5th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment

I am researching the 5th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment during WW2, focusing on their time in the UK from mobilisation in September 1939 to around four months after D-Day (~October 1944).

I am particularly interested in:

• Where they were stationed and trained month-by-month before D-Day.
  
  
• Details on training exercises, coastal defence duties, or camp life.
  
  
• Personal stories, diaries, or photographs from men who served in the 5th Wilts during this period.
  
  
• Any insights into their preparation for Normandy as part of the 43rd (Wessex) Division.
  

I am consulting war diaries (WO 166/4475 onwards), regimental histories, and will be visiting archives, but I would love to hear from anyone with:

✅ Family connections to men who served in the battalion.
✅ Photos, letters or memorabilia from the UK training period.
✅ Recommendations for specific books, documents, or museum collections worth checking.

If anyone has already researched this unit or has tips on locations to visit or leads I may have missed, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide

 

Ken,

Welcome aboard. I am sure the forum can help.

An online search with: "5th Battalion" + "Wiltshire Regiment" site:ww2talk.com found just over thirty web links and at a glance some do not refer to your subject. One, if not more, referred to the help of the regimental museum aka The Wardrobe.

A smaller number of threads were id'd using: "5th Wiltshire Regiment" site:ww2talk.com and then with: "5 Wiltshire Regiment" site:ww2talk.com slightly more. Yes, there may be duplicates.

A search with: "5 Wiltshire Regt" site:ww2talk.com returned many threads, but after pg.1 the search appears to go "wild", but I did spot a book recommended on pg. 2. Have a look and decide if useful.

At a glance a number of the threads are for individual soldiers who served in the 5th Wilts; those threads often last a short time and the member disengages, with or without an update on their research. Once you have posted x5 you can use the Private Message (PM) option; hover over the target and select Start a Conversation, a new text box opens up. The hover will also show when the member last logged in normally. I have had a good success rate up to eight years later and even better for up to three years.

Some research tips next by PM.

Good luck.

 

thank you, I will take another look to make sure I haven't missed anything.

 

Ken, As regards books, for the Battalion look out for The Fifth Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment in North-West Europe by Captain JS McCath. Divisional histories are Brigadier Essame's 43rd Wessex Division at War and Patrick Delaforce's The Fighting Wessex Wyverns. For the Fighting in September 1944 try Tim Saunders 'The Island'. Lastly you might consider The Maroon Square by Parsons, Robbins and Gibson. It is the history of the 4th Bn, Wiltshire Regt 1939-1946, but as another member of 129th Infantry Brigade there are plenty of references to the 5th as well.
I trust that helps, Graham

 

thank you, I will take a look

 

Hi everyone,
I am researching Kenneth TURNER: -

Private
KENNETH TURNER
Service Number: 5115234
Regiment & Unit/Ship - Wiltshire Regiment - 5th Bn.
Date of Death - Died 09 August 1944
Buried or commemorated at BIRMINGHAM (YARDLEY) CEMETERY
Grave 67049.
United Kingdom
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - Headstone Placeholder
Country of Service - United Kingdom
Additional Info - Son of Charles and Maud Turner, of Sheldon, Birmingham.
Personal Inscription - HOW MUCH WE MISS HIM NO ONE CAN TELL GOD BLESS HIM WE LOVED HIM SO WELL

I think I have found the right family, but cannot find any evidence that I have the right Kenneth TURNER with a connection to the 5th Bn Wiltshire Regiment 1944, and for peace of mind I need to find the connection, otherwise, I won't know if he is the right one i.e. no enlistment registers etc.. There are 3 Kenneth TURNER's on the British Normandy Memorial, by the way.

I cannot find his death certificate either, as he is buried in Birmingham, so would have been evacuated from the war zone to the UK.

Any help would be invaluable.

Kindest regards,
Mavis Williams

 

Mavis,

CMP shows his Service Number 5115234 was issued by the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, which then would be one of the local regiments that recruited from Birmingham. The number was issued before early 1942, when the Army initial training and assessment system changed.

Alas no age on CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2450223/kenneth-turner/

The genealogy site I use cannot identify him as born in B'ham nor his death in 1944.

Nothing at The Wardrobe, the Wiltshire's museum, for any Turner's. See: Collection

The Warwickshire Regiment's museum has nothing online to search alas: The Fusilier Museum, Warwick

I wonder if Yardley Cemetery have records for his burial, which would have his DoB? It appears there is a full record available (for £10). See: - Bereavement Services | Birmingham City Council

There is an online photo of his grave: Private Kenneth Turner (unknown-1944) - Find a...

 

Thank you so much David, his enlistment date is invaluable. Also he is on the 1939 National Register with his family and his date of birth was the 11th of October 1919.

Thanks for the link to his grave as well. I had searched for Charles & Maud on th Find a Grave Website, but came up with nothing. He was the son of Charles & Maud TURNER, from the inscription on the grave added by SirromC

I thought this was the link, but not really, it only tells me what the CWGC tells me. Sorry I have edited my last reply.

Regards, Mavis

 

Casualty lists show that he died of wounds - Home ex NW Europe and also his regiment. Obviously evacuated due to his injuries, his death registered in Basingstoke.


Park Prewett Hospital - Wikipedia
Records at TNA but note date of birth.
Name: K Turner . Service number: 5115234 . Date of birth: 6 October 1919 . | The National Archives

Edit: Just noticed certificate states Royal Warwicks? The casualty lists were first issued with the Warwicks but later amended by hand to 5 Wilts.

 

The Yardley Cemetery record is No. 75435, burial 14/8/1944, 24yrs, from Sheldon Parish (East Birmingham, approx. a mile from cemetery) and the 2nd address entry is the Basingstoke hospital and that he was with the Royal Warwickshire Regt. and his matching Service Number.

 

Thank you both so much, Tony56 and davidbfpo, as you have both gone out of your way to help, this is so appreciated.

The Link you gave me Tony56, led me to his record on the TNA and his record is closed until 2035, but gave his Date of Birth as the 6th of October 1919, whereas the 1939 National Register gives his date of birth as the 11th of October 1919.

I was assuming that he was the son of Charles & Maud TURNER, who I found on the 1939 National Register, see attachment. But the day of his birth is wrong. Just a clerical error?

I hope this is the right family. If I could have found a Memorial notice in a newspaper from his family that would have connected him, would have been great, but none of the family are in any newspaper I looked at.

Thank you David for going to the Yardley Cemetery and looking at the records, I must owe you some petrol money!

Kindest regards, Mavis

 

CWGC gives his parents as Charles & Maud Turner.
1939 gives 'assumed' parents as Charles & Maud.
Q4 1919 birth registration of Kenneth Turner gives MMN as Ashford.
Baptism record for Kenneth with parents Charles & Maud Turner, 22/10/1919.
Q1 1917 birth registration of Leslie Turner gives MMN as Ashford.
Charles Turner married Maud Ashford Q3 1904.

The dob is a few days out but I have found that the 1939 does contain errors, send off for his birth certificate which should give final proof.

 

I have just bought his birth certificate and he was born on the 6th of October 1919, but I still haven't got any newspaper memorials that would have been the icing on the cake. I just hope it is the right family.

As usual you have both been great. Thank you, Mavis