Ralph's Rovings
Bombardier Ralph Scarrott Royal Artillery
Ralph Scarrott
The Man Ralph Scarrott was born on 21st March 1919 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, son of John, a labourer and Florence E nee Beard, of Sheep Street, Stow on the Wold. He was the youngest of seven children, Victor, born in 1904, Percy 1906, Harold 1909, Horace A 1912, Eric Verdun 1916 and Lionel Albert 1916. His religion was Church of England and he became a bricklayer after leaving school. On 4th May 1939 Ralph enlisted into the Territorial Army Royal Artillery, 98th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment, with service number 1471317 and was described as 5’.8” tall, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and with a 36” chest. Following the outbreak of war in September 1939 Ralph was called up and embodied and during the last quarter of 1941 married Barbara Medcalf in Manchester, she lived at 7 Edge Lane, Chorlton – Cum – Hardy. Ralph served at home during the early part of the war and was promoted to Lance Bombardier. He qualified as a driver Class I during May 1943 and posted to Northern Europe on 28th August 1944 as part of the 301st HAA Regiment. He went initially to Caen and then Franceville, subsequently seeing service in Belgium, Holland and Germany up until the end of the war in May 1945. At the conclusion of the war Ralph was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France & Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and the Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’, the latter being confirmed in Army Order 20/46 and awarded on 8th June 1948. Following the war Ralph & Barbara lived in Cheltenham at Branksome, 50 All saints Road, by 1951 at The Cottage, Waterloo Passage and by 1988 11 Beverly Gardens, Woodmancote. Ralph died during the second quarter of 2002 aged 83 in Cheltenham.
The Story The group of medals awarded to Ralph Scarrott were acquired from E-Bay on 28th December 2015 and were of interest because of the large amount of paperwork and photographs that came with them. Surprisingly, although a quite standard World War II grouping, it was at the time the only one of this particular combination within the collection. Some additional research was undertaken from Ancestry.UK, but the majority of his brief biography was made up from the paperwork. Of particular interest are the photo cards purchased by Ralph whilst on active service and visiting Antwerp, Berlin, Nieuport & Brussels.
The Story The group of medals awarded to Ralph Scarrott were acquired from E-Bay on 28th December 2015 and were of interest because of the large amount of paperwork and photographs that came with them. Surprisingly, although a quite standard World War II grouping, it was at the time the only one of this particular combination within the collection. Some additional research was undertaken from Ancestry.UK, but the majority of his brief biography was made up from the paperwork. Of particular interest are the photo cards purchased by Ralph whilst on active service and visiting Antwerp, Berlin, Nieuport & Brussels.
1939-45 Star. France & Germany Star. Defence Medal. War Medal 1939-45. Efficiency Medal 'Territorial'.
Unusual Medal Confirmation Certificates for Ralph Scarrott
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April 1942
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Medal Details:
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- France & Germany Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Efficiency Medal: 1471317 BDR. R SCARROTT. R.A.
This page last updated 28 Apr 15
