It is no longer possible to leave messages here. 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment - Wikipedia Many men from 'D Company' of the Borders were killed or captured. Hutchinson M.B.E. Eighteen battalions were to see active service in the war, in every theatre. During that night, and still under constant harassment, embarkation took place on to ships and Naval craft. When the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot amalgamated with the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot, to become The Border Regiment in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, four pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Cumberland and Westmorland were integrated into the structure of the regiment. There appears to have been strict censorship in operation at the time. These became the new units 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively. [13] Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of the men in the LAA troops, the troops required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular unit.[14]. The size of a regiment could range from 1,000 to 5,000 troops. In 1947, 1st Battalion moved to Palestine. The regiment mobilized 'The South Saskatchewan Regiment, CASF' for active service on 1 September 1939. This was a well-planned and executed campaign, overcoming incredible supply difficulties. In Suez Harbour lay the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth, which were transporting Australians to Egypt and Italian prisoners to Australia, and the Mauritania. However, as I was in the Cumbria Archives Office today I went to check a reference book I knew was in there with a little about 4th Border Regiment in WW2 ('The Story of the Border Regiment' by Philip J. Shears). We now proceeded towards the concentration area at Column H.Q. The Luftwaffe harassed the evacuation which is when your uncle was unfortunately killed. 42 PDF version, 681.5 KB Footnotes GO 155/05. Regards, Again, the problem is finding the right person. With the 34 Column of 4th Battalion Border Regiment, they departed from Mokokchung on 22 April having begun building the airstrip there as described in the previous Blog. This infantry regiment was created in 1881. Our whole Brigade embarked on the Mauritania and so began the next phase of our travels, this time much further east. Historical records of events in France, post Operation Dynamo, are sketchy. The 8th U.S. Infantry reactivated in 1947, assigned to Ft. Ord, California, remaining assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Under orders from the 10th French Army Commander, the 4th Border moved North-West to the line of the River Bresle. For any other comments, please Contact Us. referenced. The column commander, Major Scott, was wounded in the arm and, as I was dressing his wound, we were fired upon by a machine gun from the top of the hill. 1st Raider Battalion; 2nd Raider Battalion . By now part of the 6th British Division, the 4th Battalion of the Border Regiment were moved back to the Western Desert. 2nd Kings Own and 2, 4 and 9 Border all fought in Burma as explained in the beginning of this article. List of battalions of the Border Regiment - Wikipedia However, the day did eventually arrive when we were instructed to march to the station to entrain for Bombay Docks. BBC - WW2 People's War - 9th Border Regiment, It would seem reasonable therefore to assume your Mr. Hutchinson and his comrades transited through Rennes shortly before. Raising of the Regiment. David G. Thanks for taking the time to read the article about the 4 Bn Borders in WW2 and your most interesting question. The 4th Battalion was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit, originally assigned to the 126th Infantry Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. When the breakout came, more aggressive raids began, until they were relieved by the Polish Carpathian Division. Border Regiment soldiersatThiepval Wood, August 1916, Medals of Sergeant Fred Bowman, The Border Regiment, c1918. It continued in British Army service until the 1881 reforms, when it was amalgamated with the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot to form The Border Regiment. Moved to billets in Blackpool. After an uneventful journey through the Suez Canal, with a visit to Simon Artz store in Port Said, and a few days lying in Gibraltar Harbour, we arrived at Greenock. At this time, the Japanese advance into India west of the Chindwin had begun and we were quite ignorant of the exact location of the forward Japanese troops and felt that there was a threat to the railway line with its many bridges, but we arrived safely without incident at Mariani. . to land in Gallipoli in April, 1915. 