I'm reading The Black Cats At War by David Williams and comparing it with my Dad's army history. Unless I've got something wrong, it looks like his regiment was on a ship, on the way to Iraq at a time when my Dad was actually already in Iraq according to his army records - see photo. The book mentions hearing about the victory at El Alamein while on the boat. Apart from his records, I know for certain my Dad was in Baghdad on 4th November 1942 because I have his leave pass giving him permission to go there on that day. That pass is a mystery too. My Dad was inordinately proud of it and kept it all his life but when asked why he went to Baghdad, he would only ever say, 'To see a man about a dog'. Can anyone throw any light on this please?