Whatever information this gets I shall be truly grateful to all you felllas as I have no idea what my dad went through over there.
Hello Geordie, Thank you for posting those records ,it appears your father [simplified version] joined 2nd DLI from 16th DLI shortly before they embarked for the Far East ? He has travelled with them to Bombay and onto Ahmednagger where he was hospitalised . I dont know why, but it has resulted in him being medically reclasified . A to C [Category `C`, free from serious organic disease, able to stand service conditions in garrisons at home, and, in addition, if classified under `C1`, able to march at least five miles, to shoot with glasses, and to hear well.] He has been taken off strength of 2nd DLI then rejoined them again but went to 6th Infantry Brigade GHQ . In 1945 posted to the Reinforcement Camp at Deolali where he has retrained as a clerk and been sent home {. He initially qualified as a carrier driver but requalified as a clerk and was sent home following further spells in hospital] Arriving home he went back to Brancepeth 4ITC briefly before he was sent as a PoW Guard to Naburn Hospital which was situated just outside of York. From his reference it appears he was employed on the switchboard or telephone exchange there? Possibly illness resulted in his reclassification but that appears to be the reason he returned home . Kyle
Hi Kyle,thanks for your quick reply,every new piece of info is most gratifiying to read. No information on why he was hospitalised those times unfortunately. I have wondered if he ever drove one of those 24 carriers or the like.
Hi Geordie M Agree with the outline provided by Kyle. He had a number of spells in hospital - one in June 1942 just after arriving in India at the British Military Hospital in Ahmednagar then another in the same hospital 11 - 27 Aug 1942. He was returned to the DLI and on 20 Nov 1942 was attached to the HQ of the 6th Infantry Brigade (part of 2 Division that the DLI were in). On 26 June 1943 he went to the BRC at Deolali and stayed there until he returned to the UK on 5 Feb 1945. So it doesn't appear that he fought in the battles 2 DLI were involved in as they first became involved in the Kohima Campaign in March 1944. He had another period of hospitalisation from 28 Dec 1943 to 12 Jan 1944 at 5 Indian British General Hospital (IBGH). On 1 April 1944 he was posted to the Permanent Staff of 3 Wing at the BBRC Deolali where he became a clerk. It doesn't say why he was hospitalised. I think his return on Python was due to his medical reclassification rather than the length of time he was in India. Others with longer service did not return as early. The BBRC or BRC in Deolali was a large Replacement/Reinforcement Camp that held men until they were posted to their unit. If you Google it there is quite a lot on the Internet about it. It was arrange into 'Wings'. I think the entry says 'Emb(arked) per SS30 Q' so may be the regulation or paragraph under which his return was authorised.
2 DLI fought in the Arakan Campaign in March 1943 saw action at Donbaik prior to the Kohima actions Kyle
Thanks to all you guys for helping me with that information about my dad. Yes I noticed he had been hospitalised several times,he was most certainly not alone in his plight. I reckon that many clerks never saw battle in the way others did,but all played their part in the big picture only some more than others. I can recall when I was a bairn that my dad was sent a few times to convalescent homes around Northumberland, and that was in the 50`s I guess being sick had taken its toll both mentally and physically. Thanks once again for all you have told me,I shall return now and again to read more about others on your great site. Much obliged and here`s wishing all a Happy New Year in 2021)
Hi TD,looking at the list of departures of those ships,where can I find if any of them reached england as stated in dads service records around the 14 march 1945?? as that was the date he disembarked?? Geordie )
You can search that site for details of individual ships and their movements throughout the war, or search the arrivals ports (Ports Database) for specific or narrow band of arrival dates - Arnold Hague Ports database TD
Thanks TD,you are an encyclopedia of information. I have now found the following: Convoy MKF.40 out of Gibraltar on the 6th march the following ships arrived Liverpool 12 march 1945. Carnavon Castle,Felix Roussel,Maloja,Orontes and the Tegelberg. I would think it fair to say my dad was on one of these. What do you reckon?
All you need to know is how he got from India to Gibraltar, if indeed he was on any of those ships, he may have come from India via South Africa Also his records show he arrived home on 14th March, and to be honest those dates are usually correct as the date of the ships arrival The only times I have seen a scenario such as yours provide the details of the ship is when someone has completed a personal diary and noted the ships name, otherwise its very very difficult But this is the fun of researching - what do you think TD
Responding to the original enquiry, I spotted this on an Artillery Tracer Card SSE10 - see attached TD
The SS 30Q as well as SS E10 in the card just posted by TD will indeed be ships but decoding the name will be difficult. For example I have a ship in my own files ss CITY OF VENICE she was using the code SS AA1 in 1943 and I doubt a key exists for similar codes. Regards Hugh
after checking out the Arnold Hague Ports Database I found out that of the 21 vessels that departed from Bombay around the time my dad travelled back to the uk, only 5 actually berthed either at Liverpool or the Clyde on the 12 march 1945. As my dads papers state that he TOS 14 march 1945 would it be credible to say that it was likely that one of these ships could of brought him home. Carnavon Castle BT389/6, Felix Roussel BT/389/12 Maloja BT389/20 Orontes BT389/23 Tegelberg BT389/29 At the database I could only get 12 chances so this is what I managed)
