Suffolk Yeomanry book is underway!

So after two-weeks of dedicated research over Christmas and New Year, pooling all the information that I have around me at present, I seem to have written a little over 46,000 words on the history of 55th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery.

So far, it covers the period from the outbreak of War in September 1939, to their arrival in Dortmund in May 1945 as occupation troops (and everything else in between!) I have started to ‘flesh’ out their story into possible chapters and have used as my basis, a small souvenir volume written in 1946 by their Commanding Officer.

Whilst I appreciate that their Second World War history has already been the subject of a dedicated chapter in Margaret Thomas and Nick Sign’s excellent history of the Suffolk Yeomanry from 1794 to 1967 (published by Helion in 2012), I am aiming for this to eventually be a dedicated volume, solely about the Suffolk Yeomanry, and the time they spent as part of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division in North West Europe campaign.

I have consulted all the (currently) known sources written both at the time and in the years that followed and I have also used several interesting accounts of their service, particularly of Normandy, which I do not think have been published before, but I could do with some more!

I’ve not really given any great thought as to where I should take this project, but it has been ‘bubbling away’ in the back of my mind for some time now and I felt it prudent that whilst I had a bit of spare time, I should go as far as I could in getting it all down into one complete document, so I could then at least, go back to it as and when new material comes to light which can be added where relevant.

I’m back to work tomorrow and I may not get a chance to look at this for some weeks, but at least it’s all there and I’ve made a start.

I’ll keep you all updated, but if you have any information on the Suffolk Yeomanry in WW2 or can point towards anyone who has, then I would be most grateful. Thanks.