213367 Bmdr. Gwilym Jones British Army 5th Field Regiment, 63rd Battery Royal Artillery from:Caernarfon Gwilym Jones enlisted at Caernarvon on 6th January 1932 according to the records. But, I recall he always said he was a boy trumpeter at Woolwich Barracks.
The book shows his service to run from 17th August 1935 (his eighteenth birthday). He talked of his days fighting on the North West Frontier.
With the information on 63rd Battery and 5th Field Regiment I have trawled the internet and found that they were "lost" at the fall of Singapore which means he was transferred fortunately before the regiment went to Malaya.
Working through what I could find I am fairly certain he was transferred to the 9th Field Regiment RA which had been in the BEF and I presume recovered from Dunkirk with the loss of many men and much equipment.
He was in the UK for 2 years which ties in with his records, presumably re-forming, re-equipping and re-training and then went to South Africa for the Madagasca invasion and he then shows as being in Durban (again). This I think from things I recall him saying was for R and R.
In January 1943 he is shown as returning to India and I know he fought in Burma although this is not shown as he held the Burma Star.
Following the trail of the 9th FR they became part of the 20th Indian Division that fought at Imphal and pursued the Japanese through Burma.
The Service Book shows:
- home 6/1/33 to 18/2/34
- India 16/2/34 to 28/4/40
- home 29/4/40 to 21/3/42
- Madagasca 22/3/42 to 24/10/42
- South Africa 25/10/42 to 24/1/43
- India 25/1/45 to 6/5/45
- home 7/5/45 to 9/4/46
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