Seeking info on R. B Armstrong- Italy Star recipient WWII

Hello all,

I’m hoping someone here might help me uncover more about a fellow WWII veteran who may have served with my father.

My father served in the Imperial Light Horse/Kimberley Regiment (ILH/Kim.R) as part of the 6th South African Armoured Division during the Italian Campaign. His Italy Star is inscribed with his service number: 595757.

Among his possessions, I recently found a second Italy Star inscribed with:

• 542648
• R. B. Armstrong

I believe Mr. Armstrong may have been a friend or comrade—possibly someone my father was close to who did not make it home. I would love to return this medal to R. B. Armstrong’s family, if they can be found.

If anyone recognizes the service number, the name, or has access to South African enlistment block records, I’d be grateful for any leads. Even knowing what unit this service number was allocated to would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you for reading and for helping preserve these pieces of our shared history.

Best regards,

Cedric Gray

Glendale, LA.

 

Cedric,

Welcome aboard.

Neither service number has appeared here before your post. There is no matching record on the CWGC for the name and / or surname - so he should have made it home.

We do have some South African members, but they rarely appear.

I would recommend a Pretoria-based researcher that a couple of us have used for inquiries at the National Archives, he is Dewald Nel and his email is: Email: dewald@nelantiques.co.za

 

Not a 2NZEF name or number on Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph. In New Zealand campaign medals were NOT engraved officially for WW2.

 

Just in case I checked the US equivalent of the CWGC, mindful that the 6th South African served at times under US Army Command. No trace.