jmgreen.online - C.K. Taylor in WWII

Clement Kenneth TAYLOR
7908611

Regiment: 1st King's Dragoon Guards
Battalion: 5th Royal Tank Regiment
Role: Royal Armoured Corps
Type: Cavalry (Mechanized in 1938)
Primary duty: Reconnaissance
Secondary duties: Gunners, infantry, engineers
Deployment: North Africa (Libya, Egypt, Tunisia) (1KDG Awarded 17 Battle Honours), Italy (1KDG Awarded 8 Battle Honours), Greece
Ranks Attained:

		Trooper
	❯	Lance Corporal (Second-in-command of a section, or a clerk, driver, signaller, machine-gunner or mortarman)
	❯❯	Corporal (Commander of a section)
	❯❯❯	Sergeant (Second-in-command of a troop, can include a specialist role) (Senior enlisted soldier)

At the start of the Second World War, my Grandad signed up to the King's Dragoon Guards. After mandatory training, his regiment was sent out to North Africa as part of the 7th Armoured Division (Eighth Army) - known fondly today as the "Desert Rats". Their tanks even carried this emblem on their bodywork. His regiment was to be involved in all of the major desert battles, including those at Tobruk and El Alamein.

After the desert, the regiment moved on up to Italy, landing at Salerno beach in September 1943. They made their way across the country towards Tuscany, sadly losing comrades along the way. His squadron was one of the first to enter Florence, liberating the city in August of '44. He was made a Sergeant whilst on this campaign.

He returned home to England in the summer of 1945, and married my Nan in November of that year.

The photos below were taken during his time in Florence. You can see the temporary bridge that they used to enter the city (most of the city bridges had been destroyed by the retreating Germans), and also the reception that they received from the locals. The second to last photo is him having some much-needed downtime (we've visited that restaurant - it still exists!).

Date	Event	Notes
03/09/1939	World War II begins
09/1939 - 01/1940	Regiment using Light Tank Mk. VI B*	Armament: .5" & .303" Machine Gun
01/1940 - 02/1943	Regiment using Marmon-Herrington Armored Car*	Armament: Boys Anti-Tank Rifle .55", Bren Gun
16/10/1940	1st King's Dragoon Guards
16/10/1940 - 09/1942?	Attained rank of Trooper
09/1942? - 08/1944?	❯ Attained rank of Lance Corporal
11/1942 - 05/1943	Regiment using AEC Armored Car*	Armament: 2 Pdr Anti-Tank Gun, 7.92mm Machine Gun
02/1943 - 11/1943	Regiment using Humber Armored Car*	Armament: 37mm Anti-Tank Gun, 7.92mm Machine Gun
11/1943 - 05/1945	Regiment using Daimler Armored Car*	Armament: 2 Pdr Anti-Tank Gun, 7.92mm Machine Gun
12/1943 - 05/1945	Regiment using Staghound Armored Car*	Armament: 37mm Anti-Tank Gun, Three 7.92mm Machine Guns
20/03/1944	D Squadron formed
08/1944? - 06/1946?	❯❯ Attained rank of Corporal
01/1945? - 06/1946?	❯❯❯ Attained rank of Sergeant
04/04/1945	RAC Depot UK	There were 9 Royal Armoured Corps depots; this was likely to have been either Tidworth, Catterick, or Swanton Morley.
02/09/1945	World War II ends
26/10/1945	Warwickshire Yeomanry
29/12/1945	Extra Regimental Employment Buchanan Castle, Stirling Warwickshire Yeomanry	Extra Regimental Employment described those who were posted away to perform a role in another part of the army. Buchanan Castle was an army hospital during most of the second world war, and in early 1946 became a unit for the rehabilitation of prisoners of war.
29/12/1945	Extra Regimental Employment (20 CRU) Royal Armoured Corps	CRU was the Civilian Resettlement Unit for prisoners of war.
26/02/1946	Y List / E (A)	The Y List was comprised of those who were either sick, in detention, or on leave pending discharge.
22/06/1946	Y List / 7 - Z (T) Reserve	The Z Reserve was comprised of those who were previously enlisted, now discharged, and following WWII they could be recalled if under the age of 45.