Ron & Tom's "follow-me-around"

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by Ron Goldstein, Oct 5, 2008.

  1. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Tom Canning & I are forever trying to work out where our paths crossed during our WW2 service.

    I finally decided to see if I could nail him down to specific dates and what follows is what I have been able to establish todate, Tom's comments shown in BLUE.

    Ron’s & Tom’sWar, Month by Month

    1942
    Oct: Ron: Thursday, October 1<SUP>st, Bury St.Edmunds, Called up aged 19 and Posted to 53rd Primary Training Wing
    Nov: Ron: Whitby, Yorkshire Posted to 52nd Anti Aircraft Driver Training Regt.Royal Artillery to be trained as a Driver/Wireless Operator
    Dec: Ron: Whitby Tom: Called up at 18 and posted to 53PTW at Bury St. Edmunds
    1943
    Jan: Ron: Whitby Tom: Posted to 61st Training Regt RAC at Barnard Castle
    Feb: Ron: Haltwhistle, Northumberland Posted to 112th L.A.A. Regiment.
    Mar: Ron: Hove, Sussex, Congleton, Cheshire, Woolwich (Where the overseas draft REAYK assembled), London, Home for embarkation leave.
    Apr: Ron: Liverpool, S.S.Frankonia, The ship that took us to North Africa. Algiers.
    Posted to 49th Light Anti Aircraft Rgt. at Tunis Cap Matifou, Ghardimeau, Medjes El Bab,(Tunisia) Tom: Query date as had to do Driving and Maint - Gunnery and Wireless - May: Ron: Tunisia
    Jun: Ron: Carthage, Guelma, Hammamet Boarded ship for the invasion of Sicily.
    Jul: Ron: Syracuse, (Sicily), Bronte, Adrano, Messina.
    Aug: Ron: Sicily Tom: More likely on Franconia for Algiers – Cap Matifou
    Sep: Ron: Reggio di Calabria, Invasion of Italy, Crotone, Bari, Foggia, Termoli.<O< O< font>
    Oct: Ron: Southern Italy Tom: Posted to 21st Tank Bgde at Bone
    Nov: Ron: Southern Italy Tom: posted to 145th RAC at Pentheverie – near Bone
    Dec: Ron: Carovilla, Cantalupo, Agnone, Riccia, Campo Basso, Bagnolia.
    1944
    Jan: Ron: New Years Day, Snowed in at Carovilli
    Feb: Ron: Ortogna, Mignano, Cassino (The Regiment was responsible for smoke laying beneath the monastery), Caserta, Afragola, San Vittorio.
    Mar: Ron: In Hospital at Naples Tom: To Tunis for week’s leave
    Apr: Ron: Vanairo, Vanafro, Ceprano, Lake Trasimeno, Rome. Tom: On way – Bone - Naples
    May: Ron: Tom: To Casoria – Lucera to meet up with 1st Cdn Div.- Presenzaro – Cassino-Gustav line.
    Jun: Ron: Baschi, Tiber, Frosinino, Taranto. Pulled out of the line. Tom: To Velletri - Rome
    Jul: Ron: Alexandria,(Egypt), Cairo, Ishmalia, Amiryah
    S.S.Homer Lee The American ship that took us back to Italy
    Tom at Velletri – Rome, to Trasimeno – Perugia – Spoletto – Siena – back to Fabriano- Gothic Line
    Aug: Ron: (Sicily) Assisi (Italy), Vasto, Termoli, Sangro, Pescara, Scarperia, Florence, Firenzuolo.
    Sep: Ron: Tavernelle area Tom: Wounded at Coriano – CCS hospital at Ancona
    Oct: Ron: Sienna, Tavernelle, Naples, Ancona. Tom: To Bari Hospital (98th BGH ?)
    Nov: Ron: Firenzuola Tom: On way to Blighty – thrown off at Catania Sicily
    Dec: Ron: Rieti Posted to Royal Armoured Corp Training Depot for re-training on tanks
    1945
    Jan: Ron: Rieti Tom: Released from Hospital –to Torre Annunziatta- Rieti
    Feb: Ron: Rieti Tom: Re-training on Armoured Cars – week– ending in Rome !
