Whitewood's Wars
Warrant Officer Class 2 Frederick Whitewood Royal Artillery
Frederick Whitewood
The Man Frederick Whitewood was born on Thursday 20th November 1919 on the Isle of Wight, his mother possibly being unmarried as she had the same maiden name and Frederick was handed to the Isle of Wight Union Workhouse, where the 1921 census shows him as an ‘inmate’ aged one year and seven months old and both parents listed as dead! The workhouse which was originally built in 1771 as a "House of Industry," was located at Parkhurst in Carisbrooke and following the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, it was expanded and became the central workhouse for the island's parishes. Today, the site operates as part of St. Mary's Hospital.
Frederick became a Coppersmith at the local shipyard and enlisted into the Territorial Army, Royal Engineers on 18th June 1936 aged 16 as a Sapper, with service number 2036761 and qualifying as a Fitter AII on 26th April 1938. He was called out on 26th September 1938, again on 18th June and finally on 24th August 1939 at East Cowes, just over a week before the outbreak of World War II and described as 5’ 11¾ tall with a fresh complexion, brown eyes, dark hair and a blood group of A positive.
As Frederick worked in the Shipyard, the Isle of Wight playing a critical role in WWII, with its shipyards and factories concentrated heavily in the town of Cowes on the River Medina, building vital Royal Navy warships and converting patrol vessels, his occupation was reserved, the 1939 Register shows him living at ‘Wildmore’, Orchard Road, Cowes. His description reads RE Sapper 2036761 (But to work in Shipyard). As such he saw no active service with the TA between 25th September - 25th November 1939 and again between 1st January 1940 - 5th January 1944, when he was re-embodied and transferred to the Royal Artillery on 16th as a Gunner, qualifying as a Fitter Gunner CIII on 27th April. He also married Eileen Mary Rhoda Solloway during the second quarter of 1942 aged 22 on the Isle of Wight.
Frederick remained in the UK until 3rd October 1944 and then posted to Northwest Europe (NWE) in the 20th Anti-Tank Regiment which consisted of four Batteries operating M-10 tank destroyers and 6 pounder guns. The unit had originally landed on D-Day with the 3rd Division and served in Normandy, Belgium and Holland.
Frederick became a Coppersmith at the local shipyard and enlisted into the Territorial Army, Royal Engineers on 18th June 1936 aged 16 as a Sapper, with service number 2036761 and qualifying as a Fitter AII on 26th April 1938. He was called out on 26th September 1938, again on 18th June and finally on 24th August 1939 at East Cowes, just over a week before the outbreak of World War II and described as 5’ 11¾ tall with a fresh complexion, brown eyes, dark hair and a blood group of A positive.
As Frederick worked in the Shipyard, the Isle of Wight playing a critical role in WWII, with its shipyards and factories concentrated heavily in the town of Cowes on the River Medina, building vital Royal Navy warships and converting patrol vessels, his occupation was reserved, the 1939 Register shows him living at ‘Wildmore’, Orchard Road, Cowes. His description reads RE Sapper 2036761 (But to work in Shipyard). As such he saw no active service with the TA between 25th September - 25th November 1939 and again between 1st January 1940 - 5th January 1944, when he was re-embodied and transferred to the Royal Artillery on 16th as a Gunner, qualifying as a Fitter Gunner CIII on 27th April. He also married Eileen Mary Rhoda Solloway during the second quarter of 1942 aged 22 on the Isle of Wight.
Frederick remained in the UK until 3rd October 1944 and then posted to Northwest Europe (NWE) in the 20th Anti-Tank Regiment which consisted of four Batteries operating M-10 tank destroyers and 6 pounder guns. The unit had originally landed on D-Day with the 3rd Division and served in Normandy, Belgium and Holland.
1939-45 Star. France & Germany Star. Defence Medal. War Medal 1939-45. General Service Medal 'Palestine 1945-48'. Campaign Service Medal 'Radfan' South Arabia'.
Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (Military). Efficiency Medal 'Territorial'.
Frederick Whitewood third from left.
