Service records for my Grandfather R.A.C

Hi as requested i have taken copies of the service records I just received. I also have a large Territorial Army form which just looks like the same info copied onto it?

My main issues are after the training regiment there is no regiment listed for Him whilst in Africa?

Also what is Bays it mentions this a few times?

I dont know where he was held by the Italians as a POW before transfering to Germany?

Thanks
Grant

 

sorry some have managed to be posted upside down. I also had trouble re sizing the images as the originals where too big. If anyone has trouble reading them let me know and I will try again.

Thanks

 

Please post them right way up, it will make it easier for us to help you.
Bays = Queens Bays? a tank regiment.

 

Thanks should be ok now

 

http://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/the-first-and-last-battle-of-2-armoured-brigade-23-january-1942/

looks like he was involved and captured during the Crusader battles

Another forum member, Andreas has a blog about this; the link above shoild work.

 

Just done a quick wiki search and the dates match his arrival in Africa. Has to be Queens Bays?


After service in the First World War, the Regiment was again retitled The Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) in 1921.
In 1935 the Bays lost their horses, after 250 years and became a mechanised regiment. They transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939.
At the outbreak of World War II the Regiment was in England. In May 1940 the Bays were sent as part of the 1st Armoured Division to France and were heavily engaged on the Somme. In mid June, with the collapse of French resistance, they were evacuated to England through the port ofBrest.
The Bays arrived in the Middle East in November 1941, equipped initially with the 2 pounder Crusader tank. They fought with great bravery at the 'Cauldron' and 'Knightsbridge' during the battle of Gazala and were continuously in action for 19 days, a record for an armoured regiment in theWestern Desert. They played a major part at the Battle of Alamein, the Tebaga gap, at El Hamma, the Mareth Line, and so on to Tunis.

 

Yes. Second image 3rd coloumn, 14 lines down it says; posted to queens bays,

5-9-41

 

Thats great and many thanks for the link to the Crusader Project.

You have been a great help many thanks.

Iv followed this sites link to POW vets site. He is listed on the Italian POW list also. Does anyone know how to locate info on the camp listed?

 

Id post that in the prisoners of war thread, youll get plenty of help there.

 

Grant, if you can make it to the National Archives at Kew, then the Bays war diaries might be of interest. References for them are:

WO 169/1382, Queen's Bays (2 Dragoon Guards) (1941 Oct.- Dec.)
WO 169/4479, Queen's Bays (2 Dragoon Guards) (1942 Jan.- Dec.)

While thre it would also be worth checking for a POW liberation questionnaire which he might of completed at the end of the war. It should detail all the camps he was captive in.

POW records are also available on application to the Internation Committee of the Red Cross, see here: http://www.icrc.org/web/forms/webforms.nsf/F_Archive?OpenForm&ParentUNID=FC2FA71E2991A657C12572E200322DD7

Best wishes and welcome to the forum,

Lee

 

Trotting to Kew isn't too easy. I will PM you re your services to obtain the LB report.
Are there any other copies of the dragons war diaries or usefull books based on them?

Is it possible to research what unit my Grandfather was in or don't regents keep any such records?

Thanks for now

Grant

 

The Regiment has an official history but you'll be lucky to find a good copy for under a £100. I paid £120 for mine.

Only one copy available on Abe:

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?an=beddington&bt.x=0&bt.y=0&sts=t&tn=queen+bays