Trade Training 1942

I'm currently working on a project that involves recording in detail the war time history of my late Fathers army service from 1940 to 1946.

5777663 L/Cpl Ashby E J Fitter MV Class 1 would have been 100 years old this year so I thought it a fitting tribute to collate and record his service history for my children and grandchildren.

To this end I have collected unit diary's, service records, personal papers and photographs and am now setting his story into the wider context of the various theaters he severed in.

I am very lucky to have all of my Father's trade training work books and I thought it may be of interest to show some of the pencil drawings he produced as part of his course work for those of you who have a copy of 'Manual of Driving and Maintenance for Mechanical Vehicles (wheeled) 1937' some of the diagrams will be familiar.

To set the drawings in context my Father was called up on the 6 May 1940 to the Royal Norfolk's as an infantry man, after 18 months he was selected for trade training and was transferred to the RAOC in May 1942 at Aldershot. Here he underwent full trade training joining REME when it was created in October 1942 landing in North Africa in December 1942 then onto Sicily, Italy and finally Austria at the end of the war in Europe.

I'll post a couple of drawings now and if people are interested I'll post some more.

Pete

Now that is a legacy! Beautifully drawn. He'd be proud to know his knowledge is still of intrest and education to others.

Thank you Tony, yes I think he would,

he was very proud of his army service but was at pains to always point out he was not a fighting soldier after 1942 he said they were the real heroes.

Pete

Here's a couple more continuing on the theme of power drive line:

Pete

These two cover engine lubrication:

Pete

These two cover engine lubrication:

 

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Pete

Those really are beautiful drawings. It makes me glad that when I did my Vehicle Mechanic training in the 1960s we were given handouts, very similar to your dad's drawings. I could never have done such a good job.

Incidentally, my dad's service pretty much shadowed your dad's. He was called up in 1940, retrained in 1942 as a welder and joined REME in October 1942. He also served until 1946 and would have been 100 this year. They were heroes alright, but never admitted it.

Thanks for the posting, it bought back some lovely memories.

Steve.

Pleased you like them Steve I've had the exercise books stored away in my collection for over twenty years and I thought they deserved a wider audience.

The drawings were made in his billet in the evenings after lectures from notes and sketches in his rough books which I also have and also some of the crown marked pencils that he used to make them.

He always said he knew his life probably depended on making the grade as he would have been RTU if he failed the course having had 3 lucky escapes while with the Norfolk's he didn't think his luck would hold out.

He missed the last posting to the BEF by two weeks in May 1940 then shortly after they were issued with full cold weather kit and were being taught to ski on the Parade ground then just as suddenly all kit was withdrawn again.....he never did know why or where they were meant to go. Then in late 1941 he was issued with tropical kit and had a full set of jabs for a draft bound for Singapore but before his draft left the garrison had fallen so you can see the RAOC with a rifle and tool box looked a better bet than just a rifle.

What unit was your Dad in ?

here's three more to be going on with :

Wow, these are great, both from a personal story point of view and a technical one. I've been collecting a range of training materials myself and I'm in awe if how well these chaps recorded the information.

Wow, these are great, both from a personal story point of view and a technical one. I've been collecting a range of training materials myself and I'm in awe if how well these chaps recorded the information.

All the more so Lauren when you consider that his trade training started on the 15 of January 1942 and he took his trade test on the 25 May 1942 the exercise book runs to 150 pages of drawings and hand written accompanying and explanatory text this is on top of practical and bench work, I think I am correct in saying that a two year peacetime course was condensed to just under 6 months.

Staying with the power flow theme here are some more drawings for diesel engines and also a basic petrol carburetor set up :

Pete

This is one for the Carrier Guys :

Pete

This next set is all about various brake shoe set ups :

Pete

Not a component drawing this time but a brake efficiency graph that may be of interest

Pete

Clear, consice and so easy to understand. A lot of modern apprentices would benfit from doing drawings like that, or looking at them. Ever thought of publishing them? They'd make great posters for a boys room.

Ever thought of publishing them? They'd make great posters for a boys room.

Interesting thought Tony :-),

As I said at the front of this thread I'm putting the whole story together adding detail and setting it in context for my children and their children.

For the past year I have been working my way through 900 pages of the unit diary's covering just the REME part of my Father's active service along with recorded memories and some photographs I am now moving the search back to cover his enlistment and the 2 years he spent with the Royal Norfolk's guarding Norfolk airfields, road junctions, railway lines and beaches.

I intend to present the completed project digitally for the family as a record of ''An ordinary man who just did his his duty'' ,

my Fathers words to describe his 6.5 years service.

Pete

These are the last set of diagrams, these cover auto electrical subjects :

Pete

And to finish the man who produced the drawings:

5777663 'Ted' Ashby

this photo was taken in December 1940 after he had been in the Royal Norfolks for 7 months.

For those interested in uniform detail notice he is still wearing the peaked soft service cap and not the standard issue forage cap.

Pete

And to finish the man who produced the drawings:

 

5777663 'Ted' Ashby

 

this photo was taken in December 1940 after he had been in the Royal Norfolks for 7 months.

For those interested in uniform detail notice he is still wearing the peaked soft service cap and not the standard issue forage cap.

