Ww2 royal artillery abbreviations

[Jennarembailey]

Thank you timbo.
Regards Jenny

[Jennarembailey]

Dear Sue
He was born 31.10.21. Signed up 24.04.41. So he was 19yrs 6months old at sign up.
Spent about 2yrs "HOME".
With A/208th. At Yeovil, Somerset.
Then 243/208th. At Watchet, Somerset
Then 243/46th. At Portishead,Somerset,
Then 243/46th. At Popham and Blackfields in Hampshire.
He left "HOME" for Iraq 23.01.43 Paiforce
Disembarked Iraq 31.03.43 until 26.04.43
Transferred to the East Surrey Regiment. With following reference. ("Rest" 25.8.44, 5612A)
M.E.F 27.04.43 until 08.09.44 (he had mentioned Egypt, and the Red Sea)
C.M.F 09.09.44 until 15.04.46 (again mentioned places in Italy, Florence, Milan)
He received the Africa Star and Italy Star medals.
I shall look at the East Surrey Batallion site
Regards Jenny

[SueNSW]

Hi again Jenny

So far as the East Surreys are concerned, he was probably with their 1st battalion. They had landed in North Africa at the end of 1942 as part of the 11th Infantry Brigade of the 78th (Battleaxe) Division and fought in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy until mid 1944, when they were withdrawn to Egypt for rest, re-equipping etc and I'd say this is when your dad joined them. They then headed back to Italy in September 1944.

Interestingly my dad (born 13/7/1919) was a prewar Territorial with Princess Louisa's Kensington Regiment and was called up immediately at the outbreak of war. He spent the first couple of years on guard duty in various places in Britain until the regiment became part of 78th Division and he landed with them in North Africa and went to Sicily and Italy but unlike your dad, he went on into Austria with them as part of the occupying force there.

Dates etc for this info come from a couple books I have, including - Battleaxe Division - From Africa to Italy with the 78th Division 1942 - 1945 by Ken Ford.

Hope this helps you fill out the service record you have

Good luck with it
Sue

[Jennarembailey]

Thank you Sue
I shall track the 1st battallion, and see if i can find their route up thru Italy. To Milan where he left Italy.
He took Mum to Florence after saying he was there during ww2
Was your dads time in ww2 a good or bad experience and was he injured.
I have found two articles on this campaign which show the different routes, Montishino being the bloodiest battle. I hope neither of our fathers were Involved in such an aweful catastrophe.
Regards Jenny

[SueNSW]

Thanks for asking, but honestly hard to say about my dad's war - as like so many he spoke little of it - but I don't think he suffered physically too much if at all - well actually apart from having all his teeth pulled apparently before he went overseas - and having to wear dentures from then on!!

I do wonder if everything he experienced though did have an effect on him in other ways - he was a lovely man - a soft, bespectacled gentle - man, happiest with The Times crossword and cricket - never overly ambitious and an attitude very much of wanting a quiet life and keeping the peace - especially up against my mum who was quite a harridan and when dealing with my two "naughty" brothers during their (very) troubled teenage years.

Dad was involved in I think what ended up being the third and final attempt to secure Monte Cassino - but that stage would have been before your dad arrived in Italy later in 1944. I have a copy of his regimental history but it's in storage after my divorce and not easily accessible to check exact details - the Ken Ford book is pretty good - but in my opinion - let down by very poor indexing - so not easy to quickly check things, but I'll have another look and see what it says about the Division in late 44 and into 45

Interesting your dad took your mum back to Florence - to my knowledge dad never returned to Italy, but he was able to learn quite a lot of German - originally at school and then during the time his regiment spent in Austria - and delighted in being able to use it years later after he retired from the Civil Service and got involved with the local twinning association and their arrangement with a town in Germany. They made several trips there, hosted visitors from there and made a very close friendship with one couple in particular - the man had been in the German Army and fought himself in Italy - apparently they had lots to talk about!!

