unit 69 (wr) please help me.

Hi my name's Tina and I'm wondering if anyone can help me. I'm looking into me and my partner's family tree and we have found some information on his granddad's military records and wondering if anyone can help me figure out what he did, or any pictures of the unit or where I could get this information; I would be so grateful.
His name is Fredrick William Jennings
Army number : 6293077

He joined the RA on the 15/11/41 and left on 24/5/46

I have two ranks for him W/BDR & P/A/L SGT

 

Hi Tina,

The service number is that of the Royal East Kent Regiment, otherwise known as the Buff's.

Could the unit number 69 possibly be 89, as the 11th Battalion Buffs, converted to the 89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regt, Royal Artillery in November 1941. This would tie in with the first date you mentioned.

If it is 89, the letters WR, would also make sense, as 89 LAA were the 49th Infantry Division's LAA Regt. The 49th Division was also known as the West Riding Division, or WR as mentioned in your post. Their nickname was also the Polar Bear Division. Do you have anything in your paperwork relating to the Polar Bears?

89 LAA went to Normandy in June 1944, then through France to Belgium. Holland and Germany as occupation forces.

W/BDR is War Substantive/Bombadier (equivalent to Corporal in an Infantry Unit.
P/A/L SGT is paid/acting/Lance Sergeant.

If you can upload the page from the military records, I can have a look and interpret them for you. If it does turn out to be 89 LAA Regt, I have a few war diaries for this unit.

Regards - Rob

 

Thank you Rob, yes that would make perfect sense as my mother in law said that he did used to mention polar bears. This is brilliant . would you have any idea where I could find more information about where they were based and pictures?

Tina

 

Tina - This is a link to a post I did over a year ago when I visited a place called Hoogstraaten in Northern Belgium. I know a little bit about 89 LAA as my Dad's unit were under their command as they were fighting as Infantry for a couple of weeks.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-battlefields-today/29098-hoogstraaten-belgium-then-now.html

 

Tina,

Just did a further check. Before I raise your hopes and send you on a wild goose chase, there was a 69 Field Regt attached to the Polar Bears, so before you go any further, you need to double check the military records you have for F W Jennings.

Rob

 

69 Field Regt were disbanded June 1946, so this might be the unit you need. Service records will be key in establishing the correct unit.

 

Rob/Tina

69 Field looks like the prime candidate, as their full title was 69 (West Riding) Field Regiment RA(TA) which would tie in with 69 (WR).

Made up of two Batteries, 273 (1st W Riding) and 274 (2nd W Riding)

3 September 1939 part of 49 (west Riding) Infantry Division based in Leeds.
April 1940 assigned to Home Forces, UK
September 1942, reverted to 49 Infantry Division, still in the UK
June 1944 North west Europe with 49 Infantry Division.

 

Rob/Tina

69 Field looks like the prime candidate, as their full title was 69 (West Riding) Field Regiment RA(TA) which would tie in with 69 (WR).

Made up of two Batteries, 273 (1st W Riding) and 274 (2nd W Riding)

3 September 1939 part of 49 (west Riding) Infantry Division based in Leeds.
April 1940 assigned to Home Forces, UK
September 1942, reverted to 49 Infantry Division, still in the UK
June 1944 North west Europe with 49 Infantry Division.

Beat me to it-Thats what I was thinking.

 

Sorry about the upside-down ones, I've rotated them on Photobucket but it's taking a while to catch up!

 

The last picture confirms its 69 Field Regiment Royal Artillery.

 

Can,t belive out of all those doc's & pay book
only one gives his Regt.
Rob

 

Glad I was correct about the Buffs connection. From the date in his papers, he was called up in July 1940. This battalion was one of a number of Infantry Regiments who were converted to Royal Artillery in late 1941. There are several Forum Members that I know of (me, Rob Dickers and Tmac) whose Father's took this route through WW2.

Here are the war diary pages for June 1944 when 69 Field Regt went to Normandy,











The T Marshalling Camp mentioned in the diary meant that his unit left from London and probably the Port of Tilbury. The wd does not mention the T Camp number. There were seven of them. A map is shown below:-

 

Well done Rob & all, came to this a bit late.
8th Buffs also converted to artillery (9th Medium Regt)
Best
Rob

 

I was reseaching this unit amongst others and the next month I have is September 1944.

 

And finally October 1944, when 69 Field Regt were in Northern Belgium and moved across the border into Holland.

 

In a small town called Rijkevorsel in Belgium, they hold an annual camp to commemorate the liberation by the men of the 49th Division.

It is called Plumbridge Camp in memory of the Bailey Bridge put across the Turnhout Canal and is always held on the same weekend as the Arnhem Remembrance ceremonies in the Netherlands.

Here are the photos of the 2011 ceremony taken by a great guy called Bart Huysman. It gives an idea of the great respect they have for the men of this fine Division.

Camp Plumbridge 2011 (zondag) - Bart Huysmans' Photos | SmugMug

 

Superb thread - so much info in such a short time!
Well done all.

 

Many thanks to everyone for all the information, much more than expected! Makes very interesting reading.