7017559 Shadrack Albert METSON, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers

Hello all,

Following on from my earlier postings, I am starting a post about my Grandfather S A Metson. Sorry if I get a bit boring or I am not following rules but I am new here.

I have his records and have a few questions on some of the info in them. I may get a bit boring doing a blow by blow but I want to try to get an idea of his war.

His name was Shadrack Albert Metson, service number 7017559, enlisting 19/06/40, I am guessing in London. Family lore says he was working with Irish labourers building the airfields in East Anglia where he met my Grandmother. His records change from S A to A S as I know he hated his first name and went by the name of Albert.

He was sent from ITC to B coy 7 RUR in Belfast 03/08/40, transferring to Lorne near Bangor to B coy 30/11/40, now the Girl Guide headquarters.

He then moved to Belfast and moved around the Ulster Rifles and attended a course at the Army School of hygiene at Mychett but seemed to be stationed at Market Rasen. Was this just learning to dig toilets?

He was then moved around a bit from RUR to what looks like RNHGZ? in 17/04/43, them moved to X list 2 LIR, XVI 23/04/43. He them was back on the X List, transferring to 2 Ech 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers 29/04/43 where he remained until 09/02/45 where he went to RAOC, stationed at 4 BOD MEF. He remained in RAOC until demob.

I will add more later, but attached is the first lot of his record if it helps any. A couple of questions, what does W.P.P. mean and what is leave with RA @ LR?

 

from the official history of the RUR, a bit of background on 7 RUR...

7th BATTALION RUR

While the regular Battalions were adding lustre to the already magnificent record of the Royal Ulster Rifles, it was the lot of some officers and men to remain behind the fighting line in other roles.

Among these "backroom boys" of the Services was at least one Battalion which added no honours: which neither fought nor died for freedom; but worked hard and devotedly at the job to which higher authority called it. Or rather, it should be "jobs," for this 31st, later 7th, Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifles had a varied career, since it was born in those days of grim foreboding immediately following Dunkirk. Raised originally to defend the soil of Ulster from whatever foes might threaten, its earlier days were spent in guardianship of V.P.'s - dumps, depots, and those highly important features known in R.A.F. communiqués as "military installations." It was staffed by veterans of the 1914-18 war, called or recalled from all quarters of the globe to bring another fighting unit into being.

Its material was drawn from the volunteers of Ulster, the loyalists of Eire, supplemented by drafts from the Army Class of Great Britain-a mixed crowd which, with surprising speed, became a cohesive unit. On one occasion a Very High Military Personage paid the infant battalion a visit. Young as it was in tradition, the unit was on its mettle, and the Headquarters Guard which greeted the General would have done credit to many a regular battalion. The General, duly impressed, spoke words of commendation to the guard commander. The first Rifleman in the ranks wore a ribbon, and the General paused for a word with him, too. Something struck the distinguished visitor, and he spoke to every man of the guard. Then, a whimsical smile round the corners of his mouth, he turned to the C.O., congratulated him on the turn-out, and added: "It is also unique in my experience to inspect the guard of an Irish Regiment and to find it entirely composed of Cockneys!" But whether from Down, Antrim, Tyrone, or within the sound of Bow Bells, the men were being knit into a team, and when war came home with devastating suddenness to Belfast, these "unblooded" rookies faced their first blitz with commendable calm. Stolidly and efficiently too, they tackled the grim tasks that followed. Soon, "the Yanks were coming" and the Battalion became a voluntary labour corps, helping our Allies ashore into their new quarters. (How many thousands of tons of first-class equipment did the Rifles see safely from boat to road and rail by the sweat and toil of their brows and hands ?).

But the strategic pattern was changing, imperceptibly but surely, and there was far different work ahead. The first month under canvas completed the work of combination of an agglomeration of individuals from all quarters of the British Isles into a military unit of considerable efficiency. And one day this "Home Defence" Unit of the R.U.R. was called upon to take part in a big-scale exercise which drew, among others, the C.I.G.S. himself to watch. The Battalion, many of them "graded" men - whose training had had to be sandwiched in between long spells of guards, fatigues, and CC rescue work - tackled marches, digging in, living "on the land" for days and nights in pouring rain, jumping up to fight an approaching enemy just as breakfast was about to be served - in short, most of the trials and privations of active service apart from the personal danger. They did it like veterans; so much so that the G.O.C. had, half apologetically, to express his astonishment that a unit of that calibre had stood the racket of an exercise planned for trained and fully fit troops.

It was a turning point in the career of the Battalion. Apart from the Army Class personnel, the Battalion had enlisted for service in Northern Ireland only. Almost as a body they responded to the C.O.'s call for a voluntary expression of willingness to change that to "G.S." And the next thing they knew, they were across the Irish Sea, " somewhere in Britain," almost but not quite a "Field Force” unit. It seemed that the ambition of those who founded the Battalion in the dark hours of 1940 was to be realized, and that the R.U.R. might indeed be about to put another complete battalion into the fighting line.

