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Edward Poyser (born 1920)
- Thread starter Mancunian_Nick
- Start date
Mancunian_Nick
master brummie
Hi guys n gals ... Thank you all for your feedback. I already have an Ancestry sub for UK but nothing was coming up for some reason in my searches or hints for Edward. I will definitely take a look at midlandshistoricaldata though as many of my friend's ancestors were from this neck of the woods - Staffs, Warwickshire, Worcestershire etc.
Oh whilst I'm here, just for everyone's interest and because I'd promised to let you all know, I've been in touch again with the forces personnel people in Glasgow with regard to Edward's service record(s), medals awarded etc and the bad news is they currently have a 6 month waiting list! The gentleman I spoke to on the phone a week or so ago told me they have applications from Christmas still unopened! So I guess it's going to a while until we have more information to work with but as you can guess, it's quite frustrating despite how understanding and patient we're trying to be.
OK thank you all again. Be back when I have more info ... or another problemette.
Oh whilst I'm here, just for everyone's interest and because I'd promised to let you all know, I've been in touch again with the forces personnel people in Glasgow with regard to Edward's service record(s), medals awarded etc and the bad news is they currently have a 6 month waiting list! The gentleman I spoke to on the phone a week or so ago told me they have applications from Christmas still unopened! So I guess it's going to a while until we have more information to work with but as you can guess, it's quite frustrating despite how understanding and patient we're trying to be.
OK thank you all again. Be back when I have more info ... or another problemette.
Mancunian_Nick
master brummie
Wow was that really last February I wrote that last message above? Well as of today, we are still waiting for Edward's war records. So much for 6 months. I know Covid can be blamed in part but it's still very frustrating - more so that Glasgow couldn't even contact the people already waiting to apologise and explain. Calling them gets you nowhere. They're not accepting phone calls either so anyone thinking of applying, to be honest for the time being, I really wouldn't bother.
Mancunian_Nick
master brummie
Hello again. Well you may like to know that finally, on Friday (17th), I received Edward's records applied for in January 2020! I'm still going through them but I don't think they mention anything about any secret unit(s) or missions and nothing about his medals awarded either, mostly just different attestation records of when he signed up, seemingly starting with the Royal Corps of Signals - 48th (SM) Divisional Signals TA in June 1937. They are all photocopied on A3 sheets so unfortunately too big for my A4 scanner. I don't yet know what the SM refers to so I need to check with Google and WarForces website. If I find anything of interest, I'll naturally report back. He was living at 24 Hart Road, Erdington at this time and was single.
Just checked the long, long trail website which informs me the SM is South Midlands, although only gives information on WW1 rather than WW2, so I'll keep looking.
Ok for anyone interested - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48th_(South_Midland)_Division#Second_World_War
Just checked the long, long trail website which informs me the SM is South Midlands, although only gives information on WW1 rather than WW2, so I'll keep looking.
Ok for anyone interested - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48th_(South_Midland)_Division#Second_World_War
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Mancunian_Nick
master brummie
PLEASE Forgive me if I'm writing this part in the wrong area but following on from my last post, I have an interesting looking dilemma or query which I'm hoping someone smarter than I can assist me with please?
OK starting off with what I know. Firstly the newspaper clipping from the Evening Dispatch in October 1944, notice it says near the end that he was posted to Burma and who was *supposed* to be unfit he has had activities enough and then becoming later one of a few British members of a specialist unit etc. Certainly very intriguing.
So then moving on and as I said in my post above, I've received Edward's war records although, I strongly suspect, not all of them! But please take a look at this snip I've made of one of the pages ... firstly there's something feint written across the top in what looks like pencil. I've tried a few image 'tricks' to try to decypher it but the best I can get is 'not to proceed overseas something (until?) 17.12.46.' but the fascinating bit for me is top right! PYTHON 17.9.44 and below that, again not that easy to read but is it SOE 31.3.46? I know about the SOE from reading Airey Neave's excellent book about it many years ago. I have Googled Python and it appears to have been an operation largely by the Australians but with others involved ... but I'm itching to try to find out more about what he/they did, particularly with regard to the SOE if I'm reading it correctly. I suspect that as he was in the Royal Corps of Signals for a time before joining the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and so could have been used as a radio operator perhaps? I know I'm doing a lot of supposing so does anyone with more knowledge than me have any other suggestions or knowledge about where I can find out more about these operations or operation? I'd dearly love to find out more about Edward's part!
Another intriguing thing is that I know Edward received at some point a Burma Star yet neither this, or any other medal(s) for that matter, is mentioned in the papers/records I've received from Glasgow!
Thanks - appreciate any/all input. Thank you kindly. Nick
OK starting off with what I know. Firstly the newspaper clipping from the Evening Dispatch in October 1944, notice it says near the end that he was posted to Burma and who was *supposed* to be unfit he has had activities enough and then becoming later one of a few British members of a specialist unit etc. Certainly very intriguing.
So then moving on and as I said in my post above, I've received Edward's war records although, I strongly suspect, not all of them! But please take a look at this snip I've made of one of the pages ... firstly there's something feint written across the top in what looks like pencil. I've tried a few image 'tricks' to try to decypher it but the best I can get is 'not to proceed overseas something (until?) 17.12.46.' but the fascinating bit for me is top right! PYTHON 17.9.44 and below that, again not that easy to read but is it SOE 31.3.46? I know about the SOE from reading Airey Neave's excellent book about it many years ago. I have Googled Python and it appears to have been an operation largely by the Australians but with others involved ... but I'm itching to try to find out more about what he/they did, particularly with regard to the SOE if I'm reading it correctly. I suspect that as he was in the Royal Corps of Signals for a time before joining the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and so could have been used as a radio operator perhaps? I know I'm doing a lot of supposing so does anyone with more knowledge than me have any other suggestions or knowledge about where I can find out more about these operations or operation? I'd dearly love to find out more about Edward's part!
Another intriguing thing is that I know Edward received at some point a Burma Star yet neither this, or any other medal(s) for that matter, is mentioned in the papers/records I've received from Glasgow!
Thanks - appreciate any/all input. Thank you kindly. Nick
