WW2 Italy Star

[nanny jan]

I did wonder about that possibility medpat and he got wounded somewhere.....still trying to work my way through all the sheets!

[Skoyen89]

If he was wounded as you say and you have his number (which you should have from his records)then searching for him on the casualty lists in FindMyPast may show which unit he was in and with the date of wounding you could work out where he would be from the unit history/war diary.  It is useful because it lists the Royal Artillery unit which can sometimes be hard to find. 

[nanny jan]

Thanks, I'd forgotten about the casualty lists. The record seems to move him between RF and RA.

Not the best weekend to have a houseful of visitors!

[IONICUS]

He was probably staging at Gibraltar en route to the 1st or 8th Army.  On successful conclusion of the North African campaign, they were shipped to Italy to what was supposed to be the soft underbelly of Europe but which turned into a hard old slog up the length of that long country.  His campaign stars may be the 39/45 Star, North Africa Star and Italy Star, along with the Defence and War Medals.  There may be other medals in the group if he served before or after the war, or, if he was decorated for bravery.

[nanny jan]

We have his medals; Italy Star, 39/45 Star, Defence and War but no Africa Star.

[ankerdine]

My FIL was in Italy after being in Africa, ended up clearing Bari harbour of mines (he was in REs). Perhaps so many moved on to Italy difficult for admin at the time to keep up.

My FIL was also in the Royal Engineers and went to North Africa and Italy. We have his medals including the Italy Star too. He mentioned seeing an eruption of Vesuvius when he was in Naples. Would this have been possible?

I've been intending to send for his service record for some time now but not sure how to go about it.

He mentioned once in passing that he had been on a troopship which had been torpedoed. Does this ring a bell with anyone please?

Judy

[nanny jan]

The records are with the MOD; if your FIL or his wife are still living they can get them free, for anyone else it costs £30. I applied in September so not too long to wait and I had an email and a phone call to check that I was making a general and not next-of-kin application.
He was mum's first husband (came back home injured and died).

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=651361.0

Also with the record was a very useful leaflet explaining all the abbreviations.

[ankerdine]

 Thank you for that information nanny jan. My FIL passed away in  2000 so perhaps it would be best if my husband applied for his father's records.

I hope you are enjoying deciphering those records that you have received.

My FIL went all the way up Italy we believe. He mentioned The River Po and ended up in the Black Forest area or Austria. Not sure of where exactly but he sent back several wooden carvings, some with quite grotesque faces! He said he hated the army and was away for 6 years, missing the childhood of his son which had a lasting effect on those concerned.

Thanks for the link.

I'll follow your post with interest.

Judy

[medpat]

Found this ankerdine

https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/benchmarks-march-17-1944-most-recent-eruption-mount-vesuvius

Looks like he was right re the eruption. Note the American plane.