Pte. After an uneventful voyage across the Indian Ocean, we eventually arrived at Bombay. It had been from this airfield of El Adem that the garrison of Tobruk had suffered the attentions of the Luftwaffe dive-bombers almost daily. This infantry regiment was created in 1881. However, having brushed aside the customs hiccup, we were duly transported to Poona, which may be described as the epitome of the Indian Army. Bn. Platoon, with Major Douglas Scott in command, attacked various areas around the village itself. From there patrols were sent out, during which areas occupied by the Japanese were attacked and in all cases the enemy were routed with many casualties and few casualties sustained by our troops. The regiment was stationed in Egypt and Cyprus for the first half of the 1950s, moving on to West Germany in 1955 where it served with the British Army of the Rhine. Raising of the Regiment. It mentions that Churchill and the Ministry of Information kept the disaster of this evacuation quiet at that time. Even though suppressive Mepacrine tablets were regularly taken, malaria was not entirely suppressed. Next day the force moved North to regroup. An uncle of mine was killed along with more than 800 others in an air attack on trains in Rennes, Monday 17th June. The Border Regiment's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 19141918. We were deposited in a paddy field area around the village of Khunti, which was 20 miles from Ranchi and had never before been occupied by troops and we proceeded to set up camp. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the The 4th Border lads were split into 2 groups and didn't meet up until they got back into Britain. 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. All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. Attached on arrival to Poona Brigade in 6th (Poona) Divisional Area. Our whole Brigade embarked on the Mauritania and so began the next phase of our travels, this time much further east. Posted on . Trouble with Mexico caused the regiment to be stationed on the Texas border in 1913. As winter was approaching the Bn. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Deolali has always been a time-honoured name in the army, associated with the expression The Deolali Tap. The Brigade now moved into Imphal and was thereafter moved by truck to railhead at Dimapur. After we had travelled a mile or two from the village, Major Scott said that there was a wounded NCO left in the village and would I return there with a section of ten men and try to recover him. The 4th Kings Own formed a part of General Napiers Army that fought the Abyssinian War of 1867-68. One of these brigades of infantry was named the 23rd Brigade and attached to the 1st Armoured Division. We set sail down the Bristol Channel on 21st March. 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. We were actually on the train on Christmas Day, 1944, and it stopped all day at Delhi Station platform. I know what you mean about the problems of getting information, David, when you are not either the person who served in the Forces or their Next of Kin. They were highly thought of by the Australian troops and the commander, General Leslie Morshead. On the subject of the environment, I would like to make a comment here on the conditions in which the columns were operating. column from 8th Army arrived but was quickly cut off by the enemy and had to remain in Tobruk. It continued in British Army service until the 1881 reforms, when it was amalgamated with the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot to form The Border Regiment. 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. Many men from 'D Company' of the Borders were killed or captured. Troops of the 8th Infantry Regiment move out over the seawall on Utah Beach after coming ashore on D-Day, June 6, 1944. was withdrawn and dispatched across the Canal Zone by troop train to Beit Lid in Palestine. 4 March 1915 : sailed from Avonmouth for India. that Tobruk Force, as we were called, would make diversionary incidents on the night of November 18th and that the real assault would be by the 8th Army to relieve Tobruk, which they expected would be on November 20th. 10th Parachute Battalion 11th Parachute Battalion 2nd (Oban) Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, RA 4th Parachute Squadron, RE 133 Parachute Field Ambulance, RAMC 1st Airlanding Brigade Brigade Headquarters 1st Battalion The Border Regiment 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment 7th (Galloway) Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderers . With reference to the siege of Tobruk, I append a list of North Country Regiments below. If you can find these people I am sure they will share it with you as a relative. