I am wading through the 21 pages that the Marines kindly sent me and my grand-father was called up in 1942 (aged 36!!) and served 4 years in the Royal Marines Engineers, selected for such a posting I presume as he had worked in bus transport for the preceding decade. So far I have established that he served at Deal, Easthaven, Gorse Hill, Iceland (perhaps - see below), Italy and Lowestoft...... so they moved him about a bit. His discipline files are all clean though so he was well-behaved!
However I'd be grateful if anybody explain the following please:
1) These two numbers crop up continuously - HBZ 8656 (this appears on one form next to the words "N. B. Register") and RME 13367 (Which is next to Reg number and also Port Divison and Offical number) - are they service numbers?
2) He joined as a "Marine", quickly made his way via Lance Corporal to Corporal and tree years later was promoted to Acting Sergt - was promotion on merit or exam (or shortage!)?
3) Between March and October 1943 he was posted to HMS Baldur 3 - was this the Baldur boat, or the land-base in Iceland?
4) He was posted to Det 375 R.M.E. between 16th May 1945 - 20th Feb 1945 and to Det 376 between 21st Feb 1945 - 8th May 1945 - any idea what these tasks/deployments involved? He was promoted to Sergt shortly before going on the latter.
5) He appears to have been released back to civvy life after a short period at H.M.S. Europa in Lowestoft.
Many thanks,
Phil
