Royal Tank Corps/Royal Armoured Corps

[mistyrose41]

Can anyone help me find out where my father served in WW11. His name was Horace Frederick Foster [sometimes known as Freddie Foster]. His Army number was 6139233. When he married on 23/9/1939 he was a Lance Corporal in the Royal Tank Corp stationed at Bovingdon Camp. On my birth certificate in December 1941 he was a Sergeant in the Royal Armoured Corps. I know that at some point he was in Egypt. Is it possible that he served with the Desert Rats? Any help, information would be much appreciated.

Mistyrose.

[Geoffers]

Welcome to the B-G forums

Do you have his service record? If not this link will explain how to apply for a copy.

Do you have his campaign medals, or medal ribbins from WW2?

[gortonboy]

wikipedia can give you an insight into the regiment and where they were involved in ww2,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Tank_Regiment

[mistyrose41]

Hello Geoffers & Gordonboy,

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately I do not have his service record or any of his medals. I have his certificate of transfer to the Army Reserve dated 1950. He was then a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps. I lost contact with him after that and do not know where or if he died. I have not been able to locate a death certificate so am unable to obtain his Service Record. He was a Regular Soldier who was in Boy's Service around 1931 on the training ship 'ARETHUSA'. I know that he went to Arnhem as part of operation "Market Garden' and was a co-pilot of a Horsa Gilder. I also know that at some date he was in Egypt as he sustained a neck wound whilst there. He seems to have had a colourful Army career and I wondered if he had also service with the Desert Rats. I feel strangely proud and overwhelmed about a father I never really got to know and am looking for any information I can glean to pass on to my sons and grandsons.

Mistyrose

[Geoffers]

I would suggest trying a few things.......

1. Try searching the GRO index of deaths. For the period 1984-2006 this is a searchable database and should hopefully either confirm a death in that time, or eliminate that period. Do search by both forenames (people do sometimes just use one name).

2. Try searching the probate calendar - this is bascially an index to wills. it has been copied onto film and is available at many county record offices (phone to check coveage and if you need to reserve a film reader). The calendar is easy to use.

3. Check emigration passenger lists, available online up to 1960 - on the offchance that he appears.

4. Work through the full General Register Office index of deaths. This can be done online. If you know when he was born, you should stand a good chance of picking out a death if you locate one. I work on the principle that it takes 10-15 minutes to check a decade of entries online; so it needn't be necessarily be too lengthy a process.

5. Your messages suggest that you lost contact with him and this forum is not the place to go into the circumstances; but if there is a chance of (re)marriage after you lost touch, it may be worth checking the GRO index of marriages as well.