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. At nighttime, the Companies sent out patrols between their fronts and the enemy but no major clashes occurred before November 18th. So, into the breech stepped the Naga Hillmen. Pte. After Napoleons escape from Elba in 1815, the Kings Own crossed from England to Belgium, and by marching 48 miles in 30 hours, took part in the Battle of Waterloo. As the Bn. 01 FEB 44; 21 July - 10 AUG 44 ; 01 APR 45- 22 JUN 45; 19 FEB 45; 01 FEB 44. The 4th Regt particularly distinguished themselves at San Sebastian in Northern Spain in 1813, where they were instrumental in breaching the wall of the town. The withdrawal of the Japanese from the Imphal/Kohima area had begun. On 14 January 1966, the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, was relieved from assignment to the 171st Infantry Brigade and assigned to the 25th Infantry "Tropic Lightning" Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Often for this kind of enquiry I've asked at the Town Hall and someone there can usually know where to start or who to contact. Just before Christmas we again moved, this time to Malvern, in the neighbouring county of Worcester, the home of a famous English school. The regiment also raised 14 Territorial, New Army and Garrison battalions. The regiment assaulted Utah Beach on 6 June 1944, as part of VII Corps in the D-Day Invasion, and arrived in the vicinity of Pavenoville, France by the end of D-day. After some delay, the 4th Battalion left the port and moved to Rennes by rail. The Naga Hillmen were 100% loyal to us and never let us down. As there is as yet so much more to learn about incident I ask perchance does your Mr Hutchinson have any knowledge of that incident? 41 The battalion was disbanded on 4 April 1946. Platoon killed 30 Japanese and wounded 10 more and suffered two casualties only. After returning from the Crimea the 34th were soon on their way to India as reinforcements to fight in the Indian Mutiny. On the retreat of the German / Italian Forces, the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment occupied the airfield of El Adem. 2nd Battalion The Border Regiment on the North-West Frontier of India, c1933. We arrived in Tobruk Harbour just after dark in the evening, after an uneventful journey, during which we had the nicest English breakfast of bacon and eggs in the Wardroom that we had tasted since coming to Egypt. My feeling is that someone in the Rennes area will have researched the people who died on 17 June. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines was constituted in April 1914 during World War I when it was activated as one of the three . The two platoons set up two roadblocks outside the village and H.Q. Between 1809 and 1814, 11 battle honours were won by the regiment. In addition 12 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. The 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery battalion assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. All three regiments were involved in minor wars on the frontiers of India, and the 4th in the Zulu War of 1879. The regiment was continually called upon to fight hostile Indians, guard the courts of justice, assist revenue officers, aid in executing convicted criminals, supervise elections, pursue outlaws and murderers, and in general institute lawful proceedings where anarchy reigned. 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. It would seem reasonable therefore to assume your Mr. Hutchinson and his comrades transited through Rennes shortly before. It has been transcribed and submitted to the website by Joseph Ritson, a volunteer story-gatherer with the BBC Radio Cumbria CSV Action Desk. Just then the monsoon broke and all military operations became static. 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment was at the centre and in rear of the strong points and in my Regimental Aid Post, we lived in dugouts as did the rest of H.Q.. (2d, 3d, and 4th Battalions ordered into active Federal service 2 May 1992 at home stations; released 9 May 1992 from active Federal service and reverted to state control) Reorganized 1 October. Amongst all this chaos we noticed a guard mounting of the Durham Light Infantry, complete with blancoed equipment this within a week or so of one of the bitterest battles of WW2. Before Dunkirk, 1 Border, 4 and 5 Border and 5 Kings Own fought in France. On July 12th the Bn. I might point out that 4 Border was in peacetime a Territorial Army unit, in other words part-time soldiers and there were still a considerable number of T.A. David G. We haven't had a message back from Mr Hutchinson yet I'm afraid. This story has been placed in the following categories. Cpl. At the time of the merger, 1st Battalion was in India. Capstick William. (d.5th December 1943) Hutchinson J. Pte. Another of the companies reached the north bank of the Somme and were engaged in mortar machine gun and rifle exchanges with the Germans. Disembarking, they moved to El Quassasin by rail. This article was written by my father to record his personal experiences of WW2. It continued in British Army service until 1959, when it merged with The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. Discover more about The Border Regiment by visiting Cumbria's Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle. This story has been placed in the following categories. I am aware WW2 Peoples War is soon to close for contributions. At one time or another these units were part of the garrison: 1st Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine Guns) Major Scott was evacuated and did not rejoin us until we returned to Bangalore. This would have prevented later train traffic. The 8th U.S. Infantry reactivated in 1947, assigned to Ft. Ord, California, remaining assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. referenced. In May the training period finished and we were transported by the Bengal Assam Railway to Mariani in Assam, passing through one railway town with the Boys Own Paper sounding name of Lumding. The two Divisions were the 51st Highland Division and the 1st Armoured Brigade. But then at night, the Australian artillery returned the compliment tenfold! Find out how you can use this. There were so many that the newspapers at home dubbed Kendal, the hometown of most of them, 'The Town of Missing Men'. 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. There was much suffering but also much success, including the taking of many prisoners. 