99 LAA Rgt

I hope someone can tell me where to go for some extra information for my father's WW2 service. He was called up on the 15th January 1940, and according to his Record of Service (Army form W5258) was initially in the Dorset regiment until 5/7/40 and then the Queen's Royal West Surrey until 30/11/41 when he was transferred to the 99th LAA . He was in the 327 Battery, going overseas on board a troopship at the end of November 1942. We have over 170 letters he wrote home during the time he was away which I have been typing up in order to have them made up into a book for the family.
Although we know a lot about his overseas war service from his letters, is there anywhere I can find out more information about the time after he was called up until when he left on the troop ship from Boston. Can I find the name of the ship he sailed in anywhere?

 

Welcome aboard.

Could you (if known) please add his full name, Date of Birth and Service Number? It will help others to help you. Plus, images and scans are not indexed.

Guidance on uploading / scanning is within: How to Start a new Thread / Edit Post / Upload Image

We always recommend applying for the subject's full service record. Yes, it may take a year to arrive - either from the MoD or National Archives (TNA). It is not available online and is the definitive record. There is nothing you can do about the wait. The records were never intended to be read today. See: Get a copy of military records of service

I am sure the Record of Service (Army form W5258) you refer to is not his Service Record. It is a booklet that some soldiers retained and some have been uploaded here.

A good starting point is Wiki, notably as the references can be useful.

1) Dorset Regt. Dorset Regiment - Wikipedia Note it had eight infantry battalions.

2) Queens Royal West Surrey, also multi-battalion infantry regiment: Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) - Wikipedia , List of battalions of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) - Wikipedia and note the museum was lost in a fire: Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment - Wikipedia

3) 99th LAA Light Anti-Aircraft: 99th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Wikipedia Based on the 14th Queens Royal West Surrey battalion and disbanded in Italy 1/10/1944. Plus the "go to" RA reference site: 99 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

Slightly puzzled with this:

Would that be Boston, Lincolnshire? That Boston is a small East Anglia port and never heard of a convoy leaving from there.

Timeline construction

If you have Service records etc create a document with a table for the dates and events in chronological order first and where the information came from. This will enable you to identify the more important entries first (dates of wounding, promotions, embarkations and disembarkations). You will learn more if you do most of the research yourself, but don't be afraid to ask questions about service record entries and things you come across on this forum. Adapted from Post 4 in: Help researching relative - Ivo William (Bill) SMITH, 42nd Battalion AIF

Enough for now.

 

Back before distracted.

His voyage would mean that he was part of Operation Torch, the Allied landing in Algeria & Morocco, 8–16 November 1942, as part of the British 1st Army. See Wiki as a starter: Operation Torch - Wikipedia and First Army (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

German & Italian air forces did attack the ports and shipping for sometime. The 1st Army & US Army then advanced on Tunisia and took their surrender in May 1943. See: Tunisian campaign - Wikipedia

There are two main options for researching this forum. The tag system see the small, highlighted line beneath the title on each page. Tags can only be created by the originator of the thread, so gaps do appear. Try using: 99 light anti aircraft regiment ra | WW2Talk It id'd very few threads.

I prefer to use an online search with for example ""99 Light Anti-Aircraft" site:ww2talk.com and "99th Light Anti-Aircraft" site:ww2talk.com both id'd a few threads. Very few id'd with: "99th LAA" site:ww2talk.com

I have not looked at these id'd threads.

War Diaries for 99 LAA, a record of the unit's service written by an officer, can vary in quality and depth. Caveat: They rarely mention Other Ranks. An online search with: "99 LAA" + "war diaries" site:ww2talk.com id'd a few old threads. Changed to: "99 LAA" + "war diary" site:ww2talk.com id'd very few too.

Good luck.

 

Welcome.

I can’t answer the question re your father’s ship, sorry, but my cousin was also in the Queens and transferred to 99 LAA, but 328 Battery.

Here is a link to my thread on him. He was killed in 1945 at Lake Comacchio having, like so many others, been transferred to the infantry when 99 LAA was disbanded.

6099827 L/Cpl George James GATTY, 1st Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment): KIA 13 April 1945

Among the relevant topics her that David quoted, I did chuckle at the “Wall of Lead” comment in this thread, post #4.

