Sgt Joseph Howard 3524434

[Daybreaklad]

Can anyone please help me with any information regarding my grandfather
Sgt Joseph Howard 3524434 Manchester Regiment wounded June 1940 Dunkirk Died June 4th 1940 Stains Middlesex
Now buried at Hurst Cemetery Ashton under lyne.
My grandmother never spoke about him and my mother was to young when he died
This is all the information I have I don’t have any photos of him or if he was awarded any medals
so any help would be greatly appreciated
Many thanks
Roy

[Tim Bell]

Hi Roy,
The MoD previously provided copies of service records to family members. These are being transferred to THe National Archives and I don't know how to request them at the moment.
I'm no expert on 2nd WW, so not much to add. Sorry.
Welcome to the forum.
Tim

[rafboy]

Hi Roy
Further to Tim's reply this is the link for you to apply for your grandfathers service records. It's the official government web site which I suggest you use. Other sites such as Ancestry also provide them  but the government one will ensure you get all there is.
As Tim says the records are being transferred to the National Archive at Kew where they are being digitised which is causing long delays for people wanting them.

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-records-of-service

You could also post your question to the Manchester Regiment Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/44967928106

Sorry I cannot help with any more.
Best of luck.
Cliff

[Red W]

Hi, Roy.

As others have said, your grandfather's service records are the best place for details on him as an individual. All I can speculate on is that, as he was a Serjeant, he had seen either regular or territorial service before 1940.

BATTALION
To put him in a wider context, you'll need to find which battalion he served with. I think his number suggests he was a regular - do you know if that's the case? If so, he was likely with the 2nd Battalion, which was in France from 1939 until evacuation in 1940. A C Bell's "History of the Manchester Regiment, First and Second Battalions 1939-1945" will give you a good overview of the campaign.

If he wasn't with the 2nd, then the 5th, 8th (least likely as it sailed for Malta before Dunkirk) and 9th Battalions were also in France at that time. They were Territorial units, so if you think he had another job, are possible.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Always difficult to find these, though you could be lucky via the Manchester Regiment image archive. There are a couple of possible Howards in his time frame:

- Depot (1934) - if a regular. https://manchester-regiment.org.uk/frontend.php?pos=2&action=zoom&keywords=Ref_No_increment;MATCHES;(^|%20+)MR01045($|%20+)&continueUrl=ZnJvbnRlbmQucGhwPyZrZXl3b3Jkcz1Ib3dhcmQmYWN0aW9uPXNlYXJjaA==

- Depot (1933) https://manchester-regiment.org.uk/frontend.php?pos=3&action=zoom&keywords=Ref_No_increment;MATCHES;(^|%20+)MR01056($|%20+)&continueUrl=ZnJvbnRlbmQucGhwPyZrZXl3b3Jkcz1Ib3dhcmQmYWN0aW9uPXNlYXJjaA==

8th Bn (1940) - https://manchester-regiment.org.uk/frontend.php?pos=9&action=zoom&keywords=Ref_No_increment;MATCHES;(^|%20+)MR03645($|%20+)&continueUrl=ZnJvbnRlbmQucGhwPyZrZXl3b3Jkcz1Ib3dhcmQmYWN0aW9uPXNlYXJjaA==

MEDALS
For the Second World War service you have outlined, he would have been awarded the 1939-1945 Star and War Medal. At 27, I don't think he'd have been old enough for a long service medal so, unless he spent time in Palestine with 1st Battalion, that could be his full entitlement. Again, the service records will tell you.

Hope that's a help. There's more digging you can do, but you'll need his unit first to make sure that's accurate.

All the best.