The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.     Site Home     WW2 Home     Add Stories     WW2 Search     Library     Help & FAQs  WW2 Features     Airfields     Allied Army     Allied Air Forces     Allied Navy     Axis Forces     Home Front     Battles     Prisoners of War     Allied Ships     Women at War     Those Who Served     Day-by-Day     Library     The Great War  Submissions     Add Stories     Time Capsule     TWMP on Facebook     Childrens Bookshop  FAQ's     Help & FAQs     Glossary     Volunteering     Contact us     News     Bookshop     About Advertisements World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

226320 Gnr. John Reith "Jock" Kemp British Army 178th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery from:Glasgow 22 June 1945 Rome John Kemp was my Grandfather. He grew up in Glasgow and joined the Army there. He later moved to Derby, where he spent the majority of his life. His first deployment was in early 1942. He boarded a ship in Glasgow and had no idea where the regiment was headed. During the trip they were diverted to South Africa. He later found out he was bound for Singapore, but it fell before they arrived. He spent 1942 in Cape Town. He was a very fine violin player and I have a letter from the Cape Town Director of municipal arts, sent to John's superior, requesting that he be allowed to play with the orchestra whenever possible. I am currently unsure of his whereabouts in 1943. In 1944 and 1945 he fought in Italy, including at Anzio. I have several pictures of men in the regiment at Anzio bridgehead, standing in fox holes that they have dug. I have the regiment's Christmas celebration pamphlet from 1944. Entertainment included singing, monologues, a violin solo from my Grandfather, and a Cinderalla Pantomime. Evidently a lot of effort went into the celebration. Other people mentioned in the photos are 'Mac' (short for MacDonald I think), Teddy Hunter, Pettifer, Hecky McIver and Dosvaldo Nelly. John Kemp died in 2012. John Kemp. In Rome, John Kemp on the left. John Kemp performing Violin Solo possibly at Christmas show. The NAAFI club in Solerno 1944 Teddy in middle, John Kemp, Mac bottom left. Castel Luchich, Salerno 1944 Dosvaldo Nelly on Anzio Beachead, 1944. Teddy Hunter at Anzio Bridge Head 1944. Teddy Hunter and Geoff at Anzio 1944. Hecky, 1945. McDonald and Teddy Hunter Teddy at leave camp May 1944. Mac at Santa Maria Villiano April 1945 Lake Garda May 1945, VE Day Boys of RHQ 178th Medium Regiment RA. 1944 Regiment Christmas 1 1944 Regiment Christmas 2 Italy 1944 Italy 1944 Stuart Add to this record.  Related Content: 178th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery Battle of Anzio Italian Campaign Operation Avalanche - Salerno Landings Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Hosted by: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV - All Rights Reserved We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.