Dad never wanted to talk about his war time and I saw that he suffered throughout his life from significant PTSD; that and recurring bouts of malaria from infection while serving in North Africa. Very rarely he would mention something, ‘I spent my 21st birthday in a fox hole’ and with further inquiry he would shut down. After my parents passed away we found some of his records that have enabled me, and with help from family and friends, to fill in the blanks with research. Here’s what I know…

D.F. Tanner lived in Brentwood, Essex, England and signed up September 1, 1939, the first day of war enlistment, most likely into 1st Battalion – Suffolk Regiment. They were deployed straight to France, evacuating from Dunkirk 9 months later. He fought in North Africa and at D-Day, landing at Sword Beach 05:00 June 6, 1944. More on these involvements to follow in subsequent posts.

He was assigned to:

R.A.O.C. Royal Army Ordinance Corps. It served in numerous roles during subsequent conflicts, such as bomb disposal during the Second World War (1939-45). It was also responsible for much of the repair of Army equipment and vehicles until that task was made the responsibility of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1942.

R.E.M.E. Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Responsible for maintaining, recovering and repairing tanks, vehicles, weapons and equipment. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/corps-royal-electrical-and-mechanical-engineers

SAS Special Air Service. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/SAS. It’s highly trained men are renowned for their skills in covert surveillance, close combat fighting and hostage rescue.