RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: Ranolki on Sunday 23 August 20 22:05 BST (UK)
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This is a fantastic photo I've been given of Norman Peter Raybould. Up until now I had been unaware of any service, although I know he went on to become a fireman. Can anyone tell me which regiment this was and the meaning of the various patches please? Thank you.
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Can’t help with the uniform query but where did Peter appear as his middle name? He was born, married & died as Norman?
Born 1923
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Hi, he is wearing the cap badge of 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment'. If you Google that and look at 'Images' you should see pictures of the full badge.
Good luck with your research.
Simon
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The top patch on his arm looks like the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division in WW2, although can not find a reference to any Royal Norfolk units in the 53rd Division.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/53rd_(Welsh)_Infantry_Division#cite_ref-Joslen87_9-7
Tony
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The vertical stripe on the lower arm is a Wound Stripe.
Used from 1944 in WW2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wound_stripe
Tony
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Now found the link between the Royal Norfolk Regiment and the 53rd Division - 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment (from 17 August 1945):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/71st_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)#:~:text=The%2071st%20Infantry%20Brigade%20was,First%20and%20Second%20world%20wars.
Tony
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Thank you all for that. I'm always amazed by the knowledge on here!
It looks as if I need to go along to www.forces-war-records.co.uk and take out a supscription to see if they have more now I have the regiment. I can see they have him there as N P Raybould.
CaroleW, I'm not 100% sure about the Peter. The initial details I had came from his daughter, who gave me a great deal of information on this branch of the family, (she has since died) so I suppose it could be a name he adopted later? I know my grandfather did the same and gave himself a middle name which eventually became "his". As I said above, the P was certainly noted on his military records.
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It looks as if I need to go along to www.forces-war-records.co.uk and take out a supscription to see if they have more now I have the regiment. I can see they have him there as N P Raybould.
NO!!!!
Don't use that site!
All their records are available on other sites.
And people have found it very difficult to stop a subscription :o
Many threads on RootsChat re the problems with that site.
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Oh no! I haven't subscribed yet though. I thought the credit card sheet popped up rather quickly! Could you suggest where to look please? I know from them what his service number was anyway...
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Service records for military personnel serving after 1920 are ONLY available through the MOD.
See: https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records
You will probably need a death certificate (unless he died in service) and there is a fee of £30.
Otherwise try the usual sites: Ancestry, FindMyPast, The Genealogist, etc.
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Thank you for the links, I have read up a bit more about the Norfolk Regiment now. Is there any definitive list of what the various cloth badges mean on the left arm of the army uniform please? I can see the Welsh one and also the one which denoted he had been wounded (thanks for those) but I would like to know about the other two.
It seems he would have been part of the fight all the way into Germany right at the time of surrender which would be interesting to research. Although I believe he was injured on 5 May 1945 so he may well have missed the final finish!
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I believe the other 2 are Brigade & Battalion.