He returned home on 18th June 1945 before returning to NWE on 10th July until 23rd October when he was posted to the Middle East in Palestine as a Bombardier still in the 20th Anti-Tank Regiment in the 3rd British Infantry Division. After World War II and The Holocaust, the Zionist movement gained attention and sympathy and in Mandatory Palestine, Zionist groups fought against the British administration who, on 18th February 1947, announced their withdrawal from the region. Frederick returned to the UK on 15th August 1946 where he remained until 5th May 1953.
For his war time service and Palestine, he was awarded his 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, War Medal 1939-45 and General Service Medal with clasp ‘Palestine 1945-48’. He also qualified for his Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’, although this was not awarded until 31st May 1961, appearing in Army Order 70 of that year. He did not qualify for the Defence Medal because of his reserved occupation, but did later wear one and may have earned this within a Civil Defence organisation between January 1940 and 44 when working at the Shipyard, it too being confirmed and awarded later.
Frederick and Eileen subsequently divorced and he transferred into the Regular Army, RA with the same number at some point just following the war. During the third quarter of 1948 he re-married to Kathleen Ruby Downer also on the Isle of Wight.
He gained an Army Certificate of Education 2nd Class on 13th November 1950 and First Class in March 1954 and served in Germany with the British Army on the Rhine from 6th May 1953 until 7th February 1957, where it seems he lost his four medals, applying for official replacements. He was back in the UK until 11th Aprill 1962 before returning to the BAOR.
Fredrick was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 and awarded his Good Conduct and Long Service (Military) with effect from 25th February 1964, this appearing in Army List 64 of 1964. He saw service in Aden during 1964 fighting against the Radfan Tribesmen and then in South Arabia between 14th April 1965 and 19th October 1966 against the terrorists trying to eject the British. For this he was awarded his Campaign Service Medal with clasps ‘Radfan’ and ‘South Arabia’.
The Radfan clasp is quite scarce to the RA as the only formed units present were ‘J’ Battery 3rd Royal Horse Artillery and a section of 5.5” guns from 170 Battery, 45 Field Regiment RA. His release book does not show his specific dates in Radfan but the clasp is confirmed.
Frederick finally retired from the Army on 4th January 1971 aged 51 at Beaconsfield under Paragraph 503 of the queen’s Regulations 1961, having served a total of 27 years and 71 days service plus the 4 years and 63 days spent on reserve, within his reserved occupation. He was awarded a pension and certificate of good service.
On his retirement his Commanding Officer said of Frederick “A Warrant Office of high supervisory and organising ability. He has a marked sense of responsibility and loyalty. He is sober, honest, cheerful in adversity and is a hard worker. He gets on well with people and is not afraid to express an opinion. A man who has given outstanding service to the Army and he will do well for any employer”.
His assessment of proficiency read “A very capable Warrant Officer I/C unit accommodation stores. He knows the Barracks side of stores and has performed a job in the B/A category during emergency. Needs no supervision”.
Frederick died on 1st June 1985, aged 65 and was living at 29 Fairlea Road, Newport still on the Isle of Wight. Kathleen survived him by 20 years and died on 11th July 2005. Eileen re-married in 1955 to Ronald Sweeney and died in 1969 also on the Isle of Wight.
For his war time service and Palestine, he was awarded his 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, War Medal 1939-45 and General Service Medal with clasp ‘Palestine 1945-48’. He also qualified for his Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’, although this was not awarded until 31st May 1961, appearing in Army Order 70 of that year. He did not qualify for the Defence Medal because of his reserved occupation, but did later wear one and may have earned this within a Civil Defence organisation between January 1940 and 44 when working at the Shipyard, it too being confirmed and awarded later.
Frederick and Eileen subsequently divorced and he transferred into the Regular Army, RA with the same number at some point just following the war. During the third quarter of 1948 he re-married to Kathleen Ruby Downer also on the Isle of Wight.
He gained an Army Certificate of Education 2nd Class on 13th November 1950 and First Class in March 1954 and served in Germany with the British Army on the Rhine from 6th May 1953 until 7th February 1957, where it seems he lost his four medals, applying for official replacements. He was back in the UK until 11th Aprill 1962 before returning to the BAOR.