4th Raider Battalion designated as 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. The Kings Own fought with General Moores Army in 1808-9 and took part in the famous retreat to Corunna, and the defence of the town whilst the Army was evacuated. We arrived in the early hours of the morning at the Christian village of Phakedzumi, where the inhabitants gave us hot tea. David G. We haven't had a message back from Mr Hutchinson yet I'm afraid. Now, with some air cover, the Battalion reached the shelter of woods on the outskirts of that town, 'Radio Normandie' being situated there. Bn. After withdrawal, the Unit moved Northwards, their lines of communication being constantly dive-bombed by the Germans. Here a lot of the time was spent in processing Greek refugees, who had travelled from German-occupied Greece through Turkey to Syria, and were being sorted out for referral to the Greek authorities, in exile, in Egypt. The fighting continued all day in the beautiful spring day until nightfall when all the companies withdrew, taking numbers of prisoners with them. As darkness fell and both battalions having prevented the German attempt at encirclement, they moved out on the road to Goderville and finally to the woods and port of Le Havre. The regiment raised in 1680 as one of the Tangier regiments, was granted the name Kings Own and the distinction of The Lion of England as a badge, by William of Orange in 1688. The Battalion began the task of disarming some 2,000 Japanese and controlling the activity of dacoits on the Mokpalin and Bilin areas. One lot was our battalion and the other lot was the enemy, which we discovered to our cost when they opened up on our truck and ambulance with anti-tank guns. The 4th Battalion The Border Regiment had been guarding the Lines of Communications in France since November 1939, but they, inevitably, became heavily engaged in the German onslaught. To be perfectly honest, until this last year when I have been a volunteer story-gatherer for this "People's War" project, most of the WW2 research I have done has been in France, and a little bit in Belgium and the Netherlands. The badge of todays regiment includes the Lion of England of the Kings Own and the laurel wreath awarded to the 34th for their part in the rearguard which saved the Army at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. In the American War of Independence, the 4th and 55th fought together in the Army of General Howe, which successfully captured New York in 1776, and Philadelphia in 1777. In 1919, 2nd Battalion moved from Italy to Ireland. KOSB A1/1& 2. It also served in the Sudan and China in the 1920s, and in India again throughout the 1930s. Personal information on file in military records on individual soldiers is only available to the soldier himself or to next of kin. 20 The battalion took part in the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942. The Border Regiment. We left the Column concentration area at break of day and marched all day through sometimes dense jungle, where we had to cut our way through with machetes. First of all we had no cover and just lay and slept in the open excepting when we were in the Naga villages and managed to get some shelter from the veranda type fronts of their wooded buildings. Most of the men were in deep slumber and in the morning, they found themselves in Cherbourg, where they disembarked to move inland and await further orders. personnel with the unit with a smattering of regulars and the remainder war service troops and emergency Commissioned Officers. On 1 June 1945, a third Active Force component of the regiment, designated '4th Battalion, The Regina Rifle Regiment, CIC, CAOF', was mobilized for service with the Canadian Army Occupation Force in Germany. The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and The Border Regiment (Carlisle) amalgamated to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment in 1959. No escort could be provided but all casualties evacuated by these means arrived safely at Brigade H.Q.. It served on the Western Front until November 1917, when it was sent to Italy. 1st Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry September 2003. Good. On forming up we travelled by train to railhead further south and then by road to Bawli Bazar. One of these brigades of infantry was named the 23rd Brigade and attached to the 1st Armoured Division. We first took over Baqush Box, a defended area east of Mersah Matruh, which was uncomfortable living, excepting for glorious Mediterranean sea bathing, and the companies were on detachment on aerodrome defence further forward. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[9]. After being earmarked for support in General Archibald Wavell's offensive 'Battleaxe' the next departure was for the Syrian campaign. As the training took place from October to April, it was not in the heat of summer, nor during the monsoon period, so we did not suffer those discomforts. It mentions that Churchill and the Ministry of Information kept the disaster of this evacuation quiet at that time. