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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, Suffolk Regiment? There are:1646 items tagged 1st Battalion, Suffolk 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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L/Cpl. Victor John Hayes 1st Btn. Suffolk Regiment Victor Hayes signed up with the Army Reserve in November 1938 at age 19 having done an apprenticeship in his local garage as a mechanic.
On 2nd of October 1939, his unit (1st Suffolks), which was part of the 2nd Brigade, 55th Division, disembarked in France and entered the war. He participated in the Battle of Dunkirk.
On 11th January 1940, he was posted to the 136th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. He then served with the 1st Suffolks (now part of the 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division) Army Field Workshop and went on to become a motor vehicle technician with the Royal Artillery Ordnance Corps at Arborfield.
On 1st October 1942, he transferred from the R.A.O.C to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps, became a Craftsman, and was promoted to Lance Corporal.
In June 1944, he took part in the Normandy landing at Sword Beach.
On 17th February 1946, he entered the reserves of the occupying British Army of the Rhine. He was then released from service on 20th February 1946.
He never wanted to speak about his service, except to say that he was good at dodging bullets, and that the R.E.M.E. were the last to leave the invasion beaches as they had to disable all the abandoned equipment.
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L/Cpl. Charles Frederick Hughes 1st Btn. Suffolk Regiment (d.3rd Jan 1945) I did not know my Uncle Charles Hughes who was born in 1922. His older brother Edward was killed at Dunkirk in 1940 and my dad was the only brother who survived the war, he was a Royal Marine.
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Pte. Robert Henry Waters 1st Btn., B Coy. Suffolk Regiment Bob Waters was my father. He was conscripted in 1939 and trained as a gunner in the RA. He was transferred as an infantryman with 1st Suffolk Regiment and landed in Northern France with the regiment on 6th June 1944.
He was hit by a mortar bomb on the approach to Chateau la Ronde on 26th June 1944 and was invalided after the loss of the foot on one leg and the calf of the other and internal injuries. He survived until the age of 71 yrs.
All he recalls is losing all his close mates and the utter confusion when landing on the beaches. They lost a lot of men when a DUCK hit the sand banks and the men were told to jump into the sea. Lots drowned as they were carrying large packs.
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