Messages posted by: NIC

Ian Berry wrote:Incidentally Nick, I have just spotted you are in Godmanchester.

My wife's Grandmother (Helena Wodka, formerly from Poland) died 1986 and is buried in Godmanchester cemetery.

Small world

Ian

Wow, it is indeed a very small world - I know the cemetery well. It has a grave stone for a young woman who was murdered in London, but also a CWGC stone for a young WAAF, who died during the WWII. The stone says she was 16 which would have made her the one of the two youngest women, in HM Forces, who died in the War. Tragically she was enjoying a day out in a boat, on the Great Ouse, with some friends and, somehow, drowned!

I shall look out for Helena's grave...

Don't expect a wheelbarrow of documents when you apply for Albert's records! Hopefully about half a dozen pages - but some will be big. All are scans of the original docs and cover from enlistment through to demob. As you say it does take a while and this is certainly true at the moment as all the WWII service records are being moved from the various MoD offices to National Archives in readiness for them to be released to the public domain! The NA are looking for a contractor to digitalize the records and the whole program is expected to last a few more years yet! So obviously the NA is busy - so get those applications in sooner rather than later...

Nick

Ian,
I would certainly recommend that Albert's family apply to the National Archives for both Albert's and Leonard's service records. They are entitled to both Albert's & Leonard's records. And the search is free!
As they were in different branches of HM Forces, two applications would need to be made.
These days you don't need a Death Certificates but if you don't send one in, it could delay the request - so it's always best to send one! If the family don't have them, they can apply, online, to Gov.UK for Death Certs.

Have a look at this link and it will take you/the family to the appropriate pages...

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-records-of-service/apply-for-the-records-of-a-deceased-serviceperson

Nick

Hi Ian,

Albert Edward Swadling served in No.12 Cdo and No.3 Cdo - at this stage I'd guess that when No.12 was disbanded in autumn of 1943, he was posted to No.3 Cdo. More information may be forthcoming

I understand Albert came from Slough but could you enquire of your friend whether he had another relative in the RMs - as I have a Mne. Leonard Swadling, 30 AU Cdo from Langley near Slough!

Nick

Ron,

RonSG wrote:
My father was first in Royal Engineers as a driver after 55PTW (whatever that is?) and wounded 29/7/1944 (BC)

PTW = Primary Training Wing. I'm not sure where No.55 PTW was located as I've not come across No.55 before...
Nick

Hi Ron,

With due respect, I must draw your attention to the Album, Tirana Park Memorial Cemetery, in the Gallery on this website. There are 48 Casualties remembered there including six from No.2 Commando and seven from 40 RM Commando.

https://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/Commando+War+Graves+Memorials+and+Plaques/graves/War+Graves+Albania/tirana+park/

Nick

Hi,

If you don't get any answers from members on this Website, you may want to try the Facebook Group - Commando Association - CA. https://www.facebook.com/groups/6030683278

this is an open group and you may get a response there.
However, I would suggest you use your name and not a pseudo name, as the information you have is quite scant and you're looking at some still sensitive areas such as the Falklands and Northern Ireland...

Nick

Hi Kenny,

What great photos and a wonderful letter from your grandfather.
I'm sure you'd like to know that your grandfather's friend, Len, was - 2881130, Lance Sgt Leonard Alfred Wade, Gordon Highlanders/London Scottish & No.9 Cdo. who was Killed in Action on 3 Feb 1944
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2099020/leonard-alfred-wade/

The other two mentioned by name were,
32187, Lt Col (later Brigadier) Ronnie John Frederick Tod, DSO, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders & No.9 Cdo.
Gunner J. Todd, Royal Artillery & No.9 Cdo.

Nick

Hi Martin,

Please find attached the Obituary Column from Cdo. Assoc. Newsletter no.88, March 1989.
I'm afraid that the 'obituaries' were just lists of commandos and the Commando they served in...

Nick

Great news. Well done.

Nick

Hi Steven,

The Army Commandos were formed entirely from volunteers from all the regiments in the Army - so yes your uncle would have been in a regular regiment or Corps and then volunteered for Special Service. He was only 'on loan' to the Commandos and when the Commandos were disbanded in 1947 most individuals returned to their parent regiment to complete their service and be de-mobbed...

When you say Army records cannot trace any details of him, where did you apply to?
Was it The MoD?
Or Forces War Records?
Or any of the other commercial, online, genealogy Search sites?

Nick

CommanCestor wrote:

Can I be reasonably sure, based on this information, that he was one of the hundreds of thousands of men evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk?
In the first attached clip, the record has him at the training center and ammunition depot in Bromley as of 4Sept '39, on leave in Jan-Feb '40, but then it doesn't indicate where he was until he "Disembarked in U.K." on 20th June 1940. (Would that entry represent his return from Dunkirk? The date is not quite aligned with the historical account of the 26May to 4th June 1940. Close enough?)

Nan

Hi Nan,

looking at the file you've named as 20 June 40, he was still attached to 2 BAD RAOC ( Royal Army Ordnance Corps) but he was with the 2nd Echelon - in France, but not on the front line
Operation Aerial was the evacuation of Allied forces and civilians from ports in western France from 15 to 25 June 1940 - so that would tie in with the dates in his record...

Nick

... as for the other acronyms such as 63rd TS and 63rd AS, it is clear that they're written in two different hands. I believe that they are one and the same - just that one person used AS and the other, TS.
It is possible that AS = Ammunition Squadron and TS = Training Squadron.

What is established is that Corsham was a Garrison HQ for the Salisbury Plain District and, during WWII was a very large underground Ammunition Store.

Certainly Corsham was all of these:
a Central Ordnance Depot,
a COD (Command Ordnance Depot),
a CAD (Central Armaments Depot),
a BAD (Base Ammunition Depot) - possibly 2 BAD...

As you can see, Army acronyms can be a 'minefield'

with some people using their own version. An common example of this is Hightown Barracks in Wrexham where the Holding Operational Commando was based. Some used the abbreviation/acronym HOC, but others used HCO instead...

Nick

Andrew,

This is your man...
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1077052/arthur-moon/

Nick

Hi Andrew,

Looks like we have two different Arthur Moons...

Arthur T H Moon, No.5 Cdo, served as a Private in the Wiltshire Regt before volunteering for The Commandos. In November 1943 he sailed, together with the rest of No.5 Commando, to India and fought with 3 Cdo Brigade in Burma.
After the war he returned to Wiltshire and lived in Bulford, near Salisbury, where he sadly died of Leukemia in 1998.

Nick

Hi Nan,

Here's a start -
ITC Beds & Herts Regt. was the Infantry Training Centre, for the Beds & Hearts Regt, and was in Kempston on the outskirts of Bedford. Here the enlisted men would do their basic training.

SPP - Special Proficiency Pay - was a special award for soldiers below the rank of sergeant, granted at Commanding Officer's discretion.

Army Order 41 of 1938 was a particularly long-winded order setting out details of increases of pay for soldiers enlisted on or after October 1925.
The increases were in two parts, those granted early in a soldier's service and those granted later as a result of long service and good conduct.

SPP was paid only to Privates and unpaid Lance Corporals, first as an increase of 3d per day - after the 1st & 2nd years' service - then, subsequently, after 3 years for "proficiency above average"
These increases, at the 3rd year point, were to be restricted to only two thirds of the strength of any unit, and were probably based, by most OCs, on the number of other qualifications already acquired by their eligible soldiers.
[Discontinued by ACI 418 of 1950]

Qualification badge - SP in a Wreath, worn on lower left arm by personnel granted SPP or its equivalent.

Nick