I wonder if any member with interest in The Essex Regiment can help me. I am trying to find information about my uncle who served in the regiment, the details I have are very very sketchy. His name was Fredrick CHILTON born at Sheerness Kent in 1926 which in my reckoning mean't he would have been 18 years old in 1944 which is when I imagine that he was called into the Army. I have been given to understand that he served in the 2nd battalion and served in France, Belgium etc., in 1944-45. I am then led to believe he was posted to Eygpt. Unfortunately, I do not have a regimental number for him which is making my job very hard to track him down hence my reason for this post, I am hoping someone may be able to confirm the things that I have posted fit with the 2nd battalion. My uncle is no longer alive to converse with neither any of his siblings he never married so there is no one in the family that can help. I however remain hopeful that one day I will get to the bottom of this link in the puzzle to complete a bit more of my family history. Thank you.
Hello and welcome to the forum. The best place to start is to apply for his service records. They will tell you exactly which Battalion/Regiment he was in and where. They cost 30 pounds but be prepared for a bit of a wait. You don't need his service number to apply, but you will need his FULL date of birth. https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records Lesley
Hello chippyminton, The 2nd Bn Essex Regiment was brigaded with 2nd Bn South Wales Borderers and 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Regiment, in 56th Infantry Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division, for the landings on Gold Beach on D-Day. They were the follow-up brigade, behind the assault brigade - 231st Infantry Brigade. They stayed with 50 Div until circa 11 August, were then with the 59th Division temporarily, before becoming a fixture in the 49th (West Riding) Division - the Polar Bears - later in the month. The fought through to Germany and I know they were in the vicinity of Unna in the Ruhr in early November 1945. I advise you follow Lesley's advice and apply for your uncle's service records. They will be the best place for you to start and will provide certainty to you. Best, Steve.
Can add more details for the 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment, from Unna east of Dortmund to 131st Infantry Brigade of 7th Armoured Division Berlin Nov 45, then to 13th Infantry Brigade of 5th Infantry Division Mar 46, unknown location but the Goslar area, moved with the brigade to BETFOR Lazzaretto Italy Aug 46, returns to Lüneburg and on to UK in May 47 http://www.betforassociation.org/ Hope this helps Steve
Just found a reference to a book by Andrew Holborn, which was published in 2010 and McCarty writes: The book's title is '56th Infantry Brigade and D-Day: An Independent Infantry Brigade and the Campaign in North West Europe 1944-1945' and it has several excellent reviews on Amazon. The summary: Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/56th-Infantry-Brigade-D-Day-Independent/dp/1441119086 There is a sad thread re a 56th Brigade commanders apparent suicide: 49th West Riding Division - Brigadier Ekins Originally posted - with other items - after McCarty's PhD thesis was found. See Post 126 on The General Perspective
As posted in #2 above, if you send off for his service records you will need a date of birth and also a death certificate, here is the information required to obtain it: Record set England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007 First name(s) Frederick Last name Chilton Gender Male Death year 1977 Death quarter 3 District Sheppey, Kent Volume 16 Page 1235 Birth day 16 Birth month 4 Birth year 1926 Note the spelling of FREDERICK which is also confirmed in the birth register.
Dunno why this old thread was by chosen davebfpo to be posted on again. The OP ,chippyminton , was last seen: Sep 26, 2014
Hmmmm, New Year's resolution to start checking the dates! Hopefully they got "to the bottom of this link in the puzzle", perhaps they may get a notification and come back. Just gone 10.00, let's open the sherry, hic !
I could only easily find one thread that referred to the brigade after D-day, so added the post here instead of a new thread.Plus the book was published in 2010, with no previous mention here. Yes I did check the opening post author was last here in 2014.
