Northern Ireland and then back to Longmoor in 1942. Embarked for Africa 15/10/42 in Africa and Italy. More hospital time in Italy. I know he went through north Africa and then Italy ending up in Toulon, France, eventually discharged in April 1946. Where do I go next please?
Not really my area of expertise but I did know a man who was a Staff Serjeant in Movement Control in Italy. He was with LNER before the war and was involved with time tabling and scheduling rail traffic. He was obviously younger than your father since he was too young for service at the start of the war and was called up later. However it was common for pre war railway staff to belong to Territorial units. Rail Movement Control was obviously going to be of great importance in any war. Dunkirk of course gets all the attention but the main British ports and depots were further south and they were evacuated much later. Longmoor of course was the RE railway training centre. There are several books available about it. Rail operations in WWII are a fascinating subject. Mike
Hi Alan, I have just checked into this site after long absence and just seen your post, if you see my comments above I might be able to help, just let me know what you are after and see what we have in our records Mick
Hi Alan, I appreciate its a long time since you posted but would be great to touch base on this one for you please contact me. many thanks Mick