After reading the rules, I think that this is an appropriate question for this sub, please accept my apologies if it is not.
I am trying to research my Grandad's service in WWII. I would have thought that this would be a simple enough thing to find out, but I'm not having any luck.
My Grandad was from Birmingham England, and served in Jamaica in WWII.
I'm trying to find out what regiment he was in etc, but no matter what search terms I use, I only seem to be able to find information about Jamaican soldiers in WWII, not British soldiers who served in Jamaica.
Searching for his name is not productive, because his surname is also a common verb.
This is everything I know:
He had no prior military experience and did not have a military career - he was conscripted because of the war and was discharged at the end of it.
He was stationed in Jamaica for the majority of his time in the war.
At some point, he was guarding Italian prisoners of war (I believe this was in Jamaica, but I am not 100% sure).
His regiment was disbanded, though I don't know when it was disbanded or whether it was incorporated into another regiment or just completely disbanded.
I'm usually pretty good at researching stuff, but I just keep hitting dead ends on this one.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
From 1939-1940, the 2nd Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry was deployed to Jamaica, which sounds like it could have been your grandfather's regiment. They were redeployed to Europe, however, and ended up taking part in Operation Overlord. They were replaced in Jamaica by the Winnipig Regiment of Grenadiers.
As a resource, you may wish check the National Archive's webpage How to look for records of British Army soldiers after 1913.
Hello there! As your question is related to looking for identification/information regarding military personnel, our Guide on Military Identification may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!
Ok, I have an update on this, and it's not what we expected.
My Grandad was not called up until later in the war, and only served for about 18 months.
He was an engineer/machinist who worked for a company which manufactured engines, which was a 'reserved occupation'.
He made parts for engines for planes, tanks and other vehicles vital to the war effort.
He was eventually called up though, and served with the Suffolk Regiment.
He trained in Scotland, before being sent to Jamaica to be a guard in a POW camp.
I don't seem to be able to find any record of the Suffolk Regiment in Jamaica - has anyone got a lead on this?