WW2 - wounded in Italy March 1945

[Gen List Lass]

My father was wounded in Italy during WW2. From his military file he was  "wounded (BC) 3 Mar 1945     W3016     at?   13 Mar 1945". He told me it had happened as he was crouching over a field wireless and got shrapnel in his back and side. His brother told me he recuperated on light duties guarding Italian POW for about a year. But in 1955 back in England, he had more shrapnel taken out of his side, they were very jagged pieces of rusty metal so I think they must have been from a shell.

He had been transferred to the 6th Batt. of the Cheshire Regiment on 11th June 1944, from the Northumberland Fusiliers.

From several sources, I think he was in the far north of Italy by this time but I'm not sure. The Imperial War Museum book about WW2 in Italy misses out any happenings around 3 Mar 1945.

Could anyone tell me what the Cheshires were doing between June 1944-March 1945? And where they were in Italy?

Gen in NBL England

[MaxD]

From Jan 43 they were a machine gun battalion of 56 London Division, this :
http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/56th_division.htm
has an outline of the major engagements and indeed, in March 1945 the division were well up towards the Po river where on 5/6 April they began the Battle of the Argenta Gap.

For closer detail you'd need a history of the division in the N Africa and Italian campaign or the war diary of the battalion although that has to be viewed at Kew (currently closed) or copied.  This one:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C964405covers 1945, there are a number covering the whole period.I and of course others may be able to recommend a history/book that will help.

MaxD

PS I'll ask the mods to correct the typo in the title!

[MaxD]

There is an IWM book on 56 London Division 1939-1945 on Amazon for 88.95 plus postage (!)

The Cheshire regiment museum is also closed until further notice.

MaxD

[Gen List Lass]

MaxD

Whoops, I've amended the title, I'm usually working on research much much earlier than 1945!

Thank you for your information, the River Po seemed a likely place to me too. I will order the war diary copy once KewNA reopens. £88.95+ on Amazon is a bit steep :-)!


Many thanks for your very prompt reply.

Gen in NBL England

[MaxD]

Pleasure.

Are you aware of the copying services that do a copy job for less than 1/10th the cost of the National Archives?

MaxD

[Gen List Lass]

MaxD

I contacted a chap on Facebook who copies war diaries at Kew, he seems very reasonable. I don't know how much Kew charges but probably a lot.

Gen in NBL England

[MaxD]

The National Archives system is to do a page count, cost £8.40 ,then, if you go ahead, the cost per normal up to A3 digital sheet is £1.20 a sheet.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/record-copying-prices-february-2019.pdf

My guess is that you are looking at a 10p a sheet service?  The main difference is that they would copy the whole file without the opportunity to have a page count first.  Thus a 50 page record would be £8.40 plus £48.80 (Kew) against £5 - your call!!

Note that there are 6 diaries for 6 Cheshire that would cover Jun 44 to the end of the war:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_aq=6%20cheshire%20regiment%20diaries&_nq1=home&_nq2=company&_nq3=companies&_dss=range&_ro=any&_p=1925&_st=adv

(ignore the first one which is 1942)

MaxD

[Gen List Lass]

MaxD

Thank you for the extra information. Def. on my to-do list after all this.

Gen in NBL England