No longer required.

Chris.

If you would like to understand how 67 Fd Regt RA supported 1 Inf Div during their time at Anzio, do get in touch.

I am guiding a group there on 7-10 Jun 18.

Regards

Frank

F.deplanta@btinternet.com

Chris, my grandfather, Alf Titterton served with 67 Field Regiment from Sep 1939 to Jan 1946. I have been researching his service and have some original field service documents. I did a battlefield trip to Italy in October last year following much of the route of the 67th and visited most of the graves of my granddads comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice, including Bills.
I would be happy to swap any information.
regards Steve Titterton

Hi Steve, please contact me to make direct contact if you can access my email address.
I always seem to have trouble logging in with this site.

Cheers Chris

Hi Chris, I wanted to drop you a quick line as I came across your post having Googled the 67th Field Reg which my grandfather David Shepherd served in. He was captured and died of his wounds in December 1944 and is buried at Argenta Gap.

My father recently gave me a copy of The Eyes and Ears of the Regiment which details my grandfather’s capture on p223. We have all the letters he wrote to his father and sister and letters from his CO after his capture as well as numerous photographs my grandfather took whilst with the 67th.

Despite the letters and photos I know very little about his war years as my grandmother wouldn’t speak about them. I’d welcome the opportunity to share any information.

Best regards,
David Shepherd

David.

You will have seen from a previous post that 67 Fd Regt RA supported 1 Infantry Division at Anzio. The beachhead was a grim place to be, particularly on the gun lines which were highly vulnerable to German observation from all the surrounding hills.

If you would like to see what happened to him, I am guiding a group their on 7-10 Jun 18 and another on 23-27 Jun 18.

Check out the details on http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk if the idea grabs you.

Regards

Frank

My Grandfather served with the 67th in 266 Battery.I have a copy of the eyes and ears that my daughter took a photo of every page for reading on the pc.
Also i have the war diaries from Jan ’43 to Dec ’45.
I have a couple of pics noted as being from 1940’s but no idea where they were taken.
I’d like to find out any info i’m not aware of and also see any pics.
Can anybody advise me to where to look for Battery/Troop pics of 266?

Regards
Scott

Chris it was great to chat and thank you for your help.

David Shepherd, we would both like to hear from you if your around.
You have things that would be great to see.

Regards
Scott

I am the grandson of Harold Parker who served with the regiment in North Africa, Italy and Palestine. He won the MC whilst acting as a FOO on the Gothic Line.

Nic.

Get in touch with me through http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk and I will dig out the MC citation for your grandfather.

If you are interested, I am guiding a group on the Gothic Line on 10-13 SEP 19. You are welcome to join us if this grabs you.

Regards

Frank

Chris/Scott,

Firstly apologies this is the first time I’ve logged back on to the website since I posted last May. Unfortunately my father Michael, Major Shepherd’s son passed away in August of last year. He was so happy that I that I’d made contact with yourselves and would certainly have encouraged me to find out more about my grandfather!

I would love to help in any way that I can, we have all my grandfather’s personal war effects from his letter’s home, photographs, citations and even his field binoculars.

Chris I have left you a voicemail, I can be contacted on 07785 822184, my email is dmwshepherd@yahoo.com I’m based in Worcestershire so happy to meet-up when convenient.

David

Hi

I am the granddaughter of Captain Peter Mennell. I am very keen to join this group and hope to share information from a wealth of letters he wrote to his mother.

I think it is time that I updated you all to say what an incredible few weeks I’ve experienced since finding this Forum. My Uncle John Hubert Hartridge (UJ) was killed on Friday 13th October 1944 in a unique situation in a farmhouse just outside Palazzuolo in Eastern Italy. He was asleep when a shell landed on the window sill of his room and killed him outright and badly injured another. Dave Shepherd, who appears above in this Forum, turns out to be the grandson of Major David Shepherd MC who was UJ’s Battery Commander and who wrote to my Grandparents informing them of UJ’s death. I contacted him and relayed the information of my uncle’s death. This prompted him to visit his Mother and search through war-time letters from David Shepherd that were, as yet, unread. As a result it now transpires that Major David Shepherd was billeted in the same room as UJ and was called out to a telephone call just before the shell landed. I now have copies of the two letters that he wrote home recalling his incredible luck and the tragic death of UJ… Also I’m in touch with Chris Harris who also has provided a lot of information and we are meeting up shortly. And now I learn that Peter Mennell went to Oundle School where all our family have attended so I shall be in touch with Helena who I see has just joined this Forum too. It is all quite overwhelming and will make our pilgrimage to Faenza this October to visit UJ’s grave exactly to the day, 75 years later all the more meaningful.. He was killed two months before I was born.

