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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 97th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery ? There are:488 items tagged 97th 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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A/L.Bdr. Douglas Oliver Elphee 97th Field Regiment Royal Artillery  Douglas Elphee was my father. He said very little about his war service except that he was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, then billeted in South Wales. He then was shipped to the Middle East by way of South Africa and crossed from Iraq to North Africa by way of Palestine, Egypt, and Libya, where he was captured by Rommel’s forces and handed over to the Italians. When Italy capitulated, he lived in the hills picking olives until he was re-captured by the Germans. He was then taken by train to Magdeburg and put to work in the salt mines until being liberated by the Americans.
The only time I heard my father swear was one Sunday lunchtime back in the eighties he was re-united with his sergeant. They were going over their experiences in South Wales and were relating to the time when the invasion codeword "Cromwell" was inadvertently passed in the Southwest by mistake. The sergeant received a phone call from the officer relaying the codeword, whereupon the sergeant replied: "Who the f*** is Cromwell?" The reply was "Invasion". "Oh, that Cromwell, right sir". Then he said "Put the kettle on lads”.
Toward the end of his life, I took him to Dover Castle where our local Radio Kent was trying to piece together people’s experiences of the war. So I suggested he go tell them about his evacuation from Dunkirk. Over he went and came back in 5 minutes. “How come you were so quick?” I asked. He replied “I told them it was just like a day at the beach, I walked down to the sea and got on a boat”. I am not sure I could be so laid back as that, but there were so many like that who saw such awful things during the war, and that was their way of coming to terms with it.
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Gnr. Frederick Arthur Pace 97th Field Regiment Royal Artillery My dad Frederick Pace was 17 when sent to France. Two weeks before he was 18, he was evacuated from Dunkirk. He was later in Italy, Iraq, Iran, France and was a Desert Rat. He was a gunner in the 97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. I don't know much but a few little stories he told. He was driving officers some where in the desert and stopped to go to the wee and while standing at the side of the road a bomb hit the car and the officers were killed.
Also he was under age when sent to France he signed his mother's signature and the officer in command found out and was going to send him home but it was only 2 weeks 'till his 18th birthday so he let him stay. He was evacuated from Dunkirk and broke his leg while driving a bike?
I don't know much more but have his medals, metal box with letters and forms and even a tin of chocolate still uneaten. That's all I really know. I've got lots of WW2 army photos.
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Bmbdr. Sydney Christopher Coulson 97th (Irish) Field Bty Royal Artillery My wife's grandfather, Sydney Coulson, was captured in Belgium on 21st May 1940 while serving in the Royal Artillery, with the 97th (Irish) Field Battery. He was subsequently held in Stalag XXA and possibly Stalag 383 until his repatriation in February 1945, after being wounded during an escape attempt. Does anybody have any information on Syd?
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Gnr. Frederick Handel Knight 61st Battery 97th Anti Tank Regiment (d.10th/11th July 1944)  A letter received by my husband's grandmother on the death of his grandfather, Frederick Knight.
"Captain T.Fleming R.A, 61/97TH Anti Tank Regt Royal Artillery
B.W.E.F. 14TH July 1944
Dear Madam,
It is with extreme regret and a deep sense of sympathy that I have to inform you of the death of your husband, No 1118428 Gnr. Knight F.H On the night of 10/11th of July while serving under my command.
Your husband was a member of a 6-pounder anti tank gun detatchment and had only joined my Battery 2 days before as a reinforcement. Whilst in action during the night, the enemy counter-attacked to regain the ground which we had taken during the day, and your husband was struck in the head by a bullet. He was buried nearby by his colleagues, and details of his grave have been passed to the authorities. You will be informed in due course of the exact location of his grave by the Imperial War Graves Commission. Unfortunately security prevents me telling you now.
May I, on my own behalf, and of that of the gunners who worked with your husband during that short time, empress our sincere sympathy with you in your sorrow. We had only known him a short time but we had already accepted him as a friend and he was thoroughly well liked. We offer our sincere condolence in your loss.
It may help you to know that he suffered no pain at all and his death was instantaneous
Yours very Sincerely,
T.Fleming, Capt R.A.
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2nd Lt. Sydney Walter Edmonds 97th Field Regiment Royal Artillery I met Sydney Walter Edmonds in the summer of 1994 at the bed and breakfast run by his daughter. With some coaxing he told us his prisoner of war story. My wife and I wrote it up and later sent it to him to be shared with relatives and friends. I have recently put the story on my web site. I found this site and hope others can provide additional material that could be included.
I see many letters on this wonderful site which are clearly related to individuals that served with Mr. Edmonds. Would very much like to hear from them.
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Gnr. Raymond Charles Hudson 31st Field Regiment, 105/119 Field Bty. Royal Artillery My father Raymond Hudson was with 105/119 Battery, 31st Field Regiment in Egypt from 1938 to 1942 with the 4th Indian Division, then in the Western Desert around Tobruk, and Mersa Matruh. He went to Sudan in 1941 and Benghazi in 1942. In 1943 he moved on to Cyprus with the 97th Field Regiment. In the second half of 1943 he went back to the Middle East before returning to the UK at the end of the year. He also served in North West Europe in 1945.
I would be really pleased to receive any information from anyone who has any knowledge or information relating to my father no matter how small or obscure.
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Gnr. Robert Jones 97th Field Regiment Royal Artillery (d.14th Nov 1942) I would love to hear from anyone who served with my grandfather, Robert Jones. My mother had no memories of him as she was only 2 when he died, she never even had a photograph of him. I am very proud of him and it is my greatest wish to find a photograph of him and find out what he was like.
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