My father was in 242 trp. coy. rasc in north Africa. is there any way finding out which platoon he was in( e.g.A,B,C,D,E,TCV.) I have service records, war diaries (and pay books) but no mention of which my father would be in
Hi David, Unfortunately, I rather think you've exhausted the sources. Even wartime correspondence - if there was any remaining with the family - would probably have been addressed to the company rather than an individual platoon.
It seems that you have discovered that war diaries rarely mention ORs by name however, diaries are normally accompanied by various appendices, among which may be 'regimental orders' or the like. I have seen these that do list individual soldiers, perhaps in a roll call, promotion, transfer from one platoon to another or, often before service overseas, the results of driving tests or even dental treatment. These often list individuals by platoon. If you haven't yet studied these it is well worth the effort.
You want what are known as Regimental Part 2 Orders. These shown the daily goings - who the Duty Officers are, who needs to report to the Dentist. Who has been promoted. Very useful for Company and Platoon detail - if you can find them. Regards Frank
Sorry if I'm being a bit dim, but you already know which unit he was in, when he was in it, where that unit went and what it did. This is more than many people ever find out. What possible extra significance does the identification of his platoon hold? Have I missed the point?
What you want is the set of orders the lists the movement of the unit overseas or onto an operational accounting basis. This is the sort of occasion where everyone's name rank and number are posted.
hello Sheldrake and thanks for your reply ,sorry for the late answer .Minden 1759 made the suggestion of regimental part 2 orders ,would these be of a similar content . David