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines was constituted in April 1914 during World War I when it was activated as one of the three . The "Fighting Eagles" Regiment: 8th U.S. Infantry However all good things must come to an end, so we left Poona and travelled by troop train across India to Ranchi in the State of Bihar, which was to be our home for the best part of a year, with a few short breaks. At the same time, the 34th Cumberland and the 55th Westmorland Regts became the 1st and 2nd Bns The Border Regt. It deals with the experiences of the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment during World War Two. By then, they were surrounded. On this day in 1944 Captain D.V. 4th (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment in the The regiment captured an Imperial Chinese Dragon Standard which hangs in Kendal Church, and was awarded the Dragon as a regimental badge. It then spent two years in Somaliland, before returning to Britain in 1950, where it merged with 2nd Battalion in October of that year. The programme in Tobruk perimeter until November 18th, this being early October, was as follows: At early morning and again in the evening, we were subjected to periods of artillery fire in Bn. It was after the last battle that the enemy finally broke and made for the . Normal infantry training was resumed and included two weeks jungle warfare training, which gave us a welcome change of location from our camp area. Archive List > United Kingdom > Hereford and Worcester. This record is held by King's Own Scottish Borderers Regimental Museum. The 2nd Bn The Kings Own and the 1st Bn The Border Regt fought in the Boer War and both were present at the Relief of Ladysmith in 1900 and in the battles before the Relief. 4th Battalion (Territorial Force) Border Regiment (Cumberland left there was for a brief visit to Birmingham to participate in bomb-damage relief. During the day there were frequent attacks on the Company positions by Stuka dive-bombers, but I only remember two fatal casualties from all these attacks. British Army - The Border Regiment - Geni moved, shortly afterwards, into billets in Hereford, a nice city with a fine cathedral. (d.5th Dec 1941) Grant James Alexander. 1947-1959. Obtaining information from official sources seems to be quite difficult. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the Lineage and Honors - 144th Infantry Regiment - Texas Military Forces Museum The hotel there was situated in an elevated area above a lake with broad steps the whole way down from the hotel to the lake, which, when lighted up at night, was a lovely spectacle. In October 1940 I joined 4 Border at Kington Camp, Hereford, where I had been posted as Regimental M.O., following my officer recruitment training at RAMC Depot, Crookham, Aldershot. Between the wars the regiment was to serve in Ireland, India including the North West Frontier, Burma, China, Egypt and Palestine where Border and Kings Own were involved in the Arab Revolt of 1938-39. It is a tragedy that since Indian independence they have been harassed to this day by the successors to the British Raj. It would be almost impossible for me to source documentary evidence of kinship to my grand-uncle George. Discover more about The Border Regiment by visiting Cumbria's Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle. Bob and I had a bathe in the lake the first day we were there, but, as someone told us that a woman had been carried off by a crocodile the previous week, we did not repeat that event. had. We remained in Bangalore until coming up to Christmas and, just before Christmas, we entrained again, this time for Dehra Dun, a military cantonment in north India. From there, they went by troop camels up the desert to Sidi Barrani. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. Thanks again for your reply and interest, you have been most helpful. 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment The Burma Star Memorial Fund10 A High StreetPewseySN9 5AQ. From there we travelled by road up the length of Palestine through Tiberias and past the Sea of Galilee to Khiyam in Southern Lebanon. ORIGINS: The 144th traces its lineage to six volunteer militia companies of the Texas Volunteer Guard in northeast Texas organized as the Fourth Regiment of Infantry, April, 1880. Lucia 1778.. Deolali has always been a time-honoured name in the army, associated with the expression The Deolali Tap. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. Regards, entrained in a railway tunnel in Malvern presumably for security reasons, although the whole town knew that we were leaving for overseas. to Ceylon. that day. I only know a little about that area and that incident, but if 'Ouest France' has featured the story, then I am sure there must be many details available about what happened. Repatriation to the U.K. had begun for those with three years and eight months overseas service, so the strength of the battalion was gradually diminishing. Moving off into the town street fighting began. In addition 12 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. Perhaps to the dismay of animal lovers I must relate that the braying of mules could be of great danger to the columns during operations, so a massive devoicing programme was organised throughout the brigade. Border Regiment in the Second World War 1939-1945 - The