Looking for any further information on my father who served in BAOR from 1945 to 28.9.49
Army No. 7893630 Royal Armoured Corps.
Discharged on 28 Oct 1949 with an Exemplary Military conduct from 5th Royal Tank regiment.
Many thanks, Philip Livingstone
email:
livingstonep@hotmail.comHistory:
William Francis Livingston joined the 7th Armoured Division North Africa on 29th June 1939 at the age of 16 as part of Royal Armoured Corps.
William signed up for 9 years as a regular soldier and added a period to complete 10 years and 128 days of regular army service, being stationed in Germany after the war.
He served throughout the North African campaign arriving in October 1940 to support Operation Compass.
He saw action throughout the remaining North African campaign, then on to Italy coming ashore at Salerno on September 15, 1943, to help repel heavy German counterattacks, then as part of U.S. Fifth Army's British X Corps and supported by the 46th (North Midland) Division, drive on and took Naples. onto Salerno, Italy, returning to the UK (Thetford Forest) for a short time to prepare equipment and vehicles for further battles in Normany and into Europe.
Now part of the British 21st Army Group (under General Montgomery), British Second Army, his unit then took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944. Then onward liberating central Belgium and into southern Holland and the German border opposite the Ruhr and was the first to enter and witness the horrors of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.