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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 19th Nov 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
264989 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Want to know more about 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment? There are:1337 items tagged 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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George Henry Beynon 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment My father, George Henry Beynon of Aberavon, South Wales, was in the 1st Parachute Regiment. (1st Battalion I believe) He fought at Arnhem in September 1944. He was captured and sent to Stammlager 357 - Hut E4.
I would appreciate any information your readers can supply.
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Pte. Frank Holroyd 1st Btn. Parachute Regiment (d.5th Feb 1943) All we know is that my grandfather's uncle Frank Holroyd is believed to have been at Dunkirk and died in Tunisia on the 5th of February 1943, supposedly married to a woman named Elizabeth from Glasgow though this was unknown to the family.
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Pte. Thomas Emyr Davies 1st Btn. Parachute Regiment Thomas Emyr Davies, came from Neath in South Wales. Tom volunteered to join the Parachute Regiment in January 1941 after joining up with the South Wales Borderers in October 1939 at the age of 20.
He was captured during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944, and after interrogation was taken to Stalag IV B.
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L/Cpl. Leslie McLeod 1st Btn. Parachute Regiment (d.28th March 1943) I found Leslie McLeod part of a 15 year family history search. I'm sure this lad was my grandmother's step brother. We have no photos unfortunately.
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Pte. Thomas Dacey 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment (d.25th September 1944) Thomas Dacey served with the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment.
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Major Edwin "Posh" Girling MM and Bar. Airborne Forces Depot, Battle School Parachute Regiment  Edwin Girling joined The Leicestershire Regiment at 15,
During WW1 he served with the 1st Battalion in Flanders was more than once mentioned in Dispatches and twice awarded the Military Meda . Then India, Egypt, Germany (2nd.Btn) He was CSM, and later (5th.Btn) as Drum Major then Bandmaster.
He was Mentioned in Dispatch by General Haigh.
"For gallant and distinguished services in the Field". Awarded Military Medal.
On the 30th of April 1916. Notification over signature of Winston S Churchill (London Gazette of 27.10.1916).
1918 St Quentin, Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France.
" For gallantry and devotion to duty." Awarded Bar to Military Medal.
26 Feb 1919. (London Gazette of 14.05.1919). Conferment of the medal was announced in the London Gazette and E.P. Girling earned the right to add the letters M.M. to his name.
He left The Colours on the 28th of Apr 1934 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland where he was serving with the 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regimen his Military Conduct was Exemplary during his total service of 24yrs 63days.
In 1937 in Leicester, he rejoined as Drum Major to Bandmaster 5th Bn Leicestershire Regiment TA. A sufficiently rare step for a newspaper article which noted "Posh Girling" had been a violinist and solo Basoon player at 17.
on the WW2 outbreak of WW2, Edwin re-enlisted as Warrant Officer, Worcestershire Regiment, promoted Lieutenant in The Glosters and Captain in the Paratroop Regiment. As Major he was Commandant of a POW Camp at Peterhead in Scotland then a Camp in Mauritius, Indian Ocean.
The London Gazette reported on 25 April 1941
Gloster R. The undermentioned to be Lt.: W.O. Cl.1 Edwin Percy Girling (178960) from Worc. R. Lieutenant The Glosters.- Seniority Date: 2md Apr 1941
On the 2nd of May he joined 1st Btn. Paratroop Regiment and
transferred to 6th Para on the 17th of November 1942, then on the 1st of Sep 1943 he joined the Airborne Forces Depot, Battle School as a
Captain of the Parachute Regiment.
On the 13th of November 1944 he was transferred to Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland as a
Major. to be Commandant of the P.O.W Camp.
In June 1946 he went to Mauritius, Indian Ocean as a
Major to be Commandant Mauritius Royal Pioneers Camp a post he held until
12th of Jun 1947. On the 2nd of July 1947 it was reported in the London Gazette (Supplement) that he was released from active military duty, at the end of the emergency, Granted written permission from The War Office by the Army Council to use rank of Major thereafter.
