1085172 Gunner/Dispatch Rider Len (Linnaeus) HILL, RA : Africa WW2

Creating a display box of my Father's medals, cap badge, boxing medal & photo for my Son for posterity. My Father died before my Son was born. I would like to create a short Summary of his time in the Royal Artillery to put with the memorabilia in the frame. He suffered from what we now call PTSD after the war and was in an asylum so my Mother told me not to ask him about his service. So I had no chance to ask him. I purchased his B103 & B200d, form but underestimated the task of deciphering the abbreviations & handwriting. I was quoted exhorbitant figures per hour ( with no estimate to how many hours it would take) to produce a typed copy so if anyone had time to read & give some pointers for a summary I would be very grateful. I could afford some expenses but not in the hundreds. Remarks in passing I recall he was in "Sahara"?, and he saw the "Peacock Throne"?. A sniper shot him in the leg ( knee?) my mother had to shorten his trousers on that leg . He was shipped to India I think twice to recuperate? There are fines listed on his form - love to know what the infraction was! His boxing medal has an inscription on the back but google failed me " Presented to L. Hill by Colonel Gibbons Inter Battery Boxing 1940" . Any help would be most grateful - I have put a question list if that helps? .

 

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the papers. You've posed an awful lot of questions in your download document but I’m afraid I’m not in a position to answer them as it will take a lot of time.

It’s a busy B103 as he was well travelled between the Middle East (PaiForce = Persia & Iraq Force and MEF = Middle East Force) and India.

However he didn’t serve in a designated Theatre of War so didn’t qualify for either the Africa or Burma Star’s or the 39/45 Star.

The Peacock Throne would be a reference to the Shah of Iran. Mention of the Sahara suggests service in North Africa but as he only appears to have served there in 1944 he doesn’t qualify for the Africa Star.

Royal Artillery in World War 2 - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

Steve

 

Thank you so much Steve - would you be able to answer the following questions at all? Row 11; Row 30; Row 50; Row 64? Bit cheeky I know

 

Just in case you've not seen his medal index card....

 

Hello Pauline,

Hope I've looked at the right "Row 11":

"Posted159 Field Regiment........."

Time-line for this Royal Artillery unit here:

159 Field Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

It's a start. A small step.

Good luck with your quest.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Wow - so on his summary I should put
Enlisted Royal Artillery 12 Sep 1940 to 06 Jul 1946
159th Field Regiment Royal Artillery (so not 4th Regiment after all i.e The Fighting Fourth? ) 159 Field Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45
Served in Middle East Force: Persia & Iraq & India.
Received War Medal & Defence Medal ( see attached pic)

 

Hi,

I’m on an iPhone and it’s difficult accessing your download documents as I can only open one of them at a time.

Can you copy the 4 questions in to a post?

Steve

 

Hi Pauline,
To clear up the medal entitlement, you will see from 159 Field's page on my site that Jim gave you that the regiment served in India, Iraq and Syria. To qualify for the 1939-45 Star required 6 months service in an operational area. Most of India was not considered operational neither was Iraq except for the occupation and this occured just before the regiment was formed. Therefore if he didn't qualify for the 1939-45 Star he would not have been entitled to any other campaign star either. The Defence Medal was for non-operational service including service overseas. It required 3 years in the UK or 1 year overseas unless in an area under threat or actual air attack when 180 days was sufficient. Everyone with more than 28 days full time service received the War Medal.

Derek

 

Here's a brief breakdown of his service:
On enlistment posted to 4 Field Training Regiment RA at Bulford for basic training
Feb 41 posted to 1 Reserve Field Regiment RA at Burton on Trent. This was a holding unit while they decided which regiment to post him to.
He was then posted to Draft RFYAA. This would be a group of soldiers being posted abroad. They were sent as part of a Draft, in this case RFYAA. I believe this does not stand for anything but is simply a code for that Draft.
On arriving in India he was posted to159 Field Regiment RA.
Subsequent movements are the regiment moving to Iraq and his movements in and out of hospital until finally arriving back with 159 Field in Jan 44
He goes off on temporary duty before returning to the regiment as it returns to India.
In Nov 44 the regiment becomes a Parachute Light Regiment RA and he is granted airborne pay.
In Apr 45 he returns home to the UK to the RA Depot at Woolwich and is posted to 124 Field Regiment RA.
He is in hospital again from Jan to Mar 46. On release he is posted to 53 Field Holding Regiment RA to await discharge.

I haven't given every detail but aimed for an overview of his service.