 

Pete

 

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Hi Pete, I've tried 3 times to post info on my dad and keep being told I'm not logged on. I will see if this works, as maybe I'm too slow and get 'timed out'. If so, I will just send a short version.

Steve.

Well, it did work, so a short note coming up.

Hi Pete,

Glad you have found so much to post. My trade notes are long gone.

My dad joined the REs as a painter and decorator and served as such until 1942. There must have been plenty to paint! His first posting was Bordon, working on the Longmoor railway. Before and after transfer to REME he attended welding courses all over the country, learning different techniques, including underwater welding. He was then posted to north Devon and must have worked on some of Hobart's Funnies, as he once mentioned welding on DD tanks before D day. After D day he stayed in UK until December, then joined 61st A/T Regt RA, part of 51st (Highland) div, just in time for the Ardennes Offensive. Having had a quiet war until then the last 6 months were hectic, with action at Goch, the Reichswald, first day of the Rhine crossing and Bremen, plus numerous smaller actions. At the war's end he was, I believe, in Cuxhaven. He started as a Sapper, became a Craftsman and despite being Acting L/Cpl, was discharged as a Cfn. I don't think he was cut out to be a soldier, but did everything that was asked of him, and who could ask for more? He fully earned the medals he was awarded but never collected them, as he didn't want to be reminded of it. I shall have a few drinks to him on his birthday, 16th July. 2012874 Cfn Herbert John Gray.

Best of luck with publishing your dad's work,

Steve.

That's very interesting Steve, I assume your Father re-mustered when he joined the A/T regiment.

Presumably this was a result of the losses incurred during the summer and autumn campaigns ? and as a result there was a trawl through 2nd and 3rd echelon units. That last 6 months of the war in NW Europe saw some of the most intense fighting of the whole conflict.

If you have an interest in finding out more about his units actions I would recommend asking relevant questions on this site http://ww2talk.com/forums/ the guys on there helped me enormously in giving me leads and contacts.

Here's to the memory of Cfn Herbert John Gray another 'ordinary man who did his duty'

regards

Pete

Hi Steve, if you tick the 'remember me' box when you log in that should cure your problem.

Sorry to butt in to your thread Pete although I am thoroughly enjoying it, I find stories like your father's fascinating.

Thank you to you both for posting these stories.

Not butting in at all Degsy I'm very pleased you enjoyed the thread I felt they merited a wider showing and HMVF seemed the most appropriate platform given the direct relevance of the subject matter.

The exercise books form one part of a much larger body of work I have been putting together, some as hard copy, some in digital format the final goal is to bring the whole body together in a digital format for my family, then I'll start on Grandfather's WW1 4.5 year service in the Ox & Bucks LI.

It has taken me 18 years since my Father's death to get round to doing this and like all research projects it has generated a life of it's own and has taken me down some unexpected avenues and learning experiences.

As an aside if anyone is thinking of doing a similar project on a relative I would urge you to start, there really is a wealth of information out there and a lot of it is now accessible through the web with records, photographs and forums that have contributors who are experts in their field of knowledge. A certain degree of lateral thought can be useful when trying to solve questions and looking for the answer in unexpected sources should be the norm, a seemingly unconnected 'one liner' in an obscure reference book or document can be the key you've been looking for.

Good Hunting

Pete

Fantastic set of notes. somewhere I have similar but nothing like as neat from my early TT in the RAF. Thanks for sharing !

TED

Amazing drawings!

Thanks for sharing them and the photo.

Hi Steve, if you tick the 'remember me' box when you log in that should cure your problem.

 

Sorry to butt in to your thread Pete although I am thoroughly enjoying it, I find stories like your father's fascinating.

Thank you to you both for posting these stories.

Hello Degsy, and thanks for the tip. I am a slow learner and don't post enough to know my way around the system as well as I probably should.

Regards,

Steve.

That's very interesting Steve, I assume your Father re-mustered when he joined the A/T regiment.

 

Presumably this was a result of the losses incurred during the summer and autumn campaigns ? and as a result there was a trawl through 2nd and 3rd echelon units. That last 6 months of the war in NW Europe saw some of the most intense fighting of the whole conflict.

If you have an interest in finding out more about his units actions I would recommend asking relevant questions on this site http://ww2talk.com/forums/ the guys on there helped me enormously in giving me leads and contacts.

 

Here's to the memory of Cfn Herbert John Gray another 'ordinary man who did his duty'

 

regards

 

Pete

Hi Pete. My bad terminology I'm afraid. When I said he joined the A/T Regt I should have said he was posted to the LAD. I believe his posting was a result of the regiment gaining SP guns and an expanded LAD to include a welder. I expect some people will say that as REME he wasn't a front-line soldier, but he seems to have spent a lot of his time doing recovery work (I imagine welding jobs would have been too few to fill his time), and I'm sure some of it would have been within sight and range of the enemy. Some of the recovery involved pretty gruesome work, as one story he told was of removing the crew from a German tank which had been hit by an A/P round which cut the crew to ribbons, with the first indication being the top half of the commander that he pulled from the cupola.

Not a nice thought.

Thanks also for the link. I have done some research, but that sounds like a good place to look for more info.

Steve.