Hi All - this is an update together with the whereabouts etc of father's time in the ACC. I hope it may be of interest to someone out there!
Robert Edward Horn was born on the 17th of January, 1920 at Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire, the fourth child of seven born to Thomas Edward Horn and Sarah Ann Hing. He lived at 39, Primrose Hill, Kings Langley and as a child attended Kings Langley School until 1934 and worked as a ‘printer’ at the Nash Mills paper mill until conscripted into the Army in 1940.
REH was 20 years and 3 months old when conscripted. His height was 5 ft 11 ˝ in, and weighed 10st 11lb. His eyes were grey and hair light brown. His chest measured 32 in at expansion with a range of 2 ˝ in. He was classified as A1 condition in March 1941.
Upon Conscription, REH was enlisted into the Royal Artillery embodied Territorial Army. From the beginning of May 1940, he was posted to 75 (Shropshire Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery along with 102 other Army class recruits. Most came from Eastern Counties and Staffordshire and were collected from Stoke-on-Trent railway station to a tented initial training camp at Oswestry.
In order to trace the whereabouts of REH during his active service, the War Diaries in the National Archives were examined in conjunction with the Service Record from the MoD. His movements have been made easier by examination of a published Regimental History.
The significant event, which occurred in 1941, was the announcement of Army Order 35 when the call went out to all units for the requirement of Cooks, who would receive proper training. REH was therefore one of the initial intake of the new and formalised Army Catering Corps. When their training was completed, individuals were returned to their original units and served with them thereafter. The following shows all movements from 1940.
ENGLAND
2.5.40 Deemed to have been enlisted into the Royal Artillery embodied Territorial Army
2.5.40 Posted to 75 (Shropshire Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
5.40 103 Army class recruits, mostly from Eastern Counties and Staffordshire collected from Stoke-on-Trent railway station to tented camp at Oswestry.
26.6.40 First ammunition arrives.
18.9.40 Period of Service with the Colours ends.
23.9.40 Attached to 73rd Medium Regiment
30.9.40 Ceased to be attached to 73rd Medium Regiment
22.10.40 Left Oswestry and arrived at Tattenhall, Cheshire
22.3.41 Issue of Army Order 35 – Cooks wanted for formative Army Catering Corps
29.3.41 Attached to School of Cookery at Wilmslow, Cheshire
15.5.41 to Passed instruction as Cook Class 1.
26.6.41
16.5.41 Attached to Emergency Cookery Training Centre, Congleton, Cheshire
3.7.41 Ceased to be attached to Emergency Cookery Training Centre, Congleton, Cheshire
To 8.41 101 Battery based at the Boys Home, Tattenhall with 102 Battery at Edgecroft
From 8.41 Builth Wells, with occasional movements to Tattenhall and Tamporley
15.11.41 RHQ to Benacre Hall, Wrentham, Suffolk. 101 Battery to Henham Hall, Wangford and 102 Battery to Southwold
4.42 101 Battery moved to Benacre.
27.11.42 Transferred to Army Catering Corps
EGYPT
20.2.43 Embarked in the Capetown Castle at Liverpool; Overseas Service with Middle East Forces commences.
29-31.3.43 Stopped at Durban, South Africa
9.4.43 Reached Aden
14.4.43 Arrived at Port Tewfik; then to Giza, through Mena to Beni Yusef Camp, ten miles from Cairo. Formed in Egypt as part of 6 A.G.R.A., which was part of XIII Corps, part of the 12th Army. (For planning purposes, part of the 8th Army)
8.6.43 Attached to MW Training Centre
SICILY
26.7.43 101 Battery embarked from Tripoli
29.7.43 Located two miles south of Prima Sole bridge; supported Canadian advance on Adrano.
4.8.43 Centuripe captured.
5.8.43 Catania falls.
6.8.43 Located south of Motto San Anastasia, near Mt.Etna.
10.8.43 Nr Catania
11.8.43 Giarre, north of Aci Reale.
14.8.43 Coastal area, north of Catania
7.8.43 102 Battery & RHQ disembarked at Syracuse from Alexandria.