Wartime SADF 4 SAI Ratels were known for their conspicuous red call sign markings. You should be able to get hold of a book in English entitled 'Finest Hour' by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig (1999), Hodder & Stoughton. [2], The Border Regiment fielded 18 battalions[7] and lost almost 7,000[8] officers and other ranks during the course of the war. This was the old date for 'Empire Day'. Here in the Basse Fort d'Eu, supported by the artillery of the 51st Highland Division. In 1756, the 4th and 34th were both included in the small garrison on the island of Minorca. The 4th and 5th landed with the Army in the Crimea in 1854 and fought at the Battles of Alma and Inkerman. Capt. During the siege, after being the Western Desert Force the Division became the 70th British Division. All of the component units were federalized during the Spanish American War as the Second Infantry, Texas Volunteers. Remained in India throughout the war. The 9th Battalion The Border Regiment took part in several such actions, notably at Wetlet, Yindaw, Kinde and Pywabwe. As a last thumb-to-nose effort the Japanese next day rained artillery shells on Thetsemi, but little damage and no casualties resulted. Just before Christmas we again moved, this time to Malvern, in the neighbouring county of Worcester, the home of a famous English school. This story has been placed in the following categories. I will try to have it completed for contribution in advance of the imminent closure. I've just looked through some of my notes and various books in French and English to refresh my memory of what went on. The main duties of the battalion in this situation were the control of and dispersal of mobs and setting up of roadblocks and checkpoints. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers. After that it was Suez, Egypt, and a transit camp, until we entrained for the Western Desert. Early in the year, disorders amongst the civil population in India organised by the Gandhi Congress Party resulted in a call for assistance of the military to the Civil Power to restore order. The size of a battalion could range from 500 to 1,500 troops. A. 1st Battalion was again in Burma on the outbreak of the First World War (1914-18), having returned there in 1910. The regiment lost over 7,700 men during the war. View this object. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines - GlobalSecurity.org During the daylight hours, shelling of the British positions in Raschid-el-Fokkar was continuous. was an integral part made a major impact on the Japanese to bring about a withdrawal from the Imphal/Kohima area of operations and they did not again attempt an invasion of India. Sadly he died on 6th. HISTORICAL RECORDS of THE KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS | The - Archive KOSB A2/1& 2. It was then sent to South Africa in 1899, where it fought throughout the Boer War (1899-1902). The regiment also raised 14 Territorial, New Army and Garrison battalions. This infantry regiment was raised in 1755. Fighting in the Forest continued for two days in support of the 5th Sherwood Foresters. I finished my army career, excepting for T.A. This was a regimental formation of men drawn from the towns and villages of Cumberland and Westmorland: Carlisle, Penrith,. I had been left behind the advance attending an officer of ours who had been wounded by one of our own tanks, and when we were being guided back to join the battalion, as we approached, we saw two crowds like at a football match with about a quarter of a mile between them. 21 It landed again in at this time. Tobruk by Frank Harrison [ISBN 1-85409-361-6], War Diaries: Afghanistan War: Commanders; Notable commanders: Halstead Dorey . The troubles at Gaya were not serious and we returned to Ranchi after two weeks. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Over in Europe it seems a lot easier finding out official information about the war and commemoration is taken very seriously. The whole of the 70th Division became engaged in the fighting on Sidi Rezagh and El Duda. Find out more about the site contributors. At nighttime, the Companies sent out patrols between their fronts and the enemy but no major clashes occurred before November 18th. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. During the few days that we were assembling at Mariani, word came through that Gen. Wingate had been killed in an air accident. The History of the Border Regiment - Burma Star Memorial Fund This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. WO 169 / 1713 Durham Light Infantry List of Royal Armoured Corps Regiments in World War II Two whole Divisions, plus many lines of communications and troops were drawn into battle with the Germans. However I have been to Rennes, visited his grave and spoke to some local people. Todays regiment incorporates the history and traditions of three former regiments. All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. Platoon killed 30 Japanese and wounded 10 more and suffered two casualties only. An uncle of mine was