Information found on the back of a photograph. Please help.

[davecapps]

What would Hans Behr's approx date of birth be?

[robson1]

I don't know any dates so it would be casting a wide net to say he would be at least 16 and maybe at the most 50 at the time they were together. My grandmother (born in 1928) would have been 20 when she fell pregnant and gave birth so anything from 1900-1931 seems reasonable as a birth date for Hans.

[robson1]

Most of the POWs were supposed to be young so I guess working back from 1928 would be most logical of all, maybe even 1930 depending on just how young the prisoners were.

[Son of DR]

Hello,
I've only just found this website, and, by chance came across this chat. I don't think I can add any real info to help with it, other than the fact that my dad was a Don-R with the Royal Army "Sleeping" Corps (There were, according to him, other, less polite terms used for the "S"). Anyway, dad's name was AVH "Vic" MASON. He rode (the DR's most popular m/cycle) a Matchless. Was evacuated, along with thousands of others, from Dunkerque, and was in Nth Africa, but never got as far as Germany.
He died in 1983 (63 years old), and, although he told me many of his exploits, I wish I'd been "grilling" him for more at the time.
I hope soon to post a couple of photos of him in DR battle-dress, on the "Matchy".
This post won't have helped you much, but just clears the fact that there were, at least, two RASC Don-R's named MASON. Good Luck with your search.

[NSWP]

According to https://www.baor-locations.org/BFPO.aspx.html the BFPO address system didn't come into existence till 1957.

"DUR" is probably DVR:  Driver R H Mason, C Platoon, 10 Company, Royal Army Service Corps.

Agree with that, Driver - DVR was lowest ranker in the RASC.

[NSWP]

Well spotted Cockney Rebel Just found a website that ties number blocks to years. October 1960 23845072 to April1964 2396919. The photo is 23903012 so he signed up about 1963.

Spot on...my army no. was 23982021, enlisted August 1963. (you never forget that number, lol.)

[robson1]

Some updates:

The name of the man I am looking for is likely to be Hans Baer, not Hans Behr as I had previously suggested. I have found two such men with that name with ties to the area that my mother was born, so it looks like it's one of them but clues are scarce for which one it is. The one thing that could suggest something is the military link, mentioned in the opening post about the RASC, and now I think with one of the men. When this man married he was stated to be living at the "British Agricultural Hostel" Forgandenny, Perthshire. Am I right in thinking this may have been a camp of some sort? Any help would be massively appreciated. Thanks.

[RJ_Paton]

There is an entry in Hansard (Parliament Records) in 1949 addressed to the Seceretary of State for Scotland regarding the usage and staff levels of the "Agriculture Camp" Perthshire.
The response indicates that the residents/inmates were hired out or lent out to local farmers but that due to declining demand the centre was to be closed down.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1949-02-08/debates/dc81560a-6e0d-4a52-bcd4-79c63ba92af9/AgriculturalCampPerthshire

[robson1]

Thanks. Opened in February 1948, he was listed as living their on the marriage certificate of October 1948 and said to be a "Cook". This feels like the person I'm looking for though now. I don't know how the RASC fits into this, and there doesn't appear to be much info using a regular internet search about the forgandenny hostel either though.