TANK CORPS 50th ANNIVERSARY DINNER: SEPTEMBER 1966

[Michelle Young]

@INW is still visiting the forum. Hopefully, this tag will alert them to your posts.

Michelle 

[GAAsh]

1 minute ago, Michelle Young said:

@INW is still visiting the forum. Hopefully, this tag will alert them to your posts.

Michelle 

Thank you for responding Michelle, I have been pleased to get any responses to a new post on an old thread, knowing the way forums work.

The research already done on this thread is amazing.

Kind Regards

 

[tankengine888]

1 hour ago, GAAsh said:

Thank you for replying so quickly.

We were quite surprised to have found so much information and research on my grandfather, and certainly to find his medals for sale just hours after discussing what had happened to them, was quite a shock. As to the wearing of them, It may have been remembrance day that my son was thinking of, he realises that he can't wear the MBE at any time. This is all conjecture at this point, because I've yet to see if I  can buy them, as the asking price is quite hefty.

It's entirely possible that his medals were disposed of at the time of his death, my mum, his daughter, handled the selling of the property etc, but I'm almost ashamed to admit that I had no interest in helping out at the time, running a business, girlfriends, and cars took priority back then! My information on him is sketchy, he lived in Salisbury, Wiltshire, when I was a child, and visits were infrequent. My mum persuaded him(them) to move closer to us in Ruislip, Middlesex, in 1979. Downsizing from a 3 storey house to a 2 bedroom maisonette required a lot of disposing of furniture, etc.

He was a military man through and through, in his later years when I knew him best, he was affectionately known as "The Colonel" in the local shops where me and my dad had our businesses, he would appear, most days, as his house was only a few hundred yards away. He had a wicked sense of humour, and would deliver his anecdotes with a deadpan expression. He was always respectful, and demanded respect which he always received. He never wore glasses, even up until the time of his death.

I don't know if this is the stuff that you were interested in, so I won't witter on any more, but I do have a few old pictures of him which I can post up here, and even one or two of uncle Rob (Robert Sydney Regler) who was mum's older brother, and died as a POW (working on the railway of death in Burma) He was a Royal Engineer.

Is this the set? https://www.jagermedals.com/_shop_section/medal_groups_and_gallantry/j2659.html
 If so, god, a big price, but it has it's value to your family I assume. 2300 odd quid is about... 5000 australian dollars I think. Something also doesn't look right about the medals, they look too clean! but probably replica.

Also WW2 but to hell with it..
1st January 1944, pretty sure this is his MBE in the gazette.

also says here, promoted 17th July 1940 to War Substantive Sergeant Major, although the medal site says 27th of July of '40.
Anyhow, I'm just interested in anything really, in this case, a man who enlisted in August 1914, and was in the army for the whole war, and then the next one too! Sort of reminds me of Dave Sullivan from the Australian Soap Opera "The Sullivans". Regler has an interesting story, more than I can say about my own great great grandfather who I barely know about, that's why I'm intrigued.

God bless him and your son for serving. 
My regards.

[GAAsh]

Thank you once again for your help, and continued interest in my grandfather.

That is the set, yes, and I am having wobbles over the price, especially bearing in mind that they would have been sold for peanuts in the first place. I have asked if there is any negotiation possible on the price, but I'm dealing through an agent, and not with the seller.

I'm slightly dismayed at the possibility that they could be reproductions, as these would not be of the same interest to me, especially at that price. Is there any way, (apart from asking and getting an honest answer), of me confirming whether they are the genuine article or repro's, as this would be a deal breaker for me if I did decide to go ahead and buy.

I need to do some more work on the early life of Sydney I only know that he was a soldier from 1914 until he retired immediately after WW2. He had 3 children, Robert (1918), who joined the army before the start of WW2, my mum (1921) spent her childhood in Catterick camp, and later moved to a new house in Endon. She mainly had admin jobs in the late thirties before signing up as a driver in 1940, and Peter (1930), the youngest, who was too young to participate in WW2 but was also a career army man like his dad, for most of his life.

My dad signed up as a tank driver in 1939, he was by chance, in the same regiment as my grandfather and met my mum through that connection, although the alliance didn't go down well with mum's parents, as you can imagine, but they married in 1942, in Farnborough. My dad drove a tank over to France on D-Day, and was one of the lucky survivors of that battle.

In spite of these strong military connections, my youngest son is the only member of the subsequent generations (of my mum) to have been drawn to military service, although two of Peter's children (my cousins) did service as Royal marines.

Thanks again for the heads up on the medals, I will make enquiries.

 

Best regards.

 

 

[INW]

GAAsh

Just confirming that I have been following the new posts today whilst working! It is great to hear that there is still interest in the post and that it is helping you research your fascinating family history. The last couple of years have been very hectic for me and I haven't spent any time researching the list of the men at the dinner. I was planning to check all the men out on the 1921 census when it became available but at £3.50 a time that will be an expensive exercise! This evening I have found him in the 1921 census in India using 'find my past'.

Not sure why there is a red line through his entry. This census has picked up further tank men in India that I need to check out as fourth man candidates!

INW

[GAAsh]

@INW, that's more great information, thank you.

