I visited the museum earlier this evening, and it was amazing. I was very impressed by all the artifacts. It was one of the best military museums I've ever visited, actually. I was hoping, at best, to find my grandfather's name in the unit's nominal role. I found that and much, MUCH, more...
The guys who worked there were kind enough to take me through an electronic copy of the Regiment's war diary. The information they had on my grandfather was amazing! I found records of promotions, coursing, postings, and him being shipped overseas. I also found that he spent 28 days in detention for "1. forcing a guard, 2. striking a guard, and 3. being in a place other than his quarters after lights out". *LOL* I also found his D-day landing craft roster, and when it was noted that he had received permission to marry my grandmother, whom he had met in England.
I got some print outs where he's mentioned in the war diary. Afterwards, I thanked the gentlemen profusely, signed the book, and made a small donation. But I'm not sure they realise just how much it meant to me. My grandfather died when my mother was 5 years old. She has very limited memories of him, and my grandmother doesn't like to speak about their wartime experiences. For the first time in my life, I actually know something about this mysterious relative.
