Royal Sussex Regiment

Hi Harry and Keith,
I checked the CWCG and found his details. He was born in Australia and joined up in Canada.

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

First post on here and not sure if what I am doing is right but here goes.
If the quote has appeared then just want to thank the contributor for his efforts,it has answered a lot of questions for me.
My father was in the Royal Sussex Regiment but his family have been Hampshire/Dorset for hundreds of years so couldn't understand why he joined the Sussex Reg. but my sister says he joined up to the Hampshire Militia in July 1939 so presumably they got took over by the Sussex?
On the 8/4/1940 he was in the b.e.f. heading to Cherbough and on the. 7/6/1940 he was heading home via Dunkirk.
My father never spoke much about the war but he did mention to me one day about the dive bombers machine gunning the beach,he also mentioned horses stood up dead but possibly just in shock.
Dad had Dementia and was 92 so thought his tongue might loosen a bit so asked him how he got off Dunkirk beach ,to which he replied a little boat,next time I asked the same question and he said big boat.
Turns out he meant little boat off the beach then transferred to a big boat which he says docked at Portsmouth but I have looked through a book of Dunkirk veterans and it seems most went to Dover so I suppose he could have made a mistake.
The other thing that was interesting was the Sussex base at Cattistock,my daughter moved there recently and my dad piped up with "we were there in the war" firstly sleeping in the village hall (corrugated iron one) and was then moved to the stables at the big house on the Ilchester Estate,both in Evershot.
Many thanks again.

 

New to this - Just received my fathers war record from MOD best thirty pounds I have spent in a long while. Now for the hard part trying to interpret all the military jargon, My father (Charles Vallance) enlisted 15.03.1940, served in north Africa with the 4/5th Battalion (got a typical tourist photo of him on an Arab Stallion with palm trees in the background) but arrived in Syria by November 1945, now for filling in the gaps! He was discharged 18.05.46 as a CSM and I believe he was with a Bren Gun Carrier company, I have photos of him with other soldiers but don't know how to post them? Have put info on the Regimental association site to see if any response. The trouble with google is that by the time you find the right thread you have forgotten all the directions that got you there, now I have to remember this one as I have registered.