Royal army dental corps personnel information required

[49lassiepen]

Part of recent purchase 2 battle dress in my dental album
Would be grateful for any help on the service record of thier previous owner Some of the documents that came with the uniforms are also shown
Officer is a Mr W H Batstone
A metal punched strip reads L-cpl Batstone W H Acoy 3rd battalion East Surreys -show in in album
Next is a letter to Mr W H Batstone dated 17th may 1955 693 A .D Centre -shown
Lastly Ex Die hard annual colony manning exercise dated Nov 1955 @ Sek Kong which was in Hong Kong -shown
Little confused re his service record as I always thought dental officers where qualified Dental Surgeons

[grey_green_acorn]

David,
Many references to Wellesley Howin BASTONE in the London Gazette

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-not...s-page-size=10

Looks like he was an officer in Surrey Army Cadet Force early 1950s then commissioned National Service RADC service number 404548 and a BDS?

Tim

[49lassiepen]

Tim many thanks quite clear he was a qualified dental surgeon
Short service commission 23/11 /54 in R A DC
What confused me was the ref to Lance Corporal
Dvid

[grey_green_acorn]

David,
Perhaps he was a LCpl in the East Surreys TA before his commission in the Surrey ACF.

Those punched alloy strips were made on ‘penny in the slot’ machines on railway station platforms. You had to dial each letter using a pointer on a large clock face and pull on the lever or stamp on the pedal. They were popular for adding a label on a suitcase.

Tim

[Postwarden]

The BD's shown in David's album must be quite rare given that the RADC must have been one of the smaller Corps. Does anyone know how many officers it had in the mid-1950s?

One has the RADC version of Southern Command, the other the cockerel sign of 40th Division and details of service in HK in 1955. This is interesting as according to the records I found for Badges On Battle Dress HQ 40th Division was disbanded in April 1952. A photo in Soldier magazine of April 1955 shows soldiers of 1st BN KORR also wearing the cockerel.

Can anyone shed light on this mystery?

Jon

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Postwarden

The BD's shown in David's album must be quite rare given that the RADC must have been one of the smaller Corps.

What I find interesting is that the one with the RADC version of the Southern Command patch is from when he was a Lieutenant and the other , with the 40th Division patches , shows he was promoted to Captain.

Can't find any details about his promotion.

Edit : Found date of promotion .

The undermentioned Lts. to be Capts. on the dates shown: —

W. H. BATSTONE (404548), 23rd Nov. 1955

.

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Postwarden

A photo in Soldier magazine of April 1955 shows soldiers of 1st BN KORR also wearing the cockerel.

Can anyone shed light on this mystery?

Jon

King's Own Royal Regiment Museum has a :

Frame of medals, badges, divisional flashes etc recorded the service of Private E H (Ted) Cheetham, number 22758022, 1st Battalion, King’s Own Royal Regiment, January 1953 to January 1955.

Included is :

Division patch, Hong Kong, 1954/5 – cockerel

http://www.kingsownmuseum.com/ko2909.htm

.

[49lassiepen]

Mike most dental surgeons on joining the R A D C had the rank of captain This was the case in one of my friends who qualified the same year as me 1973 and a chap from the year below 1974 Think that the rank of lieutenant would only be for a short time Another named uniform that I have William H Neithercut
Lieutenant 7/12/48 Captain 7/12/49
My son joined the T.A R A M C rank of captain

[mike_vee]

OK , I understand now .

ROYAL ARMY DENTAL CORPS.
REGULAR ARMY.
NATIONAL 'SERVICE LIST.
W.H. BATSTONE (404548) to be Lt., 23rd Nov. 1954.

Then :

The undermentioned Lts. to be Capts. on the dates shown: —
W. H. BATSTONE (404548), 23rd Nov. 1955

[49lassiepen]

Mike many thanks for additional information
David

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Postwarden

This is interesting as according to the records I found for Badges On Battle Dress HQ 40th Division was disbanded in April 1952. A photo in Soldier magazine of April 1955 shows soldiers of 1st BN KORR also wearing the cockerel.

That is the date the IWM site has as a historical note about the cockerel patch but photos contradict this ?

1. 40 Infantry Division Provost Company RMP - Whitfield Barracks Kowloon c.1957.

2. RMP Kowloon 1957.

.

[mike_vee]

I thought his name was a bit of a mouthful, turns out he was known as Jimmy !

Published on 09/06/2016 in the Hampshire Chronicle :

BATSTONE Jimmy (Wellesley Howin) Sadly passed away on Thursday 2nd June 2016 at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester.

Jimmy established the dental practice, St Cuthberts, where he worked for more than 30 years together with his wife.

.

[49lassiepen]

Mike many thanks the battle dress and other items where obtained from an auction house just outside Winchester
David