WW2 Service Records

[medpat]

The man was Royal Engineers - a corps. Corps member get attached to different regiments where they are needed. This may be what was happening here. He may have been posted to these regiments to help them with whatever skill he had.

My father in law was Royal Engineers and went all over the place with several regiments WW2. He ended up in Italy clearing mines from a harbour.

[originQuest]

Thank you medpat - great to discover the wider context.  A great grandfather of mine served in Italy and I'd be interested to see where as I was there with work once.  With have to order some more records though.

The other reason why I wanted to know why my relative here wasn't sent to Netherlands with the 7th Batt, Seaforth Highlanders is because I mainly work here.

[MaxD]

Next instalment!

The war diary for 29 Company is at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C163738f.  Unfortunately (perhaps understandably) the early period ends in May 1940, no June.  I have a summary though which clarifies the period before France.  Send me your direct email by PM and I'll send it on.

Family connections did sometimes count but exactly why he went from the AMPC to the Seaforths can only be speculation.

Photographed - if so not kept in army records.

Why not to his battalion - secret is in the reason for discharge (big print at the bottom) Kings Regulations Para 390 (xvi) - "ceasing to fulfil army physical requirements" in other words unfit for further service.  His medical history if you have that may have a clue.  He was indeed a Seaforth from after Jun 1940.

Medpat - not the case here.  His RE unit itself turned into an AMPC unit so all the Sappers became Pioneers but he later became a Seaforth, he was a Sapper for about 1 month!

maxD

[originQuest]

Thank you maxD, just sent you a PM with my email address.  Yes, very understandable that the war diary ends in May 1940!

Hmmm as my relative was sent to prison in Chatham, I wonder if they might hold prisoner photographs?  Also would that be a military prison?  I'm also curious to know the circumstances of the assault - is this likely to have made it the newspapers?

Max thank you so much for this ... I had no idea what "Kings Regulations Para 390 (xvi)" meant so thank you!  I don't have his medical history in the military records sent to me ... this is another page mentioning his discharge but not sure if it shows anything relevant?

[MaxD]

This sheet actually spells out what that particular sub paragraph of the Kings Regs meant (390 was the para that listed the many reasons why someone was being discharged). 

The prison was the Military Police and Detention Barracks so a War Office prison.  As for photographs, I'm afraid I don'y know but even if they did, I doubt very much that they would still exist, I can find no record for the Chatham MP & D Bks (no longer in existence).  The incident may well have made the newspapers in the Fort George area.  Again, military records of the trial will no longer exist.

Answer to your PM on the way soon.

maxD

[Rena]

Thank you for clarifying the details about the court martial and that the sentence of hard labour was reduced etc.  Obviously, I'm very interested in hearing more about the circumstances of the assult, and wonder if this relative was photographed on his entry to prison, which seems to be Chatham. 
This relative was known as a violent drunk in the family, so few photos of him have survived.  The stories of him going AWOL are also present in the family, on one occasion he returned home drunk with his gun and shot a hole in the ceiling.

Thank you Max, this breakdown is very helpful.  I wonder though, why this relative didn't join his regiment in Holland, after his release?

 It seems to me that this man was stressed and suffered what was known as "shell shock" in WWI. Drinking to excess, trying to forget the flashbacks, the nightmares and stop voices in the head, is one of the signs.  Today it's known as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and if it's not treated early enough it gets worse.   There were far worse cases caused by WWI and some can be seen on youtube filmed by American doctors who tried to understand what the cause was.

[originQuest]

Thank you maxD - learn something new everyday!  This is great to get to know the wider context of everything and filling in lots of gaps!

And thank you Rena - it is a very sad story, I agree.  I had wanted to get these records to help understand his experiences.  The damage carried on long after the war.

[originQuest]

I'm not sure if posting this adds any further information but I thought it a good idea.

[originQuest]

Continued ...