22534035 Sgt K.Carroll Manch R

[sutton]

Good day to you all,
I have been reading all the interesting items on the bn in Malaya as I have had an interest in this campaign for many years but only recently managed to read a copy of "The Jungle Bashers" through the inter library loan system.  I am keen to know if any of the old hands recall Sgt K.Carroll.
Look forward to your replies with interest.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Emsden

[george.theshed197]

Good evening Mike and Welcome to the Forum,

Having served with the 1st Battalion from about November 1949 right through to the Amalgamation in 1958 at Brentwood in B;C;D and HQ , having served in each of all of those Companies and regard myself as one of the 'Old Hands' I cannot recall any Sgt. K. Carroll during our time in Malaya, remembering that we were all based at different locations  during those three years, which company did he serve in   was he by any chance one of the Attached Personnel ?

I am intrigued? Was this by perchance a chap called "Paddy" Carroll of the Regimental Police 

George.

[artyhughes]

Evening Mike and George

There was a Paddy Carroll(rank not known) in the regimental police during our tour of Malaya,there was a sergeant O Carroll in the mortar platoon whose father had been a long serving Manchester Man,Sergeant J.O Carroll ended his service with the rank of RQMS,he now lives in the Leyland area of Preston,Lancs

[george.theshed197]

Hi again Roy,

Yes that was the one I can remember - the lad from the RP's; Jimmy O'C as you say finished as RQMS with The Kings, his wife Ann died some years ago unfortunately, they were both great golf fanatics.
 

It is this Sgt K. Carroll that I cannot place anywhere in the Battalion, at home or even Malaya, not even a mention in Jungle Bashers- as the former K of S reputedly used to say regularly '...Its a puzzlement.'  

Trust that you and Jean are both keeping well and behaving yourselves.

Take care,
George.

PS. A Wild Card question - is it by any  chance CAROL (Initial NK) you are looking for - believe to have gone off to the Ghurka's as I.O??.  Along with 'Herr Von Feff of lady's repute .

[Robert Bonner]

 Go to the Manchester Regiment Archive site and open the MR Image Archive.
Search for Carroll and there is a Corporal Carroll of A Company in August 1952, sitting near to Sgt Blamire, CSM Porter &C/Sgt McLure.

The same photo is reproduced on page 115 of  The Manchester Regiment 1st Battalion 1945-1958.

[george.theshed197]

Hi there Bob.
So my 'wild card' did work, I have wondered for many a long year "Who the dickens was this 'Carol' character mentioned  along with Eric Von FFon , an old friend of long long ago, as mentioned on page 48 of JB.

Tut-Tut trying to confuse me (as if have don't enough problems of my own in this condition)
At least the problem may now to be resolved or answered, or will it.

I can never remember ever coming across his name in the Battalion previously. From whence came from he 

Take care.
George/

[sphinx]

Mike,

Obviously you aware that his medal is for sale on Ebay.

Presumably you are fishing for information in order to decide whether to purchase it, are you not?

GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL BAR MALAYA 22534035 SGT K CARROLL MANCHESTER REGIMENT

regards

[george.theshed197]

Thanks for that info Sphinx,
I did have my suspicions - Hail and farewell Mike.
George.

[sphinx]

For the sake of completeness, not withstanding the reasons, and for the sake of future researchers can we end this thread by stating which person Sgt. Carroll is from the previous answers please.

regards

[george.theshed197]

Hi Sphinx,

Seemingly - the person in question appears to have served in A Company as reported by  Bob in the photograph on page 48 in Jungle Bashers and again as also reported on Line 5 of that page" Sergeants Pepper and Carol also departed - on attachments to the Gurkhas...." personally I had never heard of nor met the bloke in the whole of my service with the 1st Battalion.

George.

[sphinx]

Thanks George,

Perhaps he left for the ghurkas soon after arrival?

Regards

[Robert Bonner]

Unlike being in a normal situation where the various components of a battalion are all based together in one barracks, the situation during the Malayan Emergency was totally different.  Individual companies were based in tented camps on rubber estates or in villages, possibly several hundred miles away from the next company.
As a result there were very few opportunities for men, unless they were regular army soldiers, to get to know anyone other than those in their own company with whom they soldiered.

This doesn't really solve the mysterious Carroll but may explain our ignorance.

[sphinx]

Thanks Robert,

I suppose being a Sgt at that time meant he was a Regular with WW2 service perhaps?

regards

[george.theshed197]

Not neccesaraly,
Going of that number he would seems to have been an NS man, in 1952 we were back in Penang doing our Retraining at the end of which many of our first group of young Officers had just about completed their service, also we lost a lot of senior NCO's who began with us in Goslar etc were also due for PYTHON, again listed on posting to the Depot and NS was drawing to a close - in between the devil and the deep blue sea, the CO went ahead to replace or fill the gaps, so many of the better NS men underwent rapid promotion to Sgt, I can remember  a couple of mine in 6 Platoon  from B Company suddenly joining me in the mess in Tapah and Temerloh later afterwards following Retraining or move to Pahang.

Regretably far too many assumption are being of late particularly in this case, so little is known about him so guessing games begin.
George.

[sutton]

Many thanks for all your replies to my query.   Seems to be a bit of a mystery man but as RB writes when a bn is spread to the winds in many different locations and at such a great time span it would be difficult to recall everyone even at the   rank of sgt.  Add in to the mix the turnover of NS men and I congratulate you on the men you do recall.   I served in Singapore,Malaya and Sarawak & BAOR with QRIH 1962-66 when we were all regulars and not as many in numbers as an inf bn and I only really remember men from my own sqn.
Will keep visiting this theme as Malaya is an interest of mine and these past memories are better than official histories.

Mike