Help reading a war record

[Cld147]

Hello,
My Grandad's war records have finally arrived to help me fill in what he did prior to D.Day but I was wondering if someone could help me figure out what it says? I'm struggling to read some of the text and am not sure what the order numbers mean. I have worked out in Oct 1942 he was with primary training corps, then to training batallion in Nov 1943. I think in March 1943 he joins 556 field coy at depot batallion?
I don't know what RGXGA means it SOS on posting to S....could that word be Sicily?
It then says embarked North Africa June 1943.
J field coy 1943.
Redesignated 66th field coy (did he change units or did the unit change its name).
I know he was still with 66 field coy in Normandy when he was killed in June 1944.

 Any help would be gratefully received.
Claire

[MaxD]

The order numbers are the references of the Part 2 Order (an administrative piece of paper)in his unit on which the entry was recorded.  Thus the first one was Part 2 Order number 65 of 1942 by the unit concerned, they can safely be ignored!

He moves from the training battalion to 556 Company in March 43.

The S is the start of the word Serial.  Serial RGXGA is the draft recognition code (the letters don't mean anything) identifying the draft (a large body of men posted overseas) in this case.  He was SOS, Struck off Strength,  removed from the books if you like, of 2 DBRE in 15 Jun 43 to join the draft on 16 Jun 43 for N Africa.

Redesignated is the common term for a change of title of the unit he is in.

The information I gave in your earlier thread in January which you don't seem to have replied to, it seemed that 66 Field Coy remained in the Middle East.  Can we see the remainder of the postings record.

MaxD

[Cld147]

Hi Max,
Thanks for your reply to this message and your previous message. I did see it but have overlooked replying which I am really sorry about.
The sheet I attached was all from that section but I'm attaching some other pages that mention location that says he was in North West Europe when he died in June 1944 which suggest he was still with 66th.
Claire.

[MaxD]

No doubt about his unit from these papers and the dates.  Left the N Africa theatre in Jan 44 for UK, embarked for NW Europe on 4 Jun 44 until his untimely death 11 days later.  The RE history is equally clear at putting 66 Fd Coy in Italy! 

I am unsure why there should be no war diary beyond the one that covers to Dec 1943 in N Africa and why the history doesn't list 66 Fd Coy in the NW Europe units.  Need to work on this a bit more (unless a Sapper expert knows the answer!).

MaxD

[Cld147]

Thank you for your help. 🙂

[MaxD]

A part answer.

The 66 Fd Coy referred to in the history is the 66th Field Company Bengal Sappers and Miners of the 8th Infantry Division (India) which clarifies the references to Italy - my apologies

Still searching for a 1944 war diary in the NW Europe series for 66 Fd Coy.

MaxD