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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: elaine447 on Friday 16 November 07 00:00 GMT (UK)

Title: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Friday 16 November 07 00:00 GMT (UK)
this is a picture of my dad during his national service
he is in the middle row far right
not sure were it was taken only info I have is on the back it say's
2 Troop and Squadron and I think it say's field regiment any one
recognise the badge on the uniformed mens caps
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: mmm45 on Friday 16 November 07 00:05 GMT (UK)
Field Regiment and squadrons possibly Royal Engineers??
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Friday 16 November 07 00:08 GMT (UK)
Brilliant mmm45
thank you
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: oldjim on Friday 30 November 07 22:04 GMT (UK)
First time on this site, only reg'd tonight.  The cap badge is that of the Sappers (Royal Engineers) - I wore such cap badge
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Friday 30 November 07 22:16 GMT (UK)
Welcome to rootschat OldJim
and thank you for identifying the badge for me
what year did you wear the badge
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: oldjim on Saturday 01 December 07 22:44 GMT (UK)
Hi Elaine.  Joined Jan 1956 age 15 Boy Entrant.  left 1972.  Served UK, Germany,Aden, Bahrain.  Somewhere on the 'net there's a RE site more or less for old pics I'll try to find the address for you.  If pic posted there you might get some info
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: oldjim on Saturday 01 December 07 22:51 GMT (UK)
Elaine.  Your Pa should have been given some form of Discharge Cert (Certificate of Service)  Not sure if same as regulars which was a red book
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Saturday 01 December 07 23:04 GMT (UK)
hi oldjim
thanks for the help
my dad never spoke about any of his army stuff except that he was so proud
of that picture he only showed us it a couple of months before he died
he was born 1928 so I take it he was probably 18-20 when he done his national service
he and my mum married in 52 and he was working else where then
I have another one in a box trying to reach it down to put it on
Elaine

Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: oldjim on Wednesday 05 December 07 18:39 GMT (UK)
Hi Elaine.

The RE foto site is http://freespace.virgin.net/richard.hargreaves  The site currently seems to be having problems but think temporary as I my ISP is Virgin and they've said there are service prob's.  The EMail address  where fotos should be sent is given on the Home Page of the site.
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: janerich on Wednesday 05 December 07 18:49 GMT (UK)
Hi there,

Just a thought.

Firstly to confirm the above posts that this is the Royal Engineers confirmed by my husband a former Sapper.

Secondly - you say your Dad was born in 1928.  That is the same year as my Dad.  He was called up when he tuned 18 in 1946, after the end of the second world war.  It was not called National Service then but something like Post-war Hostilities service as there were still conflicts going on.  I think it will depend exactly how long it was before he was called up. I'm not 100% sure but I think National Service started in the 50s.

Jane
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Wednesday 05 December 07 19:10 GMT (UK)
Thanks oldjim and Jane
I am still looking for the picture of dad in his uniform
I know it is here somewhere and as I said dad didn't talk much about
his service he would rather learn you to fix your own car and
how to collect shellfish than the army I will try the site Jim and see
and maybe our dads were there at the same time Jane
I dont know any of the men in his pictures
but you never know
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Wednesday 05 December 07 20:25 GMT (UK)
Hi Jim And Jane I found it
putting a copy on here for you's to see
my dad is in the back row fifth from the left
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: scrimnet on Wednesday 05 December 07 21:52 GMT (UK)
Hi there,

Just a thought.

Firstly to confirm the above posts that this is the Royal Engineers confirmed by my husband a former Sapper.

Secondly - you say your Dad was born in 1928.  That is the same year as my Dad.  He was called up when he tuned 18 in 1946, after the end of the second world war.  It was not called National Service then but something like Post-war Hostilities service as there were still conflicts going on.  I think it will depend exactly how long it was before he was called up. I'm not 100% sure but I think National Service started in the 50s.

Jane

Actually I'll think you'll find that the first WW2 National Service (Armed Forces) Act was passed around Sept 1939...

