Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: wolflars

Great grandfather at the Somme (and despite best efforts nobody can say what unit).

Really? You've asked the Ministry of Defence? This information is supposed to be available upon request.

1978-1980 (26 months) compulsory military service
honorably discharged as a 2nd Lt. from a Greek Commando Battalion (similar to US Rangers)

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

While in Germany I also was lucky enough (if you want to call it that) to act as a forward observer when the squadron's self-propelled howiter battery (M109A1) went to Grafenwoehr to fire. (One of the battery commanders I served with was Tommy Franks, then a captain, and really good commander.)

Been there too few times, although much later.

Served in 5. Rak.Art./Btl. 42 (MLRS) stationed in Hemau near Regensburg.

[/quote]
8). My Papa's father (my great-grandfather on my mom's side) joined the Northern Cyclist Battalion in Berwick when WW1 broke out in 1914.  His unit never left England as a whole, but he was called up to be sent to France as a replacement after the fateful attack by allied forces on 1 July 1916.  He was assigned to the 21st Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers (aka the 2nd Battalion of the Tyneside Scottish Brigade), 34th Division.  He was first on the line in the Lille sector (Armentierres) from July 1916 to February 1917.  They then moved to the Arras sector, and he was in the line there until September 1917, when they were moved down to the Villeret lines (just north of St Quentin) for a surprise attack on the German lines.  He was severely wounded here, and was sent back to England for treatment of his wounds.  He lost an eye and was partially blinded in the other.  He was then sent back to France after the Germans attacked in March 1918.  He was assigned to the Queen's Westminster Rifles of the 16th London Brigade, 56th Division, and was just in the lines when 5 German divisions attacked the Arras lines in the Battle of Gavrelle (the British units destroyed the 5 German divisions, and the held the line, although the lines bent.....but never broke, thus saving Arras).  He was wounded again in July 1918 during a trench raid, and then he was fatally wounded on 4/5 November 1918 during the Battle of Sebourg (near Vallenciennes).  He was taken to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station in Cambrai, and this is where he died on 6 November 1918.  He's buried in the Cambrai East Military Cemetery, plot II.A.42.

"Respect" to everyone else here who has family that served, and/or gave all. [&o][/quote]

Okay, how do I insert a picture from my computer into a thread????????

---

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

ORIGINAL: wolflars

Great grandfather at the Somme (and despite best efforts nobody can say what unit).

Really? You've asked the Ministry of Defence? This information is supposed to be available upon request.

I'm assuming that you know his name, right? If so, try the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and do a search of his name (just click "search our records" once on the site). You should be able to get something. Once you do that, you can search for the unit's "War Diaries," which were the "Intelligence Reports" back in WW1. These will give you information of his unit(s) that you won't believe. You can also see if any of his units that he was assigned to kept what's called a "Roll of Individuals" which may give the units that he was assigned to while in France (dates and everything). (I'd place my great-grandfather's here, but I can't seem to upload it from my computer.) After that, the War Diaries will be even more helpful. (I've traced my great-grandfather's footsteps in the Somme (Picardie), Canal du Nord, and Nord-Pas-de-Calais.)

Let me know if I can help you in any way (by searching, etc).

By the way, I know a guy on another board that was a Military Policeman assigned to Patton's 3rd Army in France during WW2.  He was on Patton's staff as a part of his MP guard.  Very cool stories that he tells, especially since Patton's my favorite general, and a hero of mine. [&o]
 

Infantry. Volunteered for the first 11 years. “involuntarily retained at the convenience of the United States government” for the last two.

wolflars and I had similar but different experience. After 11 years, I took a voluntary separation because the Army was drawing down from 18 to 10 divisions. He couldn't leave; I couldn't stay. Reality makes no sense at times. [8|]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

ORIGINAL: wolflars

Great grandfather at the Somme (and despite best efforts nobody can say what unit).

Really? You've asked the Ministry of Defence? This information is supposed to be available upon request.

LOL…when I say “best efforts” you should interpret that as “very little effort.” What I mean here is nobody in the family seems to remember. His daughter (my grandmother) paid very little attention to these matters. Additionally, virtually all of the family’s records (photos, birth certificates, death certificates etc) were lost in a fire in the 1970s.

