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Landing Area 4 normandy beaches

Discussion in '☆☆ New Recruits ☆☆' started by MichaelBooth, Feb 20, 2015.

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  1. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Hi everyone,

    My name is Mike and I have just joined - another newbie! Looking forward to getting stuck in to the forums and learning from some of you experts!

    My Dad was in the D-Day landings and I recently have acquired his Pay Book. It says that he embarked for Landing Area 4 on 12 June 1944 but I am not sure which beach that was...I have tried to google it but all that comes up are the names of the five beaches, not the five numbers...

    Can anyone help?

    Much obliged
    Mike
     
  2. Owen

    Owen O

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    Welcome to the forum. What unit was he in?
    If we know that we could tell where he landed.
     
  3. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Hi Owen,

    Well, Dad's name was Stanley Booth and he was a driver first class in RAOC

    does that help?

    Cheers
    Mike
     
  4. Owen

    Owen O

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    Not really, too vague. Any idea of what formation he was in?

    Have you sent off to the MoD to get his full service records.
    From that you can find out his exact unit & then get the war diaries from the National Archives at Kew.
     
  5. thingimibob

    thingimibob New Member

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    What nationality was he? I think from my knowledge that the 4th beach was Juno (from a movie I watched ) So was he Canadian?
     
  6. Owen

    Owen O

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    RAOC is Royal Army Ordnance Corps so he'd be British.
     
  7. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Just looked again at his Pay Book and it says he was in 1 Veh Park 16 Veh Coy RAOC

    Haven't yet sent for his records but am going to.

    Mike
     
  8. Owen

    Owen O

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    Here's the catalogue number for 16 Vehicle Company RAOC war diary at Kew.
    http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4442899

    Reference: WO 171/2791 Description:
    16 Coy.
    Date:
    1944 Jan.- Dec.

    16 Coy. War Office: Allied Expeditionary Force, North West Europe (British Element): War Diaries, Second World War. ROYAL ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS. Vehicle Companies. 16 Coy. Held by: The National Archives - War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies Date: 1944 Reference: WO 171/2791


    I used this to help find the ref number.
    http://arcre.com/arcrewdsearch
    Contact Lee, whose website that is he can copy the war diary for a reasonable fee.
     
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  9. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Hi thingimbob and owen

    Yes he was British not Canadian...Juno Beach? Mmmmm interesting...were there British soldiers landing at Juno?
     
  10. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Wow thanks for the reference Owen...that's great!
     
  11. thingimibob

    thingimibob New Member

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    No, he would of landed at either Sword beach or Gold beach.
     
  12. Owen

    Owen O

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    Many British units also landed at JUNO.
    Especially follow up units in the days after D-Day itself.
     
  13. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Well many thanks guys...I guess his army records would point me to the right landing area/beach, as would the unit diary which I will certainly send for.

    Best wishes
    Mike
     
  14. Owen

    Owen O

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    No his army records will tell you what units he was in & when , promotions, demotions, medical info etc etc.
    It's the unit war diaries that will tell you what they did , where & when.
    Depending on what info the chaps writing them put in them.
    Wait until you have his records before ordering any war diaries.
    Just to make sure you've got the correct ones.
    Good Luck.
     
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 Member

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    From the History of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps by Fernyhough they were part of 16 AOD and 16 AOD started arriving in Normandy on 13th June 1944 and the last were in France on 23rd June. 16 AOD appears to have been put together quickly and sent earlier than anticipated as the 17 AOD suffered significant losses in the Channel when the ship most of them were on was torpedo'd and sunk.
     
  16. MichaelBooth

    MichaelBooth New Member

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    Many thanks Drew, I need to get down to look at the war diaries...am currently waiting for Dad's service records to arrive.
     

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