    * National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939
    * National Service (No 2) Act 1941 (5 & 6 Geo VI)
    * National Service Act 1941
    * National Service Act 1948
    * National Service Act 1950

And this is the Imperial War Museums post on  post war National Service...

http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.1272

Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Wednesday 05 December 07 22:00 GMT (UK)
I am trying to recall a conversation
I remember dad meeting someone they were actually talking about
their national service so I do think it was called that then
and I also think I remember them mention something about Germany
that would tie in with your dates and the fact our troops would have been there to
help with the re-building that went on after the war or am I completely wrong
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: scrimnet on Wednesday 05 December 07 22:38 GMT (UK)
No you are completely correct...The British sector which still has some of our troops in that area, was originally under the auspices of "Control Commission Germany". It had become the British Army of the Rhine  (BAOR) from 1945.

 
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Wednesday 05 December 07 22:44 GMT (UK)
thanks scrimnet
its funny how we seem to be able to recall a conversation that was
about 7 years ago and I can't remember 1 from yesterday
must be an age thing  ;D :o
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: scrimnet on Wednesday 05 December 07 22:49 GMT (UK)
They say it's the short term memory that goes first..... ;D

Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Wednesday 05 December 07 22:59 GMT (UK)
 :( :( :(   just when  wanted to start learning ;D
Elaine
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: scrimnet on Wednesday 05 December 07 23:08 GMT (UK)
Then you wake up dribbling on your pillow....

And then you think you might be a student again...lost days and nights, random things appearing in the house, and not knowing from whence they come....
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: elaine447 on Wednesday 05 December 07 23:11 GMT (UK)
so what you are saying is I have got no chance :D
who put that there ;D
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: scrimnet on Wednesday 05 December 07 23:29 GMT (UK)
Depending upon your age, it's either:-

Drunkenness

Pre senile demetia

Senile dementia

Full blown Alzheimer's
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: oldjim on Thursday 06 December 07 21:57 GMT (UK)
Now theres a puzzle Elaine.  Your latest pic showing your dad  on back row poses the question which regiment/unit did he actually serve with?  Your father's headgear in the pic wouldn't be that of a Sapper.  Pretty sure it would have been of a Scottish unit.  Soooooooooooo we possibly have him in two different Regts/Corps or wot have you.  He could, of course, have been transferred from his original Regt/Corps.  Do you know what trade he followed at that age?
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: oldjim on Thursday 06 December 07 22:02 GMT (UK)
Is there any detail on the back of the last pic showing the name of the photgrapher/firm?  Official pics such as that one usually had some detail given
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: janerich on Friday 07 December 07 16:59 GMT (UK)
Hi everybody. :-\

I stand firmly put in my place over the National Service issue.  However as my father and Elaine's father served under the conscription National Service Act passed during the war even though the war had ended I can only assume that they :-\ :-\ called it post-war hostilities within the services.  I don't know - I wasn't there and my father has passed on 15 years since.  The 1948 act made National Service just 18 months long and this was after our father's served.

Elaine, I agree that your father must have switched regiments - my old sapper husband says that it looks Scottish  they look like Tam O'shanters!

Just to clarify - it was my husband in the RE in the 1970s and my father was actually Fleet Air Arm.

Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: scrimnet on Friday 07 December 07 17:56 GMT (UK)
this is a picture of my dad during his national service
he is in the middle row far right
not sure were it was taken only info I have is on the back it say's
2 Troop and Squadron and I think it say's field regiment any one
recognise the badge on the uniformed mens caps
Elaine

Ooops meant to say ....

2nd Infantry Division.

23 Field Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers of the above Division, moved into Napier Barracks from Hameln in July 1950 until May 1958, when they disbanded with the re-organisation of BAOR.

ORBAT:

2 Field Squadron

5 Field Squadron

This might be useful...

http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part18.htm

And it might be worth putting your first pic and a couple of questions on here...

http://www.engineers-reunited.co.uk/

And the modern lot...

http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/org/23regt/index.htm

Sorry..I recognised it as "£ Engineers straight away, but got carried away with the other stuff...

My (now ex)sis in law is RE, and was at 23 on her previous posting!


As for the "Jock" pic...

No reason why he couldn't have re mustered either during or after basic trg.

OR......Is it some other rellie????
Title: Re: national service help please
Post by: Ramsay Stewart on Sunday 13 May 12 00:48 BST (UK)
Elaine It could be that The two guys in the first Picture were not in YOur dads Regiment at all Because your dad was part of the Football team which could have been made up of Various Regm's lol