The Veterans
This page is dedicated to the actual men of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment that we portray. We invite anyone with any information, documents, memories, photos, or anything else relating to the true men of the 6th AARR to contact us so that we may include that information here. This is a working history dedicated to those men.
Requesting information on Family Members and others
We often get requests from children and grandchildren who had family members that served in the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment, and sometimes requests about people in other units. The most direct way to find out information on service member's past records is through the War Office and other private research organizations in the UK. Included here are a couple of links that will help you find out information by the most direct sources. We may have information not contained in these sources, as we have a limited amount of information obtained from some of the veterans themselves, through correspondence and telephone conversaitions. Some of that information follows the links. Please ask if you have trouble finding information on the links or elsewhere on this page, and we will try to help. And please, if you have information, if you don't mind sharing it with us, we would love to include it here to share with others. Thanks!
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The button to the left will bring you to the British National Archives, which is a great place to start looking for information on your family member during their service time. It has helpful hints and links on what can be found out about whom, where and when.
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The button to the left will bring you to the site to request varous official British service records. The process for requesting them varies depending on whether you are the service member, a family member or an individual not related to the service member. The process is simple and is explained on the site.
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Name
Jock Campbell
Comment
My dad was in the 6th AARR - I believe at operation Varsity - he died at the Chelsea Hospital in 2000 and I am trying to find more detail of his military career. His name was William Ellis Campbell and he was from Belfast - born in 1921. He later joined the Royal Scots Greys. He was known as Pat and for many years he thought his middle name was Henry - just to confuse the situation more. His military number was 410673. If you can shed any light I would be most grateful.
Hi Dan, thanks for getting back to me. No idea what his role or squadron was. I know he was in the Enniskillen Dragoon Guards prior to that and was later involved in tanks at Bovington Squadron Leaders and in the Greys.
Regards, Jock
From: Dan Welch [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 15 January 2013 19:15
To: Campbell, Jock; [email protected]
Subject: RE: New Form Entry: Dan
The "Skins", were officially the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. They were a cavalry regiment, and were mechanized in 1938 in Egypt. They transfered back to the ETO and were the recce regiment for 4th Division during the german invasion of France in 1940. They were evacuated from Dunkirk, and after returning to England, in the time between Dunkirk and D-Day, some of their men were transfered to form cadres for other forming armoured units. This would have been the time when your father transfered to the 6th AARR from the "Skins". Since you mention that he later served at Bovington in the Squadron Leaders course, and in the Greys, Bovington being the tank school, and the Greys being a tank unit (I trained with some of the Greys and also some of the Blues and Royals tankers in Germany), it's pretty safe to assume he was a tanker. The 6th AARR started as the Airborne Light Tank Squadron, and they were all volunteers from other tank regiments (like the Skins), so he was probably one of those original members, as replacements later on to fill the ranks due to casualties were drawn from RAC replacement depots. Only in the months before D-Day was the Light Tank Squadron expanded into a reconnaissance regiment, and those newer troops were not tankers, but were members of the Reconnaissance Regiment, mortarmen, and the like. It is quite possible that your father is in the photo on the Home Page of our website, and you might want to take a very careful look at the photo of the "Light Tank Squadron" to see if you can pick him out. If you can, please let me know which one he is.
I am forwarding this to the members of the club, and we will look through our references to see if we can find mention of him. I also have some letters written to me several years ago by members of the regiment, and I will look through those as well. You can also contact the authorities in England with his name and service number and they can look him up in the archives for you. We would all be very interested to hear anything you find out, and I would be proud to put a biography of him on our website. Thanks, and I will let you know what we find out!
Editor's Note: If anyone can add more info for Mr. Campbell in regards to his father's service with the 6th AARR, please respond in the form at the bottom of the page. Thanks!
Jock Campbell
Comment
My dad was in the 6th AARR - I believe at operation Varsity - he died at the Chelsea Hospital in 2000 and I am trying to find more detail of his military career. His name was William Ellis Campbell and he was from Belfast - born in 1921. He later joined the Royal Scots Greys. He was known as Pat and for many years he thought his middle name was Henry - just to confuse the situation more. His military number was 410673. If you can shed any light I would be most grateful.