    Mar: Ron: Comacchio area. Posted to 4th Queen’s Own Hussars as Loader/Wireless Operator
    . Tom: Still at Rieti and week-ending in Rome !
    Apr: Ron: Comacchio, Traversare, Ferrara, Lugo, Santerno, Reno.
    May: Ron: Venice, Ferndorf,(Austria) (Set up a POW camp for SS Cavalry Division), Lienz, Spittal Paternion, Grafenstein, Trieben,Villach,
    Jun: Ron: Trieben
    Jul: Ron: Velden, Klagenfurt,Salsburg, Tom: 21st Birthday in Rome – then to 16/5th Lancers in Knittelfeld in Austria
    Aug: Ron: Munich, Ulm (Running a Transit Camp) Tom: Rounding up bad guys around Knittelfeld - Judenberg
    Sep: Ron: Palmanova
    Oct: Ron: Monfalcone Tom: Patrolling Gurk – Sanct Viet – Friesach – Tribach
    Nov: Ron: Opicina, Udine, Milan, Brig, Calais, Folkestone,London, (First home leave since Apr’43) Tom: More lumberjacking
    Dec: Ron: Opicina
    1946
    Jan: Ron: Opicina Tom: On first home leave since 1943
    Feb: Ron: Opicina Tom: Back to freezing Strassburg
    Mar: Ron: Opicina Now in charge of Tech Stores. 15/3/46 Appointed Unpaid Acting L/Cpl Passed STT as Tech.Storeman. Gp C Class. Mustered in the trade same date, ceases to be mustered as Dvr.Operator Gp.C Class III
    Tom: Lumberjacking at Leoben
    Apr: Ron: Opicina Tom: At Judenburg guarding Russian deserters
    May: Ron: Opicina: Milan, Calais, Folkestone, London 21st Entrained Villach for UK
    21/5/46 Entrained Villach for leave UK and ceased to be entitled to Med. allowance 21/5/46 Awarded Italy Star, 1939/1945 Star
    Tom: At Althofen rehearsing for Vienna Tattoo
    Jun: Ron: London, Folkestone, Calais, Milan , (Returned from my second home leave)
    15/6/46 Upgraded T/S Group C, class
    24/6/46 Detrained Villach ex leave and entitled to Med.
    allowance
    Jul: Ron: Opicina Promoted unpaid acting Cpl Tom: Patrolling area in new Armoured Cars
    Aug: Ron: Opicina
    Sep: Ron: Opicina Tom: Moved to Villach
    Oct: Ron: Milan, Dieppe, Dover London, Dover, Dieppe, Trieste (Regimental re-union with the Colonel , Winston Churchill in attendance). 15/10/46 Entrained Villach for Rgtl duties 18/10/46Granted WS Rank of Cpl (having held rank for 90 days)
    Nov: Ron: Opicina Tom: On second home leave
    Dec: Ron: Opicina 10/12/46 Passed Driving Test Group 1 vehicles
    Tom: Back to Villach.
    1947
    Jan: Ron: 17/1/47 Entrained Villach for UK/Python
    Ron: 18/1/47 Last day of overseas service Milan, Calais, Dieppe, London
    Ron: 10/1/47 Taken on Home strength Barnard Castle, York and finally DEMOB!
    Feb: Ron: Barnard Castle
    Tom: To Padua – Milan – Geneva – Dijon – Paris – Boulogne - Dover<
    Mar: Ron: Barnard Castle Tom: Barnard Castle once more
    Apr: Ron: 11/4/47 YORK DEMOB !!!!! "A" release from this date
    12/4/47 Posted to ‘Y’ list (Class ‘A’ Release)
    Release Leave: 56 days to 6/6/47
    45 Days Overseas leave from 7/6/47 to 21/7/47
    May: Ron: Back in Civvie Street on release leave Tom: Finally demob - !
    Jun: Ron: 6/6/47 End of release leave
    Jul: Ron: 21/7/47 End of overseas leave
    </SUP>
     
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  2. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Ron,

    A super breakdown of both yours and Toms Service for your country.

