Hi there, my name is Sarah, I live in the UK and I am hoping to find out more information about my Grandfather's WW2 experiences, especially the time he spent in Burma. I realise that there may be limited information, but I do know that he was with the British Army - Royal Army Medical Corp, and was with the 49 West Africa General Hospital until the end of the war. My mother has told me several stories regarding his service, but wondering if I could find out facts. Especially seeing as my 11 yr old daughter is doing a project on WW2 at school, and would help her to connect with her own research. Looking forwards to meeting many of you through my research, Sarah
Yes, his name was Cyril John Harris, and by the end of the war he was an Acting Sgt. He was a clerk in stores, and he also was responsible for dealing with the West African soldiers and staff's wages and helping them to send money and letters back home. He was with the 49 WA General Hospital (India Command) RAMC. He spent some time at Berrington Hall at the start of the war, and was part of a group of soldiers that helped in Coventry after the Blitz - he was sent to a bombed out maternity hospital to help clean up, so quite a sombre affair. After that he set sail for West Africa to pick up soldiers and staff (he always told us he had a "boy" who was basically his servant) and then they shipped to Burma. He caught dysentry, and convalesced in India, and at one point was sent "up into the hills" as an assistant to a dentist to get him away from the heat to help him recover. He returned to his unit eventually, and remained in Burma until the end of the war. I have his service number as well, if that is any further help.
Hi Sarah, hopefully someone will contact you about this request. it may take a day, a month or even more but you never know. In the meantime have you requested his military record?
I haven't yet, as I am not sure that I am the one who can apply for it. My grandmother (his wife) is still alive, although is in advance stages of dementia. My mother has power of attourney for her.
Welcome Sarah. Lots of great and knowledgeable people here. I'm sure you'll find some answers. Ah...I see you're already getting info! Best of luck with your research.
Welcome to the forum, Sarah. Check through this thread to find the steps for applying for his records. http://www.ww2f.com/military-servic...arch/36895-requesting-uk-service-records.html. It sounds to me as though your mother may have to apply, but it doesn't hurt to try. Good luck. We have a number of fellow UKers on the forum, so I hope one or more of them can give you more direction.