Here is another update following an incredible journey this last 4 months learning so much about my Uncle John’s participation in the Gothic Line campaign with the 67th Field Regiment which has just culminated in an amazing trip back to Faenza to visit his grave in the War Cemetery there. We were there exactly 75 years to the day: 13th October 1944, albeit it was a Sunday this time, not a Friday!
Chris Harris has been fantastic in putting together booklets of information and a suggested Battlefield Tour which we did on the Saturday from Borgo San Lorenzo to Faenza via Marradi and Palazzuolo. I contacted the local information centre and was put in touch with two local guides who spent the day with us. They were so knowledgeable.
Not only did we travel the Arrow Route but we also visited the Farmhouse at Badia Si Susinana where the shell landed on the window sill of Uncle John’s bedroom and virtually killed him outright. It was an emotional trip and then we had a few hours in the cemetery on Sunday, which is a beautiful peaceful place. We left a glass poppy and a plaque at his graveside.
On the way back to Bologna we visited Argenta Gap War Cemetery too and paid our respects to Major David Shepherd MC who is buried there. He was Uncle John’s Battery Commander and shared the same room as Uncle John in the farmhouse. He was called out of the bedroom for a telephone call minutes before the shell landed. He wrote to my grandparents informing them of Uncle John’s death.
Our duty has been done… a big “Must Do” ticked off in my life…I’m indebted to this Forum for setting me off on such an incredible journey…Thank You…

I don’t know whether anyone can help or point me in a direction for more information. My Dad, Thomas Hynes, got the Italy Star. (Also the Africa Star.) He was at Anzio for the whole of the battle and was a gunner. I have his army number and obtained the contents of his service file from the Army Personnel Centre. This shows his unit as 67th Field Regiment R.A. However, there is very little information and the handwriting doesn’t make it easy to comprehend.
I am going to Anzio in October. I would love to know where he came ashore and any other details of his movements with his regiment. Can anyone give me any pointers? Thanks so much.

Faye.

Look further up this thread and you will see Chris Harris’s email address. Chris has a copy of Eyes and Ears. This is the history of 67 Field Regiment RA.

67 Fd Regt RA were one of three Field Regts supporting 1 Infantry Division – their guns directly supported the three Infantry Brigades of the Division – 2 Infantry Brigade, 3 Infantry Brigade and 24 Guards Brigade.

The Regt was deployed in the Padagione Woods – the gun areas immediately behind the front line which centred on the Flyover at Campo di Carne. Guns were controlled by teams of gunners who lived up on the front line with the infantry. Your father was therefore in the gun lines firing the guns or up at the front line controlling those guns.

I am a guide at Anzio so if you need any extra information, do get in touch though my website.

Regards

Frank

http://www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk

My Grandfather was in the 67th Field.

I have a digital (every page of the book photographed) copy of Eyes and Ears I can send you.
Also I have copies of the regiments war diaries from Sept 39 – Jan 46 that say when and where they were.

Feel free to give me a shout.

Scott

Scottlotsoftrix@aol.com

Frank,
Thank you very much for taking the trouble to reply to me. You have made things clearer for me already as I am not well versed in how the military groupings work. Your information already gives me a few more lines of enquiry. I would love to know where my Dad actually landed as well so I can visit that place/beach.
Scott in the next post kindly offered the digital copy of The Eyes and Ears of the Regiment so I may be able to find out more again from this and the diaries.
I will go to your website and take a look. Thank you so much for your help. How I wish Dad was still here to have talked to about it all!
Regards,
Faye

Faye.

It is tricky because 1 British Infantry Division initially landed on Peter Beach 10km up the coast from Anzio itself – the area between Tor San Lorenzo in the north and Lavinio in the south. But, because the beach turned out to be awful for getting vehicles ashore and off it, the Division quickly switched all further landings to Anzio harbour which the Rangers & Commandos had quickly secured for use on the first night. I am confident that the guns would have come ashore at the harbour but cannot be certain without seeing the War Diaries.

Get hold of me through my website and I will send you a map showing the landing sites.

Regards

Frank