I didn't realise that the census would have picked him up in India! I couldn't find him when I did a UK search a couple of weeks ago, and they had managed to mis-spell his wife's name, so I ended up finding the household using my mums name who had only just been born at the time of the census, and he wasn't on the census. The family were living in a house right next to Wembley station, and had a lodger whose name was familiar to me as a life long family friend, and who lived with my family for some years during the sixties and seventies. She probably would have been there, in 1921, to help my nan with the new baby and her older brother, Robert, whilst Sydney was out in India.

They must have moved up to Catterick barracks when he returned in 1925 as my mum often recounted memories of her childhood living in that area. I was always confused when she recounted these various events in her life, as I couldn't work out the timelines of when, or why, they lived in different places, and why they seemed to move around so much. I know that at some point, Sydney owned and drove a 'Scott Sociable' 3 wheeler vehicle, which according to my mum, was a scary thing for passengers to be in.

I only found out yesterday that he was posted to India in early 1921, and was apparently there until 1925, so I would assume that he never saw the birth, and first few years of my mothers life, they wouldn't have had home leave from postings so far away in those days, or would they?

I will dig out some photos today, and post them up here.

[Wasntbtf]

On 13/06/2020 at 15:56, INW said:

VETERANS DINNER 15 Sept 1966: FURTHER RESEARCH

Please see the attached spreadsheet which lists further details of the men attending the dinner.

Some very interesting characters did attend the dinner.

For example: RC COONEY was interviewed by the Imperial War Museum and his six audio tapes are fascinating.

Any further information would be gratefully received.

 

INW

 

TANK DINNER 15 sept 1966.pdf 269.2 kB · 21 downloads

I know this is long after the original post but Ernie Hayward's decorations were DCM, MM not MM, DSO

[tankengine888]

23 minutes ago, Wasntbtf said:

I know this is long after the original post but Ernie Hayward's decorations were DCM, MM not MM, DSO

'MM not MM'?

[Wasntbtf]

19 minutes ago, tankengine888 said:

'MM not MM'?

"DCM, MM" not "MM, DSO" 

[tankengine888]

1 minute ago, Wasntbtf said:

"DCM, MM" not "MM, DSO" 

My bad, sorry, a bit tired and on a bus.

[INW]

Tankengine888 and Wasnbtf

Thanks for pointing out my medals error.  The internet is a wonderful thing. We can correct each others typos from the other side of the world, in a instant, whilst on a bus!

'Fair Dinkum' as I think you say over there.

INW

[tankengine888]

4 hours ago, INW said:

Tankengine888 and Wasnbtf

Thanks for pointing out my medals error.  The internet is a wonderful thing. We can correct each others typos from the other side of the world, in a instant, whilst on a bus!

'Fair Dinkum' as I think you say over there.

INW

Aye, Fair Dinkum, you're a Dinkum bloke.

I remember I saw the medal rack, and remembered I've seen it before in the movie with Alec Guinness, Pipes of Glory I think it was, field commissioned, DSO, MM and Major with respect.

[GAAsh]

Sorry, but it has been a while since i last posted, but in the meantime, I've managed to secure the medals back into the family fold, both sets are in perfect condition and have been well looked after. My youngest son has promised to be the ongoing warden of these medals, so will keep the story alive for future generations of my family.

Although I'm sure that I have some pictures of SJGR somewhere in my collection, I haven't been able to find them yet, they may appear as I gradually sort through my late mothers things, which is a slow and emotional process, which I'm not finding easy. Anyway, in the meantime, I met up with my cousin (son of the late Peter Regler, SJG's youngest son), who provided me with a few photos, some of which I had never seen before:-

 

[tankengine888]

41 minutes ago, GAAsh said:

Sorry, but it has been a while since i last posted, but in the meantime, I've managed to secure the medals back into the family fold, both sets are in perfect condition and have been well looked after. My youngest son has promised to be the ongoing warden of these medals, so will keep the story alive for future generations of my family.

Although I'm sure that I have some pictures of SJGR somewhere in my collection, I haven't been able to find them yet, they may appear as I gradually sort through my late mothers things, which is a slow and emotional process, which I'm not finding easy. Anyway, in the meantime, I met up with my cousin (son of the late Peter Regler, SJG's youngest son), who provided me with a few photos, some of which I had never seen before:-

 

Hello!

Good to hear you have secured both their medals and that they will be looked after.

These photos are quite nice, and I applaud you on them. Good job..... Not sure what else to say unfortunately.

Tank.

[INW]

GASSH

It is good to hear that the medals have returned to the family. The photo's tell a fascinating story of a generation who saw so much change and unfortunately conflict in their lives. It would be good to add dates to the post WW1 photo and the 1970s/80s one. As he is photographed with three WW1 medals I think this photo must date from 1919(mid)  - 1922. Have you got any military records for him? As he served in WW2 and as you are a relative these might be available from the MOD.

INW

Edited 3 July , 2022 by INW

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

42 minutes ago, INW said:

Have you got any military records for him? As he served in WW2 and you are a relative these might be available from the MOD.

His name doesn't appear in the Post 1921 Soldiers database, but it is known to be incomplete.

WW2 records should be available though.