Harry's Game
Major Harry James Rae TD* Royal Signals
1939-45 Star. Africa Star '1st Army'. Italy Star. Defence Medal. War Medal 1939-45 MiD.
General Service Medal ' Near East' 'Cyprus'. Efficiency Decoration 'Territorial' & Bar.
The Man Harry James Rae was born on 10th April 1916 in North Yorkshire. He was Commissioned on 20th May 1939 aged 23 as 2nd Lieutenant, service number 88101 into the Royal Corps of Signals Territorial Army, having been a Cadet in the Junior Officers Division of the Officer Training Corps at Dollar Academy, Dollar In Clackmananshire, Scotland. He was appointed as a War Substantive Lieutenant on 1st January 1941, Temporary Captain on 14th October 1941, War Substantive Captain on 21st August 1942 and Temporary Major on 21st July 1944. He served in Africa with the 1st Army and in Italy, being Mentioned in Despatches on 23rd May 1946 for services in the Mediterranean Theatre. Following the war he transferred to the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers and on1st April 1954 joined the regular Army with a Short Service Commission as Lieutenant with seniority backdated to 8th April 1947 and relinquishing the honorary rank of Major. He was appointed as a Captain the same day with seniority backdated to 8th April 1951. On 1st May 1956 he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration ‘Territorial’ and first clasp representing 18 years previous service in the TA. He served in both the Near East and Cyprus but the exact dates of service are unknown. Harry was promoted to Major on 8th April 1958 and relinquished his Commission on 23rd July 1965 being granted the honorary rank of Major. He died in 1998 aged 82.
The Research Little research has yet taken place with these medals. They were acquired from Chris Brooks on E-Bay on 8th January 2008. Various London Gazette and Army List entries were obtained which has helped build up a basic military biography as above.
The Research Little research has yet taken place with these medals. They were acquired from Chris Brooks on E-Bay on 8th January 2008. Various London Gazette and Army List entries were obtained which has helped build up a basic military biography as above.
The First Army was a field army of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. The First Army was formed on 26 December1914 when the corps of the British Expeditionary Force were divided into the First Army under Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig and the Second Army (Horace Smith-Dorrien). The First Army suffered reverses at Vimy Ridge in May 1916 and at Fromelles the following month. The First Army took part in the 1918 offensive that drove the Germans back and virtually ended The war. Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig (1914 - 1915)
General Sir Henry Rawlinson (1915 - 1916) General Sir Charles Monro (1916) General Sir Henry Horne (1916 -1918) The First Army was formed to command the land forces of in Operation Torch, the assault landings in Morocco and Algeria on 8 November1942, during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth Anderson. |
The First Army formally came into being on 1 January1943 with the re-designation of the Eastern Task Force It initially consisted of British and American forces only. They were organised into three separate components, one for each landing site; Oran, Algiers and Casabvlanca. After the surrender of the French forces, French units were also added to its order of battle. It eventually consisted of four corps, the U.S. II Corps, the British V Corps, British IX Corps and French XIX Corps. After the landings, Anderson's forces rushed east in a bid to capture the Tunisian shoreline before German forces could reach there in large numbers. They failed. After that failure, a period of consolidation was forced upon them. The logistics support for the Army was greatly improved and airfields for its supporting aircraft greatly multiplied. By the time the British Eighth Army approached the Tunisian border, following its long pursuit of Rommel's forces after El Alamein, 1st Army was again ready to strike. Supported by elements of XII Tactical Air Command and No. 242 Group RAF, First Army carried the main weight of 18th Army Group's offensive to finish off Axis forces in North Africa. The victory was won by mid-1943 in a surrender that, in numbers captured at least, equalled Stalingrad. Shortly after the surrender, First Army disbanded, having served its purpose.
Medal Details:
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Africa Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Italy Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- General Service Medal: CAPT. H.J.RAE. R.SIGS.
- Efficiency Decoration: 1956 Clasp: 1956
Page last updated 13 Mar 17