Walter Herbert Hammond RWF - 1920/30's

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This photograph shows Walter Hammond on the left and I am sure it is the same male from my previous picture on his right who was titled "father of Whippet Quick" in that photograph.

They are standing next to a 40mm Bofors LAA gun and looking at the architecture behind it,s somewhere in Northern Europe.


I have been told the emblem on the other side of the tractor - a shield with what appears possibly a white cross diagonally is that of The Lowland Division which the 108th were part of.

If that is so would they have kept their original troop markings form the 108th?

Because of the markings, we have to assume this picture was taken after Dec 1944. 116th had been disbanded and your father was now serving with 108 LT AA.

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Members may be interested to know that one of our members Gyn Hughes tends to EO SKaifes grave 3 or 4 times per year, on behalf of the regiment.

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[Sylfan]

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Thank you for recommending "General Hughie Stockwell" by Jonathon Riley it makes good reading. A number of campaign's Stockwell had been involved I must admit I had almost forgotten about and it was good to revisit them and learn a lot more. I found his career fascinating and by the time I came to his death I was quite moved at reading about his funeral.

From a non military persons point of view I found the large number of abbreviations which you would expect in a military book to find a bit difficult as unfortunately the Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations was a bit wanting.

As far as the report of the car accident mentioned involving Colonel Skaife and my father, I was surprised to read that my father was driving a Humber staff car. My mother always maintained he was driving a vehicle which had been commandeered and was in poor mechanical order, but a Humber staff car sounds it was a proper military vehicle.

I have just started reading "The Red Dragon" and have just covered the 1st Battalion before the outbreak of the Second World War. I have been trying to fit the events and places described in the book with my fathers joining the Battalion in 1928 in India. Moving to the Sudan, possibly to Atbara as he received a telegram from Atbara, as a mate wished him "bon voyage". The telegram was addressed to HMT Lancashire , at Port Said, Egypt and I believe was on his way back to England.

He is shown in England by December 1931 which seems to be ahead of the Battalion as "The Red Dragon states the 1st Battalion landed at Southampton on the 21st April 1932.

Could he have come home early as possibly Colonel Skaife may have come ahead of the Battalion to make arrangements for it's arrival and possibly my father was his batman by this time and accompanied him?

Sylfan

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He is shown in England by December 1931 which seems to be ahead of the Battalion as "The Red Dragon states the 1st Battalion landed at Southampton on the 21st April 1932.

Could he have come home early as possibly Colonel Skaife may have come ahead of the Battalion to make arrangements for it's arrival and possibly my father was his batman by this time and accompanied him?

Sylfan

I would think that was entirely possible, they would normally have an advance party. The CO on a ship with the main body heading back to the UK would not actually be able to achieve anything in terms of planning etc. Additionally there would have been stewards on board, so your father quite possibly may even have travelled ahead of him.