Fredrick was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 and awarded his Good Conduct and Long Service (Military) with effect from 25th February 1964, this appearing in Army List 64 of 1964. He saw service in Aden during 1964 fighting against the Radfan Tribesmen and then in South Arabia between 14th April 1965 and 19th October 1966 against the terrorists trying to eject the British. For this he was awarded his Campaign Service Medal with clasps ‘Radfan’ and ‘South Arabia’.
The Radfan clasp is quite scarce to the RA as the only formed units present were ‘J’ Battery 3rd Royal Horse Artillery and a section of 5.5” guns from 170 Battery, 45 Field Regiment RA. His release book does not show his specific dates in Radfan but the clasp is confirmed.
Frederick finally retired from the Army on 4th January 1971 aged 51 at Beaconsfield under Paragraph 503 of the queen’s Regulations 1961, having served a total of 27 years and 71 days service plus the 4 years and 63 days spent on reserve, within his reserved occupation. He was awarded a pension and certificate of good service.
On his retirement his Commanding Officer said of Frederick “A Warrant Office of high supervisory and organising ability. He has a marked sense of responsibility and loyalty. He is sober, honest, cheerful in adversity and is a hard worker. He gets on well with people and is not afraid to express an opinion. A man who has given outstanding service to the Army and he will do well for any employer”.
His assessment of proficiency read “A very capable Warrant Officer I/C unit accommodation stores. He knows the Barracks side of stores and has performed a job in the B/A category during emergency. Needs no supervision”.
Frederick died on 1st June 1985, aged 65 and was living at 29 Fairlea Road, Newport still on the Isle of Wight. Kathleen survived him by 20 years and died on 11th July 2005. Eileen re-married in 1955 to Ronald Sweeney and died in 1969 also on the Isle of Wight.
The Story The group of medals awarded to Frederick Whitewood were seen in Norman W Collett’s catalogue in October 2014 and acquired almost immediately, being of interest because of the unusual combination, both the Efficiency Medal and Regular Army long service medal, indicating he had joined the regular Army after his TA service, plus the General and Campaign Service Medals with three clasps in total, all with the same service number and on top of World War II service. An interesting and rarely seen combination.
Unfortunately, at the time not a lot of extra detail could be located from ancestry.com, thus only a very basic biography was possible. Sadly, Frederick’s General Service Medal 1918 is an official replacement and the original may well be ‘out there somewhere’!
In December 2014, David Collett made contact, as he had located some original paperwork and a photograph of Frederick, enabling a little more detail to be added to the biography.
However, as is often the case, the paperwork raised more questions than it answered! Why was Frederick not awarded the Defence Medal, how was his Army Service and Reserve service calculated and why was is Efficiency Medal not awarded until 1961. Whilst no definitive answer has been found the following is a likely explanation.
1. Based on his Army service he is not entitled to the Defence Medal. However he had sufficient time to have earned it as a civilian and as he was in a reserved occupation, may have served in one of the Civil Defence organisations qualifying through them.
2. He has two breaks in service once the war has started. The first was from 26 Sept 39 to 24 Nov 39 (60 days) and from 2 Jan 40 to 4 Jan 44 (4 years 3 days). This is the Reserve time of 4 years 63 days. Furthermore the Efficiency Medal regulations state that a member who is released for the purpose of work of national importance and if he is recalled for military service before his disembodiment, this period will count as single time (Army Order 55 of April 1943), again linked to a Reserved Occupation.
3. The Army Service time starts from when he was mobilized on the 24 August 39. There are 3 periods, from 24 Aug 39 to 25 Sept 39 (33 days), from 25 Nov 39 to 1 Jan 40 (38) and from 5 Jan 44 to 4 Jan 71 (27 years). The total time for the 3 periods is 27 years 71 days. It is not known why his pre-war TA service is not counted in the calculations, but may have been overlooked which is why they are at the top of the page.
When he rejoined on 5 Jan 44 it would have been as a member of the TA and his regular service would not have started until after the war ended. If the Army was like the RAF, there were no regular commissions/enlistments after 3 Sep 39 until sometime after the war finished. It is possible that in 1961 Frederick was approaching his 18 year point (from 5 Jan 44) and checks were made on his actual service to see when he would be entitled for the Military LS&GC medal and found that he was due the Efficiency Medal as well.