But war is no respecter of personal ambitions or individual desires. It was not to be.

The Battalion next found itself on a stretch of the coast of Britain, still " on guard " against diminishing possibilities, but more deeply involved in "Res. Div." work: the task of completing the training and equipment of men as reinforcements for the fighting units.

And now began a test of efficiency and endurance for the administrative staff of the unit, equal in its way to many of the more arduous and spectacular physical labours that war imposes on men. The midnight oil had often to be burnt; the same monotonous grind went on day after day; every hour brought its problems, complex, and without precedent to guide the solvers.

But draft after draft left for the Front, ready and able to take their place in the new armies that were to teach Hitler that, however slow to anger, the stolid British (or more temperamental Irish) were still formidable in their wrath and thoroughness, once they got down to it.

The role changed again and became still more complex and exacting. The Battalion became "rehabilitators" and re-builders. It was a far cry from the days of guarding Ulster's shores from attack, from without or within. But at least the Battalion showed its adaptability, its willingness to tackle those thankless tasks that bring no honours or rewards, that yield no direct satisfaction such as comes to those who were so rapidly and efficiently eliminating the German Army. Many wore the ribbons of the North-West Frontier and other campaigns of the First World War, of service in Palestine. This war of speed and youth left them behind; how will they look back on it? Well, at least they can feel that they sent into battle many who would be the better able to cope with the Hun for the training and encouragement they were able to give from their experience and maturer years. At least they can feel that they shared, indirectly though it may be, in the great drive from Alamein to Italy; the mighty recoil from Dunkirk to Normandy and the Rheims' Surrender.

 

Hello, here are the war diary refs for his units:

WO 166/4609 INFANTRY: 7 Royal Ulster Rifles. 1940 July - 1941 Dec.
WO 166/8912 7 Royal Ulster Rifles 1942 Sept.- Dec.
WO 166/12745 7 Royal Ulster Rifles 1943 Jan.-Dec.

WO 169/10235 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) 1943 July- Dec.
WO 170/1406 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) 1944 Jan.- Dec

WO 170/8005 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) 1946 Jan.- June

Oddly there is no diary listed on The National Archives for 1945. A quick bit of digging shows a 1945 diary for 2 RIF in Italy for most of 1945 but not 1944 or 46 so I think this may be the one and the name is a typo.

Cheers
Andy

Just crossed ref it and I'm 99.9% sure it's a typo. There is another 2 war diaries for 2 RIF covering 1945 in the WO 169 series.

 

1 RIrF - Jan 1945 to Dec 1945 - WO 170/5019.

2 RIrF were completely "wiped" out at Leros in Nov 1943, but eventually re-restablished..

 

"He was sent from ITC to B coy 7 RUR in Belfast 03/08/40,"

Does it not say that the transfer to 7 RUR was at "Bedford" on 3rd August 1940..?

best

 

Thanks all.

Yes I believe it is Bedford. I made the assumption reading what I thought it said.

I have attached the next page of the service records. I am sure I am missing a card for the postings and promotions as the one I have only starts in 43. That says he was in the 31st RUR which became the 7th on the 27/09/42. This was after the movement to Market Rasen.

This page shows he was at North Somercotes in Lincolnshire when he was sent to the dis-embarkation and posting to the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Still trying to workout where he embarked from. What does RNHGZ mean? Is this in relation to the convoy?

Looks like he was not with the first lot of ships, not getting to Africa until April 43 when he joined the 1st RIF.

 

I think you misfiled..

 

Redone now!

I know that he was in hospital in Kantara in Egypt.

 

All through that 1942 period, he was on home duty in various guises (there seems to be a RASC connection at one pt)..31 RUR must have been some sort of training cadre. Those strange letters may be a convoy reference in April 1943 - there is a thread somewhere on here about convoy numbers.

Then to North Africa joining the Faughs at the end of April 1943 just after their successful attack on the mountain peaks north of Medjez that contributed to the dislodging of German positions in the Medjerda Valley.

He became a paid Lance Corporal while the Faughs were in Tunisia/Algeria in May/June and July 1943. Then to Sicily in late July and being wounded in August at Maletto (Etna).. Usually the records show the date of a man's en-shipment to Sicily (something like "embarked for unknown destination" i the Faughs' case, on 25/7), which your granddad's records doesn't show, but I assume he went to Sicily with the main body of the Faughs.

The rest of the sheet is to do with hospitalisations/recovery - the MEF entry on 13.10.43 suggests he was then in Egypt, and the BNAF on 8.11.43 further suggests he was on his way back to the front - he seems to be ready to return to Italy by November (CRU).

Just out of interest, what specific things do you want to learn about your granddad's movements - the Faughs' service in Italy is well recorded.,, and available on line, and unless you have a personal narrative or recollection to hand, it's really quite tricky to work out a "day to day."

best