An amazing update from REME who looked into my grandfathers service history in more detail. An amazing thanks to them for the support - See full details here: REME Update
I have a document dated 5/43 which shows my grandfathers address as Sunny Bank rock, WellGreen. I am not aware of him living here at this time
Thanks to twitter user (@Richard_duckett) we are a little closer to finding ou the language which my grandfather has translation sheets for. Richard believes the language is not Afrikaans as we first thought
Looking more closely at my grandfathers pictures I am trying to pick out badges and patches to see if I can identify them. Posted on our twitter is a picture with a patch in it that seems to be a white paddy bird
Vehicle registration numbers from my grandfathers photos:
- 5663379
- 602987 (From a photo dated Dec 46)
- 581112 (From a photo dated Dec 46)
- 603149 (From a photo dated Dec 46)
- 5635077 (From a photo dated Dec 46 & Jan 47)
- 424698 (From a photo dated Feb 47)
- 435660 (From a photo dated Feb 47)
Vehicle marking numbers from my grandfathers photos:
- RTO, 520MC, 523 and MON
The National Archives finally found the document - WO 172/9691. So we have ordered August to September 1945 which covers the time my grandfather was promoted, we will keep you updated
The RASC (The Royal Logistic Corps as they are now known) finally replied to our letter and have said we can ring them to discuss further research, we will be doing this in the new year
I am researching more into the space where my grand father was at HQ Burma Command / India Command
Alot of my grandfathers pictures show him on the road and vehicles marked with '523'. The only coy I can find to do with this was a RASC corp but based in Italy?
I have researched a note found in my grandfathers wallet which shows APO 7330 - After contacting a specialist they said this is a temporary mailbox which are forwarded to New York then UK
Also in my grandfathers pictures the vehicles seem to state Movement Control on them
I have requested a bunch of records off National Archives which may give me more clues. These include files for Movement Control, HQ files and training unit records
We did visit the National Archives and reserve a few documents but unfortunately a record for 892 Coy Gen Tpt was classed as 'Missing' by the staff. I believe this is a key file for research on my grandfather
I have managed to identify some of the vehicles in my grandfathers pictures including Ford Canada's and Studebaker US army trucks
I have contacted a specialist to see if we can find any more about the Ford Canada's in my grandfather pictures (A long shot I know)
There is a gap from December 1945 (When I believe my grandfather was in the 812 Coy) to May 1946 when nothing is in the record for my grandfather. However using his receipts and pictures in December 1945 he was near the Rangoon area and May 1946 my grandfather was in the Singapore area
One of my grandfathers wallet documents states he needed to visit Calcutta on an emergency visit along with 4 AORs (I believe this means Asian other rank)