Hi all, and hello from this brummie ;o)

Hi Rachel and welcome.

A very interesting history and an amazing service record. To have got through all that unscathed. That we know of.

Regards - Rob

 

Hi Rachel, welcome to the forum as has already been said thats some great information you have supplied all the easier for others to help in your search for information I for one am very curious as to Korea and Imjin!

 

Out of curiosity are units war diaries from Korea available yet ?

 

Hi and welcome to the forum I see you are
being well looked after.

 

Hiya , ;o)
Yes i'm being well looked after.
I had no idea how important my dads role in the army was. I've been reading up on a lot of it, through the tips and advice off Drew and the other guys n gals. (incidently i've ordered that book by Seaforth Montifiore.. Stand till the last man is it? Sorry if i've just got that title and author completely wrong).. The one about Dunkirk and Wormhout..

I've just been over to the Glosters site looking through photo's of the Korean war. I hadn't even heard of Imjin, but it's a well known conflict . There only seems to be pics of the 1st Battalion and not the 2nd. (maybe i haven't looked hard enough)..

A couple of things puzzle me though as regards to the service records.. And my dads history in general.

From what i can read on the records,and from what i can gather so far, my dad did approx 12 yrs service. With the Royal Warwicks 2nd Battalion in Dunkirk and Normandy. Reserves and then 2nd Glosters in Korea (imjin)..
His conduct statement was exemplary and was said to be an intelligent man amongst other complimentary remarks..
Is it normal to go through that amount of service and stay as a private ?
Was it hard to get promotion ? Was promotion given as reward or just replacement ?
Would you see yourself as wanting promotion, and would it even cross your mind in those circumstances...
I know in a 'normal' job how promotion may work, but i have no idea about the military...

Don't get me wrong with that question, i'm very proud of what he did for our country and even prouder that he was a 'Private' in it. But it just made me curious about the situation of himself and of course all the other privates in the Army..

Very kind regards
Rachel ;o)

 

Hi Rachel,

Whilst that book gives an excellent overview of the whole France/Flanders Campaign a better selection for you would probably be 'Massacre on the Road to Dunkirk by Leslie Aitken' which covers the 2nd Warwicks History through the same period.

Massacre on the Road to Dunkirk - AbeBooks

 

Hi Drew, thanks..
Would it cover all of the company's that the 2nd warwicks split into do you know ?
As yet i'm not sure which company my dad belonged to. Although we are pretty sure he wasn't with the ones that were sent to the barn, as he isn't listed as a survivor.
But what we do know is that he was definately with the Royal Warwicks 2nd Battalion that were sent to Dunkirk.

regards
rachel ;o)

 

The book covers the whole battalion. The author was the regimental associations Padre at some point if memory serves me well.

C Company was moved from Esquelbecq to Bergues the just before the fighting started at Wormhout to act as security for Brigade HQ. I wouldn't assume he was C Company-He could have been just as easily been in A, B, D or HQ Company.

Many men withdrew before surrendering or being captured from the above. There was roughly around a 100 men executed. The exact figure will never be known but they were not only from the 2nd Warwicks, but the Royal Artillery, 4th Chesires, 8th Worchesters and the Worchester Yeomanry.

 

I'll order that book too then Andy cheers ;o)

I'd love to go over there at some point to visit the different sites.

Dunkirk and it's roads in and out that my dad would have been up and down. Queen beach which i think he was involved in too..

My nans dad served in ww1 for the coldstream guards and died at the battle of Cambrai, so that's another place i'd like to visit.

My dads dad also served in ww1 in the Royal Field Artillery ... His record wasn't as good as my dads though as he was down as being a deserter several times. He even went to prison in France and then over here for a while.
I'm surprised that he wasn't shot at dawn after his deserting. I'm not sure of his reasons for deserting but i do know that he and his wife wrote to the army several times begging to be let out.. She wasn't well and had small children, one of who died as a baby. She was then burnt in a fire and became disabled. I'm not too surprised that he wanted to come back home. He only signed up for duration and was kept in until 1922.. He died in 1926 of pneumo-koniosis (i think thats right) .. probably not helped by the gun powder and gases.. Shame..
I know a lot of people aren't too happy about deserters , but everyone has their own stories don't they. I'm proud of him too..

Regards
rachel ;o)

 

Shame your not going this month-There is a commemoration at the barn in Esquelbecq for the 70th Anniversary of the massacre. I suspect this will be represented by any surviving members of the Battalion.

 

That is a shame.. I'll say a few prayers instead. I wonder if it will be televised at some point. There is still quite a lot of war information being on the tv still lately.
Are you going Andy ?

 

That is a shame.. I'll say a few prayers instead. I wonder if it will be televised at some point. There is still quite a lot of war information being on the tv still lately.
Are you going Andy ?

As sure as the Pope was in the German Army during the war

I'm going for four days as there is quite a bit happening at the end of May.

Cheers
Andy

 

Ha hah i like it....

Fantastic for you .. Have a great time there and i hope you get everything from it that you want. If you know what i mean..
Maybe i could even be a bit cheeky and ask you to say a whisper for me while you are there.. ;o)..

Good Luck and safe journey ;o)
Kind regards
rachel..

 

He's already on my list

 

Bless you x

You're a darlin '

Rachel ;o)

 

Hi Rachel,

I didn't see any 2 Warwicks vets at the anniversary until it was too late (He was in a wheel chair on the main parade). However from a recent documentary on the TV that he took part in I can tell you his name was Malpas (I think). A certain member on here did the research for the programme so he maybe able to help put you in touch with the veteran regarding identifying what Company your father was in.

I'll send the member a PM.

Regards
Andy

 

Hi there Rachel and welcome to the forum

As you can see, the guys here will really do anything possible to help you with research.

 

Nice to see another lass on here. Welcome to an all consuming interest.
Dee

 

Cheers Guys and Gals x

Thanks Andy for looking into that for me. I hope you enjoyed the visit to Dunkirk. I watched some of it on the TV but i didn't get to see too much of it.
I've not been on here much recently as I've been reading that other book that you recommended. The massacre on the road to Dunkirk one. It's fab. Even if i don't find out what company my dad was in, the book pretty much covers most of the movement of the Battalion.
I was meaning to come on here and mail you to see how it went for you. Surreal i bet.
Did you go across with the little ships etc.. that was organised? or did you make other arrangements. I couldn't remember if you said you were going before the anniversary, to be there for it.
I'd love to go one day. Maybe when my giblets are older, i might get over.

I got your message btw, and thank you for doing that background work bless you. x
I'll email , and see how we get on. I'll let you know what we find ;o)..
Cheers Andy, bless ya x
Rachel ;o)

p.s I also watched the screen documentary of 'Dunkirk'.. It was really interesting, but it mentioned on there that in Wormhout the shootings took place first and then the grenades. That contradicts what i've read.. You being an expert might be able to confirm which way round it was.. ;o) (me confused lol)

 

Hi Rachel,

I went over a few hours before the 'Little Ships' so I could photograph them arriving (I'm currently posting the pictures of them).

Glad you are enjoying the book, it was a great help with my reserach for the Wormhout thread. As for the documentary, I believe it is quite old now (I've got in recorded on Sky and not watched it yet). I can confirm from witness statements held at the National Archives two stick grenades were tossed into the barn first.

Good luck with contacting Mr Malpas.

Regards
Andy