Tracing relative - 2nd & 1st Battalions Rifle Brigade - Libya, Italy, NW Europe

Trying to trace the war service of my late father in law. This is what we know so far...
D.C. Watkin, 2nd Lt, Rifle Brigade joined 18/7/1942
Service no 240146
Wounded 18/12/1944 - his jeep hit a mine in Belgium. He woke up in hospital in the UK. That is the only detail of his army service that he told us. Like many he never spoke of his war experience.
We think he joined the 2nd Battalion in Libya (in 1942?). The battalion moved to Italy in September 1943, landing at Salerno about 2 weeks after the main landing, at which point someone with his surname was i/c of the anti-tank platoon in B Company.
By 1944, he appears in a group photo with officers of 1st Battalion . 1st Bn arrived in Normandy shortly after DDay. Regimental researchers have given us no date for the photo.
His name does NOT appear on the 1st Bn officers list for 17 June 1944, so we guess he was transferred to 1st Bn. after that.

XXX show only two Watkins in the Rifle Brigade - Him (D.C. or David Watkin) and another, Rifleman Donald Watkin, who was killed in Normandy in August 1944.

We are trying to trace his movements (and engagements he took part in) in greater detail so that we can visit some of those places on our next trip to France/N. Europe.
Can anyone help us?

 

Correction... He DOES appear on the 1st Bn officers list for 1st April 1944 but NOT on the list for 17 June 1944
1st Battalion Rifle Brigade 1944

 

Gerry you need to apply for his service records from the official source you will not find anything on the internet
You have been advised

Get a copy of military service records

Once you have his records you can get copies of the relevant war diaries

There are a couple of members on the forum who offer a copy service from the National Archives at Kew


Regards
Clive

 

Hi All, I am researching my late uncle, Charles Wilgose of Sheffield. I know that he served with the 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade. He told me that early in WW2, he was rushed to Dublin with six other men for a "very active training session" before going off to war. He mentioned serving in Italy and ending up in Austria. I have seen only brief general accounts online of the battalion's service in Italy. I have tried several family history and newspaper sites but have found nothing else.
I would be very grateful for any information relevant to this, including titles of battalion histories.
Cheers,
PCT

 

Apply for his service records from the official source Get a copy of military service records
You will not find his service records on line even though a few sites con you into paying suggesting they have them

you can then get copies of the war diaries a couple of members on the forum offer a copy service at a reasonable rate