He later rejoined the TA, on the 19 Jan 1952 he is on the Leicester
Gen List (Sec A) TA. as Adjt/QM of The Royal Leicestershire Regiment H.G.
Edwin died in 1982 at Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England
I am the son of Edwin Percy Girling MM and hold his Medals and Citations and numerous original photographs. He was awarded Military Medal with Bar, 1914 Star with Clasp, British War Medal and Victory Medal with Oak Leaf and for WW2 the Defence Medal and War Medal.
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Thomas Murphy 1st Airbourne Paratroopers I recently came into contact with my grandfather's (Thomas Murphy) family 12 years after I last saw him. His brother's ex-wife sent me copies of documents (3 newspaper articles, one telegram and a letter notifying his parents that he was in fact alive and not dead as they had previously been told) and photographs regarding Thomas' story. From the information I have here, Thomas was one of the 1st Airbourne Paratroopers that were dropped in Arnhem and made it to the bridge. His story is quite spectacular. After the British surrender at Arnhem, Thomas was placed into a POW camp. A week later he escaped, plead deaf and dumb and was also wounded in the head, he found his way to Amerongen after spending ten days in a chicken coop surrounded by Nazis. This is where he knocked on the door of a Dutch family. Not knowing each other, they took Thomas in, fed him, clothed him, treated his wounds and cared for him for four months. Thomas, now fit and healthier, set out for the British lines on the other side of the Rhine. Thomas was recaptured after swimming in the Rhine and spent the rest of his time in Stalag XI B. He was set free in April 1945 and set out for his sisters home in Edinburgh, this is where he met up with the rest of his family after 1 year of believing their son was dead.
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Pte. Ronald James Weaver 1st Parachute Regiment My uncle, Ronald Weaver, was in the 1st Parachute Regiment of the Airborne Infantry. He fought in the Battle of Arnhem. Like many others was captured in September 1944 and taken as a POW and sent to Fallenbostal Stalag 11b until the end of the war. He was a man of few words and never spoke of his time there at the camp. I would be interested if anyone rememberd him.
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Walter John Guy 1st Btn. Parachute Regiment Walter was in the Royal Army Medical Corps until 1941. He was at Dunkirk after been diverted on his way to Panama and narrowly escaped capture but was saved by one of the many small boats that sailed to France under heavy fire.
In 1941 he joined the 1st Parachute Regiment and was caught at Arnhem and made a POW the last six months of the war. My brother thinks my dad was at Monte Cassino and I know he went to Italy, North Africa, Greece, Egypt & Arnhem not sure where else.
He also had his name in the Golden Book in Paris. He belonged to the Dunkirk Veterans and when he died they came to his funeral with the flags and I know he would have liked that. A very proud moment for us all.
My brother sent £20.00 several years ago to the Army Service Records to find out about dad's service but we never knew his service number and never heard back from them. He finally forgot all about it. Dad did not talk about what happened in the War but he suffered poor health when returning home from the War in a Lancaster bomber. We can only go by his medals. A friend described what he thought they were the 1st being the Africa star. That meant he served in Africa between 10th June 1940-12th May 1943. He said it would say either 1st or 8th Army on it. If 1st Army, he served in Tunisia or Algeria between 8th Nov-31st Dec 1942. If it is 8th Army, then he served in Egypt and Libya from 23rd Oct 1942-12th May 1943. The next medal is the Italy Star,for service in Italy and the Med between 11th June 1943-8th May 1945. The next one is the 1939-45 Star. He got this for service overseas. The one below is the 1939-45 War Medal, which he got for serving in uniform for more than 28 days. The medal with the green-orange-green ribbon is the Defence Medal. It was awarded for defence of Britain during a time of threatened enemy invasion and who served 3 years at home. The next two are foreign medals, the first is the Dunkirk Assoc Medal the other I don't know. All I can tell you is that its a Belgian Medal, but I've never seen one before. Can anyone help me find out more please. My dad Walter John Guy was born 1919 he joined the army in 1936.
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