I'm not Spanish though......I'm a Welsh boy in Spain....been here 10 years. The reason for me signing up is to try and find more pieces to the puzzle regarding the WW2 service period of my late father who died in 1959. Any suggestions where to post the thread?
Hi and welcome to the forum Xtreme, good luck with your research, a good start would be to apply for his service records well worth £30 Do you know what his army unit was, army service number https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records David
Thanks David.....I know it was Welsh Guards.....he did his training in Brecon! I'll check that site out in more detail, but initially I'm not sure if I've got all the info and documentation that they require.
Hi there are some members here on the forum who can help if you know he was in the Welsh Guards. Any chance of a name please David
Welcome to the forum. DO NOT apply to MoD for his service records. Apply to The Welsh Guards RHQ at Wellington Barracks.
Thanks Owen.......just a question! I know he did his training in Brecon.....so I'm presuming it's Welsh Guards. But I've also seen the name Welsh Regiment......is there a difference?
As Owen suggests link info re applying for Guards records http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/31741-researching-guardsmen-and-the-foot-guards/ Welcome to the forum Re regiments yes there is a difference Try to get as much info as possible I am sure a forum member will draw further info from his name and date of birth If still not confirmed which regiment then call the Glasgow office in the link supplied and they will assist and may be able to confirm if he was in a non Guards regiment Regards Clive
YES , totally different regiments. Make sure you find out who he was with first. If Welsh Guards then contact them directly, if Welsh Regt then MoD as per link earlier. Have you got a photo of him in uniform ?
Thanks guys......no photos in uniform unfortunately! I know this all seems a bit vague......but here's a very quick summary! He trained in Brecon I know for sure, and was part of the Allied landings and then captured. He was put in a POW camp in Czechoslovakia rebuilding railway lines destroyed by bombing. Initially he was thought to be MIA presumed dead, but his name and whereabouts were broadcast by Lord Haw Haw. Repatriated at the end of the war, then spent 2 years in hospital in Denbigh due to deteriorating health after what he'd been through. Permanently invalided from then until 1959 until he died......I was only 5 at the time so I only have one or two memories of him. Logically you might expect I would have been able to get more info from my mother when she was alive.....but unfortunately not. She just moved on with her life immediately as if he'd never existed. Yeh I know.....but that's the cards I was dealt. Now I'm in my 60's I need to find out more info to pass this onto my sons.......so they in turn will be able to pass it on. I feel it's so important that the sacrifice that that generation made is never forgotten.
Another thought..... Do you have his army pay book or do you know if a family member might have it. It would give you some good clues, and some where to start. David
Does he have another initial apart from T - there are, as you would expect quite a number of Jones and there are a number of them as POW's recorded as being in Bystrice, Czech Republic (Camp IV - C) TD
I have no documentation whatsoever David......and there are no other family members! Only family I have is the wife and my two sons. So very little to go on. TD......no names other than Thomas Jones.
OK - Well T Jones POW in Bystrice, Czech Republic - the first number is their service number, second number is their POW number. It is possible that although he may have enlisted in the Welsh Regiment he could have been transferred to another, but I would guess he would give his enlistment details at the time of capture. F S T Jones Royal Army Service Corps Bystrice, Czech Republic T/175204 248897 IV-C 29 F T Jones Royal Artillery Bystrice, Czech Republic 915996 248187 IV-C 5 J T Jones Royal Army Service Corps Bystrice, Czech Republic T/65204 253908 IV-C 29 T Jones South Wales Borderers Bystrice, Czech Republic 4075271 259082 IV-C 22 T Jones Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Bystrice, Czech Republic 4270387 225598 IV-C 20 T A Jones Durham Light Infantry Bystrice, Czech Republic 4452834 223263 IV-C 20 T E Jones Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Bystrice, Czech Republic 911450 259695 IV-C 23 T E Jones Welsh Regiment Bystrice, Czech Republic 3913704 258897 IV-C 22 F W T Jones Teschen, Czech Republic 225043 81521 8B (Not him as he is a South African) TD Edited to add - note in red
Do you know his last address when or where he passed away, the reason I ask you could apply for the Death Certificate which would be another good start. It may give another initial to his name. Hope this helps David
He had no other names David....I know that for sure! Thanks TD.......I think you may be onto something here: T Jones South Wales Borderers Bystrice, Czech Republic 4075271 259082 IV-C 22 We do have bits of papers left over from when my mother died nearly 20 years ago. So I think the next step is to see if there's anything there that relates to him. Because it seems the Borderers were connected to Brecon, so if we can find any military references we may be able to get a match to those numbers.
But don't forget: T E Jones Welsh Regiment Bystrice, Czech Republic 3913704 258897 IV-C 22 Assuming he was in a Welsh based Regiment and at the time the information was collated that he was still in the Czech camp. Be interesting to see if you find anything else - corroborative evidence is always good. TD
He had no middle name TD........I know that for certain. I'm going to dig through some papers over the next day or so and I'll let you know what I find. Many thanks to everybody who's helped.
By way of (little) interest my uncle was with the South Wales Borderers. He did most of his training in Scotland and some in Brecon, still researching him though. David
* If he was with the South Wales Borderers and the Allied Landings you refer to are the D-Day landings, then he would have served with the 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers, 56th Infantry Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division, landing on Gold Beach in this assault division in the second wave. Post D-Day, they stayed with 50 Div for just over two months. If you in time can confirm who he served with, forum members will help you fill in the blanks... Best, Steve.