    I see you embarked at Hammemet.

    Did you get to look around? as north of Hammamet was a large villa called 'Dar Sebastian', which was owned by a very wealthy Rumanian and which was commandeered both by Rommel and then Monty. Just a thought to see if the other half were allowed to see such luxury at the time!!

    Tom
     
  3. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I see you embarked at Hammemet.
    Did you get to look around? as north of Hammamet was a large villa called 'Dar Sebastian', which was owned by a very wealthy Rumanian and which was commandeered both by Rommel and then Monty. Just a thought to see if the other half were allowed to see such luxury at the time!!

    Tom

    "Get to look around ?".........no such luck I'm afraid, much too busy getting our kit ready for our departure to Sicily :lol:

    ps
    I've always been amused since the war to see the place advertised as a tourist resort !
     
  4. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Ron,

    What a pity here is what you missed!

    Complete with swimming pool, Turkish bath etc and a superb kitchen with refrigerator.

    No wonder Rommel and Monte commandeered it, can't be seen to slum it!!

    Regards

    Tom
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Elven6

    Elven6 Discharged

    Tom: Can you clarify on what you meant with:

    <SUP><SUP>At Judenburg guarding Russian deserters</SUP>
    </SUP>
    <SUP></SUP>
    <SUP></SUP>
    <SUP></SUP>
    <SUP>I wasn't aware of Red Army deserters after Stalingrad, what happened to them? Did they go home? I would hate to think what Stalin would have done to them.</SUP>
     
  6. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Elven
    A longish story I'm afraid but history will ratify it - so I'll just send the link as the same thing was happening with the 78th Division at Spittal and also the 46th Division at around Graz with far too many Russian victims of Stalin's muderous ways - the arguement with Peter , on our first meeting is also interesting as we have become good friends since that time and along with Ron and Frank Mee - we e-mail each other most days...

    BBC - WW2 People's War - The Yalta Aftermath

    Cheers
     
  7. Elven6

    Elven6 Discharged

    Elven
    A longish story I'm afraid but history will ratify it - so I'll just send the link as the same thing was happening with the 78th Division at Spittal and also the 46th Division at around Graz with far too many Russian victims of Stalin's muderous ways - the arguement with Peter , on our first meeting is also interesting as we have become good friends since that time and along with Ron and Frank Mee - we e-mail each other most days...

    BBC - WW2 People's War - The Yalta Aftermath

    Cheers

    Oh, I didn't realize it went to such extreme lengths, if I read correctly Stalin had 36 prisoners who were captured after a mid air collision who he then used to bring "home" the 50 000 Russian deserters?

    I could see why Stalin would want to do such a thing, the day the motherland needed them the most they left. I really can't begin to understand the toll it may have taken on you to know what had happened to the men and women you watched over, I'm sorry.
     
  8. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Elven -
    don't know what you are reading, but frankly Stalin had absolutely NO justification to do what he did to those people who for their own reasons decided not to support him - we only know of the 50,000 we rounded up - how many more were there ?

    Cheers
     
  9. Elven6

    Elven6 Discharged

    Elven -
    don't know what you are reading, but frankly Stalin had absolutely NO justification to do what he did to those people who for their own reasons decided not to support him - we only know of the 50,000 we rounded up - how many more were there ?

    Cheers

    Of course their were more, like the ones in Stalingrad who would try to fall back. I came to that conclusion because they would be considered traitors to the motherland, giving Stalin a reason to kill them. Of course he was in such a seat of power that we could have killed anyone without justification. The difference I assume could have been the deaths being used as a propaganda tool?

    This is the same man who essentially sacrificed his sons for the betterment of the "motherland" and Red Army during the war.
     

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