Hi Dan, thanks for getting back to me. No idea what his role or squadron was. I know he was in the Enniskillen Dragoon Guards prior to that and was later involved in tanks at Bovington Squadron Leaders and in the Greys.
Regards, Jock
From: Dan Welch [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 15 January 2013 19:15
To: Campbell, Jock; [email protected]
Subject: RE: New Form Entry: Dan
The "Skins", were officially the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. They were a cavalry regiment, and were mechanized in 1938 in Egypt. They transfered back to the ETO and were the recce regiment for 4th Division during the german invasion of France in 1940. They were evacuated from Dunkirk, and after returning to England, in the time between Dunkirk and D-Day, some of their men were transfered to form cadres for other forming armoured units. This would have been the time when your father transfered to the 6th AARR from the "Skins". Since you mention that he later served at Bovington in the Squadron Leaders course, and in the Greys, Bovington being the tank school, and the Greys being a tank unit (I trained with some of the Greys and also some of the Blues and Royals tankers in Germany), it's pretty safe to assume he was a tanker. The 6th AARR started as the Airborne Light Tank Squadron, and they were all volunteers from other tank regiments (like the Skins), so he was probably one of those original members, as replacements later on to fill the ranks due to casualties were drawn from RAC replacement depots. Only in the months before D-Day was the Light Tank Squadron expanded into a reconnaissance regiment, and those newer troops were not tankers, but were members of the Reconnaissance Regiment, mortarmen, and the like. It is quite possible that your father is in the photo on the Home Page of our website, and you might want to take a very careful look at the photo of the "Light Tank Squadron" to see if you can pick him out. If you can, please let me know which one he is.
I am forwarding this to the members of the club, and we will look through our references to see if we can find mention of him. I also have some letters written to me several years ago by members of the regiment, and I will look through those as well. You can also contact the authorities in England with his name and service number and they can look him up in the archives for you. We would all be very interested to hear anything you find out, and I would be proud to put a biography of him on our website. Thanks, and I will let you know what we find out!
Editor's Note: If anyone can add more info for Mr. Campbell in regards to his father's service with the 6th AARR, please respond in the form at the bottom of the page. Thanks!
A conversation with Norman Stocker of B Squadron, 6th AARR
The following conversation is an edited version of an ongoing email conversation with Trooper Norman Stocker over several weeks time. Norman was asked questions from several members of our club and from members of the dingo yahoogroup about his service. Many thanks to Norman, who answered as many questions as he could before he had to end the interview for personal reasons. The interview follows:
Norman: I was a member of B Sqdn. For the whole of existence, joining when it was the Light tank Sqdn. and leaving when the unit was disbanded in Palestine in 1945 I was at first a wireless operator in 2troop and later became the driver/operator of Sqdn. Leaders Dingo scout car. In the picture above I am 3rd. From the left in the middle row. (Editor’s note; Norman is referring to the photo on the home page of the 6th AARR website)
Norman: The picture you refer to is one taken by myself as we entered the town of Schweriin in Northern Germany.
Dan: Is the dingo in the photo you took in Schwerin your dingo?
Norman: The answer to your question is No. It was taken from my car.\
Dan: Sir, did you know William Campbell? His son Jock contacted me asking if I knew anything about his father's service with the 6th AARR, and I couldn't find anything about him in the limited amount of material I have. Jock is very curious about his father's time in the regiment. Thanks! Dan
Norman: Sorry to say I do not remember the man in question. Most likely he was in a different squadron. Kind regards from Norman Stocker.
Dan: Sir, did you have Dingos in Normandy, or did you get the Dingos after you returned to England?
Norman: Dan, We had modified Jeeps in Nomandy, and converted to Dingo's on our return to England in August, and used them in the Ardennes fighting.
Dan: Did you sleep in sleeping bags, or use blankets? Also, did you sleep in the 2 man tents, or did you make a shelter with the tarpaulin for the vehicle?
Norman: We slept in our sleeping bags when we could. We had no tents or tarpaulins.
Dan: Did you eat mostly compo rations, and did you use your Number 2 folding cook stove for most meals? What were your meals like? Many of the questions from our club members are about your food and cooking arrangements.