Derek

 

Pauline,
Some answers to your query on Service & Casualty Form:
Python was a scheme to send people home on leave after completing a set number of years overseas. They were usually those due a home posting.
159 Tank Regt crossed out & 280 ???? RA is actually 159 Field Regt RA where he had come from and 288 Field Battery who he was posted to. 288 Battery was in 124 Field Regiment RA.
Yes duration means until the end of the war.
Qualifications - Dor IC & MC Orderly is actually Dvr IC, Driver Internal Combustion and Motorcycle Orderly. Dvr IC was to show he was a vehicle driver rather than a horse team driver. Both existed in the RA just before the war. MC Orderly is the correct term for the qualification commonly called Despatch Rider. Strictly speaking DR's only existed in the Royal Signals, all others were MC Orderlies.

Derek

 

Row 30;
Page 3 Committed an Offence tried C4 circle powers? Fined 25 shillings 22Feb1941 Cannot fully read this - what did he do - was 25 Shillings ( which is £1 pound 5 shillings) a misdemeanour or serious - this was while at start still at "Home" before sent to India yes?

Row 50;
Page 2 15Jan1942 to 06Mar1942 Forfeits 3 days pay for Section 15AA in IRAQ Was that the same offence listed on page 3 Record of Service where fined 25 Shillings - so if 3 days pay - they only earned 8 shillings a day approx. Or different offence? What was it?

Row 64
My Fathers Boxing Medal has "Presented to L.Hill By Colonel Gibbons Interbattery Boxing 1940" on reverse Is there a way to find out who this was & where was the competition and what did he win/lose??

 

Thank you so much Derek xxxx

 

Derek you have given me more than I dared to hope - it has been very healing doing this for my Dad. He worked hard all his life but self-medicated with alcohol and often beat my Mum. I think we would term it binge drinking today. My Mother met him when she was 16 and they got married when she was 19 and he was 38. Her family threw her out because of the age difference. My premature birth at 32 weeks allegedly brought the family together. So a lot of trauma there that I think happened to a lot of families trying to adapt & heal after WW2. Putting this memory frame together I think gives back for what he did however small. Ripples in a pond really

 

Row 30 Pauline; "Tried Lay Civil Powers"; closest meaning means likely he defended himself (and could have been literally any non too serious offence).

Row 50; different offence from that back in early 1941, just going by the date and fine(s).

Colonel Gibbons; Still looking, no definite match yet.

Kind regards always,

Jim.

 

Ripples in a pond maybe Pauline, but all those ripples together made the tidal wave that defeated fascism.

Always remember, never forget,

Jim.

 

So far I have got as follows: does this make sense?
Linnaeus (Len) Hill Service Number 1085172
Born 20 Nov 1914, Died 07Jun1989, aged 74.
Enlisted Royal Artillery 12 Sep 1940 to 06 Jul 1946 initially to Buford 4th Royal Artillery Training
Feb 1941 posted to 1st Reserve Field REgiment Burton on Trent
Motorcycle Despatch Rider
Posted to India 159th Field Regiment Royal Artillery (FRRA) 159th was in Persia & Iraq and India;
Injured so several periods in and out of hospital; Returned to 159th Field RA Jan 1944
Nov 1944 159th becomes Parachute Light Regiment; April 1945 home to Woolwich UK and then posted to 124th Field Regiment RA
3 months in Hospital Spring 1946; Posted to 53 Field Holding Regiment RA prior to discharge
Awarded War Medal & Defence Medal
Boxing Medal Inscription “Presented to L. Hill by Colonel Gibbons Inter Battery Boxing 1940”
Cap Badge motto "Ubique" means Everywhere; Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt means Where Right &Glory Lead. Married to Jean Hill, nee Catts; one daughter, Pauline; Barber by trade

 

True very true

 

I agree with Jim re discipline entries.

Full details of the offences will be recorded on his Regimental & Company Discipline Records - Army Forms B120/121 - but MOD and National Archives don’t release them.

His military conduct on discharge was recorded Good - midway on the scale of Exemplary, Very Good, Good, Fair, indifferent, Bad, Very Bad.

Steve

 

'Tried by Civil Powers' I think. A civil rather than military offence.

Section 15 of the Army Act was Absence Without Leave for Canadians, I expect the same for British.

 

Pauline,

Welcome aboard.

Just glanced at your question sheets and spotted two I can answer easily:

1) pg.3 RFYAA that is a five digit Convoy Code, which used to label baggage and freight items, so the actual destination was unknown to anyone watching.

2) pg.3 See: Morriston Hospital - Wikipedia A major hospital then and now @ Swansea. EMS I expect is something like Emergency Medical S.

Too late to look at them all now, back tomorrow likely.