99th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A. (T.A.)


Don’t know if you’ve seen this badge, by the way?

The figure 99 embroidered in gold wire on a red and blue diamond shaped background, with a gold wire inner border, worn in pairs, red to the front.

Authorised by the Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson to distinguish the Regiment after its magnificent action during operations in the Cassino area in 1944. Mainly the initiating and maintaining of a battle field smoke screen, using smoke canisters controlled from slit trenches.


(image and description from British Badge Forum)

By the way, you could do no worse than speak with Frank here about the 99th’s time in Italy, member minden1759.

 

Thank you. My father was Kenneth John Badcock, born 19th October 1919. His service number was 5728251. His last letter to his sister before he went overseas was postal address Boston, Lincs, but he must have embarked from somewhere else roughly around 27th November 1942. He called in at Durban and Bombay before being a part of PAIFORCE in Iraq. He subsequently was part of the 8th Army in Egypt and was part of the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. When the 99th LAA was disbanded in October 1944, he went to the O2E Detachment, moving to Milan and Villach after the end of the war, with the responsibility of sending the men back to the UK.
I have applied for his service record again, my request having been turned down a year ago. Thanks for all the other information.

 

Thank you for your interesting reply and suggestions. We have the same service badge. It sounds like when the 99th LAA was disbanded, our relatives went in different paths. In his letters he refers to some of the men being sent to join up with the Infantry.

 

Not sure why that should be, did you send proof of death. Records are now with TNA:
Search results: 5728251 | The National Archives

 

Medal card shows that he applied for these medals:
1939-45 Star
Africa Star
Italy Star
Defence Medal
War Medal

Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility - GOV.UK

 

JM,

Thanks for clarifying the part Boston played. As regards the convoy as you wrote:

There are experts here who will know how to identify a convoy. I did try the site I know of and failed: ConvoyWeb

 

Convoy WS 24 may fit the bill, certainly fits the Durban/Bombay aspect (see WS 24B) and is within your timeframe. If it was that convoy, the ships Stirling Castle and Athlone Castle are possibilities…

Pure guesswork though and as David says, better men than I are here to potentially help you on the convoy/ship search, Hugh MacLean and Roy Martin for example:

WS (Winston Specials) Convoys in WW2 - 1942 Sailings

And from the site David recommended:



I could be way off course, though.

 

JE Beeby.

99 LAA Regt RA were given the unusual task in the Fourth Battle of Cassino in May 44 of providing all the smoke for the XIII (British) Corps river crossing operation.

Lt Col Wilkinson was a former Coldstream Guards Officer who was too old to command an infantry battalion. As a result of his age, and his Regular Army service, he knew all the senior commanders and managed to persuade Lt Gen Kirkman Commander XIII (British) Corps to let his unit have a vital role in the battle - there was not a lot of work for LAA Regts by May 44.

I have worked out the full story of what 99 LAA Regt RA - I am a battlefield guide and have a dozen people on my trips with relatives in that Regt.

99 LAA Regt RA were disbanded in Oct 44 and a large proportion of the men went to the infantry - 1 Buffs in particular. This was tragic because 1 Buffs took an absolute battering in Apr 45 in the Final Offensive in an incident at Fossa Marina. It is a brutal story.

If I can help your understanding, get me through my website www.cassinobattles.co.uk

Regards

Frank

PS. I am out in Cassino in May with a chap and his son. Their relation was in 99 LAA Regt RA.

 

I have found the war diary for 99 LAA Regt for the period October - December 1942, which may, I stress may, mention the ship the regiment sailed on.

The diary reference is WO 169/4903

If you cannot get to TNA yourself, there are very helpful members here who visit TNA regularly and offer a copying service at very good rates, much cheaper than asking TNA to do it for you. Many of us have used these guys and you will not be disappointed. They are Andy, member Drew5233 and Gary, member Gary Tankard.

See this thread:

Anyone require War Diaries or other files from the National Archives?

Other diaries that I found for the 99th are as follows:

WO 166/7687: DEC 1941 - APRIL 1942

WO 169/10012: JAN - DEC 1943

WO 170/1246: JAN - AUG 1944

 

I have the war diaries for the regiment from June 1943 to May 1944.