Dad's Standing Vesta

During a recent clearout of stuff from my garage, I found this strange looking clip.

 

It had belonged to my dad and clearly dated back to World War 2.

But what is it?

War Memorial to 59th at Whipps Cross

After a lot of searching, I have now found an image of the Whipps Cross memorial.

 

This includes a dedication to the 59th (The Essex Regt) HAA Regiment RA.

ID Card for Mechanical Transport Drivers

How did my dad get a driving license?

 

Did he ever take a proper driving test?

These questions came up again recently when a ww2talk forum member posted some information about a relative, who had served in the RASC company of 11th Armoured Division. He stated that;

All tradesmen no matter what their trade needed to be able to drive due to Dunkirk (2 months prior) – some of the soldiers couldn’t drive then so the vehicles had become stuck on the beach...

This set me thinking about my dad. He had once told me that all he had to do was ride a motor cycle around a field without falling off, and he was then given a license!

On 12th October 1942, dad was issued with an Identification Card for Mechanical Transport Drivers.

I don't know if this was the first or last drivers card he was issued with. The significance of October 1942 was that the Regiment was, by then, preparing for an overseas posting (...which of course turned out to be North Africa).

I suspect he continued to be allowed to drive for all the time that he was in Italy and Africa.

So the next question is; could he have used this qualification to apply for a full driving licence when back in civvy street, without the need to take a formal driving test?

Regular Driving tests were suspended on 2nd September 1939 for the duration of World War 2. Testing didn’t resume for over a year after the end of the war.. During this time, I understand that wartime provisional licences were converted to full licences without testing.

So, although I haven't been able to validate this, it seems likely that dad could have converted his wartime drivers card into a full driving licence.

A Brief History of the 59th HAA Regiment by A.S.Cross

30 years ago, Albert Cross compiled, edited and probably typed (yes, on a real mechanical typewriter) this short history.

 

I've been revisiting this document and trying to find out a bit more about Albert.

Albert played a major role in The Eagle & Gun Regimental Association.

This organisation provided a means for ex-servicemen to stay in touch, support one another when necessary, and meet up once a year to talk over old times, new times, and remember those who had passed on.

 

As Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, Albert notified members of up-coming events such as Remembrance Day arrangements, Dinner dates and reunion dates. He probably also chased people for their annual subscriptions.

But for me, his most important contribution is his body of work that includes a brief history of the 59th Regiment. And he is also responsible for documenting the contributions of others; facts, opinions and wartime stories that he took the trouble to edit and type-up...thank you Albert!

For more information on Albert Cross, and to read "A Brief History" follow this link: https://sergeant-ack-ack.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

The Accidental Death of BSM Herbie Wells

As mentioned on the history page: The 59th Regiment poor Herbie lost his life in a silly training exercise.

 

I asked about BSM Herbie Wells on a forum and very quickly uncovered some information.

WW2 Royal Artillery website

Wouldn't it be great to be able to lookup an RA Battery number and find which Regiment it was attached to?

 

Or maybe you need to find all the Batteries associated with a Regiment.

Regimental War Diaries

Regimental War Diaries can provide more detail on the regiments strength, movements and activities during WW2.

They were written at the time, so provide a first hand account, and make fascinating reading.

Royal Artillery Museum: DRAMA Reports

The Royal Artillery DRAMA Reports can provide useful information for anyone researching RA Regiments activity during WW2.

While not providing as much detail as a Regimental War Diary, this report may give a good overview of locations and engagements.

a "soldiers gift box"

In this case, its not a gift box that a soldier received containing special rations for Christmas.

My dad packed a few items into a small wooded box and labelled it: "soldiers gift box".

In a rusting tin...

While recently searching the garage for a pair of matching hooks, I opened several tins and old coffee jars before stumbling upon

In the beginning...

Having started down the road of researching and compiling this short history, I soon decided that it would be better to place it on the internet, rather than leave it tucked away in a PDF, somewhere on my laptop.

It is over 70 years since the end of WW2, so the number of men and women that served with Allied or Axis armed forces during that period of history, and are still with us, must be relatively small.

However, there are probably many (like me) who had relatives that experienced the realities of war time life, who may either be interested in the subject, or may even have input they can offer.

I managed to give up History at school by the time I was 12. It was so boring; just a list of time-stamped events. What brings history alive for me is empathy. By understanding what your relatives went through, in the words they have chosen to describe their experiences, gives you a better 'feel' for their lives.

You share so much with your ancestors. Their day-to-day thoughts, self-doubts & sense of humour were probably very similar to your own. Its just that they lived in a different age, surrounded by different technology, and threatened by different dangers.

I keep putting this project down, thinking I've finished, only to think of another question about the guns used or the timing of events, or some other related issue. I have come to the conclusion that it will never be finished.

And then there are the missed opportunities; I could have (should have) quizzed my dad and others while they were still alive!

about this blog layout

I've written this history into this blog as a series of blog pages. Unfortunately the base address to this site takes you to the latest 'Post' rather than the starting 'Page', so users need to click the link at the top of the page to start reading the history.

There are currently 17 pages which are individually listed and accessible from the right-hand column of each page.

Further research

The starting point for me was The Eagle & Gun Regimental Association notes. I'd love to know if any members are still alive and whether any remain in contact (or maybe they still hold annual meetings). I'd like to access their full set of annual meeting notes, as they are sure to contain more "memories" and individual accounts of life in the 59th Regiment.

I want to go look at the A.A. guns they used. Unfortunately the Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich closed in 2016 and all the exhibits have been put into storage. Hopefully this stuff will resurface in 2020 when the new exhibition centre is due to open at Larkhill:  http://www.salisburyplainheritagecentre.com/

However, we did swing by Fort Amherst in Chatham at the weekend and have a play with a QF 3.7 inch Vickers Armstrong gun.

The QF 3.7 was one of three guns that my dad would have used in WW2, and he would have laughed to see his son and grandson clowning around with it.

In the background of this picture there is an 18 pounder, which was a gun dad mentioned from his time in a field artillery unit. Judging by this Facebook video, it looks like they still fire this gun occasionally.