Royal artillery WWII africa? march 1943

Hi all. Please help...
My great uncle Kenneth Kent was a RA Gunner. He was killed on 7 march 1943 somewhere in africa we think. The family has many tales as to how he was killed but we are not totally sure. We have a photo of his grave but don't know where it is. Would anyone have any idea how I might find out more.

 

Hi all. Please help...
My great uncle Kenneth Kent was a RA Gunner. He was killed on 7 march 1943 somewhere in africa we think. The family has many tales as to how he was killed but we are not totally sure. We have a photo of his grave but don't know where it is. Would anyone have any idea how I might find out more.


Your Great Uncle was a member of 215 Bty. 57 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment. There are members of the Forum that perhaps can help much more but the Units War Diary could possibly record the circumstances of his death.
As he is buried at Medjez el Bab Cemetery I presume he was a member of the 1st Army.

Brian

 

wow, you are all amazing!! Please if any members could help me it would be so great. Where would i be able to find the unit's diary? many many thanks!!

 

wow, you are all amazing!! Please if any members could help me it would be so great. Where would i be able to find the unit's diary? many many thanks!!


Charlotte the War Diaries will be at The National Archives at Kew.

Brian

 

I had a trawl through the catalogue, especially the HAA units & came up blank on both Regt & Bty number.
Thanks owen, for your time and efforts.

 

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the forum....I'm sure the RA chaps will be along later to shed a bit more light on things.

Have you applied for his Service Records?

Regards
Andy

 

Hi Charlotte and welcome to the forum....I'm sure the RA chaps will be along later to shed a bit more light on things.

Have you applied for his Service Records?

Regards
Andy
I have a form to send off which and have requested the death oversea's cert. not sure if that will help. Will send this SAR form off today see what that shows. thanks

 

Hi Charlotte,

I would just check you have the correct form. If it's the one I'm thinking (SAR) it may be the one for living veterans to apply for their own records.

They should look like these forms

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/searching-someone-military-genealogy/19865-latest-information-forms-service-records-2009-a.html

And can be found here:

Ministry of Defence | About Defence | What we do | Personnel | Service Records | Making a request for service details of deceased ex-service personnel

Andy

 

Just opened it, I think you may be right... I will look again. Thanks.

 

No worries...It appears to be happening a lot with people who look on Veterans UK. I've posted a link above the the MOD site that gives you all the right info

 

I had a trawl through the catalogue, especially the HAA units & came up blank on both Regt & Bty number.


I had the same problem Owen. Perhaps Artillery House.

 

Hi Charlotte
This is his unit.
Rob

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=700 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>57 (Wessex) Heavy AA Regiment RA

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=93 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Sep 39
Sep 40
Oct 42
Sep 43

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=92 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>UK
UK
N Africa
Italy

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=126 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Home Forces
65 AA Bde, 5 AA Div
8 Army
8 Army

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=97 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Locations

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=108 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Batteries

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=81 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Sep 39

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=530 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>213 (Portsmouth), 214 (Southsea), 215 (Gosport & Fareham), 219 (IoW & Cosham)

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

No worries...It appears to be happening a lot with people who look on Veterans UK. I've posted a link above the the MOD site that gives you all the right info
have downloaded it, thanks Andy. Will send it off. can't beleive how helpful everyone is on this site! I have learnt more in an hour than i have all year!

 

Hi Charlotte
This is his unit.
Rob

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=700 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>57 (Wessex) Heavy AA Regiment RA

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=93 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Sep 39
Sep 40
Oct 42
Sep 43

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=92 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>UK
UK
N Africa
Italy

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=126 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Home Forces
65 AA Bde, 5 AA Div
8 Army
8 Army

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=97 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Locations

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=108 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Batteries

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=81 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>Sep 39

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=530 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>213 (Portsmouth), 214 (Southsea), 215 (Gosport & Fareham), 219 (IoW & Cosham)

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
wow thanks Rob.

If I took this information to Kew do you think I might be able to find out more?

 

Not without the T.N.A. Reference Charlotte.

 

Charlotte
The War-Diaries at Kew will tell you What-When and Where about the Regt, but very few contain details of specific casualties.You will need the ref No for the Diaries, as other people have tried to look up the ref with no success there might be a problem, but wait awhile and i'am sure someone will come up with the ref.
Cheers
Rob

 

I have been told a family member has found a 'calling out notice'. Royal Regiment of Artillery.
It states Kenneth Kent was called out from 6 August 1939. Required to join 215th (then illegible).
It is signed by what looks like G.B.Pavel (Captain. hand written) with stamp saying;
Lieut. Col. R.A. (T.A.) Commanding 57th Wessex A.A. ?RECT? . R.A. TA

 

Charlotte, the file you want is WO 169/9823

<TABLE id=Table6 border=0 cellSpacing=1 summary="Contains catalogue entry details" cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TH class=results width="20%" scope=row>Scope and content</TH><TD class=results>57 H.A.A. Regt.
</TD></TR><TR><TH class=results scope=row>Covering dates</TH><TD class=results>1943 Jan.- Dec.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
57 H.A.A. Regt.
1943 Jan.- Dec.

Phil