Cheers
Sue

[Jennarembailey]

Dear Sue
I have been looking at general information on the various routes thru Italy WW2
I came across some maps showing the routes and battles, there are six altogether would you like them. If so could I email them to you.
Regards Jenny

[Jennarembailey]

Dear Sue
This is the link to the maps website, I had a look to see if there were any restrictions on copy right, but no mention anywhere on the site. So I shall only use the maps for my own information.
https://www.emersonkent.com/maps_by_c...ope_from_H.htm
There are maps for everything worldwide not just battles, very informative.
Regards Jenny

[SueNSW]

WOW Jenny - amazing site - can see it being a real time-waster!!

Sorry I haven't been back earlier - had a very busy 3 day weekend looking after 3 year old grandson. In between times I have been having a look at the WW2 Talk forum and re-reading some of the posts on the 78th Division and my dad's Regiment - some fascinating stuff and have ordered two more books - will let you know how they are when they arrive.

I have also read a bit more of the Ken Ford book today, and whilst there isn't very much about the East Surreys during your dad's time with them in Italy - there is the following extract from the battalion history of the East Surreys that paints a grim picture of life on the mountains during winter 1944/45:

From the time of the heavy rainfall on October 25th until 12th February 1945, 1st Surreys occupied the positions it had captured at Monte Spaduro, except for short spells of rest, sometimes at San Apollinare and once at Castel del Rio, in an ancient castle, where there were hot showers, good meals and an excellent canteen. The conditions in the mountains during the winter months were possibly the worst ever encountered by the Battalion in this campaign. Heavy rain continued, and it was bitterly cold, the troops had no adequate shelter and there was mud everywhere. In December there was heavy snowfall: the temperature fell to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9 degrees Centigrade), and there were blizzards, gales and icy sleet. With the mountain tracks deep in mud, and later covered with ice, the maintenance of the forward troops in their mountain positions became increasingly difficult. Four wheel drive Jeeps carried supplies forward until the tracks became impassable and then the friendly, or sometimes not so friendly, mule returned to the scene and took over from the Jeeps. When the mules could go no further, the food, ammunition and all other requirements had to be carried on the backs of fatigue parties, often under fire. During these winter months 'artificial moonlight' was created by playing searchlight beams on clouds, and this was a great help to the nightly supply convoys.

Hope it's of interest
Cheers
Sue

[Jennarembailey]

Dear Sue
Thank you for the reference to the mountain battle, I had read a little about that, but not so much detail.
Found another soldier who had trained at Yeovil at exactly the same time as my father, his account was very detailed, he said the training was very tough. (By the time all our men ended up in the freezing cold Italian mountains, they probably thought Yeovil was a piece of cake.)
I also found photos and details of the camp they were both in, so have made up a file, also the second camp he was in Nr. Watchet. In Somerset. With good old photos of the site and of the guns they all Trained on. A fantastic photo of a small plane on a catapult which was use as target practice out to sea.
I shall go back to the "maps site" as I have been doing my family tree for about 30 odd years and have a small number of ancestors who were in the military or at sea during other wars 1800s onwards. So will go back to them at a later date.
Regards Jenny

[poptr01]

Hi, my father's WWII Service Record contains a variation of 'W.p.p.' i.e.
“”
Granted W.T.P.P. @ 6d per diem under fasa 1002 for Pay 1940 with effect from 5 September 1942.

“”

‘WTPP’: Have found WTPP to possibly mean Weekend Travel Pass or Welfare Time Private and Personal or With Travel Permit Provided or Weapons and Tactics Training Programme. For me I'm still not sure which, but for both of us the context could identify. Certainly within my father's timeline at this point he was attending the School of Tank Technology. What's your father's context?

(PS I've put ‘fasa 1002’, but as the service record writing is unclear, this could be ‘pasa 1002’. I've still to identify what this is.)

Trevor