Finding Connections: Corporal Conaway

Author: Laura Stewart, Assistant Curator

The REME Museum would like to appeal to anyone who may have information to help us with a recent enquiry. This plaque relating to Corporal Douglas Seymour Conaway (7596692) was purchased approximately ten years ago in Australia. It depicts the badge of the Second Army. The current owner of this material would like to reunite the item with relatives of Corporal Conaway.

 Plaque with a shield painted white with a blue cross and grey sword. A metal rectangle underneath the shield reads "CPL Conoway D.S. France Germany 1944-45" .

Corporal Conaway’s plaque. © Donor

At the REME Museum, we have searched the information held in our archives and combined this with the detail that we have from the object itself to try and find out a little more about its original owner.

During his service with REME, Corporal DS Conaway’s trade was Turner. The first visible date on the tracer card held in the Museum’s archive suggests that Cpl Conaway served with REME from around 1943. First serving with 42nd Division Territorial Army (TA), then 10 Anti-Aircraft Divisional Workshop, followed by 23 Anti-Aircraft Workshop Company and finally 3 Army Troops Workshop. The mark of 21 Army Group on his tracer card suggests that he may have served in North West Europe. Corporal Conaway was discharged from the Army in 1946.

Lined paper with various handwriting in pencil, blue and red pen. Red REME stamp in top right corner.

Corporal Conaway’s tracer card is held in the REME Museum’s Archive. © Crown Copyright

At the Museum, we have similar plaques in our collection. If similar in its purpose, it may have been gifted to Corporal Conaway as a souvenir of his army service. It depicts the badge of the Second Army with an inscribed metal plate that reads ‘CPL CONAWAY D S/ FRANCE-GERMANY/ 1944 – 45’.

 Plaque with a shield painted white with a blue cross and grey sword. A metal rectangle underneath the shield reads "Second Army" .

An example of a Second Army plaque from the Museum’s collection. E:1048(g).

Do you have a connection to Corporal Douglas Seymour Conaway or know someone who might? The current owner of this material is keen to hear from relatives, the Museum is happy to help facilitate this. If you have any information that may help with this enquiry, please do not hesitate to contact the REME Museum at [email protected].

UPDATE (April 2024)

We are very happy to be able to state that Corporal Conaway's plaque has now been reunited with his next-of-kin. Thank you to anyone who helped us in this endeavour. 

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