WWII Family Memorabilia

[Swiss Mad!]

Whilst clearing out my deceased parents home, I found an old tin box containing what I believe are my Mums Uncle’s WWII personal effects from his time in the Tank Regiment.

We live in the North of the UK, but my Mums Uncle lived right on the South coast so I only ever remember meeting him a couple of times when I was a kid.

I do remember him telling war stories on the few occasions that I did meet him, but he passed away a good number of years ago so never got to talk to him properly as an adult which is a real shame as I am now quite interested to try & find out more about his life in the forces.

I do remember he said he’d served under ‘Monty’ and was in Africa for a while.

He said they were known as the Rats or the Desert Rats or something similar - I assume that’s his cap badge that can be seen in one of the photos below.

If anyone can give me some more info on any of the items in the pics it would be really appreciated - not interested in values as I will never sell them, just genuinely interested to find out as much as I can about where he is likely to have seen action based on the items found.

Many thanks in advance

Max





























































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[Spectre38]

The medals, insignia and patches appear to belong to the 7th Armoured Division of the Royal Tank Corp. known as The Desert Rats. There is a huge amount of information available online for the 7th.

The medals with the stars are Campaign Medals ( Where your Great Uncle Served )

1939-45 Star is described here

Africa Star is described here

Italy Star described here

The Burma Star described here

The Defence Medals can be found here, it describes what they are and the criteria for the awarding of them.



Initially commanded by Major-General Percy Hobart, an armoured warfare expert, they were deployed in Egypt in 1938. Hobart saw to it that his troops were properly prepared to fight in the desert despite their poor equipment. Hobart was replaced in 1939 and it’s at this point the 7th Armoured Division are said to have gotten their nickname – The Desert Rats – from a sketch that the new divisional commander’s wife drew after a trip to Cairo zoo in 1940.

(Operation Compass – from Egypt to Beda Fomm)

After the Italians declared war, the Desert Rats were sent as part of the Western Desert Force to fight them. Italy at this time had no real armoured capabilities, with the only armour present designed in the pre war years with methodology dating back to the First World War. The Desert Rats were also in outdated tanks but had had years of desert experience and determination on their side.

During Operation Compass (December 1940 – 9th Feb 1941) the Italians were initially overwhelmed by the British forces, who in total captured over 130,000 soldiers during the opening battles. As the Italians retreated the order was given to the 7th to travel south and west to cut them off at Beda Fomm.


The tanks proved to be too slow in the rough terrain away from the coast road so a force of wheeled vehicles raced ahead, reaching the town. Reaching the coast road they set an ambush, the Desert Rats held the Italian army in place until the Australian 6th Infantry Division (following the Italians along the coast road) caught up, finally catching and destroying the Italian Tenth Army.


Soon after this major defeat, Adolf Hitler sent his Afrikakorps, under the able command of Erwin Rommel (later to be know as the ‘Desert Fox’), to take on the British in Operation Sonnenblume. The allied troops, stretched out across hundreds of miles of inhospitable terrain, found themselves cut off by this new force and retreated to the fortified town of Tobruk. The see-saw of battles across the desert began in earnest. The 7th was withdrawn to Egypt and given a fresh supply of armour and took the fight to the Axis forces during Operation Battleaxe, an attempt to push the Axis out of North Africa and relieve the siege of Tobruk. The battle plan failed and the 7th were forced back after the third day of fighting.

With the British Western Desert Force under new command and renamed the 8th Army, Operation Crusader was put into effect to finally relieve the siege of Tobruk. The Desert Rats would now face 21st Panzer Division.

The Desert Rats advanced, capturing the airfield at Sidi Rezegh. Their commander, erring on the side of caution due to only having a couple of hundred tanks at his disposal, elected to hold the position. Rommel, despite depleted ammo and fuel, sent in his Panzers.

In the early afternoon of the 22nd November Rommel attacked Sidi Rezegh airfield. Fighting was desperate and gallant: for his actions during the two days of fighting Brigadier Jock Campbell (commanding 7th Support Group) was awarded the Victoria Cross. However, 21st Panzer, despite being considerably weaker in armour numbers, proved superior in its combined arms tactics, pushing 7th Armoured Division back.

While it may have proved a limited success, Operation Crusader showed Rommel’s Afrikakorps could be beaten and can be seen as a fine illustration of the dynamic, back and forth fighting which characterised the North African Campaign.