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. There appears to have been strict censorship in operation at the time. It was still there two years later, when it was amalgamated with the Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) to form the Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. They were joined by the 34th in the siege and capture of Sebastopol. The 4th Battalion of the Borders were given the task of clearing the woods that were partially held by the Germans. 4th Durham Survey Section to Ceylon. 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. We were given fourteen days leave, which Bob Watt and I took together. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites It continued in British Army service until 1959, when it merged with The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) to form The King's Own Royal Border Regiment. An account of the visit is contributed to WW2 Peoples War. Fighting in the Forest continued for two days in support of the 5th Sherwood Foresters. The 4th Border Regimentrefers to three individuals battalions of the Territorial Force (Cumberland & Westmorland). Two whole Divisions, plus many lines of communications and troops were drawn into battle with the Germans. At this time things were going well in the second Wavell offensive and the Bn. The Lancastria was sunk during the afternoon of same day. Part of the new brigade was the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment. Moving off into the town street fighting began. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not My email address is david05803@yahoo.co.uk and I would really appreciate any information to that address post the closure. The troubles at Gaya were not serious and we returned to Ranchi after two weeks. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th Borderers were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th respectively. Under orders from the 10th French Army Commander, the 4th Border moved North-West to the line of the River Bresle. Orders soon arrived for us to move south towards the area of the Japanese L. of C. Our first objective was Mokokchung in the Naga Hills, east of Kohima. Occupying the village of Kiam in the central sector, the battalion were engaged in patrolling. 42 PDF version, 681.5 KB Footnotes GO 155/05. packs on my back. The Army rescued European captives from the Emperor Theodores mountain stronghold, Magdala, and returned to the coast before the spring rains swelled the rivers and blocked the route. Again, the problem is finding the right person. Find out how you can use this. There had been some severe fighting around Marjayoun, a nearby village, but after our arrival the main area of battle moved to the Coastal strip and, apart from twice daily shelling by the Vichy French forces, the only activity on the ground was infantry patrolling in the surrounding villages mostly at night. These messages were added to this story by site members between June 2003 and January 2006. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had moved from England to Ireland shortly after the regiments formation. After a night of patrolling, the next day the enemy withdrew and we reached El Adam aerodrome where there were 10 New Zealand wounded left with a Medical Orderly. moved from Aleppo to a town called Idlib, some distance away, where we remained for a further three weeks, and then returned to the military barracks in Aleppo. The Bn. 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. There is usually someone locally at these places who will know everything that happened! WO 169 / 1705 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment 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. The Durham Light Infantry Bn. Indeed, there is a little about this period in the book, which must also be based on the War Diaries and personal testimony only a couple of yearas after the end of the war. Thank you for your detailed reply to my query and I await any further information. It continued in British Army service until 1958, when it was amalgamated with The South Lancashire Regiment to form The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Waless Volunteers). The regiment captured an Imperial Chinese Dragon Standard which hangs in Kendal Church, and was awarded the Dragon as a regimental badge. The 1st Bn The Kings Own fought at Le Cateau and in the retreat from Mons in the first actions in the 1914-18 War. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. It was like Beau Geste excepting instead of arriving on camels, they came in the latest American cars. After re-training for D-Day, the battalion eventually had to wait until August 1944 to deploy to North-West Europe. Any information would be much appreciated. We carried out our diversionary attacks but the 8th Army never appeared. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers. After three weeks in Aleppo Barracks we were relieved by an unruly lot of Australian A.E.F. The battalion was moved to Dehra Dun to concentrate 23rd Bde. While it isn't strictly what you are looking for I thought it might shed a little more light on it. Now it was a question of taking over internal security that had been under Vichy French control. By the end of the war, in May 1945, 1st Battalion had recovered sufficiently to help disarm the German occupation force in Norway. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry), or L Edmn R, is a Primary Reserve infantry unit of the Canadian Armed Forces based in Edmonton, Alberta. During the training period from October the only time the Bn. Men of the 4th Battalion, Border Regiment travel in the back of a lorry, France, May 1940. 