Genealogy Chat

I have just been loaned my grandads ww2 soldiers release book to make a copy of.
It shows his rank as W/ BAR and I don't know what that is.
I am used to most army ranks as I was in the TA for 10 years but this one has confused me.
It's lovely to see this and I have photographed his 5 medals too and the iron cross that he nicked from a german soldier (naughty boy).
My aunt is keeping them all and passing them all down her side of the family.
The best I can get is the copies and photo's.

I would appreciate any help

Thanks
Cheryl :-)

I was regular Army.......and I don't recognise the rank, either.

I've just had another look and on one of the pages it looks like W/Bdr.
Would bdr be bombadiar.
one image shows W/BAR and another shows what looks like W/Bdr

He was in 102 Northumberland Hussars A/ TK Regt. RA

Have a look at this.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/980.page

Thanks Adeline
I will

I suppose it is definitely a 'W'

L/Bdr would be Lance Bombardier, which would make sense, although the rank is only applicable to Artillery regiments

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/81/a5761181.shtml

It looks like the W was for a substantive rank for the war and it sounds like he was a humble Bombadiar. It is nice to see the release book and his officer wrote that he was a first rate soldier who served his country well. Hard working and cheerful at all times. Very willing, clean and trustworthy. A good sound type.
That definately sounds like the grandad I remember.

Thanks you all for your help
Cheryl :-)

Thanks Flick
I will take a look

Not so humble, really.......Bombardier equates to full Corporal.

What a lovely memento for you to have of him.

Thanks Flick, I thought it was equal to a private.

It is lovely to see it. My aunt has all the family certificate going back to 1877. She said she will pass it all on to her children, which is wrong as she has a sister and 2 brothers still living. I have scanned all the docs today (approx 30) as it will be the last I see of them. I am 50 and only found out recently that she had them.
It would be nice for the medals and army recod to be kept in the family name, but as the eldest born she has decided to keep all the family photo's and documents for her own children, 2 of which live abroad.
I am happy to have had the chance to see and scan them.
If I had the medals I would have them on display not kept in their little brown box
Thanks again for your help
Cheryl

" Gunner" was equal to private,

if you can, get the medals photographed in a display setting, and frame the picture

oops!! looks like you may have already done that!!

Bob

(think)
I MUST read the thread properly............x 500 lines.......

Thanks Bob, I have photographed them, but my husband has lots of medals so we intend to make our own display using our own medals. Afterall ww2 medals were not named anyway.

I would love to get my hands on the iron cross. I photographed that too. It was a ww1 issue. I can remember my grandad saying how it got it. naughty man.

Cheryl

Cheryl, I emailed kevin asplin,( he has a boer war site) and he says......................


Bob,

Wireless Ranks - i.e. he was a signaler!

Kevin

Sorry, but think I've got my senior head on . Not quite sure what you mean.

Did you mean that he was a signaler with the rank of corporal. I was a signaler with the RCT but my rank was just shown as Sgt
Cheryl
:-)

I gather that the W means he was a full corporal (bombardier)wireless
operator
when I was in the signals we had " signals sergeant"

what he was "called" while in the ranks may have been just bombardier, but his qualification in his discharge book would likely show his "trade"

I was a mere signalman.........but trade was Tg -op(telegraph operator.)

Thanks for that.

My brain needs thing in black and white sometimes.
I blame it on my age. lol

Cheryl :-)