War Diary abbreviations

Gunners Pierce and Graham on duty with Captain Webb as rep with 11th Brigade.

This is noted on 73rd medium regiment war diary.

Can anyone tell me what it means.

Still on 73rd medium regiment war diary day later

Thank you

 

Any chance you could post an image for context?

 

Not sure how to do that but Captain Webb was a rep to 11th Brigade as FOO (FORWARD OBSERVATION OFFICER) he returned to 73rd as no longer needed on 16 April. He was again with 11th brigade on 19th as rep. Could this mean replacement?

 

It certainly could be.

Have you checked later pages to see whether the abbreviation recurs?

 

Only have war diaries for month of April 1945. Doesn't appear anywhere else. My father was gunner Graham and he was severely injured and that was the end of his war on 22nd April. His mate Pierce died the following day. On the casualty list my father was still listed as driver in charge 73rd medium regiment.

 

Isn’t it just “representative”?

Tom

 

I think that is likely myself.

 

I think you may find the abbreviation means Driver Internal Combustion rather than 'in charge'. A hangover from when it was necessary to differentiate between a driver of horses or of mechanised transport.

Tim

 

Another vote for representative from me.

Artillery Training, Vol III, Pam 3. Part III (Concentrations of observed fire, 1943), offers the following;

"Methods of control - The following methods of controlling the fire of more than one battery by observation may be used...
5. By nominating an OP officer specially for the purpose...An officer authorized in this manner to control the fire of more than one battery will be known as the commander's representative, e.g. CO's or CRA's representative."

It doesn't shorten it to 'rep' in the pamphlet but I'd agree that is what the WD is referring to.

Gary

 

Thank you

 

Thank you

 

Thank you

Thank you but his casualty report says driver in charge

 

I do think there was some difference of opinion in the Army itself re what Driver IC actually stood for. I too for many years thought it was Driver in charge, before being advised (possibly even on here) that it was a distinction between of vehicle drivers and wagon drivers. The 1943 WE for a Mountain Regt, RA, does detail 'Drivers, RA' for duty as 'grooms, drivers of mules, spares' and 'Drivers, IC' separately, numbers of which corresponds with the few motor vehicles on the WE.

In an early war pamphlet on the Motor Battalion (published in house it seems and not being an MTP), there is a reproduction of the February 1940 WE for the Motor Battalion. Throughout this the term 'Driver in charge' is used, and I think that's where I got the impression it's what IC stood for. The trade 'Engine hand, IC' does appear on RE establishments.

Gary

 

Think you are right as 73rd medium regiment were in support of 78th division in particular the 11th brigade at this time and were probably acting a

Have just come across another use of rep

When the division reverted to 2 agra from V Corps it retained existing reps and still in support of 78th division.

 

Artillery was split into various size units which supported the infantry or forward troops.
A Field Regiment was divided into Batteries. Each Battery would be designated to support an infantry Battalion..
In order to achieve this the Battery would send out a Rep (Representative) to assist with the Battalion Commander to plan his tactics and strategy to get the best artillery support for the action.
The rep would advise regarding Planned Defensive Fire, SOS ,Programmed Shoots or Concentrations.
They would be in the Battalion Command Post. Often an Observation Post where they could see the action taking place.
Medium Regiments usually worked in AGRA (Army Group Royal Artillery) they would send out Reps to the units that they supported. These would often be Infantry Battalions, Brigades or Divisions each having a rep from the gun Batteries.
Reps would be Officers capable of advising the Infantry Commanders and to give fire orders to their guns.
There were also FOO Forward Observation Officers in the front line or even forward of it who would direct fire onto the enemy they could call in fire from individual guns through to whole Divisions or even Army as necessary. Each Troop Battery or Regiment could put out FOO or OP (Observation Post) Observers.
Each Officer would have Assistants to operate equipment particularly signals. They would often use a field telephone connected by wire to the Signaller in a hidden close by vehicle or in a Command Post (often a hole in the ground).
A vehicle would often have a driver and a signaller with a radio set to transmit to Battery, Regimental or Divisional HQ.
The Royal Artillery lost a great many officers in these roles many of them earned wards for bravery calling in fire support in battle often onto their own positions. There were different coded fire orders, a popular one to call in fire from a Regiment was Mike or a whole Division was Uncle Target.

 

In my Dad's diary entries he uses a number of abbreviations. I have identified several, but some still elude me. This one is from 5 Oct 1943 when he was in the Naples area. "On returning found out that I was N.C.D.l/c guard at a warehouse on the docks, where there were signal and electrical equipment." The I/c could be a one or an lower case L or an upper case i. It is hard to tell since I only have a typewritten manuscript that is from an italic typewriter. Anybody have any idea what N.C.D.I/c could mean?

 

I would say, 'NCO i/c'. (Non-commissioned officer in charge).

 

Thank you, that is a very reasonable answer.