20 The battalion took part in the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942. Inter-war The inter-war period saw 1st Battalion fighting on the North West Frontier in 1921, garrisoning India and then moving to Palestine. [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]. This infantry regiment was raised in 1755. In October 1941, they were taken by destroyer to Tobruk. 1947-1959. View this object. Regards, On forming up we travelled by train to railhead further south and then by road to Bawli Bazar. Intensive field training was carried out but, in addition, we enjoyed the considerable amenities of Hereford. After kitting up we were transported one morning to the dockside in Alexandria and boarded R.N. had. The 11th and 12th Borderers, New Army "Service" battalions, were referred to as "Pals" Battalions because they were predominantly composed of colleagues. 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. We spent a day or two in a transit area before being taken by guides up to the perimeter defences. Moving out from the Brittany towns of Brest, Morlaix and St Malo, and then finally arriving at Aumale, the 4th Border was allotted the task of capturing three bridges west of Amiens on the River Somme. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. The Luftwaffe harassed the evacuation which is when your uncle was unfortunately killed. 2nd Kings Own and 2, 4 and 9 Border all fought in Burma as explained in the beginning of this article. Lucia 1778.. It deals with the experiences of the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment during World War Two. Whilst 1 Border served in BAOR and Berlin, the Kings Own served in Aden and Kenya. 6th Rajputana Rifles, 4th Bn. 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. up the Tiddim Road and in the battles round Bishenpur and also in defence of the Silchar Track; 4 Border in 23 Bde, harassed the lines of communication of the Japanese 31st Div., and met up with 2 Border on the Ukhrul Road in June, 1944. They landed in Sicily, fought in Italy with the 1st Airborne Div. Regards, Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. Historical records of events in France, post Operation Dynamo, are sketchy. However, the day did eventually arrive when we were instructed to march to the station to entrain for Bombay Docks. Tobruk by Frank Harrison [ISBN 1-85409-361-6], War Diaries: The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". 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'. He wrote out this contribution out long hand and sent it to Radio Cumbria. Subsequently we found that this Col. Blimp and N.W. 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. It remained in Britain re-equipping until April 1943, when it took part in the landings in Tunisia. The Burma Star Memorial Fund10 A High StreetPewseySN9 5AQ. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. was in good shape, an efficient unit, discipline and morale were good, and the unit well trained. From the recollections of This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. It served on the Western Front until November 1917, when it was sent to Italy. In 1857 they fought at the Relief of Lucknow. Here we took over from 2/13 Bn. 2 Border fought in the withdrawal from the Kabaw Valley to the Shenam Pass, where many engagements for the defence of Imphal in April/May, 1944 took place; 9 Border fought with 17 Div. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. We spent one week in the fleshpots of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay and the second week we spent at Krishnaraja Sagara in Mysore State. In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites Remained in India throughout the war. 1 Kings Own were flown from India to Iraq in 1941, and took part in the defence of Habbaniya, one of the earliest examples of a battalion being flown into action. The regiment captured an Imperial Chinese Dragon Standard which hangs in Kendal Church, and was awarded the Dragon as a regimental badge. In 1959, it was amalgamated with The Border Regiment to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. The 4th Border group that took the train was headed by Captain J.L. and for reinforcement, which eventually led to the amalgamation of 4th and 9th Bn., The Border Regiment. Passing through Kohima was like viewing a scene of Flanders in the 1914-18 War with skeletons of trees with no leaves on them. In any case, I hope you find out what happened. All this was in support of the civil police and little or no force was required. was attached to the 4th Battalion Border Regiment, as Platoon Commander of 12th Field Company RE . For any other comments, please Contact Us. Pte. Unfortunately, this book doesn't specifically mention the train incident that your uncle lost his life. In 1982, 4 SAI converted to a mechanised infantry battalion mainly consisting of Ratel-20 IFVs. In the Army reforms of 1881, the 4th Kings Own Royal Regt was territorially affiliated to Lancaster, and recruited in Furness and North Lancashire. This is a list of battalions of the Border Regiment, which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. It is a tragedy that since Indian independence they have been harassed to this day by the successors to the British Raj. The regiment lost over 7,700 men during the war.
Home Assistant Thread Support,
What Does No Apparent Monoclonal Protein On Serum Electrophoresis Mean,
Articles OTHER