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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.
- 18th Dec 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
265120 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 24th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery ? There are:472 items tagged 24th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 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/Bmbdr. William Dorrien Warne 24th Field Regiment Royal Artillery  William Warne enlisted into the regular army with the Royal Artillery as a gunner in 1934 and was posted to 2nd Brigade and joined 24th Field Regiment.On the 20th of July 1939 word arrived home that he was missing or had been captured defending Dunkirk. He had been ordered with others to help defend Dunkirk from the advancing Germans to allow the evacuation of over 300,000 troops, sadly wounded when his signalling vehicle was hit and subsequently captured and taken prisoner of war. He was sent to Stalag V111B Prisoner of War Camp where he was repatriated by Red Cross prisoner exchange. On the 25th of October 1943, he rejoined 24th Field Regiment. On the 21st of April 1944 he was Discharged as being permanently unfit for any form of military service. His Military Conduct was noted as exemplary and his Testimonial reads: "A very adaptable, keen, willing and hardworking man. Thoroughly trustworthy honest straight forward and sober. He has a cheerful disposition, clean and smart and displays intelligence. A good wireless signaler and a capable motor vehicle driver. Decidedly reliable and energetic."
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Victor "Taffe" Lewis 24th Field Regiment Royal Artillery My dad's name was Victor Lewis. He went to India in 1932 until 1937 up on the North West Frontier serving in the 4th Field Brigade Royal Artillery. He also went to France with the BEF serving in the 24th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, only to be driven back to the beaches of Dunkirk.Has anybody out there got a photo of the boxing team of the 3rd training brigade 1931 Woolwich Barracks? This boxing team photo was lost in a small holdall with photos of my Mother, cups for running, and a few boxing medals. Dad told me that he put the holdall in to the stores at Aldershot barracks where he was stationed after Dunkirk. When he went back to claim it, on two occaisons,
sadly they could not find it, for what reasons he did not know he told me. So may be some relative of a friend of Dad's who served at Woolwich in 1931 may have some photographs for me. It's a small world sometimes.
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Bdr. James Norris 24th Field Regt Royal Artillery (d.4th Dec 1944) An excerpt of a censored letter to the Northampton News (Post Office Newsletter) from Bombardier 1058316 Jim Norris, 24 Field Regt, R.A. in Italy, late 1944, shortly before he was killed on 4/12/1944:
Since I last wrote I have been on some interesting and tedious journeys which eventually brought us face to face with our old adversary - Tedesci (sic)
We realise that since that great achievement of the Allied Armies in France, we in Italy have been pushed into the background a little but I am going to say right now that no Army in the whole world has ever had to face such difficulties as those our Generals have had.
All my life if a man says "I served in the infantry in the Italian Campaign", I shall say: "Pal, What are you drinking?". If ever any men had the right to say they were browned off, those men are in the infantry. I have been a member of an S.P. gun crew and though we usually operate well behind them, we have at times been up with them and on one occasion we were in front. That was at Anzio; I swore that the infantry should get a special campaign medal; he is the man that has to meet the enemy face to face. As I write this there is a terrible din going on among the grape vines of the Lombardy Plains. Our planes are dive-bombing his forward troops relentlessly. Our bren gunners are opening up every minute or so. The horrible whine of his sobbing sisters shatters the air. I believe that sound is the most horrible of all. Every time they open up I gnash my teeth and curse because we can see them falling on our infantry positions. Gerry is a crafty old fox but he is being pushed steadily back. His Gothic Line was a tough proposition. It is a marvel he was ever ousted out at all. Pay tribute to the infantrymen for getting them out. As I passed by one of his Panther turret strong points, I saw chalked "Captured by Cpl............Infantry Regt." Said I to my comrades: "The Infantry has done it again." "Aye" said our Yorkshire Sergeant,"They are t'lads."
Rat-tat-tat, the bren guns are at it again. The spandau replies in short bursts, his artillery is silent, perhaps he is making another strategic withdrawal. We shall soon know. The planes are going in again, four spitfires, down they go, hell for leather - are they all up safely? Yes, here they come, heading for our lines. They have given them hell! One thing, the prophecy Mr Churchill made about Italy in 1940 when Musso attacked us, has come true. Italy has paid the price, she has paid in full. Never in all history has one country suffered so much destruction. It is appalling. Roll on that blessed day when I can come back to my native land but the task is not yet complete. No relaxing anywhere must be permitted. I shall have to write another long letter soon as airmails are scarce, only one a week. We have been extremely busy of late forging a way through the Gothic Line. What a line it was, no sooner had one strong point been liquidated than another and another barred the way. I have nothing but the highest praise for our infantry, who have to take these positions in fierce fighting. All the way up Italy you will see the signs of these struggles, let us therefore praise them, and remember those they leave at home. The grand advance of the boys in France has made our own campaign look small in comparison but the ring around Germany gets smaller and, whoever gets to Berlin first, will have our best wishes.
Bdr Norris is remembered on the Memorial at Cesena War Cemetery.
C.W.G.C.: "Most of those buried in this cemetery died during the advance from Rimini to Forli and beyond in September-November 1944, an advance across one flooded river after another in atrocious autumn weather. The cemetery site was selected in November 1944 and burials were brought in from the surrounding battlefields. Cesena War Cemetery contains 775 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War."
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