With the 8th army receiving a new commander in the form of Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery, the Desert Rats would later take part in most of the major battles in the North Africa campaign, including both battles of El Alamein and, equipped with the Sherman and bitterly won experience, the eventual destruction of the Axis forces at Tunisia.

In Europe they would continue to fight the Italian armies. The Desert Rats came ashore at Salerno, on 15 September 1943, to help repel heavy German counter-attacks during Operation Avalanche. The Desert Rats went on to liberate Naples along with the 46th Infantry Division. Adjusting themselves from fighting across the rough desert terrain to confined Italian roads, they crossed the river Volturno in southern Italy, constructing a pontoon bridge and paving the way for the many divisions heading north.

Withdrawn from Italy to England in November 1943 the division was re-equipped with the new Cromwell tanks (7th Armoured was the only British division to use the Cromwell as their main battle tank) and given 36 Sherman Vc Fireflies. This equated to one Firefly per three Cromwells in a troop (platoon), giving them a far greater chance of dealing with the superior armoured German big tanks. 7th Armoured Division landed on the 6th of June 1944 to then take part in Operation Goodwood (the fighting around Caen) and later going on to fight at the Battle of Villers Bocage. During this fight, they would see heavy action against the Panzer Lehr Division and the Heavy SS 101. Panzer Battalion, suffering at the hands of one SS-Obersturmführer Michael Wittmann.

The reorganised 7th Armoured Division continued from Paris, advancing through Belgium and then the Netherlands. The 7th Armoured Division now prepared to cross the Rhine into the heart of Germany, as part of Operation Plunder, which took place in March 1945, with the eventual goal of capturing Hamburg. In the weeks that followed it fought its way across Germany, via the Teutoberger Wald to the River Weser, where ferocious battles took place with fanatical SS and Hitler Jugend forces. After fierce battles in the suburbs of Hamburg, the Division finally accepted the surrender of the city on 3rd May 1945.

The 7th Armoured Division had been fighting for five years. It had fought through adversity and success, from the searing heat of the Western Desert, through the cloying mud of Italy, the killing fields of Normandy, through to Belgium and Holland. It then had to fight its way right across Germany in the final bloody battles of the war, to Hamburg. Its men had proved themselves worthy of the hardy desert animal on their shoulders and vehicles and were finally rewarded by parading through Berlin in triumph!

[Swiss Mad!]

Hey Paul

That is an absolutely amazing amount of information.

Thank you so much for sharing it with me.

I’m going to have to re-read it a couple of times to take it all in, but thank you once again - much appreciated.




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[Tumppi$]

Great thread! I have always been very interested about history and especially our war history. Grandad was in the Finnish army during continuous war. Fought against Russians with our German band of brothers. He was an anti-tank gunner with German made PAK40 75mm anti-tank gun.

[MrGoat]

You have some very cool items there. I am not British so I don’t know everything and some of the information I’m giving you may not be perfect. I would suggest getting a display made for them with your uncles name and picture. Be careful with the patch. It is the patch that the guys got when they started the “desert rats” they had a green jerboa as their mascot and were called “the green rats” or “the jungle rats” do to this mascot. It appears eventually they changed the design of the patch and the color of the jerboa and yours appears early and in great shape (possibly even theater made which makes it more desirable).

The first medal “the defense medal” was given to non operational and civilian forces deployed and at home, just took longer to get if you were in Britain the whole time. It would be impossible for me to tell you what your uncle received it for as if I understand correctly they awarded it to men that had received multiple campaign stars as well.

The next medal, with the lion standing over the griffin is “the war medal”, it was awarded to any citizen of the British commonwealth who served 28 days or more in the armed services.

The stars are each reflective of campaigns your uncle served in as Paul stated.

The different badges that say “fear naught” are what I believe to be various iterations of his units badges.

The royal legion pin is essentially a membership pin of the British version of the American legion.

Again, they’re some very cool items and mostly in great condition. Cherish them and thanks for sharing!!


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[AzPaul]

We owe them all so much.
They literally saved the world.

[swils8610]

Wow…great thread. Thanks for all of the info.


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[daveathall]

Originally Posted by swils8610

Wow…great thread. Thanks for all of the info.

I agree. Thank you Max for sharing the photos and a big thank you to Paul and Goat for adding some fabulous info to bring the tread truly alive. Fascinating, thank you all.

[Blansky]

There was a not very accurate TV show called the Desert Rats that ran in the 1960s.

