Photos-01

 I understand that most of these photos with the guys relaxing or having fun are from their time at Devizes, England, before the Invasion. (See Devizes circled in red, with Bristol and Bath to the left (east) on the map). They had boarded the H.M.S. Mataroa in New York on Apr. 11th, and arrived in Bristol harbor on April 26, 1944. They disembarked, and trains were waiting. They arrived at the train station at Devizes, Wiltshire, England, April 27th, 1944 at about 7:30 am.   After 16 days of "ship" food, they were ready for a good breakfast at the Mess Hall.  

I'm also going to insert a file that shows Army Insignia during the 1942-1948 period, since some had changed just as this period began, and then some changed again after the war. Rank and insignia also varied with each branch of service.  As you will see in the photos on the next pages, many of the men were wearing versions of "Technician" stripes with a "T". As it states a technician was not addressed as such, and anything above 5th grade (T/5 and a 2-striper Corporal) were called "Sergeants". Technicians possessed specialized skills that were rewarded with a higher pay grade. These skills could be directly related to combat, such as those skills possessed by a tank driver or combat engineer, or skills possessed by those in support functions such as cooks or mechanics. Depending on his or her function, he or she might be called upon by an officer to command a group of men for a specific task.  See the photo below in first row, right of T/5 Bube and his stripes.