Seeking information on L/Cpl Peter James Connelly, 92nd LAA / Ist East Lancs

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by tmac, Dec 14, 2011.

  1. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    I wonder if anyone can help in finding information on the war service of 3863697 Lance Corporal Peter James Connelly, of 1st Battalion, the East Lancashire Regiment.
    Lance Corporal Connelly, aged 34, of Liverpool, was killed in action on January 7, 1945, and is buried at Hotton War Cemetery in Belgium.
    In 1940, he joined 7th Battalion, The Loyal Regiment (North Lancs), which was later converted to 92nd (Loyals) LAA Regiment, Royal Artillery. In 1944 – possibly some time between August and December – Lance Corporal Connelly transferred to the East Lancashire Regiment.
    His son, who was born in November 1944, is seeking information on his late father’s war service and has asked me to help because of my research into 7th Loyals / 92nd LAA. Unfortunately, I have no information about Lance Corporal Connelly. His son has sent for his service record, but has been told it may take a year.
    So if anyone can help in any way, his son would really appreciate it. I thought perhaps the war diaries of Ist East Lancs at the end of 1944 and the beginning of 1945 might yield some information if anyone has copies of them.
     
  2. bofors

    bofors Senior Member

    Hi

    It is in National Archives under WO 171/1330 for Jan to Dec 1944 and WO 171/5224 for Jan to Mar 1945 if that can help someone.
    Here is a bit on his LAA reg- RA 1939-45 92 LAA
    and if you dont have it a photo of his grave-
    The War Graves Photographic Project

    regards

    Robert
     
  3. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Tom

    I wonder if he was in either C, E or H Troops of 92 LAA, which were disbanded in August 1944, to be retrained and sent to other RA units or an Infantry Battalion. The strength of 92 LAA dropped to just over 590 men and 36 Bofor guns. Sounds like he could have gone to the 1st East Lancs this way.

    I'm afraid that the service record will be the only sure way to get an answer.

    Regards - Rob
     
  4. tmac

    tmac Senior Member

    Hi Rob,

    I think you're right - it's almost certain L/Cpl Connelly transferred from 92nd LAA in the August, when the three troops were disbanded. He was probably sent back to Britain for retraining before joining the East Lancs.

    I know of at least two other 92nd LAA soldiers to whom this happened. One went to the Highland Light Infantry and the other to 7th Armoured.

    At that stage of the NW Europe campaign, infantry casualties were high and replacements were urgently needed, so units such as light ack-ack regiments were targeted for suitable men. 92nd LAA was originally an infantry battalion, so it would have been an obvious place to look.
     
  5. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Some of these guys also went as replacements to other RA units. I know of 2 men of 102 LAA who went to 62 Anti-Tank Reg and were then killed in action.
     
  6. prgreycloud

    prgreycloud Junior Member

    hi tmac
    My grandfather was in East Lancs from 1933-46. If he died on 7 jan then this would have been during the attack on Grimbiemont in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge when the regiment took part in pushing the Germans back after their initial push had failed to break through to the Meuse River.
    Though the Americans supplied most of the troops to the battle and sufferred most of the casualties 55,000 Brits also took part. The winter was the worst in living memory and the attack took place in a blizzard which luckily covered the advance of the regiment. They had been out in the elements for 2 nights in arctic conditions before the attack and many men suffered from exposure and had to be evacuated and few managed to get any sleep and were unable to dig trenches owing to the frozen groud. Tank support was not available due to a frozen stream stopping their advance and the regiment advanced against the german 116th division who had a number of spandau teams hidden in the woods and supported by tanks. Casualties were very high with my grandfathers pltoon of
     
  7. prgreycloud

    prgreycloud Junior Member

    30 reduced to only 4 men by the time they achieved their objective and my grandfathers platoon leader was recommended for the vc and ended with the DSO - if you search the site for TUFFNELL and WRIDE then you will find the citations that give an idication of the conditons the men suffered
     

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