Norman: Yes we ate mostly Compo rations cooked on our small stoves. They were generally very good. Norman.
Dan: Did you have the metal "2 Men, 1 Day" ration box that was re-fillable? If so, what kind of things did they put in it for you?
Norman: No, we had wooden boxes which as I recall fed several people for two days. Norman.
Dan: Were you involved in Parker Force, the mission of the 6th AARR with attachments of the 12th Devons and RA to seize Cagny as a Firm Base to conduct reconnaissance behind german lines on 7th June 1944?
Norman: Yes we were aware of Parker Force and most of thought it was too small to do the job. It is nice to know what you and your friends think of us, but we never thought of ourselves as hero's, (Editor’s note; Norman is referring to a letter from club members that thanked him for answering our questions) only as ordinary men caught up in a messy situation, doing what had to be done, and trying to see that we did not get blown apart.
Dan: Norman, everything we've read indicates that Dingos were never flown into combat in gliders. Did you ever fly your Dingo in Hamilcar gliders during training or operations? Can you give some anecdotes of what it was like?
Norman: Dan, To the best of my knowledge Dingos were never flown in Hamilcars. Flying in a glider was like sailing on a rough sea. Casting off was akin to hitting a brick wall.
Dan: What Regiment were you originally in before you volunteered for the Light Tank Squadron? Were you in the 'C' Special Service Squadron also? Did you go to Madagascar? Were you a tank crewman?
Norman: When the War started I was a 16 year old apprentice in the town power station. As a result of this I was in what was known as a protected occupation, this meant that I had to finish my apprenticeship before I could be conscripted. However at the age of 18 I went to the local army recruiting office and made known the fact that, when I did join I wished to go into a tank unit. Subsequently when I did join in May 1943 I was sent to the tank training unit at Bovington.
Due to my previous electrical training it was decided that I would be trained as a radio operator. When I was almost at the end of my training I was told that I would be staying at Bovington as an instructor. However in the very last week as our class were doing our final morse code key test, a Major wearing a Red beret came into the room and said that his small unit known as the Airborne light tank squadron would be enlarging into a full size regiment organized on the lines of a cavalry regiment, and that he was present to recruit some wireless operators. On the advice of the officer in charge of our training, he had already got two names, one of which was mine. And so two weeks later armed with my travel warrant, and the unexpired portion of my days rations, I made my way to Larkhill, on Salisbury plain and reported for duty. When the unit was finally formed I was, due to my wireless ability assigned as the troop leader’s operator in 2 troop of "B"Squadron.
Dan: Norman, there isn't much written that we can find about the recce squadrons' time in Normandy. What were your missions in Normandy like? Do you remember any particular missions?
Dan, I do remember clearly that on D+3 we got as far as le Mesnil and entered a brickworks there, where I climbed part way up the chimney to get a view over Caen. There was much German activity there as they were expecting a push in that direction. Subsequently we were held for some time, and we were used in an infantry role. When the breakout occurred we carried out many probing recce's and suffered some fatalities. Unfortunately I do not at the moment have my maps to hand, having lent them to my son, and cannot pinpoint any particular incident. Reluctantly, I must call a halt to this correspondence, thanking you for your interest, kind regards, Norman
The following conversation is an edited version of an ongoing email conversation with Trooper Norman Stocker over several weeks time. Norman was asked questions from several members of our club and from members of the dingo yahoogroup about his service. Many thanks to Norman, who answered as many questions as he could before he had to end the interview for personal reasons. The interview follows:
Norman: I was a member of B Sqdn. For the whole of existence, joining when it was the Light tank Sqdn. and leaving when the unit was disbanded in Palestine in 1945 I was at first a wireless operator in 2troop and later became the driver/operator of Sqdn. Leaders Dingo scout car. In the picture above I am 3rd. From the left in the middle row. (Editor’s note; Norman is referring to the photo on the home page of the 6th AARR website)
Norman: The picture you refer to is one taken by myself as we entered the town of Schweriin in Northern Germany.
Dan: Is the dingo in the photo you took in Schwerin your dingo?
