Step-Mum's father

[Johnny-D]

Hi guys,

My step mum - Carol, is currently researching her fathers wartime service, and has sent me a photograph of him. It looks like he was in the Royal Artillery, and would I be right in thinking that the flaming grenades on the collar represent those of an officer?

Carol is currently registering on the forum, so any help you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
JD

[Gary J]

JD, Carol,
Looks to be an enlisted man's service jacket and side cap.
(No pips or crowns present either on his shoulder tags.)

Regards

Gary J.

[carolW66]

Hi all,

I'm hoping that some experienced people on here are able to help me out. I am attempting to find out about Dad's experience during WW2, unfortunatly my siblings and I don't know what regiment he was in or his army no. (Dad would'nt really talk about his war days) I was hoping I could get some clues from the buttons etc on his uniform to narrow down my search, I don't know how I am going to get his army records because of the lack of information, My elder brother remembers bits of info Dad had told him, the 1st being that Dad served in Burma, I heard he served in India and was based in the Taj Mahal, my brother states that Dad had been shot in the back and the recuperation period was in the red fort???? which is in India and he later became Lady Waverly's assistant??? . My brother told me of a little tale that Dad and a mate went out one nite to the forbidden city, after a few pints they discovered that the gates to the forbidden ciy had been locked and they got chased (by who I don't know) apparently though they escaped with their life. This means absolutly nothing to me so any further info that can enlighen me would be brill.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help me in my search.

Regards
Carol

[Gary J]

Carol,
Your first port of call will be to retrieve your father's military service record, which will be held by the Ministry of Defence.

Have a look at this web page :

Ministry of Defence | About Defence | What we do | Personnel | Service Records | Making a Request for Information held on the Personnel Records of Deceased Service Personnel

This should give you some guidance ..

Regards

Gary J.

[carolW66]

Thanks for the info Gary J, that may possible give me a time scale when the Pic was taken, I believe Dad was in our local T.A and was one of the 1st men to be enlisted.
Cx

[crazy horse]

best of luck to both of you, hope you find out, wow he looks very young, I am trying to find out about my grandfather, I have a picture of him in his navy cracker jacks, all I do know, my aunt told me he wrote how much he hated guam. he never made it back home, well not alive. he was the reason I served in the navy first.

[carolW66]

Aww how awful it must have been for these men, Thank God, Dad did get home but looking at a photo of him just after the war, he had aged quite a lot and you can see it in his face how different he was, went into war as a boy and came back as a man!

I hope you (crazy horse) have luck in tracking down some information about your grandad.

Regards

[Gary J]

I must admit, his service dress jacket looks to be early ... which would tie in with the TA part of his story.

The MOD record really is a must ! ....
This should give you dates of service .. fields of service ... regiment ... medal entitlement ...

THEN ... when the regiment has been confirmed, ... it would be time to track down the regimental museum, and see if they can further enhance the information ..

Good Luck !

Gary J.

[crazy horse]

Aww how awful it must have been for these men, Thank God, Dad did get home but looking at a photo of him just after the war, he had aged quite a lot and you can see it in his face how different he was, went into war as a boy and came back as a man!

I hope you (crazy horse) have luck in tracking down some information about your grandad.

Regards

thank you, best of luck to you also, keep us informed, yeah war does change you, I was in Lebanon in 83, the marines flew to our ship, because we had the biggest store, i was on the flight deck fire fighting team, got to know a lot of them, before they got blown up, then did my time & some extra in desert storm, it took a year for me to get it together after that, but later it made me appreciate life more. no regrets, I guess there isn't a man , or woman that was in a war that can't say it didn't change something for them, I love shooting my weapons, but I quit hunting for good, except house robbing thug's.LOL. . best of luck too you both, that was some rough fighting where he was.

[Johnny-D]

Hi Gary. I thought that it's not possible to acquire service records without a service number.

JD