John R Green 3532253 1/9 Manchester Regiment looking for info on Grandad

[stephencorcoran]

Hi,

I've been researching the war history of my late Grandad (Private John Robert Green, 3735395) who was in the 1/9 Manchester Regiment in WWII. He sadly died in 2000, and as with most vets did not talk about his war experiences. I have obtained all his war records and also been to the National Archives in Kew and read through the battalion's war diary.

My Grandad joined up in July 1939 (he lived in Deansgate) joining the same Regiment as his father had in WWI. He was with the 1/9 in France and involved in fighting there, involved in fighting on the Albert Canal (I have a small passbook in Belgium that he had as a member of the Albert Canal vets?). He then retreated back through Belgium & France and was evacuated at the beach near De Panne (he swam about 0.25 miles off-shore to the Gracie Fields paddle steamer, with 2 colleagues, one who could not swim so they carried him). After reaching the UK he was posted to the Machine Gun Training Unit then the No.1 Machine Gun Holding Battalion in Whitley Bay before going back to the 1/9 Manchesters briefly then moving to the 7th (Hay Tor) Battalion the Devonshire Regiment. The 7th were later converted to the 87th Anti-tank Regiment and my Grandad served in Tunisia and Italy with them before he moved on to the 60th Anti-tank Regiment fighting in Italy and ending the war in Austria. He then spent nearly a year in Italy playing football for the Allied Services football team travelling the country.

I am trying to find out a little bit more about the 1/9th experiences in France & Belgium with the BEF - the unit war diary was extremely brief. Where they fought, actions involved. I am also trying to find out which Company he served in the 1/9th and anything about his - short - time in the Manchesters. My Grandad was, in later life, an active member of the Manchester Branch of the Dunkirk Vets, travelling to Dunkirk in the 1990s.

Othere things of interst are the Allied Services football; whether anyone knew him; plus he also fought in Crete but this is not mentioned in his war records?

Grateful for any help.
Stephen Corcoran, Grantown-on-Spey

[Wendi]

Hi Stephen and a Warm Welcome to our Forum 

Perhaps you have seen this, but just incase you haven't

http://themanchesters.org/forum/index.php?topic=4239.new;topicseen#new

Horace was in the 1/9th too !!

Wendi