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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 69th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery ? There are:493 items tagged 69th Medium 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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Gnr. Albert Mee 242nd Battery, 69th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery    My Father Albert Mee joined the service in 1940 and after training joined up with the 242nd Battery of 69th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery.
He was posted out to Africa in July 1942 and fought with the 8th Army and then the 6th AGRA through El Alamien, Tobruk, Tripoli and then through Sicily and Pelarmo to Monte Cassino and Rome. He then went through France and finally ended up in Germany from where he was demobbed in 1946 as far as I know.
He met up with some of his comrades in Llandudno in the late 1960's and through the British Legion became a member of those left from his war time battery unit. I remember one comrade who became a full family friend who was Ted Owens who lived in Llandudno.
My father died in 1990 and three or four of his comrades and friends from Llandudno British Legion came over for his funeral and brought the Legion flag to use at the funeral which was a wonderful gesture. It was nice to talk to these guys at the funeral and learn how much they thought of my father and that he had been a great help to them in getting through the war due to his infectious personality and general good nature.
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Gnr. John Edward Blundell 69th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery (d.28th May 1940) My uncle, John Blundell had only been abroad with the 69th Medium Regiment, RA for less than a month. He is buried in Kemmel Chateau, his date of death being given as on or after 28th May. He died of wounds at the age of just 20 years. Records show that he died at Kemmel, but I have no idea how he died as he is not mentioned in any of the war diaries, to my knowledge. RIP
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Bmbdr. Alfred Staples 69th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery Granddad, Alfred Staples, enlisted in 1939 and was sent to France on 1st of September 1939 and returned from France 9th May 1940. He was moved around the UK before going to Egypt on 21st of September 1942. It appears he was injured on 24th of November 1943 and transferred to Stalag 374 POW camp where he remained until 19th January 1945. I am not sure after that, but he was released to the reserves in 1946.
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Gunner Anthony Albert Barwick 69th Medium Regiment, 242 Battery Royal Artillery I have researched much of Dad's war but parts frustratingly elude me. He was Tony Barwick and he enlisted from Liverpool in 1938
and after the war was a professional soldier all his working life. I guess many men had his sort of war,
taking part in big events but only realising it afterwards and doing their duty for their country through
injury and sickness. He was away for 3 years from 1943 to 1946. The following are some pointers.
I have read his service record and the available unit diaries at Kew as well as researched books and the
internet. For many years he led a battalion at the Dunkirk Veterans reunion each year. He died in 2007
aged 86 still carrying a shrapnel mark from the Dunkirk beaches under his heart and a German bayonet scar
on an upper thigh from Cassino. And he was in the Artillery! In 1940 he was part of 69 medium Regt, 242 battery
and was ambushed at Wormhoudt whilst retreating to Dunkirk, 27-28 May. The Earl of Aylesford commanding
his group was killed. The 2nd Warwicks (1& 2 24th of Isandlahwhana) were then defending it,
one of Gorts strongholds. One of his unit Gnr. Parry was caught and ended up in the S.S. massacre in
the barn, but Dad's group ran the lucky way and made it to Dunkirk.
I'd like to know What ship he boarded. He got off by carrying a stretcher onto a warship alongside the mole
following an officer with a loaded pistol. This dates it because Gort only agreed to stretcher wounded being
evacuated after MO's pressures late in the evacuation. One stretcher took the place of 10 standing men you see.
I have the Royal Navy official report on the Dunkirk evacuation and HMS Worcester is the best candidate.
Dad went to Egypt in SS Samaria 1943 in time for Alamein. That ship also brought 101 Airborne of DDay fame to
UK from America. Does anyone know Where the unit diary is for this North African period? (Kew National Archive hadnt got it when last I looked); Then across the western desert (I have pictures of him and his mates with some names from this
time) to Anzio, Cassino and via Marseille with the Americans and back up to Wormhoudt and then to the
Ruhr until 1946. I have various sources eg Walter Lord's "The Miracle of Dunkirk", Gunner Parry's
"Massacre on the road to Dunkirk" and the internet eg 58th Regiment RA has a superb site with a detailed diary
and Dads C.O. of 69th was in command of both Regiments for while during the Dunkirk retreat.
Hence some of Dad's movements can be traced via that wonderfully detailed site. Any relative of a member of 69th Medium Regt.R.A. is welcome to contact me and I will be happy to pass on the more extensive information I have on Word file.
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