Help needed with 8th Army Signals abbreviations please

[tyshapuzzle]

Thank you again MaxD I will make a start on those on Thursday. You have been so helpful

[MaxD]

Thanks to friends elsewhere, jigsaw pieces are falling into place.

The final posting (after a short stay at 53 RHU at Bielefeld awaiting posting) was to posted to 8 Corps Signals that became 8 Corps District  in Jun 1945.  This site has some details. https://britisharmyingermany.com/8th-corps-district/
The signals unit would have worked to the main and rear headquarters and perhaps also to the other locations mentioned.  There are two diaries for the period:
WO 171/4040 and 171/8688.

MaxD

[cpercival]

I note from the service record that embarkation for theatre took place on 4/10/40. If it is of interest that would have been on troop convoy WS3F which sailed from UK on 5/10/40.   Disembarkation at Suez was listed as 17/11/40 in which case he was transported on one of 4 fast liners 'Orontes', 'Monarch of Bermuda', 'Georgic' or 'Duchess of York' all of which anchored in Suez Bay at 1000 on 16th.

Clive

[tyshapuzzle]

Hi Clive
Are there any records which would show which of those ships he was on?

[cpercival]

There's an outside chance that the relevant war diary will mention it when describing the movement of his unit.  I was lucky in that it was in my father's case when he sailed for North Africa in 1941, but I understand that this was a rare exception.  Otherwise I don't know of any other record than perhaps a reminiscence by another member of the unit.  I have a fairly comprehensive account of that and other troop convoys in a very good book.  I'll give it some further study and will post if I come up with anything more.

Clive P

[tyshapuzzle]

Thank you Clive, much appreciated

[tyshapuzzle]

I've been looking at some of the other documents in his file and I think that the first one refers to 4th company, 4 L of C Signals?

Can anything more be gleaned about his service from any of these?

[MaxD]

I should have asked to see the other records earlier!

"George7" shows that 4 LofC Sigs was re-designated (changed its title) in July 1942 which means that I can go back to the National Archives catalogue and look again with that info in my mind.  There has been no luck in finding the 8th Army Sigs in a diary title.

It also specifically shows he was in 2 Communications section within 4 LofC which will be of use when looking at diaries.

We may be getting there - hang on!

MaxD

[MaxD]

The note relating to the re-designation of 4 LofC as 8th Army Signals in 1942 is not reflected in the 4 LofC diaries in that, at Kew at least, there are 4 LofC diaries beyond those I cited earlier, going on to 1945 in fact.
The whole list, 19 diaries (although there is some overlap where company diaries exist) is at the link:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01o13/

 I note that the titles from about 1943 don't have "Italy" in the title which is usually the case when a unit, previously in N Africa, moves to Italy (as we know George did).  I would be happier if the diary covering the July 1942 period confirmed the change of unit title and if we saw the move to Italy reflected in the diaries from late 1943.

Thus if you wish to find detail of where the unit was operating during those three years, I'd recommend  a check of the two mentioned above to be sure about the unit.  (I should have said that there are no diaries entitled "8th Army Signals" or indeed,  apart from a couple of military police ones, none with 8th Army in the title at all).

Quite a lot of documentation to go through.  I should let you think about how you wish to go about it from here on.

MaxD

PS Ignore the attachment if it opens, tried to delete it!