Author Topic: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it  (Read 2450 times)

Offline benaveiga

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royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« on: Saturday 09 May 20 19:40 BST (UK) »
Hi,
I've just downloaded my grandfather's Royal Artillery tracer card from ww2 hoping it would give me information, it's just given me a headache!!

Is there anyone knowledgeable here that can decipher his for me. I think the first line on the right-hand side says "1st  MTN REGT" which could be 1st mountain regiment, for the rest, i'm having real problems.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

Offline MaxD

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 10 May 20 09:14 BST (UK) »
He starts with 22 Medium and Heavy Training Regiment RA at Shoeburyness.
May/Jun 1941 to 1 Mountain Regiment RA, at the time in UK.  Not clear whether he goes to NW Europe with that regiment in 51 Division to Normandy in 1944.
August 1944 Home Details meant he was in UK.
The next entry of 2 Mountain Regiment looks like an error as 2 Mtn had been disbanded. 3 Mountain Regt was in India in Jun 1945
Next is 7 Mountain Regiment in Italy in Jun 1945.
3 Field Regiment was home from Italy in late 1945 early 1946 (CMF is Italy).
He was released from the service final in Aug 1946.

The figures such as 1/44 and 3/45 are the serial numbers of the piece of paper that recorded the event, the date is the date of that piece of paper, the event may not be exactly on the date quoted.

The Y List and X List are periods when he is away from his "parent" unit temporarily.  There were a number of reasons including, leave, courses, awaiting postings and travel between postings.  In addition (as perhaps with 2 Mtn Regiment) the entries mean a posting order has been prepared but doesn't necessarily mean he actually moved, note the cancellation and deletion on the right hand side.

His service record will (should) have much more detail including possibly reasons for the X and Y listings although the last refers to pre release leave.

The cards are a pain because they often don't allow a coherent time line to be produced.  I would suggest you consider applying for his record:
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

May lessen the headache?

MaxD



I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia

Offline Crumblie

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 10 May 20 09:25 BST (UK) »
I can understand why it gave you a headache. There are a couple of things you have to appreciate when reading military records, the first is that they are written by servicemen and women, and they are intended to be read by the same. The second is that there is no waffle they state only enough to get the information across.

Offline MaxD

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 10 May 20 09:30 BST (UK) »
Worth adding that we are looking at the whole thing as one record.  It made much more sense as it was slowly being completed entry by entry.

MaxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia


Offline Crumblie

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 10 May 20 09:36 BST (UK) »
Worth adding that we are looking at the whole thing as one record.  It made much more sense as it was slowly being completed entry by entry.

MaxD

Totally agree. Despite serving for 24 years there are times I look at records and wonder what on earth they are saying.

Stuart

Offline MaxD

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 10 May 20 11:12 BST (UK) »
Very useful piece on 1st Mountain in 1942 including photographs here:
http://70brigade.newmp.org.uk/wiki/1st_Mountain_Regiment,_Royal_Artillery
saves buying a war diary from Kew.

Trawling the net for the Mountain Regiments can add a bit of general info but should be treated warily without precise dates.  Important questions the card doesn't answer are - did he go to Normandy in June 44 with 51st Division (he was in UK in August 44) - did he join 3 Mountain in India in Apr 45 only to be in 7 Mountain in Italy in November (the regiment was disbanded that month) - there are deletions on the record which don't clarify anything!

Do you have his medals?

MaxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia

Offline benaveiga

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 10 May 20 17:04 BST (UK) »
First of all, a huge thanks to you lot for all the info and taking your time to read.
Secondly, I have very little, if not zero info on him, he was my maternal grandfather who remarried after my grandmother died and my mother was 12, she went to stay with her aunt, he started a new life in Scotland, apparently.

Thanks again, I'll try and research the units you've sent me an then I'll send for his service record, which is always fun as MOD doesn't accept credit cards or cash and I live in Spain!!

Offline MaxD

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 10 May 20 17:11 BST (UK) »
You can pay by cheque or postal order - or by banker’s draft or international money order if you’re overseas. - quote from the gov.uk site.

MaxD
I am Zoe Northeast, granddaughter of Maximilian Double.
 
It is with great difficulty I share with you that in the early hours of 07 August 2021, Maximilian passed away unexpectedly but peacefully.

With deep sadness,
Zoe



Double  Essex/Suffolk
Randle/Millington Warwicks
Sokser/Klingler Austria/Croatia

Offline Crumblie

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Re: royal artillery tracer card - can anyone decipher it
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 10 May 20 17:55 BST (UK) »
First of all, a huge thanks to you lot for all the info and taking your time to read.
Secondly, I have very little, if not zero info on him, he was my maternal grandfather who remarried after my grandmother died and my mother was 12, she went to stay with her aunt, he started a new life in Scotland, apparently.

Thanks again, I'll try and research the units you've sent me an then I'll send for his service record, which is always fun as MOD doesn't accept credit cards or cash and I live in Spain!!

Have you tried tracing him using Scotlands People, his name is not very common in Scotland so you should be able rule out most of them.