My Dads Medals

[NUMPTYLAD]

My Dad, Raymond Douglas Wood, served with the 2nd Battalion in Singapore and was captured at the fall.
After the war he stayed with the Battalion and served in N Ireland, where he met my Mum, Emma Florence.
From there he went to Ladysmith Barracks and then of again to Malaya, Berlin and Minden.
I am trying to identify what medals he, potentially, would be entitled to as his were stolen sometime ago.
According to family, he was the rations Cpl in Minden, but I am not sure of any other jobs that he had.
Can you help?

[rafboy]

You can get your dads Army record which will detail his medals see the Information and application form PDF files.
Cliff

[NUMPTYLAD]

Thanks for the first reply, I have already applied for his record from Glasgow, but have been informed that this could take 6 months. I have a time constraint, in that I want to try to get copies of the medals mounted and get them to my big brother in Australia in time for Anzac day.

[Robert Bonner]

Welcome to the forum.  The 1st Battalion served in Singapore, not the 2nd.

For his service during the war your father will have been entitled to the 1939/45 Star, the 1939/45 War Medal and the Pacific Star. For his service in Malaya post-war he will have been entitled to the General Service Medal (KGVI) with clasp Malaya.

[george.theshed197]

Allowing for the fact jhat as Bob has stated, the Bn was the 1st and it served from Day +20 with the 53 Welsh Div through from Arrormanche and the ultimate point of Goslar in the Hartz Mountains, then went to Wuppartal thence to Berlin in 1950 . A break in Chester (Saighton Camp) then onto Malaya - (May 1951 to 1954) from then to Formby and the Queen Mother's Parade and then across to Wavell Barracks , Berlin in August 1954, followed by Minden ( 1955 to  1957)  then back to Formby for a short stay and ended up at Warley Barracks, Brentwood where it Amalgamated in Sept  from where my service with it ended1958; it was only after the East African(Kenya/Bahrain)The King's Regiment ( no longer The Manchester Regiment) saw service in Northern Ireland,

Might I consider that your information above is somewhat confused, maybe based on the details given out by your father much later.
George.

PS. I am not challlngeling  you father's service in Singapore and as a POW !!

[Robert Bonner]

Correction George. Numptylad is referring to the original battalion captured at Singapore in 1940. It was postwar that his father joined what we refer to as the 1st Battalion. 
Sadly this is yet another example of a father not speaking about his military experiences.

[george.theshed197]

Yes indeed Bob,
I agree BUT in my last paragraph I did say " Might I  consider that you information above is somewhat  confused, maybe based on the details given out by your father much later. The same thing restated by yourself above in a slightly different way.
George.

[themonsstar]

3528190 Pte Wood. RD. HQ Company.  1st Group Thailand. Enlistment date 2/7/1935 7/5. Father: Mr Wood 36 Cromwell Road, Eccles, Lancashire.

He will also have the GSM with Palistine Medal

[themonsstar]

He arrived in Port Said from Cyprus 28 November 1937 by S.S. Fouadieh a TroopShip.

[NUMPTYLAD]

Thank you Gentlemen for your information to date. It has shed a lot of light on matters that Dad would not speak about.

As for the GSM Palestine, would that be the the King George VI medal, for which he would also have the bar Malaya?

[george.theshed197]

yes,
He most certainly was certainly entitled to the Clasp Malaya to his GSM for Palestine.
Meanwhile I have been trying to remember him in Berlin 54/55 - I should have known him  because I too at that time was Barrack Accomodation and Married Quarters Sgt BUT the only Cpls in the Q.M's section that I can picture in my in my mind were Cpl Jones and Cpl Hamilton; in the Ration Section was Sgt 'Taffy/Yanto' Hughes and a couple of Pvts, Butchers if I remember,on lone from Sgt Watson(Cook Sgt).
George.

[NUMPTYLAD]

Thanks again George. from my recollection Dad was a Pioneer, but my brother who is 5 years older says he was rations.
We lived in Bastau Strasse, I revisited that when my Regiment 1RRF were based in Elizabeth Barracks in the 1980s.
As mentoned earlier, my Mum was Emma Florence. At that time there were 5 kids, myself and younger brother were born in Ladysmith Barracks. No1 sister was born in Kuala Lumpar, No2 sister was born at BMH Rinteln, then youngest brother was born in BMH Berlin.

[NUMPTYLAD]

Should point out that Bastau Strasse is Minden.

I am in contact with big brother in OZ to try to get some more details of Berlin.

[charlie]

Your father would also be entitled to the Defence medal for his service in the war.

Charlie

[george.theshed197]

Now then my memory is stirring -
Can you remember any of the names of family's , children you went to school with in Berlin ? remembering Schafergrund ( Married Quarters next to the railway between The Stadium and the quarters and the Pichelsdorf Strasse - on the other side of Habicht Weg were the Qtrs of whatever Regiment was with us in Berlin - firstly the A & S.H and secondly The Cheshires. Now lad come on think hard please. To jog your memory maybe In the top right hand side, the largest families like Sgt George Wharmby ( Drums) ; Sgt Ted Widdowson (former POW like you father - also he was the Pioneer Sgt); in the vertical block below that were Betty and Normal Briggs, one of the sons was a fantastic pianoist who later would have been seen on TV in UK- that was also the Block that had the main Telephone,to contact Wavell Bks.  Most of the W.O's and C/Sgts like RQMS Harry Emmots, The B.M. Firstly (Eggie) Spooner who left us and went to Canada, then replaced by Bentley; CSM Harry Jones, C/Sgt Jim and Gwen Standen was the  main block on Habiicht Veg.  Major Gardner and his family lived in the house opposite to the road Habicht Veg on the P.Strasse. Come on now please think hard and let us possibly find some more memories for you and also for us.
George.