Can anyone help identify this missing officers regiment? He's listed on CWGC as being with 53 Medium Regiment but this does not appear to be the case as he's not on that regiments Field Return for their duration in France. Also any details on his death would be great. The 53rd Medium Regiment website states he was drowned on a ship but do not quote the source. They have been contacted but no reply to date. 126300 Lieutenant Thomas Nicholas Halford, died 29th May 1940. Remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial.
You may find that he was posted to the 53rd Medium Regiment, but in the mayhem of build up to Dunkirk, he didn't get there in time to be recorded in the Regiment's diary. I have many cases of this in the RSF. These officers were attached to one of the training depots in France, and were then posted to the battalion. But didn't arrive with them as they were moving rapidly around the countryside. Many became attached to other units (unofficially) or just made their own way back to the UK through Dunkirk when it became impossible to report to the battalion. Its a possibility.
Not a great help, but he was first listed as 'Missing' in France, Date Not Reported, on Casualty List No. 231 dated 14 June 1940, then 'Presumed KIA' at sea on 29/5/40 on Casualty List No.708 dated 31 Dec 1941. Unfortunately doesn't give a sub unit.
If anyone has Fold3 membership then theres a couple of records for him that migh provide the detail UK, British Army Records and Lists, 1882-1962 Name: T. N. Halford Military Year: 1940 Regiment: Royal Regiment of Artillery Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Name: T. N. Halford Military Year: 1941 Regiment: Royal Regiment of Artillery Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Before you ask - no I dont know why he has a record for 1941 TD
There are 31 officers in the photograph and only 26 accounted for on the Field Return. Assuming that the photograph was taken prior to embarkation for France, would the 5 officers not on the Field Return - including Lt. Halford - be shown on earlier Rolls as Struck-Off-Strength or Detached?
The London Gazette, shows he was a member of one of two Cadet Training units when commissioned, they were; 121st and 125th Officer Cadet Training Units. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34821/supplement/1896/data.pdf https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34821/supplement/1897/data.pdf
Hi Steve, I only posted one of the Officer Field Returns from May. The photo was taken before they deployed and Halford isn't mentioned in any of the Regimental Field Returns in the diary.
Many thanks all. I'm currently working with my mate on getting another name on a unknown 1940 grave. Halford is a contender and we want to exclude him from the bunch of possibilities that it could be. That said we already know who it is, we just need to dot all the i's and cross the t's so to speak to prove it.
Not sure where they obtain their data UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 Name: Thomas Halford Given Initials: T N Rank: Lieutenant Death Date: 29 May 1940 Number: 126300 Birth Place: Buckinghamshire Residence: Buckinghamshire Regiment at Enlistment: Royal Artillery Branch at Enlistment: Royal Artillery Theatre of War: At sea Regiment at Death: Royal Artillery Branch at Death: Royal Artillery The original data comes from the National Archives records series WO 304, War Office: Roll of Honour, Second World War. This Roll was compiled from various War Office records between 1944 and 1949. Originally the data was encoded onto cards using a Hollerith Machine (a unit record machine), the original print outs of which are kept at the National Archives. The cards have since been decoded and transcribed by the Naval & Military Press and published on CD. All the other records on Ancestry read that he died on active service - Probate etc TD
Found this transcription, unfortunately no original document to be seen: Rank Lt First name(s) Thomas Nicholas Last name Halford Birth year 1920 Age 20 Death year 1940 Death date 29 May 1940 Place kia off Dunkirk Record set British Army, Royal Artillery Officer Deaths 1850-2011 Category Military, armed forces & conflict Subcategory Regimental & Service Records Collections from Great Britain, UK None
Remembered Beaconsfield War Memorial Also a Remembering Today Remembering Today 6 members of the 53rd med Regt RA
May, or may not be relevant but assuming this is him in 1939 he was: Lance Bombardier 894073, is that 394 or 314 battery, 997 Field Regiment EDIT should be 99 Field Regt.
I would guess at 394 Bty from the other 9's in his service number and Fd Regt Nice find TD Is it therefore presumed he was aboard a ship that was sunk or strafed and thats how he died?
That looks more like 99 F Regt. There was no 997 Fd Regt. 99 Fd Regt had a 394 Bty 99 (Royal Bucks Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA(TA) - The Royal Artillery 1939-45 (ra39-45.co.uk) 3 Sep 39 393 (Royal Bucks Yeomanry), 394 (Royal Bucks Yeomanry)
Brain not engaged, not sure how I misread that, obvious when it is pointed out, attestation also has 99F. thanks
Thinking laterally. Process of elimination. Would having a look at the Field Returns for the other units numbered 53rd to see whether somebody many years ago slipped up with their record keeping? Just in RA regiment-speak there was 53 Fld, 53 Hvy, 53 LAA, 53 HAA and 53 ATk. Then there were a few batteries numbered 53 too. It wouldn't be the first time a typing error or a lack of accuracy has caused confusion.
Apparently photo taken September 1939: Officers of the 53RD Med Reg RA (webs.com) Also states that he was "killed when a bomb hit the destroyer he was on".
BBC - WW2 People's War - Army: 53rd (London) Medium Regiment Royal Artillery 27 May 1940 - 31 May 1940: Phoney War - La Panne The day of 27 May opened with orders to travel to Hoogstade. The regiment arrived at dawn, on the 28th. The Regiment was ordered then to make its way by foot to the beach head, but at 10.30 the troops were deflected by Brigadier Lawson, who was organising the defence of the perimeter. This was an unfamiliar role for the Regiment but the troops took up their positions - with 210 Btry covering the Yser Canal from Wulpen to Nieuport and 209 Btry covering from Nieuport to the coast. Here the Regiment took its first casualties of the war and lost some ‘fine young men’. The first German patrols arrived later that morning, and the Regiment remained in the line until relieved by the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers at midnight on the night of the 29th /30th. At dawn of the 30th the Regiment reached the beach head at La Panne and began the wait for ships. The last men of the Regiment to leave France did so aboard ‘HMS Worcester’ that evening, arriving in Dover in the early hours of 31 May. TD Remembering Today 5/6/1940 2 men of the 53rd medium Regt RA
