RAMC, RASC expert help please?

[helenc]

Hi my grandad was an ambulance driver in the UK at the start of the war and then went abroad, he was captured in Crete in 1941 in the battle of crete and was transported on the cruiser PHOEBE on his way to stalag 8b, later 344 where he was kept until the war ended. are there regiments or units attached to these corps? he always said he was in the RAMC but his paperwork shows both. his name was Cyril Catchpole b1913 hampshire and he was a chauffeur most of his life and was one of the men with a proper driving license before the war.
any help gratefully received Helen

[Geoffers]

Have you, or his direct next-of-kin applied for his service record? See the following site for information on doing this and to download an application form:

http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/service_recs/service_recs.htm

Geoffers

[helenc]

yes i have applied for the records but thought someone might be able to give me some more info. fingers crossed and waiting for the postman.
helen

[Rove]

Hi Helenc

You asked :
..............are there regiments or units attached to these corps?

I believe that part of those Corps you mentioned where attached to, or became part of R.E.M.E. (Royal Mechanical & Electrical Engineers)

If you search for R.E.M.E history you shall come across what I mentioned but of course this is only part of your search

[keith9351]

Hi Helenc
To give you some idea of how the units in Crete were deployed, here is the order of battle for the different sectors,

http://niehorster.orbat.com/017_britain/41-05_crete/creforce.html

For example without getting to technical (I hope) my fathers regiment the 9/KRRC were defending Suda Bay sector so if you click on that it will give a list of all units there including Field Ambulance etc.

Keith

[KenHolmes]

I served in the RAMC post war and the driver of our ambulances were always provided by the RASC. Although when I was stationed at BMH Rinteln in Germany there was a special group of people who were mainly Poles and Czechs who provided this service. I was of course referring to ambulances that were attached to hospitals. There was of course the Field Ambulance mainly staffed by the RAMC and the QARANC and I'm certain the RASC would have provided the drivers because of the difficult conditions they would be employed in.

[cazmac]

Hi iam also looking at my dads time on crete which he didnot talk about very much he was in ramc and was hidden by the locals but gave himself up as he got very sick and needed medicine . he was sent to stalag 8b have sent for his records but they are going to take some time . the only thing he did talk about was camp concert the mikado in which he played one of the three little maids from school. He was repatriated before march 1944 as this is when he married my mum, he was at the Q.A. hospital in Shenley when they married.
he was William Schofield McKnight born 23/03/1918. if anyone has any info iwould be eternally grateful

regards caz

[keith9351]

There is a Stalag VIII-B discussion group who may be of interest to you at:-

http:
//disc.yourwebapps.com/Indices/134484.html

Also the Wartime Memories Project at :-

www.
wartimememories.co.uk/pow/stalag8b.html

Keith

[daggers]

With respect, I think REME is most unlikely. They were hived off from the Royal Engineers and Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1942, and would not provide drivers for ambulances, though they might well repair them in workshops if beyond the means of the local units.
Daggers

[Keith Saunders]

Hi Helen
The RAMC & RASC were linked as RASC drivers often drove the ambulances and support vehicles of the RAMC.
I hope this helps.

Keith

[ADM 199]

Hi Helen,
is either of these your man - Dvr L.C. Catchpole T/159601 0R Dvr C. Catchpole T/208012.

Catchpole L C is recorded as P.O.W. in Italy 1943 but Catchpole C isn't.


Brian

[helenc]

HI Brian my grandad would be the C Catchpole T/208012 he didn't have any middle names and was always known as Cyril.
He was captured in crete and sent to stalag 8b till the end of the war. he suffered Typhus and some other unpleasant illnesses and never spoke of his time their.
Many thanks for your interest!!
Helen

[ADM 199]

HI Brian my grandad would be the C Catchpole T/208012 he didn't have any middle names and was always known as Cyril.
He was captured in crete and sent to stalag 8b till the end of the war. he suffered Typhus and some other unpleasant illnesses and never spoke of his time their.
Many thanks for your interest!!
Helen

Hi Helen,
Being captured in Crete would mean he was passed through the Italian Camp system before being moved on to Germany.

Stalag V111B was later designated as Stalag 344 Lamsdorf. Both men I mentioned are recorded as being in St.344 Lamsdorf.
Early 1945 the whole Camp was moved out as the Russians approached and were marched many miles in atrocious conditions.

Brian

[waterlilys]

Richard Tossell of Devon R.A.S.C., attached the R.A.M.C was captured in Northern Africa and was a prisoner of war in Italy abt 1941 - 1942, made it back to England May of 1943. Soon after they asked him to reup as he was a double deck bus driver and they needed men to drive long lorries to the front lines eventually in Germany. Would anyone know of the name of the camp he was in in Italy or how I could find out?

What does R.A.M.C. if he wasnt involved with medical areas?

BTW he didnt drive ambulances.. always big lorries, and a General for a while :)

thanks!

[BJ Smith]

Hi Helen seems to have been left in the air for a while. RAMC is Royal Army Medical Corp. As mentioned on an earlier reply Royal Army Service Corp Drivers often drove ambulances due to difficult conditions, i.e. under fire etc. He would also have been in a RASC Coy when not with the RAMC and would at that time have driven large vehicles transporting either supplies or troops. I don't suppose you know which Company your granddad was with. For more information on POWs look at http:/www.prisonerofwar.org.uk

[waterlilys]

I don't suppose you know which Company your granddad was with.

Since I first posted my question I have located the PoW camp in Sulmona Italy. My problem now is finding out what company he was with. Relatives dont have any documentation of service no etc. From bio's of other prisoners taken the same time I think he might have been with "Wavell's 30,000" having just completed Operation Compass in North Africa and was taken a few months later when the Brit troops had to surrender to Rommell's Afrika corp mid April 1941 around Fort Mechelli but have no way of verifying that. What you said about the RAMC & RASC seems to fit. He was part of a prisoner exchange and was back in England May 1943 but do to some glitch he was recalled and was driving tank transports to the front lines before they figured out the mistake.. and offered him a choice to carry on or return to England. He stayed. I was lucky enough to find a newspaper article about his return home for most of the info... just not what company or regiment! Thanks for your help!

[BJ Smith]

Post 2 of the thread provides contact details for forms needed to apply for service record. This will take a nuhs but will provide detail of companies, transfers etc cheers Brian