killed along with more than 800 others in an air attack on trains in Rennes, Monday 17th June. I could not imagine a more appropriate ending. In 1959, it was amalgamated with The Border Regiment to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. The 1957 Defence White Paper stated that the Border Regiment was due to amalgamated with The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), to form The King's Own Royal Border Regiment on the 1 October 1959. Although up to recent years they have been head-hunters, when we were amongst them, they behaved in a civilised and friendly manner and each village had a detached Christian village where those who were converted went to live and they all lived amicably if separately. As I am a volunteer story-gatherer, and no doubt because I have done some research about the war in France, I was asked to type it out and post it to the website. KOSB A3/1-3. The Lancastria was sunk during the afternoon of same day. 11th Sikh Regiment, 4th . In 1982, 4 SAI converted to a mechanised infantry battalion mainly consisting of Ratel-20 IFVs. So, all the units of the 70th Division were glad to take the airfield. Subsequently, in March 1941, the men of the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment left on the troopship H.M.T. He wrote out this contribution out long hand and sent it to Radio Cumbria. The vessel in which I travelled was the destroyer, Jackal. Here, the 6th British Division was relieving the Australians who had been besieged there since the previous April and who had inflicted the very first defeat of German arms on land. We immediately realised that we were almost caught in an ambush, so, at the double, we made for the rice paddy fields at the side of the track in the direction of a secondary jungle area 100 yards or so lower down. The 1st Battalion 7th Infantry Regiment and the 4th Battalion 7th Infantry Regiment (from Aschaffenburg, Germany) patrolled the Czechoslovakia border with Germany for years in preparation for war with The Soviet Union (USSR . The 34th fought with General Burgoyne and was present at the disaster of Saratoga. We did not go ashore there, nor at Cape Town, where we lay off Table Mountain for a day, but we had four very pleasant days in Durban, entertained royally by the very hospitable residents. Passing through Kohima was like viewing a scene of Flanders in the 1914-18 War with skeletons of trees with no leaves on them. Border Regiment | Military Wiki | Fandom This immediately changed the role of 23rd Brigade. A.E.F. Over a period of a few days, an army veterinary team removed the vocal chords of the brigades mules under anaesthetic without causing much distress to the mules, which were given 10 days convalescence and seemed none the worse for their operations, which were a big success. and for reinforcement, which eventually led to the amalgamation of 4th and 9th Bn., The Border Regiment. Inter-war The inter-war period saw 1st Battalion fighting on the North West Frontier in 1921, garrisoning India and then moving to Palestine. So, men from Cumberland and Westmorland were present at both checks on Rommel and the German Afrika Corps! WW2 Army Units and Sizes | World War 2 Facts They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The Border Regiment | National Army Museum After the war the two regular battalions served in Germany and Italy, before I Border was posted to Palestine in 1947. The railway complex at Rennes was bombed during mid morning Monday 17th June. Platoon, with Major Douglas Scott in command, attacked various areas around the village itself. It was believed that this was the infantry of the 7th German Panzers. I was unlucky enough to develop malaria, but, as I carried plenty of Mepacrine tablets, I treated the attacks myself and did not go to hospital. It remained in Britain re-equipping until April 1943, when it took part in the landings in Tunisia. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the Subsequently we found that this Col. Blimp and N.W. Almost the last sight of land which we had before going out into the Atlantic Ocean was the coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where my wife, Hazel, was then living and where she stayed for most of the war. The casualties were mainly exhaustion with malaria. The following article has been submitted to the BBC "People's War" website on behalf of Mr Hutchinson. It was the last east-bound convoy before the liner was converted to troop carrying and the accommodation was of the 1st Class passenger variety, as was the food, though the troops mess decks were fairly cramped. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division 's 41 Canadian Brigade Group. Cartwright John. An account of the visit is contributed to WW2 Peoples War. I believe that the Bn. Thoroughly enjoyed it. You might also try writing to (or visiting) the Town Hall in Rennes and asking what records they might have. I met here one Sheikh Hamoudi, who was a friend of Lawrence of Arabia, and Glubb Pasha.
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