There was also the movies about North Africa with Richard Burton called The Desert Rats and the movie Raid on Rommel. Also Tobruk with Rock Hidson. Not really sure on the actual accuracy of these either.

If my memory is correct the Desert Rats who handed Rommel his first defeat of the war was at Tobruk and was important not only for morale but because the Germans were constantly in need of gas/diesel throughout the war and various campaigns were designed to hinder that. And North Africa was all about the oil fields.

The German army's main strategy throughout the war was blitzkrieg which was lightning fast raids with tanks. And the entire strategy relied on fuel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tobruk

[ltmgeller]

Originally Posted by swils8610

Wow…great thread. Thanks for all of the info.


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X2

[Swiss Mad!]

Originally Posted by MrGoat

You have some very cool items there. I am not British so I don’t know everything and some of the information I’m giving you may not be perfect. I would suggest getting a display made for them with your uncles name and picture. Be careful with the patch. It is the patch that the guys got when they started the “desert rats” they had a green jerboa as their mascot and were called “the green rats” or “the jungle rats” do to this mascot. It appears eventually they changed the design of the patch and the color of the jerboa and yours appears early and in great shape (possibly even theater made which makes it more desirable).

The first medal “the defense medal” was given to non operational and civilian forces deployed and at home, just took longer to get if you were in Britain the whole time. It would be impossible for me to tell you what your uncle received it for as if I understand correctly they awarded it to men that had received multiple campaign stars as well.

The next medal, with the lion standing over the griffin is “the war medal”, it was awarded to any citizen of the British commonwealth who served 28 days or more in the armed services.

The stars are each reflective of campaigns your uncle served in as Paul stated.

The different badges that say “fear naught” are what I believe to be various iterations of his units badges.

The royal legion pin is essentially a membership pin of the British version of the American legion.

Again, they’re some very cool items and mostly in great condition. Cherish them and thanks for sharing!!


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Wow! Thank you so much for all the information.

I only wish I had been a bit older at the time he was around to find out more about his time in the forces & where he saw action etc.

Unfortunately, like I said in the original post, I only met him a couple of times & even then I was only a bit of a kid so my memory is a little hazy.

Thanks once again to everyone for all the great info & advice, much appreciated.




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[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by Swiss Mad!

Wow! Thank you so much for all the information.

I only wish I had been a bit older at the time he was around to find out more about his time in the forces & where he saw action etc.

Unfortunately, like I said in the original post, I only met him a couple of times & even then I was only a bit of a kid so my memory is a little hazy.

Thanks once again to everyone for all the great info & advice, much appreciated.




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just because you didn’t really know him doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be honored in some capacity. I’ve got medals and pictures and other artifacts from myself, my brother, my grandfather and all sorts of men I only know through what I’ve read about them. You’ve got some great items that are part of your families history, cherish them!! Again, thank you so much for sharing them with us. I’ve debated adding pictures and stories of the men in my collection but didn’t know how it would go over here and certainly don’t want to hijack your thread.


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[subcsteve]

Thanks for sharing, and some great links above.

If you watch episode 8 of the world at war (narrated by Laurence Olivier) this covers the Africa campaign and well worth a watch.

[RW16610]

Wow, some cool stuff and great information. Thanks for sharing.

[TheVTCGuy]

Thanks for posting this Max, I am afraid I don’t know anything about British Military insignia and medals, but it is obvious your Uncle was a decorated fighter and deserves much respect. You should be very proud.

[Swiss Mad!]

Originally Posted by MrGoat

just because you didn’t really know him doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be honored in some capacity. I’ve got medals and pictures and other artifacts from myself, my brother, my grandfather and all sorts of men I only know through what I’ve read about them. You’ve got some great items that are part of your families history, cherish them!! Again, thank you so much for sharing them with us. I’ve debated adding pictures and stories of the men in my collection but didn’t know how it would go over here and certainly don’t want to hijack your thread.


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Hey - thanks for your input.

Please don’t hesitate to add stories & pictures of any memorabilia you may have that belonged to members of your own family.

I’m sure there are plenty of members who will find it interesting

Thanks once again




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[Swiss Mad!]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Thanks for posting this Max, I am afraid I don’t know anything about British Military insignia and medals, but it is obvious your Uncle was a decorated fighter and deserves much respect. You should be very proud.

Hi Paul

Thank you for your kind words.

It means a lot.

Thank you


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[Swiss Mad!]

