Rieti R.A.C. Training Depot 1944/45

Discussion in 'RAC & RTR' started by Fychan1, Sep 11, 2015.

  1. Fychan1

    Fychan1 Member

    My father was transferred from his Driver/Mechanic role in the Royal Artillery (88th Regt Heavy Anti-Aircraft Artillery) to X(4) R.A.C. TD on 6th October 1944. I assume this was the training depot at Rieti, Italy? He spent the rest of his service in Italy either in X(4) or X(2). Does anyone know what units these were, and am I right to assume this was in, and remained in, Rieti? I would be grateful for any clues please.

    On his return to the UK in August 1945 it appears he moved to RAC X(8) before being posted to the Warwick Yeomanry in Catterick. Does anyone know where & what RAC X(8) was?. Dad mentioned having been based at Cheltenham near Cambridge whilst training new tank crews on his return to the UK so is this where X(8) was?. Any help appreciated
     
  2. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

  3. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

  4. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I too spent some time at Rietti depot after discharge from Hospital and being trained on Armoured Cars to chase the enemy back to Austria- didn't happen of course

    as the CSM and I had a falling out on the first parade and he couldn't get rid of me soon enough - and i ended up with the 16th/5th Lancers in 6th Armoured

    division - the CSM probably hoping I would be KIA - but I fooled him and still here…...spent most weekends in Rome though as I never heard of the Cinema in Rietti-

    but having sat through "Mutiny on the Bounty " SEVEN times in Africa…..I wasn't too bothered about missing the movies - Rome had much more to offer -

    especially as I had already met the Pope - in the June '44...

    Cheers
     
  5. Fychan1

    Fychan1 Member

    Thank you 4jonboy - and I thought achronyms and technical terms were a recent invention. It all now makes sense and helps enormously

    Ron and Tom thanks you so much for getting in contact - you must have both been in a similar place to my father. I say this because the photo you have posted on your BBC "chats" Ron appears to be at the same location as the photo of my father attached. I think you are sat on the clump that appears to the right of my father?. Am I making too much of this or can you remember how the photo was taken and where?.

    I've also attached a group photo I have which says it was taken in Rieti in 1945. Note the large Ddraig Coch (Red Dragon) flag in the background which could suggest this was just a Welsh gathering for St Davids day - though it says on the photo they were celebrating Cambrai day (Oct in which case its 1944 and only a couple of days after he was posted to RAC which seems unlikely). My father is on the right hand side of the photo.


    Hope you can view the photos
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Fychan1

    Glad to have been of some help.

    When you have time go to my Army Records (in my photo gallery) and look for similar matches in your dad's records.

    Ron
     
  7. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Faychan

    Rietti was NOT a similar place to your Father - it was the SAME place….at that time we had lost too many Tank crews and so manyAA units were broken

    up to give us part time tank members who could do the work that some crews had to do so it was a very much re-training unit in late '44 and '45 with just

    introductory training on Tanks…nothing more...

    Cheers
     
  8. Fychan1

    Fychan1 Member

    Thanks for the confirmation Tom. Ron - your records are fascinating. Dad often talked about both repairing tanks (he told me once he often replaced entire engines) and driving them - mainly Shermans, though he mentioned others such as Honeys and Churchills (the latter in the UK)

    With the information you have all provided things are slowly falling into place but I still have some way to go, I feel, to understand all aspects. And so I would welcome any further thoughts.


    Here are his records which may be of interest to some of you.

    As you say Tom Dad ended up transferred from 88th HAA into R.A.C. TD on 6th October 1944. He was then a Vehicle Mechanic and Driver. His records show he was recorded as X (4) which I know understand was a transfer & training notation .
    Unfortunately he ended up in Gen Hospital 48 on 24/11/1944 - I think it was malaria - and returned to RAC TD as an X(4) on 4/12/1944.
    He passed TTT (?) as Vehicle Mechanic. It reads like Grade A Class II - on 15/1/1945 ( he had passed his Class III back in March 44)

    The next record is in May 1945 - but he is still marked as X(4)A?
    Does this suggest he was still in the Training Depot and had not been assigned a new unit?
    The May entry (12/5/1945) says "Emb for leave to UK - Remains on Strength CMF)" There is a further entry on his Statement of Service to say he was "Granted leave (LIAPX) 23/5/45 to 26/6/45". It then records his return : "Disembarked in CMF 4 LIAP Leave in UK 5/7/45. & Disembarked from leave UK (LIAP) 5/7/45" I remember Dad saying he flew home in a Lancaster.

    He was then Posted to X(4)A list RAC TD on 9/7/45 - so back to the same place ?.
    Unfortunately he ended up back in hospital again on 20/7/45 - this time Hospital 104. I assume from my memory of chats with him this was a return of malaria. He was discharged 31/7/45 and posted from X(2) list to X(4)A list RAC TD.

    On 5/8/45 he was posted to "X" SRC X(8a) list - 2Emplaned for UK Python and SOS CMF and RAC X(8)a list" and ended back at a RAC Depot in the UK on 17.8.45. He then transferred to the Warwick Yeomanry on 25/9/45. He told his second return to the UK was also in a Lancaster !

    Sorry if this is a bit of a boring and long explanation.

    The key questions I would love to have answered are:
    * Was RAC TD a distinct unit - in which case it has its own records which I can get hold of ? If so has anyone any steer for me.
    * Why did he not get transferred to a new unit in Italy ?
    * As well as a training depot - I assume they repaired tanks?
    * I assume he was at Rieti - but was he based at Rieti the entire time - the records just refer to CMF as his location ?

    I have put a string of photos of him now posted in the gallery if anyone is interested - and thanks for the kind remarks already received on them.

    Finally an unrelated question. I have a few photos which do not include my father and so I have no idea who they are or where they are. Is there a general space for these on this site? Somewhere just to capture orphan pictures and perhaps provide a place to capture and provide feedback on them?

    Again thanks to everyone for their help and sharing their vast knowledge.
     

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