It is also likely that the break in service in the autumn of 1939 was due to the Civilian authorities and the Army arguing who had the first call on his service. It looks like the civilians won.
Unfortunately, at the time not a lot of extra detail could be located from ancestry.com, thus only a very basic biography was possible. Sadly, Frederick’s General Service Medal 1918 is an official replacement and the original may well be ‘out there somewhere’!
In December 2014, David Collett made contact, as he had located some original paperwork and a photograph of Frederick, enabling a little more detail to be added to the biography.
However, as is often the case, the paperwork raised more questions than it answered! Why was Frederick not awarded the Defence Medal, how was his Army Service and Reserve service calculated and why was is Efficiency Medal not awarded until 1961. Whilst no definitive answer has been found the following is a likely explanation.
1. Based on his Army service he is not entitled to the Defence Medal. However he had sufficient time to have earned it as a civilian and as he was in a reserved occupation, may have served in one of the Civil Defence organisations qualifying through them.
2. He has two breaks in service once the war has started. The first was from 26 Sept 39 to 24 Nov 39 (60 days) and from 2 Jan 40 to 4 Jan 44 (4 years 3 days). This is the Reserve time of 4 years 63 days. Furthermore the Efficiency Medal regulations state that a member who is released for the purpose of work of national importance and if he is recalled for military service before his disembodiment, this period will count as single time (Army Order 55 of April 1943), again linked to a Reserved Occupation.
3. The Army Service time starts from when he was mobilized on the 24 August 39. There are 3 periods, from 24 Aug 39 to 25 Sept 39 (33 days), from 25 Nov 39 to 1 Jan 40 (38) and from 5 Jan 44 to 4 Jan 71 (27 years). The total time for the 3 periods is 27 years 71 days. It is not known why his pre-war TA service is not counted in the calculations, but may have been overlooked which is why they are at the top of the page.
When he rejoined on 5 Jan 44 it would have been as a member of the TA and his regular service would not have started until after the war ended. If the Army was like the RAF, there were no regular commissions/enlistments after 3 Sep 39 until sometime after the war finished. It is possible that in 1961 Frederick was approaching his 18 year point (from 5 Jan 44) and checks were made on his actual service to see when he would be entitled for the Military LS&GC medal and found that he was due the Efficiency Medal as well.
It is also likely that the break in service in the autumn of 1939 was due to the Civilian authorities and the Army arguing who had the first call on his service. It looks like the civilians won.
Letter confirming the award of the Efficiency Medal in 1961.
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Army Certificate of Service
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Frederick Whitewood's Army Certificate of Service confirming the award of his medals except the Defence Medal.
FOOTNOTE: On 12th June 2026, almost 12 years after their acquisition, contact was made via the website from George Rossbach in Germany, claiming he had Frederick’s original General Service Medal! Photographs proved this to be the case, together with Frederick’s 39-45, France and Germany Stars, and War Medal 1939-45. As the medals were in Germany it is likely Frederick lost them when he was serving with the BAOR and there they have remained since. Interestingly no Defence Medal per his records.
Following a number of emails, agreement was reached with George to acquire the lost group and to reunite them with Frederick’s later medals. Ancestry was also re-visited and more documents revealed enabling an even greater biography to be completed.
A quite unbelievable re-unite after over 70 years, once again proving the benefit of this website and enabling our forebears to be remembered.
Following a number of emails, agreement was reached with George to acquire the lost group and to reunite them with Frederick’s later medals. Ancestry was also re-visited and more documents revealed enabling an even greater biography to be completed.
A quite unbelievable re-unite after over 70 years, once again proving the benefit of this website and enabling our forebears to be remembered.
Frederick Whitewood's originial medals
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Frederick's long lost General Service Medal 'Palestine 1945-48'
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..
- General Service Medal: 2036761 GNR.F.WHITEWOOD. R.A. (REPLACEMENT)
- Campaign Service Medal: 2036761 W.O. CL.2. F.WHITEWOOD. R.A.
- Army Long Service Medal: 2036761 W.O. CL.2. F. WHITEWOOD. R.A.
- Efficiency Medal: 2036761 GNR F.WHITEWOOD. R.A.
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