Originally Posted by subcsteve

Thanks for sharing, and some great links above.

If you watch episode 8 of the world at war (narrated by Laurence Olivier) this covers the Africa campaign and well worth a watch.

Thanks for the info - I will definitely do that




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[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by Swiss Mad!

Hey - thanks for your input.

Please don’t hesitate to add stories & pictures of any memorabilia you may have that belonged to members of your own family.

I’m sure there are plenty of members who will find it interesting

Thanks once again




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Thank you for inviting posts with insignia, I am proud of my service and show it off whenever I can. However, in all honesty it is nothing extraordinary, especially compared to your Uncle. I wish he and I had had the chance to sit down and talk stories. Well, I am sure someday we will

PS The round Dogtag is my father’s from WW 2. It was the only thing I could find in his effects from that service. I wish he had kept more.

[Swiss Mad!]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Thank you for inviting posts with insignia, I am proud of my service and show it off whenever I can. However, in all honesty it is nothing extraordinary, especially compared to your Uncle. I wish he and I had had the chance to sit down and talk stories. Well, I am sure someday we will

PS The round Dogtag is my father’s from WW 2. It was the only thing I could find in his effects from that service. I wish he had kept more.

Amazing Paul

We should all be proud & thankful of our Servicemen & Women’s efforts to protect us.

Easy to take them for granted & not really think about what they are actually doing & going through every single day.

Thank you for sharing your collection - you should quite rightly be very proud of what you did to earn them & what they represent to both yourself & the wider community




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[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Thank you for inviting posts with insignia, I am proud of my service and show it off whenever I can. However, in all honesty it is nothing extraordinary, especially compared to your Uncle. I wish he and I had had the chance to sit down and talk stories. Well, I am sure someday we will

PS The round Dogtag is my father’s from WW 2. It was the only thing I could find in his effects from that service. I wish he had kept more.

nice stack Paul!!


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[britxt0]

A very informative thread...
Thanks OP for sharing this and huge thanks to all that brought light to it.

[Moondoggy]

Great thread and we whinge when we cannot get a SS piece....I know I know we must move forward.

[Beo3]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Thank you for inviting posts with insignia, I am proud of my service and show it off whenever I can. However, in all honesty it is nothing extraordinary, especially compared to your Uncle. I wish he and I had had the chance to sit down and talk stories. Well, I am sure someday we will

PS The round Dogtag is my father’s from WW 2. It was the only thing I could find in his effects from that service. I wish he had kept more.

You call being a fighter jock not extraordinary?

Sailor, you're defiantly selling yourself short.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by Beo3

You call being a fighter jock not extraordinary?

Sailor, you're defiantly selling yourself short.

Thank all of you for the kind words, I don’t want to hijack the OPs thread

And thanks Eddie, it was a LOT of years ago.

[Swiss Mad!]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Thank all of you for the kind words, I don’t want to hijack the OPs thread

And thanks Eddie, it was a LOT of years ago.

Paul

Please do not feel like you are hijacking anything.

I am more than happy for all members to jump in & share there experiences & post pics of their personal effects from their time serving their Nations.

Thank you once again for your contribution so far, please feel free to add more if you want to

Thanks again

Max




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[Tumppi$]

Hope I don't hijack the thread either.
Two of these crosses are re-ordered from our national war history archive, because my grandfather has exchanged the originals to booze, when he was a young man
That picture is photographed by him in the year 1942, when they were two weeks rest from the frontline. (Junkers Ju 88) The postal sack is a memory from our brothers-in-arms.

[Blansky]

My dad's WW2 Regiment picture.

5th Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment R.C.A.
England Sept 1942

[Tumppi$]

Originally Posted by Blansky

My dad's WW2 Regiment picture.

5th Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment R.C.A.
England Sept 1942

What a magnificent photograph. I found old photos being the most fascinating objects from the past. Also amazed their quality over and over again. Take a good care of it.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Tumppi$

What a magnificent photograph. I found old photos being the most fascinating objects from the past. Also amazed their quality over and over again. Take a good care of it.

These type of pictures were very common from WW2 and had incredible sharpness and you can easily make out the the faces.

This picture here is from WW1 and pretty dramatically demonstrates the casualties from that conflict. The second photo is apparently photoshopped to show the loss of life but apparently is not real. https://hoaxeye.com/2018/12/02/camer...hlanders-1914/

But the power of the photograph is still amazing.

From my dad's picture, I have no idea how many made it back home.