Quote:
Originally posted by Mark W. Tonner
Geoff;
Good point about the 8th Army and 79th Armd. The thought had crossed my mind before, there probably is information to be had from both formation archives, but the problem is access to them.
We'll figure it out.
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Mark... the info on both will be with the British Public Records office. The problem is getting there with the necessary time to do proper research!
Ref the Kangaroos, what's available through the Canadian Archives is woefully inadequate. Clive was kind enough to draw copies of their War Diaries for me, but they're incomplete - hell, we don't even have a full personnel roster! I've personally met and drunk beer with several Kangaroos not on the list Clive managed to compile, and have corroborated others through personal contacts. We know, of course, the list of the dead, but we don't have a full list of the WIAs.
Furthermore, we don't have a complete list of those in on the very first Kangaroos in August 1944, although I know some of them personally. Needless to say, our records are incomplete.
I suspect the 79th AD has more complete records than we do (ref the Regiment anyway), because of daily returns through 31 Brigade. We just need someone to dig...
Major... the above most likely applies to you too. 1CAB went into action independently and under British command, with our own staff (1 Corps) woefully inexperienced. I suggest that you're going to have to dig deeply for everything you need. Good luck.
G.