12.8.43 Whole regiment at Palagonia.
24.8.43 Southern suburbs of Messina.
28.8.43 Overseas Service with Middle East Force ceases
29.8.43 Overseas Service with British North Africa Force commences
3.9.43 Whole regiment gave supporting fire across the Straits of Messina.
ITALY
4.9.43 Whole regiment crossed the straits to a hide area near Reggio.
4.10.43 To San Severo, north of Foggia (via Nicastro, Belvedere, Taranto, west of Bari, through Corato and Andria to Foggia)
18.10.43 Jelsi
26.10.43 Crossed River Biferno at Bojano
14.11.43 Rionero
19.12.43 San Eusanio
9.3.44 Melfi
24.3.44 Cassino (forward area)
29.3.44 San Michele. RHQ at ‘Roger’s Rock’, S of San Michele (two miles from San Vittore)
19.4.44 San Vittore – six miles south-east of Cassino
18-21.5.44 Position in outskirts of Cassino – ‘very dangerous’
21.5.44 Softening of the Hitler Line
6.44 Two hide areas south of Rome – Frosinone and southern outskirts
10-11.6.44 Drove overnight through Rome
6.44 Civita Castellana (Hide area for Orvieto)
30.6.44 Castiglione
2-5.7.44 Civetella
18.7.44 Bucine and Tauernelle
24.7.44 San Casciano and La Rumola
4.8.44 Galuzzo (south of Floreneu) and hills south of Pontssieve
31.8.44 Fiesole
9.9.44 North of Fiesole
11.9.44 Borgo San Lorenzo (five miles south of)
12.9.44 Borgo
19.9.44 Nr Casglia, road to Marredi
29.9.44 Palazzuolo (RHQ & 102); Badia (101) ‘Battle for Monte Ceco’
21.10.44 Various locations in valleys of Senio and Santerno (until 1.45)
11.44 Castagno
30.11.44 Mercatele (101)
11-13.12.44 Fontanelice (102)
27.1.45 Came out of the line; to Ciuitavecchia
16.3.45 Returned to the front; Perugia; Rimini; Faenza; Lamone Valley to Brisighella. Now deployed under X Corps.
14.4.43 Senio Valley; Faenza; Lugo; Massa Lombarda
20.4.45 Indice
24.4.45 Mirabello (south-west of)
28.4.45 Crossed River Po, near Badin Polesine, south of the River Adige.
3.5.45 Cervignano via Padua and Venice
3.5.45 Istria
19.6.45 Withdrew to Ronchi
8.45 Grado, west of Monfalcone
8.45 Monza (RHQ & 101); Desio (102)
17.8.45 Rivoli (RHQ)
7.9.45 Rivoli (Whole of Regiment)
28.10.45 28 days leave in UK
13.4.46 Posted to 55 Feeding Halt
19.5.46 Permanently attached to 27 Lines of Communication Postal Unit
14.6.46 Service with British North Africa Force ceases
15.6.46 Returned to UK
19.9.46 Released to Army Reserve
26.4.52 to Refresher course attached to 660 HAA at Towyn
10.5.52
30.6.59 Discharged from Reserve Liability
After he was de-mobbed from the Army, REH did not return to the paper mill and neither did he find work in catering, despite his army service. Instead, he went to work with the Building Maintenance Dept. of A.Wander Ltd (the ‘Ovaltine’) at Kings Langley. He married in 1953 and his only son was born in 1956. The family lived in Abbots Langley. REH took early retirement from the ‘Ovaltine’ in 1983, but suffered a disabling stroke in 1986. He subsequently passed away in a Hitchin nursing home on 16th February 1990, aged 70.
SEE IMAGE 12-12 in ACC gallery for a photo of my father.
Thanks for reading; does anyone know anything about the training centres at Congleton and Wilmslow?
Regards,
Kevin H.
Topic: Re: Robert (Bob) Horn, ACC - Service Record (Read 5180 times)