Norman: The answer to your question is No. It was taken from my car.\
Dan: Sir, did you know William Campbell? His son Jock contacted me asking if I knew anything about his father's service with the 6th AARR, and I couldn't find anything about him in the limited amount of material I have. Jock is very curious about his father's time in the regiment. Thanks! Dan
Norman: Sorry to say I do not remember the man in question. Most likely he was in a different squadron. Kind regards from Norman Stocker.
Dan: Sir, did you have Dingos in Normandy, or did you get the Dingos after you returned to England?
Norman: Dan, We had modified Jeeps in Nomandy, and converted to Dingo's on our return to England in August, and used them in the Ardennes fighting.
Dan: Did you sleep in sleeping bags, or use blankets? Also, did you sleep in the 2 man tents, or did you make a shelter with the tarpaulin for the vehicle?
Norman: We slept in our sleeping bags when we could. We had no tents or tarpaulins.
Dan: Did you eat mostly compo rations, and did you use your Number 2 folding cook stove for most meals? What were your meals like? Many of the questions from our club members are about your food and cooking arrangements.
Norman: Yes we ate mostly Compo rations cooked on our small stoves. They were generally very good. Norman.
Dan: Did you have the metal "2 Men, 1 Day" ration box that was re-fillable? If so, what kind of things did they put in it for you?
Norman: No, we had wooden boxes which as I recall fed several people for two days. Norman.
Dan: Were you involved in Parker Force, the mission of the 6th AARR with attachments of the 12th Devons and RA to seize Cagny as a Firm Base to conduct reconnaissance behind german lines on 7th June 1944?
Norman: Yes we were aware of Parker Force and most of thought it was too small to do the job. It is nice to know what you and your friends think of us, but we never thought of ourselves as hero's, (Editor’s note; Norman is referring to a letter from club members that thanked him for answering our questions) only as ordinary men caught up in a messy situation, doing what had to be done, and trying to see that we did not get blown apart.
Dan: Norman, everything we've read indicates that Dingos were never flown into combat in gliders. Did you ever fly your Dingo in Hamilcar gliders during training or operations? Can you give some anecdotes of what it was like?
Norman: Dan, To the best of my knowledge Dingos were never flown in Hamilcars. Flying in a glider was like sailing on a rough sea. Casting off was akin to hitting a brick wall.
Dan: What Regiment were you originally in before you volunteered for the Light Tank Squadron? Were you in the 'C' Special Service Squadron also? Did you go to Madagascar? Were you a tank crewman?
Norman: When the War started I was a 16 year old apprentice in the town power station. As a result of this I was in what was known as a protected occupation, this meant that I had to finish my apprenticeship before I could be conscripted. However at the age of 18 I went to the local army recruiting office and made known the fact that, when I did join I wished to go into a tank unit. Subsequently when I did join in May 1943 I was sent to the tank training unit at Bovington.
Due to my previous electrical training it was decided that I would be trained as a radio operator. When I was almost at the end of my training I was told that I would be staying at Bovington as an instructor. However in the very last week as our class were doing our final morse code key test, a Major wearing a Red beret came into the room and said that his small unit known as the Airborne light tank squadron would be enlarging into a full size regiment organized on the lines of a cavalry regiment, and that he was present to recruit some wireless operators. On the advice of the officer in charge of our training, he had already got two names, one of which was mine. And so two weeks later armed with my travel warrant, and the unexpired portion of my days rations, I made my way to Larkhill, on Salisbury plain and reported for duty. When the unit was finally formed I was, due to my wireless ability assigned as the troop leader’s operator in 2 troop of "B"Squadron.
Dan: Norman, there isn't much written that we can find about the recce squadrons' time in Normandy. What were your missions in Normandy like? Do you remember any particular missions?
Dan, I do remember clearly that on D+3 we got as far as le Mesnil and entered a brickworks there, where I climbed part way up the chimney to get a view over Caen. There was much German activity there as they were expecting a push in that direction. Subsequently we were held for some time, and we were used in an infantry role. When the breakout occurred we carried out many probing recce's and suffered some fatalities. Unfortunately I do not at the moment have my maps to hand, having lent them to my son, and cannot pinpoint any particular incident. Reluctantly, I must call a halt to this correspondence, thanking you for your interest, kind regards, Norman
