Has anyone heard of the 31st Battalion in Lichfield in WW2 please?

this goes along with my other thread about my grandfather's records, http://rwf-forum.co.uk/vBulletin/sho...5487#post75487

I just thought a specific question might catch someone else's eye.

on his records it says that in Feb 1942 he was posted to 31st Battalion RWF and location is listed as Lichfield, presumably in Staffordshire as that is the only one I can find.

I can't find a mention anywhere of a 31st Battalion.

We believe he was one of the Independent company commandos and his previous postings had included a 50th holding battalion.

Thank you

Anniek.

50th Holding Btn.

http://www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com/ww2-10ko.htm


ivor

those dates make sense - he moved on 23rd June according to his records so that ties in with when they set it up. interestingly just noticed the dates are out of order on his record and being posted to 50thHB in June comes after entries in August.

[QUOTE

I can't find a mention anywhere of a 31st Battalion.



Thank you[/QUOTE]

Not sure about the RWF but from other regiments those numbered 31st etc appear to hold wounded or men of lower physical grades no longer capable of retaining a place in a front line battalion . Some recovered sufficiently to return ,some remained pending discharge from the Army .10 casualties from 31st RWF died (all at home)

Jim

oh that is very interesting - thank you. He was 31st battalion from March 1942 until end of 1943 when they transferred him to be a driver. It was also during this time in 31st battalion he seemed to go in and out of random Welsh hospitals for unrecorded reasons. He also seems to have had leave a couple of times and it was when he met my Grandmother and got married (although according to his record he was never anywhere near where she said she was stationed! we are going to get hold of her records too as we can't work out where they managed to meet)

Hi.

where was she stationed


ivor

she was a Sergeant in the ATS at High Legh Hall in Cheshire - I think there were 2 halls, one was Royal Engineers and the other was ATS. She was lucky to survive after the US accidentally dropped oil cans out of a plane on them when they were on parade, the girls next to her were killed but she was only knocked unconscious. The girl in my grandma's normal position was one of those killed.

They apparently met at a dance in March 1942 but I would have assumed there was a limited distance they would travel to dances. It could tie in with him having just been posted to Lichfield though except that still seems a bit of a distance to go to a dance. for the first half of March I assume he was still in Killyleagh.

Hi.
I think you said he enlisted in Llay which is near Wrexham. Was he from that area.
and where was your Grandmother from, as it appears they got married in Buckley Nr Chester. which is not that far from Llay, about 7-8 miles ish.
I noticed that he had leave 1 to 8/4/42 and again 1 to 7/8/42 and they were married on 26/9/42.
If she was on leave also, is it possible that they met at a dance locally.


ivor

Hello,
The contents of the RED Dragon list the following chapters. Between the Wars, The 1st battalion, The 2nd Battalion 1939 -1945, The 4th 6th and 7th Battalions R W F
The 5th battalion (60th Anti-Tank Regiment, R A (R W F ) The 70th Anti Tank Regiment R A (R W F ) The 71st Anti Tank R A ( R W F ) the 115th Royal Welch ) Infantry Brigade
The 6th battalion ( Royal Welch ) The Parachute Regiment.the 12 th Battalion later the 116th (R W ) Light A A Regiment
& Chapters in all.
Regards R B D aka jungle1810

,

According to "That Astonishing Infantry"

11 RWF 1939-41 Then formed
|
14 RWF 1940-41 Which became
|
31 RWF 1941-46

No other detail.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vori101

Hi.
I think you said he enlisted in Llay which is near Wrexham. Was he from that area.
and where was your Grandmother from, as it appears they got married in Buckley Nr Chester. which is not that far from Llay, about 7-8 miles ish.
I noticed that he had leave 1 to 8/4/42 and again 1 to 7/8/42 and they were married on 26/9/42.
If she was on leave also, is it possible that they met at a dance locally.


ivor

---

no she was from Tyneside so nowhere near Wales.

ah ok - 11 became 14 and then 31

So many of them had to change numbers and names etc I suppose due to lots of casualties and amalgamations with others.

thank you everyone, I appreciate it, I am learning so much about it all. I didn't do history GCSE and that was the only time they covered WW1 or WW2 at school (disgraceful really) so I only know what I have read about myself or been told by my parents.

It is interesting, my mum is now remembering lots of little stories she was told over the years by other relatives too about their times in the war, so far we have had one about a very grumpy horse in WW1 that used to stamp on people's feet and one about a great uncle who was charged for leaving his gun in Dunkirk and then the accidental fatal US dropping of oil drums on my Grandma's ATS parade. I am writing them all down, they might be little stories of no significance but they are history for my children.

hi.
Sorry i misread the entry it appears to be Bucklow. Nr Chester. I think it should read Bucklow Hill see following link

http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/...-Hill/map.aspx

very near to High Legh.But what he would be doing there, another mystery.


ivor

ok.
maybe not such a mystery.

http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/PDF/WWI...tion_Sheet.pdf

I have just looked at the other sheet which records my mum being born and the marriage and it says Chester for the marriage so that sounds like it.

Amazing how many of these large parks/houses/estates exist really.

Battalion war diaries at the National Archives: WO 166/8937 31 Royal Welch Fusiliers 1942 Jan.- Dec and WO 166/12771 31 Royal Welch Fusiliers 1943 Jan.-Dec.