69th (The Denbighshire Yeomanry) Medium Regiment

Hi

Just wondering if anyone could help me with the movements of the 69th from 1939 - April 1944, please?

My grandfather Bombardier Archibald Frank Woolman served with them and was killed in Salerno on 6th April 1944.

Thanks
Lest We Forget

 

Sam, here is the best place to look

RA 1939-45 69 Med Rgt

Hi

Just wondering if anyone could help me with the movements of the 69th from 1939 - April 1944, please?

My grandfather Bombardier Archibald Frank Woolman served with them and was killed in Salerno on 6th April 1944.

Thanks
Lest We Forget

 

Hi Sam,

I already have the regiments BEF war diary - click the link in my signature below if you are interested in any of the regiments war diaries.

Cheers
Andy

 

Great!!!!! Thanks both of you!

 

The 69th Medium, 241, 242 Btys
were a 2 & 6 AGRA regt in Italy.
let Drew get you the Diary
Rob

 

Sam/ ROB -

while it is true that the 6th AGRA fought in many areas in the Italian campaign - they were primarly attached to 8th Army on the East coast until Cassino and the date of death looks odd at 6th April '44- when all of the fighting in the Salerno landings took place on the 9th-16th- SEPTEMBER '43

So I think this case needs a look at the service records of this chap

Cheers

 

Sam/ Rob

Meant to add that 6th AGA changed over to US 5th Army after Rome to Florence before coming back to 8th army at the Senio winter line to prepare for the final battles on the Argenta gap and the PO river

Cheers

 

Hi

Just wondering if anyone could help me with the movements of the 69th from 1939 - April 1944, please?

My grandfather Bombardier Archibald Frank Woolman served with them and was killed in Salerno on 6th April 1944.

Thanks
Lest We Forget


CWGC - Casualty Details


On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side. Allied objectives were to draw German troops from the Russian front and more particularly from France, where an offensive was planned for the following year.

The 65th and 92nd General Hospitals were in Naples from late in 1943 until the end of the war, also the 67th General Hospital for the greater part of that time. The site for the war cemetery was chosen in November 1943 and burials were made in it from the hospitals and garrison. Later graves were brought in from a number of small cemeteries in the immediate vicinity.

Naples War Cemetery contains 1,202 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. There are also some non war burials and war graves of other nationalities.

 

Thanks Tom
A mind of information mate.
I've got them with 2 AGRA (X Corps) from Sept 43
Best
Rob

 

Hi,
Thanks again.

His date of death was definitely 06/04/1944, well as per the Commonwealth War Commission and the engraving on his gravestone at the Naples War Cemetry.

We don't have much info on him as mum was only 1 when he was killed. Im not sure why but Nan never spoke much of him and remarried some time later. After cleaning out Nan's house after her death in 2006, we only found my grandfather's "scroll".

I am in the process of requesting information on his medal entitlement from the UK MoD.

Looking on Military Records, Military War Articles & Military Genealogy History Data - Forces War Records it states that he was entitled to 1939-1945 War Medal and the 1939-1945 Star not sure if this is close to correct, but thought he would have been entitled to a campaign medal.

 

ROB/Sam

As it appears to be the 2nd AGRA were with X corps from the September landings
at Salerno - by the 6th April '44 they would have been fighting for the bridgehead at the River Garigliano - unless he was badly wounded at Salerno- but most likely would have been sent back to North Africa OR the UK....

Sounds like he would have qualified for the Africa Star (1st Army) - Italy Star and possibly Defence Medal also - BUT more important are the Service records - so that should be your next move
Cheers

 

Hello All,

Well I have applied to the MoD for my grandfather's medals and have also found some family members, being my great aunt, Archie's sister and also his nephew and his wife. My grandfathers sister has advised that he served in Dunkirk, North Africa and Italy where he was killed by a runaway gun carriage.......Does anyone know (I bet you all do) if there is a medal for Dunkirk and if the British Army would have been entitled to it. Thanks

 

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/searching-someone-military-genealogy/3644-dunkirk-medal.html

Not sure if you can still get them for free - I know you can buy them though on the internet.

Google has lots of hits.

 

Thanks. I haven't received his medal entitlement yet. His sister, whom I have only just made contact with for the first time advised that nobody ever claimed his medals.....My nan never did and neither did his parents. Mum has signed over permission for me to receive his entitlement, so, as you can imagine I am getting quite excited about what he may have been entitled to.

 

He won't get a Dunkirk medal from the MoD-They came/come from France.

 

Thanks Drew. As you can probably tell I don't know an awful lot, but am slowly learning....... I guess my next step is to find out if he was evacuated. Then look at purchasing the medal once everything is confirmed.

 

Here is a short summary of the service of the 69th:

69th Medium Regiment, R.A. (T.A.)
HQ: Colwyn Bay
241st (Carnarvon) Bty: Bangor
242nd (Carnarvon) Bty: Llandudno

69th Medium Regiment mobilized at Colwyn Bay and sailed to Le Havre on 1 May 1940. At the start of the campaign, the 69th was in action at Tieghem with III Corps and under 44th Infantry Division. It evacuated at Dunkirk by 30 May. It then returned to the United Kingdom and was based in Eastern Command in the autumn of 1940 It was located at Three Bridges in late 1941-early 1942. The regiment added (Carnarvon and Denbigh) (Yeomanry) to its name on 17 February 1942.
The regiment was sent to North Africa during the last quarter of 1942. It served under XXX Corps at El Alamein in October 1942 and fought with the corps across North Africa through May 1943. It joined 5th Army Group RA on its formation in North Africa on 11 February 1943. It remained in North Africa during the Sicilian Campaign and then landed at Salerno on 9 September 1943 under 2nd AGRA. It served with this formation in the Italian Campaign until mid-1944, when it left Italy. It was still in the Middle East in July 1944, but moved to the United Kingdom by the end of 1944. It then moved to Northwest Europe in 1945 and served there until the end of the war.

 

The 69th Medium Regt RA
From March 1945 - June 1945 was under command of 17AGRA in N.W. Europe
as part of "Dunkirk Force" the only Medium Regt of the Force laying siege to the town.
What goes round comes round so they say-_-
Best
Rob

 

Hello, sorry don't mean to be a pain.....but I have just received confirmation of my grandfather's medal entitlement. It advises that he was awarded the Africa Star (8th Army clasp), Italy Star, 1939-45 star and War Medal. He was evacuated from Dunkirk, so I have purchased a Dunkirk Medal. As I mentioned he served his entire service from 1939 - 1944 with the 69th Medium Regt, which shows some service on British Soil from 1940-42. Would this mean that he should have been entitled to the Defence Medal also??????

I am in the process of purchasing replacement medals as the originals apparently went to my Nan Lavina Woolman via my great grandparents George and Kate Lineker, all have passed with no sign of the medals.

Thanks
Sam

 

I guess you have no information about Wormhout?

241 Battery took a wrong turning and were ambushed at Wormhout on 28th May - no problem with the other battery.

If your Grandfather was with 241 Battery he was very lucky to have survived - 18 killed and one Richard Parry was a "barn victim".

All a bit tough since they had only arrived a couple of weeks earlier.

There is loads about this battle and massacre on this site, if you are interested.