8th King's Royal Irish Hussars

[RoyW46]

Can somebody help me or point me in the right direction please.
I am helping a friend looking into her father's history:

EDWARD CHARLES WILMER
Born 28 April 1908 Gillingham, Kent
Married Salehurst Parish Church, Sussex: 10th November 1928
Enlisted in TA: 17.04.1939
Corporal in C Company 5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment.
Service No: 6400904
POW June 1940
Imprisoned in Stalag 383
Repatriated June 1944
Lived in Roberstbridge, Sussex
Died 1975

He may have been known as: Charles Edward Wilmer or Willmer, when he lived in Robertsbridge he was always known as: Charlie Willmer.

I have 'searched' Newspapers and in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer April 8 1933 there is an article about a Gymnastic Display, whereby local boys have been trained by: Mr. C. Wilmer formerly physical instructor, 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars.

I knew Charlie Wilmer, he worked with my father before the war at The Gypsum Mines, Mountfield/Robertsbridge, Sussex and they both served in the same company of 5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment.  They both became POWs, but were in different Stalags.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Roy Willard

[MaxD]

Born in 1908 he was too young to have served in the Great War so any service documents for service say in late 1920s to 30s (assuming he was the KRH man) are still, with his WW2 record, held by the Ministry of Defence.  Your friend can apply for them using his WW2 details:

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

MaxD

[RoyW46]

MaxD
Thank you.
Thinking about this it is more than probable that Edward Charles Wilmer was not in the 8th king's Royal Irish Hussars, but more likely in the Royal Army Physical Training Corps.  Clutching at straws here, I have not done any research into this aspect yet
Bit I do appreciate your help.
Regards
Roy Willard

[MaxD]

Only the Suffolk service record would show for sure but no reason why he could not have trained as a PT Instructor in the KRH, all regiments had their own regimental PTIs trained by the (then) APTC.

MaxD

[ShaunJ]

Per the War Office casualty lists (PoW 1940 and repatriation 1944), EC Willmer 6400904 was a Corporal in the Royal Sussex Regiment.

Added -  I have misunderstood the original query - I see that much is already known for sure!

[MaxD]

A most gentlemanly way of pointing out that I wrote Suffolk!!!

MaxD

[RoyW46]

MaxD and ShaunJ

Very good of both of you to reply to me.  We know a fair bit about Charlie Wilmer's service in the Royal Sussex Regiment, but not so much about his time as a POW before he was repatriated.

His daughter told me that he had been 'bayoneted' either during an escape attempt or when he was recaptured.  Because of his NCO rank of Corporal he was held at Stalag 383.  I do not know the circumstances of his repatriation in June 1944, but remarkable considering that period of the war.

I have photographs of Charlie with my father when they both worked pre-war at the Gypsum Mines at Robertsbridge/Mountfield and when they were both at an Army Camp c.1940.  In this photo Charlie is wearing his Corporal Stripes.  Interestingly, before WW2 he was in the: St John's Ambulance Brigade at Robertsbridge and photos of him in the Brigade's uniform also show 'stripes' on his sleeve.

We will be applying shortly to see if he completed the POW Liberation Report on his return to England, also to see if there was a Red Cross Report.

Thank you for your help
Regards
Roy Willard

[RoyW46]

Further to my previous request I have 'updated' my information about: EDWARD CHARLES WILMER.

Can somebody help me or point me in the right direction please.
I am helping a friend looking into her father's history with: 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars.

EDWARD CHARLES WILMER
Born 28 April 1908 Gillingham, Kent
Married Salehurst Parish Church, Sussex: 10th November 1928
Enlisted in TA: 17.04.1939
Corporal in C Company 5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment.
Service No: 6400904
POW June 1940
Imprisoned in Stalag 383
Repatriated June 1944
Lived in Roberstbridge, Sussex
Died 1975

He may have been known as: Charles Edward Wilmer or Willmer, when he lived in Robertsbridge he was always known as: Charlie Willmer.

I have 'searched' Newspapers and in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer April 8 1933 there is an article about a Gymnastic Display, whereby local boys have been trained by: Mr. C. Wilmer formerly physical instructor, 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars.

Another Newspaper article provides details of his repatriation in 1944 and mentions that he had been a member of the Rhine Army of Occupation from 1920-24.  This date is suspect because Charlie Wilmer was born in 1908, however other records re the 8th Kings Royal Irish Hussars show that this unit was in Germany for 3 years from 1926.

I knew Charlie Wilmer, he worked with my father before the war at The Gypsum Mines, Mountfield/Robertsbridge, Sussex and they both served in the same company of 5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment.  They both became POWs, but were in different Stalags.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Roy Willard

[MaxD]

Roy

On the military records side, as was pointed at the beginning of the thread, his record, which would include any pre-war service  is still with the Ministry of Defence so I am not sure that re-posting essentially the same query here will gain very much more than you have already.  Looking for a possible POW de-brief is a good move.

A post on the Sussex board asking for information about the PT instructor in the 30s and/or the post war period might be better placed.

MaxD