Family Soldiers: 1/4th Essex (WW2) & 25 Field Regiment R.A.(Post-War)

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by Charley Fortnum, Mar 21, 2015.

  1. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    A few useful dates about Colonel Noble:

    s-l1600-42.jpg

    From The Eagle, December 1951.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2022
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  2. Cassino1944

    Cassino1944 Member

    Hi Charley, as you will remember I am deeply searcing the fighting at Catle Hill, Cassino 1944 on 19 March 1944.
    First of all your contribution to this topic is absolutely superb!

    Of interest to me are the photo of the 1/4th Essex's Officers during that engagement.
    Just today I saw your post with LtC Nangle's photo, a great finding to me as I never saw him before.
    What about the following officers:
    Maj. Dennis Arthur Beckett, OC C Coy;
    Maj. Frank J. Kettley, OC A Coy;
    Maj. C.J. Kenrick, OC D Coy (I do not have his names, do you?)
    Maj. Jack E. Beazley, OC B Coy
    ...do you have any photo about them?

    I really thank you in advance.
     
  3. Cassino1944

    Cassino1944 Member



    Hawkins, Frederick Cyril, during the battle for Cassino, according to his interview (quite interesting to listen to), he was with 9th Platoon, B Company 1/4 Essex. I had the honour to meet him a couple of times in Cassino. He was a real gentleman.
     
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  4. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Beckett I can manage:

    Denis Beckett.jpg Denis Beckett 2.jpg Denis Beckett 3.jpg

    The others: I'll have to comb old copies of the Eagle (regimental magazine) to see what I can find.
     
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  5. Cassino1944

    Cassino1944 Member

    Many thanks Charley!
     
  6. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I've been doing my best to extract stills from old grainy footage and tidy them up. I'm not yet convinced the product is worth the effort, but for whatever it is worth, this is either 14, 23 or 25 Field Regiment R.A. in the New Territories in October 1949. The only clear marking is on the 'A' (presumably troop) on the lead quad.

    Screenshot 2022-10-28 at 2.57.28 AM.png Screenshot 2022-10-28 at 2.56.29 AM.png Screenshot 2022-10-28 at 2.56.41 AM.png Screenshot 2022-10-28 at 2.56.04 AM.png
     
  7. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I've been going through the odd bits and pieces that are left in the folder of Pte Thomas Everett's paperwork and have managed--with help from my uncle--to identify Captain (Later Major) Matthews, for whom Pte. Everett served as batman during the war. They were friends for many years after in peacetime and established the Thurrock & District Branch of the Essex Regiment Association together (see end of post).

    Photographs clearly post war, taken, it appears at the Cassino Memorial War Cemetery
    (minden1759 - are you able to confirm this?)

    Note: Essex Regiment tie.


    KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-56_001.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-58_011.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-58_012.jpeg

    In the hope that a relative of his will stumble across this thread, I shall include all the details I have about Major Matthews:

    164775 Major William Albert Matthews T.D.
    Address on 28/9/64: 34 Stanford Road, Grays, Essex


    The London Gazette has the following (in chronological order):
    Major Matthews may or may not feature in these small and unclear images of some kind of memorial parade (location and date unknown):

    KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-57_009.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-57_008.jpeg

    Finally, I have the rather tatty paperwork that traces the emergence of the Thurrock & District Sub-Branch of the Essex Regiment Associations from the wings of the Southend & District Branch.

    KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-56_004.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-56_003.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-56_002.jpeg
    SmartSelect_20221102_110432_Gallery.jpg


    Chairman: William A Matthews
    Vice Chairman: Benjamin J Burgess (unknown to me)
    Secretary & Treasurer: Thomas J Everett

    Questions:
    1) Is anybody able to identify the location in the two small parade photographs?
    2) Is anybody able to supply more biographical information on William A Matthews and Benjamin J Burgess of Essex?
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2022
  8. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Elsewhere there are a few newspaper cuttings that I've photographed lest they disintegrate.

    The

    KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-57_007.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-56_005.jpeg KakaoTalk_Image_2022-11-01-23-42-57_006.jpeg
     
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  9. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Found a brief magazine article about 26 Field Regiment in Malaya (1950).

    This clipping from it conjures up great images:

    Screenshot 2022-11-11 at 2.12.05 AM.jpg

    Captain J.N.W. Moss, 17 Field Battery, 26 Field Regiment R.A.
     
  10. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I think I may have found something important here. It looks as if 25 Field Regiment's mysteriously unnamed camp in Fanling was likely in or around Beas Stables with a mess not far from Annandale (AKA: Jardine's Bungalow) Sheung Shui.

    The South China Morning Post, January 10, 1950:

    1950-01-10.jpg
     
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  11. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    And while I remember, I turned up some post-war photographs of the late Bill Hawkins.

    Image 2023-05-10 at 12.05 AM (2).jpg Image 2023-05-10 at 12.05 AM (1).jpg Image 2023-05-10 at 12.05 AM.jpg Image 2023-05-10 at 12.04 AM.jpg 5_1280_1280_fit_901.jpg

    Plus:

    48387237_957917627752778_6185541152997900288_n.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2023
  12. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

  13. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I attach the Second World War section of this locally produced pamphlet:

    The Toast is the Regiment! by R. J. Thompson (Essex Chronicle, 1944), 15 pages.

    01.jpg 02.jpg 03.jpg 04.jpg
     
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  14. Roger herbert

    Roger herbert Member

  15. Roger herbert

    Roger herbert Member

    Last but one photo is Bill Hawkins & Ted Hazle
     
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  16. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Thank you, Roger.

    Well spotted.
     
  17. C Bacon

    C Bacon New Member

    Hi Charley,
    I believe that is my grandfather on the far right of the picture who was a member of C company 1/4th Essex. I will message you as I’m doing some research and would love a copy of the war diaries.
     
  18. C Bacon

    C Bacon New Member

    It appears I can't start a private conversation until I have posted 5 times....
     
  19. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I've messaged you--see whether you can reply.
     
  20. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    12/4/51 to 26/4/51:

    C-Troop, 54 Battery, 25 Field Regt R.A.

    This troop fired 405 rounds in support of 18 Inf Bde and 1 SUFFOLK as part of a combined Royal Navy, Army & RAF action.

    The diary (such as it is) records that HF & CONCS fire was employed, which I take to be Harassing Fire and Concentrated Fire.
    op-ack might be good enough to confirm this.

    It seems to be a good example of the kind of 'cordon and flush' task the R.A. were most often employed to facilitate in Malaya, but while the 54-bty diary records a hopeful '16 Suspects Arrested', it seems that it may have been the wild pigs that were the most perturbed by the explosions (see below).

    I've managed to find an account of this operation from the history of 13th/18th Royal Hussars, whose A-Squadron was present:

    Screenshot 2024-02-17 at 01.13.06.png Screenshot 2024-02-17 at 01.14.12.png Screenshot 2024-02-17 at 01.14.34.png Screenshot 2024-02-17 at 01.13.20.png
     

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