MILITARY SERVICE RECORD & CIVILIAN CAREER

WELLER, Francis Frank William Thomas

July 1950

PERSONAL DETAILS

Date and place of birth: 12 Jul 1934, Shornecliffe Military Hospital, Folkestone, Kent.

Next of kin address: Gibraltar

MILITARY SERVICE

Date and place of enlistment: 09 Sep 1949, Army Recruiting Centre, Aldershot.

Regimental Number: Restricted

G.S.C. 09 Sep 1949 – 25 Jul 1952:

Company: ‘A’ ● Squad: 18 ● Trade: Vehicle Mechanic ● Rank: Apprentice Tradesman

Education: Army Certificate of Education Class 2 (Ref: Part 2 Order N^o 40 of 1950)

Trade Qualification: Vehicle Mechanic Class 2 (Ref: Part 2 Order N^o 62 of 1952)

Education: Army Certificate of Education Class 1

Posted to the Ranks as Private on attaining the age of 18 years, 12 July 1952

Trade Qualification: Vehicle Mechanic ‘B’, Class A III

Classification: Craftsman

R.E.M.E.

Posting: wef 29 Aug 1952: 14 Command Workshops REME, Ashford, Kent (Ref: Part 2 Order N^o 63 of 1952)

Trade Test: April 1953, Vehicle Mechanic ‘B’, Class A II

Promotion: Lance Corporal on detachment to Territorial Army Light Aid Detachment, St. Martins Plain, Folkestone, Kent.

Posting: November 1953. Light Aid Detachment, 1^st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Birdcage Walk, London.

Promotion: February 1954, Corporal.

Posting: Light Aid Detachment, R.A.S.C., Buller Barracks, Aldershot.

Posting: September 1954. R.E.M.E. Inspectorate & Technical Services, Johore, Malaya as Vehicle Inspector of ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ vehicles on ‘Touring Team’. Based at 221 B.V.D. R.A.O.C. Tebrau.

Posting: September 1957. Returned to UK.

Posting: January 1958. Light Aid Detachment, 4^th Signals Regiment, Herford, Westphalia, B.A.O.R.

Trade Test: 1958, Vehicle Mechanic Class A I

Military Training Certificate Class 1, passed.

Promotion: February 1959, Sergeant.

Promotion: September 1960, Staff Sergeant.

Posting: 49 Field Regiment R.A., Lippstadt, B.A.O.R.

Posting: September 1961. R.E.M.E. Inspectorate & Technical Services attached to 40 Command Workshops, Aden on ‘Touring Team. Transported by Army Air Corps and R.A.F. aircraft.

Posting: September 1963. Returned to UK.

Posting: November 1963, R.E. Light Aid Detachment, B.A.O.R.

Posting: Tank Transporter Company, R.A.S.C., Retford. Nottinghamshire.

Discharge

Date & place: November 1963. Served notice of termination of Service to R.E.M.E. Records.

Discharge: 11^th July 1964

CIVILIAN CAREER

August 1964: Joined Leslie Hartridge as Jig & Tool Design Engineer, diesel tools and servicing equipment.

January 1965: Promoted Assistant Manager, Service Tools Division.

September 1966: Joined Royal Buckinghamshire Constabulary, which was amalgamated into the Thames Valley Police in 1971. Length of Service: 23 years. Rank: Inspector. Retired: 1989.

August 1989: Joined Aylesbury Vale District Council as Vehicle Workshops Manager until privatisation of the workshops.

Transferred as Liensing Officer for taxi and private hire vehicles for the Vale of Aylesbury. Responsible for 220 vehicles and 660 drivers.

July 1999: Retired from the Aylesbury Vale District Council.

MARITAL & FAMILY STATUS

19 August 1961: Married Kay Frances Bond.

Children: (1) Simon William born 15^th March 1966 [ex-Royal Navy], married Natalie [Russian doctor]

(2) Frances Helen born 7^th July 1967 [career Accountant - unmarried]

November 1992: Divorced.

IN RETIREMENT

Hobbies: Philately; restoration of railway steam locomotives & Morris Minor ‘Traveller’; Rifle Club; do-it-yourself gardening; Halton Singers [Gilbert & Sullivan].

2004

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