Deciphering Interwar and WW2 service records

[Darren1]

Hi,

Hopefully somebody could help me! I have recently received my great uncle's service record (he had enlisted with the Royal Artillery in 1936 and served until his death in 1945). Unfortunately I am struggling to decipher some parts of his record particularly which number is his Battalion number and which his Battery number and the abbreviations and terms recorded (see examples below). If somebody could help with this, I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks

Darren

BAOR?
U/A Lance Bombardier?
Draft Royal Field Artillery HH?
1/1 Field
55/22
HQ /22- Where is this Headquarters?
19/28 9th Field Regiment
6/10 3rd Medium Royal Artillery
173 Field Regiment 81/42
180 Field Regiment 25/43

[MaxD]

The convention in the Royal Artillery is for the battery to come first and the regiment as it was in that time frame to come second so:

1/1 Field looks like  1st Battery 1st Field Regiment but 1st Battery wasn't in 1st Field, could it be an 11?
55/22 55 Battery in 22 (Field) Regiment
HQ/22 headquarter battery in 22 Regiment
19/28 Battery (an amalgamation) in 9 Field Regiment
6/10 Battery in 3 Medium Regiment
The entries for  173 Field Regiment and for 180 Regiment are different although I'd like to confirm that with seeing the original.  The figures 81/42 and 25/43 look like the Part 2 Order number which posted him to those regiments, they are certainly not the battery

British Army of the Rhine
Unpaid Acting Lance Bombardier (one stripe, not paid for it and only acting)
Drafts are bodies of men moving overseas usually have 5 letter.  Again seeing the original should clarify.

Can you copy his postings and promotions form and/or his service and casualty form?

MaxD

[Darren1]

Thanks Max. Attached is a snap from the original.

Thanks

Darren

[Darren1]

And another couple of snaps.

[Darren1]

Last one! 

[MaxD]

The 5 4 36 defeats me I’m afraid except that it is definitely not 1st Battery and I am unable to decipher the letters in the unit column.
16 9 36 he is posted to 55 Bty in 22 (Field) Regiment
18 5 37 he moves within the regiment to the headquarter battery
28 5 38 the regiment is redesignated 24 Field and he is posted to 50/70 Battery
7 3 39 he is awarded 28 Days detention by District Court Martial
 7 4 39 he transfers to the reserve, called up in June  1939 and then goes back to the reserve once trained in August.
6 9 39 he is called back again and posted to 6/10 Battery in 3 Medium Regiment with whom he goes to France on 24 3 39
Has leave from 12 to 21 Feb 40.
Is evacuated (presumably Dunkirk) 7 Jun 40 joins 80 Medium Regiment on 16 8 40
1 9 40 joins North Midland (undecipherable)
14 10 40 Posted to 7 Defence Regiment (this is not air defence – these last two units were home defence but their role is a tad obscure)

To know where these all were you'd need the help of the RA Museum at Larkhill.  There is a war diary  at Kew for 3 Medium 1939/40 which would be the only one worth looking at for that period, not digitised though.http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C163009

MaxD

[Darren1]

Thanks so much Max,

My family and I had no idea that my great uncle had been at Dunkirk (so learn something new everyday!  ). I shall get in touch with the RA Museum in due course. Thank you for sending the link regarding War Diaries, I was hoping to visit TNA's in October, however 2020 hasn't exactly went to plan for all of us!  ::)But I intend go next year hopefully, as I would love to find out what Alec did to be Court Martialied (as there seems to be Court Martial records deposited at TNA as well)!

Thank you again for your help and stay safe!

Darren