65th Anti-tank Regt RA (Norfolk Yeomanry) - changes

Hi, I’m doing a bit of research on my grandfather who when demobbed in 46 was part of 257 battery of the 65th Antitank regiment, part of 7th Armoured. It is documented that the 65th landed on d day on the 7th June nearer Juno beach. However my grandfather landed on the 6th on Gold beach nearer to Arromanches which brings me to wonder whether he was part of a different division which was then absorbed or merged with the 65th. If anyone has any information about this I would be very grateful. Many thanks

 

The regimental war diary confirms they landed in the Asnelles area (JUNO) but the regiment was spread over several ships that landed over several days. It's possible he could have been part of an advance party but it's long odds. It seems more likely that your grandfather may have been with someone else before 65 A/Tk Regt. They'd served through the desert, many of their longer-serving personnel would have been demobbed early on and replaced by 'fresher' troops.
If you haven't got his service records from the MoD / The National Archives, they ought to clear up the situation.

 

Many thanks for your help. The plot thickens! I’ll prob need his service record to clear it up unfortunately my father is less eager to obtain as thinks I should just leave it be and without him and some of the documents he has I may be unable to obtain. I have some photos of him not long after he was conscripted and there’s a photo of him with the Royal Artillery insignia badge on his beret which indicates he was part of the same regiment through 44 and 45 from the get go.

 

What was his name?

Ancestry has a selection of RA tracer cards, so I could check.

Slim chance, but worth a punt.

 

My father was in the 65th and I believe landed at Gold if you look at the map of the beaches available on wiki they are very close and Asnelles (as referenced in the war diary is situated just behind and to the left of Gold beach as you look at the map ....it's on the Arromanches side...) ... as Mongouk suggests see if his tracer card survives ? or ask and someone might check ..my Dad's is interesting but also confusing as it's just a record of useful info for admin purposes and not in some cases very accurate in exactly where or when the soldier was at a particular time...

 

As to which Battery he was in at a particular time ...that could be very confusing as I know my Father was not with his Battery at certain times often having been ill (recurrent Yellow fever) so his tracer record often shows him temporarily with a different unit ...he was in hospital when his mates died crossing the Rhine and he was at the opening of Bergen Belsen through some quirk of fate ...War records seem to have been a constant battle of retaining a semblance of order during chaotic times