David Fairlie 28 Aug. 1915 - 31 Dec. 1986 David Fairlie 28 Aug. 1915 - 31 Dec. 1986 David (my dad)served in the Royal Artillary in the peace time Army from 1 Feb 1934--31 Jan 1937 with the 9th(Irish) Field Battery R.A.as a gunner No 835056.He was called up in Sep 1939 and served in Malta for most of WW2 in R.A. till 24 Dec 1943,Gunner David Fairlie No.835056,12th Field Regt.,6/23 Field Battery,Royal Artillary.This then became the17th Medium Field Regt.in Jan.1944 in North Africa.Then it became the 10th AGRA in Italy 1944-45. Then back to Blighty and transfered to the RASC 25 Dec 1944, got married in April 1945 then demobed on 25 Mar 1946.
Hi My Dad (a Craftsman in REME) was in Greece in 44/45 as part of 3rd Infantry Corps. During that time, 3rd Infantry Corps was commanded by General Ronald Scobie who had been in command of all troops in Malta during 42/43. Small world. Gus
Hi, Welcome to the forum. Was he 17th Field Regiment or 17th Medium Regiment as they are different units? He would’ve likely been a recalled reservist in September 1939 rather than being “called up”(usual meaning is “starting service as a wartime conscript”). He had signed on for 12 years in 1934 - 3 years with the colours and 9 years on the reserve with a liability for recall on mobilisation at the outbreak of war. Presume you have obtained his service record from UK MOD? Steve
Not exactly sure what you might want to know (if anything). Nice photo. Just trying to get it all straight in my mind to see if I can help or pass you down a meaningful route. First Ranging shot: 12 Field Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45 The person who built the website might be along soon. As mentioned above you really need his Service Record if you don't have it already. I will drop by in a while in case you need help. Good Luck.
The internet suggests that 12th Field Regiment became 17th Medium Regiment (Medium regiments were not referred to as 'field') so that part of the narrative makes sense. However, I wouldn't have thought that a Medium Regiment would become an 'AGRA' or an Army Group Royal Artillery. More likely that 17th Medium Regiment were part of 10th AGRA, ie one of its constituent regiments but he may of course have served under 10 AGRA directly although I presume in some other role as an AGRA would not have had guns in its own right. You may need to see 10 AGRA diaries to see if this is a possibility.
If you look at the link to the website that I posted above ra1939-45 it looks as if he was in the same Regiment under different names as hostilities progressed, 12Field Regt RA which became 17th Medium Regt RA. The (Irish) seems to be a bit contentious and may have been unofficial. Field Regiments were often in Infantry Divisions in direct support of an Infantry Brigade but Mediums were often part of an AGRA (Army Group Royal Artillery) giving heavier and longer range support to all units in the Army Group that needed it. If you want to get really down and dirty look at : Royal Artillery Methods in World War 2 It might however give you brain ache if you aren't a Gunner! You might gain a lot more information on the Regiment if you post relevant parts of his Service Record on the forum if you have it, or obtain the Regiments War Diary. Whichever, I suggest that you wait a while as there are members who could assist you either way. Bye for now and once again, good luck.
Hi David, welcome aboard. He got that right and everything else that both he and hutt wrote. An Army Group RA is a collection of artillery regiments used to beef up a formations own artillery for specific operations. They normally are allocated to a Corps and consist of a number of Medium Regiments with often some Field and Heavy Regiments also. Lower formations, such as a Division may request the AGRA for extra artillery for a particular purpose. The AGRA would then allot a Regiment or Regiments. If you have any questions, I will try and answer them. Derek
