Assistance deciphering tracer card

Discussion in 'Service Records' started by Avron Welgemoed, May 14, 2021.

  1. Avron Welgemoed

    Avron Welgemoed New Member

    This is the only record I've yet been able to acquire that relates to my maternal Grandfather, but it seems a bit sparse given there are no entries between his enlisting in 1940 and what appears to be hospitalisation in 1945.

    Can anybody help me try work out his story here?

    From what I can gather, he was deployed to Burma (possibly India and Siam), but I have no idea when that would have been. I was surprised to see what appears to be him being hospitalised and then repatriated, as we have no idea what may have occurred to him and he never spoke of his time in the war.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Where did you get this information from?

    The card says:

    108th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment R.A.:
    108th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - Wikipedia

    And the X(ii) List for 21st Army Group which was also in Europe. See above for where the unit went (fighting in the Low Countries and Germany, likely where he was wounded--X(ii) is evacuation of medical grounds).

    The Green Howards were not artillery, so the tracer card only shows his service from the point at which 9 (Garrison) Battalion, Green Howards converted from infantry to an Anti-Aircraft role and joined the Royal Artillery.

    You'll need to apply to the MoD for his full service records, and I'm afraid there's a long wait.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2021
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  3. Avron Welgemoed

    Avron Welgemoed New Member

    This is very useful, thank you. What you say around the 21st Army Group is where my own research seemed to be taking me, but the family were sure he told them he was in Burma. That may well be a made up story and he apparently refused to talk about his war days.

    I presume the entry: Y List (ex O/S) refers to this being evacuated from overseas and to hospital (Hosp), but what does the "Y List" mean?
    Also, any understanding what that "Perm Cut 101 MCD" may mean?
     
  4. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    'The army Y List was composed of 'non-effectives' with a listing of 1 to 8 sick, detention , leave pending discharge etc'.

    If you were on the list, you couldn't carry out duties. I have the various categories on my computer at home, but it's also available on this board somewhere.

    MCD = Medical Convalescent Depot. If you're lucky, you'll be able to locate 101 MCD at that date.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2021
  5. Avron Welgemoed

    Avron Welgemoed New Member

    This is very useful, thank you again.
     
  6. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I'm happy to help.

    Do you have any other leads? Even a year of birth might suggest when he joined the Green Howards.

    If not, it'll have to be his full service records for the next step. Still, you know the unit, and they look to have had an 'interesting' time. There's plenty more digging to be done there.
     
  7. Avron Welgemoed

    Avron Welgemoed New Member

    Yes, I have a lot about the rest of his life, but his war time was a void to us. Looks like getting his service record is the next step, but as you mention, that may take a long time.

    I am surprised to see that seem to only expect payment by cheque, not any form of online payment. Who uses cheques anymore..? :omg:
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Avron

    You can apply for his official service records from the MOD - the forms are here Request records of deceased service personnel you will also need a copy of his death certificate to include with the forms

    I believe the Tracer cards are a brief version of his official records so it is important to obtain them so that your research has a skeleton to flesh out the details on.

    TD


    From Ancestry web site
    About UK, World War II Royal Artillery Tracer Cards, 1939-1948
    Historical Context
    Since its inception in 1716, the Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as 'The Gunners', has served as the artillery arm of the British Army, supplying it's firepower. At its peak during the Second World War, there were over one million men serving in 960 gunner regiments and at the end of the War, the RA was larger than the Royal Navy.
    This Collection
    This collection comprises cards created to track the movements of soldiers between units within the Royal Artillery during WWII. The role of the Tracer card was to answer the question 'where is that man right now?', saving the burden of administration and searching through many files. Only 'Other Ranks', or in other words those who were not commissioned officers, are included. Please be aware that some cards will include dates outside of 1939-1948.
    The following information can be found, where available:
    Name
    Inferred date of birth
    Place and date of death
    Place and date of enlistment
    Date of discharge
    Inferred gender
    Regiment and unit
    Service rank
    Service number



    They are not his complete record of service those are obtained using the forms mentioned above
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2021
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  9. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Just checked some papers, a man who was hospitalised should have been transferred to the Y-List after twenty-one days in hospital (not in other medical facilities or camps), which suggests (if that was adhered to and 1945 was not a leap year) that he arrived in a British hospital on 20/2/45.
     
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