Searching for information on my grandad: 1500272 Ronald MEACOCK, RA & KRRC

Ronald Meacock 209 AA Battery RA BEF
Hi my grandad was a gunner in WW2 and in his bible it says 209 AA Battery RA BEF I know he has an Italy and Africa star but can’t find any more information on him anywhere

 

Welcome. Official service records are only available from one source, you are unlikely to find much online
Get a copy of military records of service: Overview - GOV.UK

If you post name, locations and dates etc folks around here will help you. Good luck

 

Thankyou I had tried military records but was told they may have all burned in a fire my grandad was called Ronald Meacock he was born in 1918 and I believe he was in Winchester at some point but he lived on the Wirral at the time of the war

 

Hi,

Welcome to the forum .

It might help members to help you if you shared your grandfathers name - and DOB & service number if possible.

You may be lucky and members can turn up something about him in Ancestry or findmypast but there is not alot of information about WW2 service personnel in the public domain.


You need to apply to UK MOD for his service record -

Steve

 

His DOB was 15th August 1918 I have searched everywhere for his service number but can’t find it anywhere

 

Hi,

While 60% WW1 service records were destroyed in a fire caused by WW2 German bombing in London I’m not aware that any WW2 records have been destroyed since 1945. Who gave you that information?

Steve

 

I think it was military archives I went through the govt site, to be honest I deleted the reply when they said most records were destroyed, do you think I should try again then?

 

Have a look to see if you can find anything here.

Search Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942, Regimental & Service Records | Findmypast.co.uk

 

Ah thankyou

 

Amanda,

Welcome aboard.

A pre-war address can sometimes help identify the subject from genealogy sites for example. Their parents details and any marriage – as some certificates show the subject’s service number. A marriage cert. can be ordered online from https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ Even a funeral notice or obituary can have clues - found via the British Newspaper Archive, most local libraries have in-person access for free.

This is a summary history of 209 Battery:

From: 73 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA (TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

Caveat: until you get his record it is possible he was posted elsewhere. Many anti-aircraft units were disbanded or suspended as the need for them reduced and there was a pressing need for soldiers in the infantry.

The RA became a corps with a million plus members, so individuals rarely appear in online research - unless they got a medal, wounded and died.

His name has not appeared here before your post.

We always recommend applying for the subject's full service record. Yes, it may take a year to arrive - either from the MoD or National Archives (TNA). It is not available online and is the definitive record. There is nothing you can do about the wait.

I did double-check the TNA and no trace (NT) on his name there.

If you are a newcomer to research it is possible you applied to the US military records, as they had a large fie destroying many records. Mistakes can happen.

If the subject is Royal Artillery please post up his Tracer Card, which is available online (££ may be req’d), those with access may help and the experts here may be able to help interpret the scrawl.

If you search online with his unit(s) if known or later, so for example: "XXth Anti-Tank Regiment" site:ww2talk.com that may identify threads mentioning them, at a glance without adding much. If you drop the 'th' more may be found.

If you search online with: "73 heavy anti-aircraft regiment" site:ww2talk.com two threads are id'd (disregard the Welsh one). Six threads id'd when using: "73rd heavy anti-aircraft regiment" site:ww2talk.com With: "73rd HAA" site:ww2talk.com four threads (ignore the 5th it is post-war). There are no threads that refer to his battery, this is probably an error with an online search.

The scale of the HAA role in defending the UK is shown in this map: Map of Heavy Anti-Aircraft gun sites in England, Scotland and Wales

Searching the National Archives for the subject or unit(s) can identify those who were awarded honours / medals and the existence of War Diaries – which rarely mention individuals soldiers. They do give context and details of activity.

Some research tips next via PM and good luck.

 

Certainly reapply to MOD as it initially costs nothing to make the enquiry. Make sure you submit the death certificate.

If the record does exist and is with MOD they will request a fee before sending it out (if I remember correctly) but if they have already sent it to UK National Archives they will signpost you there for a separate application - death certificate will need to be submitted again. NA will request a fee once the file is copied - can take a year.

If MOD say the file can’t be traced you’ve lost nothing by making the application. In my experience you will get an initial reply from MOD after 2 to 4 weeks.

Steve

 

I don’t have an account with FWR, but I can at least browse. Only one Ronald Meacock comes up for me in the medal cards (although it says “Meacockk), and it’s for a Rifleman in the KRRC, no. 1500272, so not a Gunner, although I guess he could have transferred? Many AA gunners did switch to infantry, I believe, towards the end of the war as the Luftwaffe threat waned.

Age would tally though, medals awarded 1949, he was born 1918 = 31.

Meacockk, Ronald - Forces War Records - UK, WWII, British Army Medal Cards, 1939-1945 - Forces War Records

Unfortunately, as I say, I cannot get the card image myself.

 

Excellent info for the OP to look into. Forum member JohnG505 may be able to assist with the original document and the OP may recognise the applicants address.

CMP Army Number site attributes 1500272 to Royal Artillery (Field, Coastal & Anti-Aircraft) enlistment. Likely a late war transfer to the infantry role.

Steve

 

Thankyou all so much I think my parents have his death certificate so can go from there I only have his photograph in the army and medals/ bible at the moment so your help is much appreciated

 

Could this be him, attested to RA 1938.

 

Nice one.

Looking like our man isn’t it, hopefully his medal card will reveal an address Amanda will recognise.

 

It could be he lived in Bebington Cheshire before the war

 

Is this him?

 

Amanda,

I think the medal application form JohnG505 has posted confirms the collective thoughts of the forum.

Your gf service route appears to have been from voluntary enlistment in to a pre war local Royal Artillery Heavy Anti Aircraft Searchlight Unit - as a part time territorial soldier - with wartime RA active service until circa late 1944 when after a period of retraining he was compulsorily transferred to a battalion of Kings Liverpool Regiment in February 1945. By the time he was demobbed in 1946 he was serving with Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

You will now be able to add your grandfathers army service number to the service record application form.

Good Luck

Steve

 

Thankyou so much yes that’s him at last I have some information thank you all so much