My father was in North Africa he was a Sargent in the reme I think he was attached to the LRDG .he was a master mechanic and navigator I wondered if he may have joined in the sas he told stories of am encountering nazi units and fighting them He did ski training in Lebanon and specialist munitions training. Just wondering if I could find out more? Chris
Chris welcome to the forum If you shared his name forum members might be able to assist further apply for his service records Get a copy of military service records Requirements date of birth Death cert £30
By obtaining his Service Record as suggested by CL1 above you should discover all of his postings from the time he joined up until his discharge along with any technical courses and classifications with dates, where and when. They will be in pay code jargon as it is how they calculated his pay for his entire service. You might find this confusing but when you get the records post them on this forum and one of many people will be able to transcribe them so that you can understand them. It is the only way to find these things out. You may be unlucky and not get all the papers but that is most unusual. There will be no information regarding actions or battles but the dates or the gaps between them, will suggest that something occurred. This is where the experience acquired by members can really help you to identify events. The members do this free of charge, out of interest, as a hobby. It is entirely up to you.
Thanks for that so what do I need I don’t have a death certificate but I think I know his DOB no number…. Hi died when I was 11 but he made quite an impression on me. cheers Chris Bassett
Apply for his death certificate here. Order a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate
Where did he live or do you know the area he was born in Do you know his mothers maiden name Just guessing on the below because the names match with initial There may be others Bassett Arthur C Wood Islington 1b 474 Bassett Arthur C Hunt Stroud 6a 682
Yes he was a Londoner I want to say Islington don’t know his mums maiden name. His dad was killed on the Somme I know that much.
I am no expert on Service Records but have transcribed several for my extended family over the years. You need the documents to establish that he is deceased otherwise his possible requests overrule anyone else applying for them. From experience and reading posts on this forum, you don't have to provide his army number as full name and Date of Birth is normally sufficient. Death/ Birth and Marriage Certificate details can be found on several Genealogical sites such as Ancestry or Find My Past. You then fill in a form and pay the Govt Records Office accessed via .Gov in the UK. This is the official way of doing this not via commercial websites who add on their costs. One thing you might find with a Serviceman abroad is the number of times they are admitted to Hospital or Casualty Clearing Stations. Men were living rough in holes in the ground, under canvas and rarely in a building that wasn't in ruins. In the Middle and Far East especially disease was rife. This was in an age where antibiotics were unknown or rare and mainly found in areas of American influence as they were using them to reduce time lost in sickbays and hospitals. Disease was common, Bush Typhus, Cholera, Bronchial difficulties, Jaundice. Medical records are covered by a 100 year confidentiality clause so not normally available. An example is my uncle who was in and out of Burma with multiple admissions to hospital. We thought he was possibly a malingerer or at very least had a bronchial problem. In between his admissions and returns to his unit dates, in one part was an 8 month gap with nothing noted, a member on the forum mentioned that certain things were happening in his Regimental War Diary. He recommended a book which within the first chapter answered many questions not only about his activities in India and Burma but his time in the BEF leading up to Dunkirk. You cant expect this every time but it can often open up a whole new world when the forum members get interested and open their own files to assist you. The Units that you aspire to are very "in vogue" at the moment and there is some excellent information appearing on here. Don't think that I am pushing you into anything though, these are purely my own observations and experiences. As mentioned before, its entirely up to you.
Sounds interesting also I think he was really good at sport and was successful in table tennis in particular. He was a Sargent in reme and his half brother was a captain in the bomb disposal and they would go out together to fairs and win all the shooting sideshows much to the annoyance of the carnies lol often to bugger off
Chris, is this your father? Arthur Charles BASSETT 27th June 1915 Islington - 1Q 1971 Thurrock, Essex Arthur F. BASSETT married Grace M.WOOD 4 Q 1914 Islington Arthur C. BASSETT born 3Q 1915 Islington (Mother's maiden name WOOD) S17572 Rifleman Arthur Frederick BASSETT 12th Btn. Rifle Brigade DIed 31st August 1916 https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/770119/arthur-frederick-bassett/
Welcome aboard to this fascinating site, which can be helpful. There were REME attached to the LRDG and later the SAS - from my limited knowledge. They were known as the 'heavy section' and the Indian part of the LRDG, the Indian Long Range Squadron, had maybe three or four REME. It might help your quest to join the LRDG group on: Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) | Facebook Lebanon was also used as a rest and recuperation (R&R) area and for training - most likely after the North African campaign ended. Not sure whether ski training was considered useful for what the LRDG / SAS did later. Note LRDG Wiki refers to: From: Long Range Desert Group - Wikipedia (Citing a 2008 book by Kay, R. L. Long Range Desert Group in the Mediterranean. Bennington, Vermont: Merriam Press, 2008. ISBN 1-4357-5730-0 )
Moutain Warfare was a priority for Italy and possibly the Alps if Hitler had run to his supposed redoubt in the hills and mountains. See attached 67th Field Regt RA TA Some of their training was nothing less than spectacular. "A few days ago, we had a very strenuous end to an exercise up in the mountains when we took from four in the afternoon until two in the morning to make less than five miles of mountain road. Winter wars I now see from painful experience are fought 90% with winches and skid chains and “Together- HEAVE” and 10% with bullets and shells. But we take it all as it comes and enjoy conquering a muddy slope on a wadi in spate with the same satisfaction as a battalion of Jerry Panzer Grenadiers". A year later Monte Grande overlooking Bologna.
That’s interesting because I had a photo of him in white ski overalls with poles and skis in Lebanon and I couldn’t understand why he was skiing in Lebanon ? That now makes sense. It was at a place called the Elephant ski camp I think? Thanks
I remember a story he told of when in the desert having broken down with the vehicle he and his mates apparently heard a nazi half track rattling along over the dune and keeping quiet so as not to draw their interest and the bullets from an mp40 !!! He got away with that on
Hi LRDG/REME casualty in Greece October 1944: TIGHE (MM & MID) Alfred Corporal 7615706 Land Force Adriatic BUCKETFORCE Long Range Desert Group - L Detachment - Light Recovery Section Royal Electrical And Mechanical Engineers 10/10/1944 KIA aka Alf. Killed when the rear wheel of his jeep drove over a mine on the south bank of the Corinth Canal. Sgt Lee (Royal Engineers) DOW on 11 Oct. War Diaries Long Range Desert Group (WO 218-92) - Oct 44 to Jan 45. First buried Corinth Civil Cemetery then 09/04/1945 moved to Phaleron War Cemetery Hope this helps Gus
It's at times like this that the family matriarchs begin pulling boxes out from under the bed and life becomes more interesting. Pictures speak a thousand words. We all like to look at pictures on here. Attached Photo The famous "Cedars of Lebanon" from Major P Mennells wartime Album. Courtesy of the Mennell Family Collection. Note the snow on the mountains. In January 1945 the Division was withdrawn to Palestine to replace casualties and retrain after the pounding they took at Anzio and their gruelling time through the Gothic Line. Monte Grande had been taken by the Americans who bucked out due to heavy losses and the weather got bad. They could clearly see Bolognia but just couldn't fight in sufficient strength to make it into the Po Valley before winter
