John Allan James New Zealand Army Service 1941-1946
Allen was Tony's Grandmothers Sisters Son (1st Cousin 1X removed)
New Zealand Army Service Medal 1939-1945 Star Italy Star War Medal
4th June 1941- Attestation at Auckland
3rd July 1941 - Entered Camp at Avondale Racecourse
18th July 1941 Posted to 1st (Composite) Company, New Zealand Army Service Corps
30th September 1941 - Completed 3 month Territorial Intensive Training - Rank: Driver
30th September 1941 - 15th December 1941 - Leave without Pay
15th December 1941 - Waikara Park, Onehunga
19th December 1941 - 22nd January 1942 - Attached to Ngawuawahia Camp for Ammunition Duties
23rd January 1942 - Return to Waikara Park, Onehunga
2nd March 1942 21:45 to 3rd
March 1942 21:45 - A.W.L. (Absent Without Leave)
- fined £1.00 + 14 Days C.B. (Confined to Barracks)
13th February 1942 - 27th March 1942 - Leave without Pay
20th April 1942 - Opaheka Camp
27th March 1942 - 20th April 1942 - Special leave
20th April 1941 - 29th April 1942 - Furlough to P&SA
16th July 1942 - Kaipara Flats (Dome Camp)
16th July 1942 - 13th August 1942 - Special Leave without Pay (Farmer) (Extended twice)
11th August 1942 - Paeroa Camp
13th August 1942 - Reg. No 375333 Allotted - Rank: Driver
13th/14th August 1942 - Moved
from Area 2 Pool into Area 1 Pool on change of address
- Moved to Area 1 Pool - Leave without Pay to Join Home Guard
23rd June 1943 - Auckland return to Area 1 Pool
31st August 1943 - Papakura Camp to join 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force - 11th Reinforcement
12th September 1943 - Linton Military Camp - 11th Reinforcement Army Service Corps
15th October 1943 - 26th October 1943 - Special Leave with Bonus
29th October 1943 - Waiouru Military Camp - 11 RFIS2/NZEF, Armoured, Corps
20th December 1943 - 4th January 1944 - Special Christmas Leave
4th January 1944 - Army Fighting Vehicles School
12th January 1944 - Embarked
HMT82 for Europe (HMT 82 was HMT Moultan) as part of the 11th Reinforcements:
- part of the New Zealand Expeditionary force sent to Egypt January 1944
- Rank: Trooper
16/7-17/1 Hobart, Tasmania - 23/1 - Freemantle, Western Australia - 11/2 - Bombay, India - 16/2 -17/2 Aden, Yemen
12/2 - 28/2 - Suez Canal - 29/2/1944 arrive Port Said, Egypt
29th February 1944 - Entered Training Depot X(IV) Maadi Camp, Egypt as part of New Zealand Armoured Corps
20th March 1944 - 7th April 1944 attended Sherman D&M course. - Passed
12th April 1944 - Embarked on Convoy XIF.13 at Port Said
20th April 1944 - Disembarked at Taranto, Italy - transferred to NZAC Advanced Base
27th April 1944 - Moved to forward Unit as reinforcement
29th April 1944 - moved to NZ Forward Delivery Squadron, 4th Armoured Division
3rd May 1944 - Posted to 19th Armoured Regiment
3rd May 1944 - 2nd May 1945 - New Zealand activity in Italy
- 18 May 1944 Cassino was eventually captured by British and Polish troops, with support of NZ artillery
- 16 July 1944: captured Arezzo and reached Florence on 4 August, by the end of October they had reached the Savio River
- 14 December 1944: captured Faenza
- 8 April 1945: crossed the Senio River then began their final push across the Santerno River and Gaiana River and finally the Po River on Anzac Day 1945.
- 28 April 1945: 2NZEF captured Padua
- 1 May 1945: crossed the Isonzo River
- 2 May 1945: reach
Trieste on 2 May 1945, the day of the German unconditional surrender
7th August 1945 - 19th Armoured Regiment re-designated as part of the Central Mediterranean Force
18th October 1944 - Admitted to Hospital No 5 NZ MDS at Riccione , south of Rimini
20th October 1944 - Discharged from Hospital to 19th Armoured Regiment
7th August 1945 - Attached HQ 2NZ Division Ordnance Forward Park
25th August 1945 -
Transferred from 19th Armoured Regiment to Advanced Base Holding Depot
- Transferred or X(IV) List (transfer from
active duty to available reinforcements)
27th October 1945 - Posted to Advanced Ordinance Depot
2nd December 1945 - NZ Armoured Brigade disbanded
After the end of hostilities in Europe, the 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade remained as a garrison force in Trieste for a month before surrendering most of their equipment to a British depot. Nevertheless, the Brigade retained approximately 100 vehicles to form the core of an armoured force for future deployment to the Pacific theatre to conduct operations against the Japanese. However, with the war in the Pacific also drawing to a close these tanks were later retired and on 2 December 1945 the 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade was officially disbanded.
16th January 1946 - Embarked transport for New Zealand
10th February 1946 - Disembarked at Wellington, New Zealand - attached to Area 1 Pool
26th February 1946 -17th April 1946 - Granted 50 days Overseas Leave With Pay
17th April 1946 - Discharged from the Army - Rank: Private/Trooper