14402187 Sig Edward Montague Clark

[BW252]

looking for details of his Unit and his death
He was born in 1924 Fa Montague and Mo Olive nee Thorpe.
He died 30 Aug 1944 and is buried in Arezzo War Cemetery in Italy.    He served in 9 Air Formation R Sigs
Thanks in advance

[Kloumann]

Information on Findagrave.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56383103/edward-montague-clark

[CaroleW]

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2097116/edward-montague-clark/

[IMBER]

Some details of his death can be found here:

https://www.nickmetcalfe.co.uk/category/royal-signals-war-dead/

[Andy J2022]

BW252, you asked about details of his unit and his death. Thanks to Imber's link you now have his cause of death. This accords with his listing on page 6 of War Office Casualty Report 1548 dated 11 Sept 1944, reproduced below. I doubt if the unit war diary will provide any additional details, but you can find it here: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C961422    Unfortunately it's not been digitized so you would either need to visit TNA or ask someone to make a copy for you.

His unit was 9 Air Formation Signals - that was a regimental sized unit which consisted of the following component parts:
2 Line Troops
2 Construction Troops
2 Terminal Equipment Troops
3 Telegraph Operating Troops
2 Despatch Rider Troops
1 Technical Maintenance Troop
5 Wing Troops

There were 8 Air Formation Signals units in Italy in 1943/44: 1,2,4,6,7,8,9,10 AFS but unfortunately I can't tell you which RAF Group  9 AFS was attached to. The Air Formation Signals were responsible for the ground communications for the RAF group they supported (within and between their airfields) as well as providing links back to their superior Headquarters (RAF and Army) within the theatre of operations, as well as back the UK. The RAF were responsible for their own tactical comms between their planes and their ops rooms.  At the start of the war there were only 3 Air Formation Signals units, all TA, but this number was hastily increased during the first two years of the war, and by 1945 there were up to 17 or 18 of them dotted around the world.

[BW252]

Thank you all very much for the very valuable information you have provided.

Harry