I suppose I could contact the Ministry; however, I have little more to go on than this: George Harrison from Liverpool, British Army. No rank, no date of birth, etc. I suspect G. Harrison is a common name. The only reason I know he was from Liverpool is because of a family joke about G. Harrison of the Beetles. We know he was at the Somme because, despite the family’s faulty memories about such things as birthdates, something as magnanimous as the Somme resonates.


@Trick37

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, graves registration won’t help because fortunately he lived through the war. Perhaps, one of the links will lead me somewhere…

ORIGINAL: golden delicious


Ministry of Defence

Defence -----------Defense

Two peoples separated by a common language. [:D]

U.S. Army-enlisted
1990-basic then jump school at Ft.benning--first gulf war ended on bus ride to Ft. bragg
staioned at Ft. Bragg- first assigned to 18th Avn Bde under corps- then 82nd Avn bde
Got out 1994----came very close to going back in after college through the warrant officer pilot program--but decided to carry a gun for civilian masters instead. Not ashamed to say with the current rate of deployments for the troops--in a way I'm glad I forwent flight school back then---know some guys that have been rolling the dice with 3 to 4 current deployments under their belts.

ORIGINAL: Trick37

5). My cousin, Gary (on my mom's side), is from Northumberland County, England (Seahouses), and he spent 5 years with the French Foreign Legion (2nd Parachute Regiment) from 1985 to 1990.  He's now a police inspector in Surrey County.  (His sister was a police officer, too, but wasn't in the military.)

Whereabouts in Surrey? (n.b. you don't generally say 'county' after the county's name over here as in the US, as town names have a different structure. e.g. Norwich in Norfolk)

ORIGINAL: Trick37

I'm assuming that you know his name, right? If so, try the Commonwealth War Graves Commission,

That's assuming the Great Grandfather died in action. Otherwise this would be the place to go;
http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_rec ... cords.html

It's possible you won't be able to get anything with the information you have. But you should be able to establish more details about him through the public records office (register of births marriages and deaths). If you find the birth certificate of the grandmother, you should be able to track down the marriage certificate of the parents and this will have their ages. Alternatively if you know the date when he died then that would provide the same information. Date of birth plus first name and surname would probably be enough to narrow down to one individual.

ORIGINAL: wolflars

Defence -----------Defense

Two peoples separated by a common language. [:D]

Hardly separated. To be honest the differences between US and British English are much less than that between Dictionary English and common teenage slang.

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

ORIGINAL: wolflars

Defence -----------Defense

Two peoples separated by a common language. [:D]

Hardly separated. To be honest the differences between US and British English are much less than that between Dictionary English and common teenage slang.

Funny story....I was in high school in North Chicago, Illinois (next to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center), and we had a girl from Scotland in the class. I don't know if she was an exchange student, or if she was over with her military parents, but in the States for the first time.

Anyway, right in the middle of class one day, she turns to someone next to her and asks, "Can I borrow your rubber?" [:D] The class erupted in laughter because a "rubber" int he States is a condom. What she wanted was an "eraser," but she didn't know that. She was terribly embarrassed by that.

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

ORIGINAL: Trick37

5). My cousin, Gary (on my mom's side), is from Northumberland County, England (Seahouses), and he spent 5 years with the French Foreign Legion (2nd Parachute Regiment) from 1985 to 1990.  He's now a police inspector in Surrey County.  (His sister was a police officer, too, but wasn't in the military.)

Whereabouts in Surrey? (n.b. you don't generally say 'county' after the county's name over here as in the US, as town names have a different structure. e.g. Norwich in Norfolk)

Let me get back with you on that.

I know about the countis and stuff---I said it like that for the benefit of non-Brits. [;)][:)][/quote]

Sorry it took me a while....I kept forgeting to check.

He's in the Burpham area.

ORIGINAL: wolflars

@Telumar, I would be interested in seeing any photos you post.

Okay..just some. Let's start with this one: My grand-uncle in uniform. I think this was in winter 39/40.

And here with his platoon (he's the first from right), in the background probably the Wildflecken. It's a casern named after the said mountain, but i don't know in which unit he served, probably the 169.Inf Div, which was formed in this region, went to Lothringia in 40 (which would fit to a later photo) and then to PzGruppe2 (?), and later in 41 to Finland.

Kameraden auf der Stube.. On the back of the photo he wrote: With comrades on the Wildflecken.

On the right side "his" Hauptmann, maybe someone can identify the rank of the gentleman on the left?

My grand-uncle (2nd from left) with a PAK (calibre?), maybe he was an AT-Gunner.