4th Raider Battalion designated as 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the After some delay, the 4th Battalion left the port and moved to Rennes by rail. This story has been placed in the following categories. KOSB A4/1. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. The 2 Kings Own were flown into Broadway on March 10, 1944 and flew out from Myitkyina on July 26, having marched and fought over 1,100 miles behind the Japanese lines. Thanks to the step-like formation of the paddy fields, where we jumped down every few yards, and to the poor marksmanship of the Japanese, we arrived without any casualties in the jungle area, for the Japanese opened up with everything they had rifles, machine guns, mortars and grenades. Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. (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. If I get a better reply I've got your e-mail and I will send a message to you that way. to a Company at an airfield at Side Barrani, where a roving Messerschmidt attacked us. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. From a health point of view, the area could not have been worse as it was infested with malaria carrying mosquitoes and near a village in which malaria was endemic. 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. In addition 12 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not 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. Both battalions marched many miles over the veldt during the Guerilla war that followed. We arrived at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol and embarked on the liner Orontes. 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. 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. 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. at that time had no other role than a training role, we set off in motor transport and arrived at Patna on the River Ganges, where we were billeted at Patna University, which was not operating and without students. The HQ of the battalion was in Kendal, then in Westmorland. After withdrawal, the Unit moved Northwards, their lines of communication being constantly dive-bombed by the Germans. 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. 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. Lucia 1778.. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers. The date of the first contact with the enemy was early on the morning of 24th May 1940. View this object. 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. Have a look at pages 181-187. Men of 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment, at Arnhem, 20 September 1944. A. In the meantime, I've had a look through your postings, and also the CWGC website about their cemetery at Rennes. 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. 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. 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. A total of 13,167 of the regiment were killed in action. The Luftwaffe harassed the evacuation which is when your uncle was unfortunately killed. Bangalore was a fine town and the climate was temperate for India. 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 Border Regiment was a line infantry infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. Here in the Basse Fort d'Eu, supported by the artillery of the 51st Highland Division. Next day the force moved North to regroup. Now it was a question of taking over internal security that had been under Vichy French control. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had returned to Britain from South Africa in 1907 and deployed straight to France in September 1914. The 11th and 12th Borderers, New Army "Service" battalions, were referred to as "Pals" Battalions because they were predominantly composed of colleagues. H.W.W. This was the old date for 'Empire Day'. On the night of 19th March, the Bn. All of the component units were federalized during the Spanish American War as the Second Infantry, Texas Volunteers. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines was constituted in April 1914 during World War I when it was activated as one of the three . 1940 1945 The Battalion began the task of disarming some 2,000 Japanese and controlling the activity of dacoits on the Mokpalin and Bilin areas. In 1982, 4 SAI converted to a mechanised infantry battalion mainly consisting of Ratel-20 IFVs. It has been transcribed and submitted to the website by Joseph Ritson, a volunteer story-gatherer with the BBC Radio Cumbria CSV Action Desk. We spent a very pleasant few weeks in Kirkee Barracks, which in peacetime was an R.A. Barracks and in the Officers Mess was the longest dining table of any British Army Officers Mess in the world. After kitting up we were transported one morning to the dockside in Alexandria and boarded R.N. The Chinese Dragon with which the Border Regt was always associated was awarded to the 55th after the First China War of 1841. A month earlier these Manchus had been in Alaska preparing for annual winter maneuvers to be conducted in temperatures of 50 below zero. where they had an airstrip. From there, they went by troop camels up the desert to Sidi Barrani. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. September 2003. I would like here to pay tribute to the RAF, who kept us supplied with all the necessities of life from rations to supplementary and replacement equipment, and to the Q side of Force H.Q., for an almost 100% response to requests for such supplies from Column H.Q.. During the whole period of operation from May to August, we missed only one meal, despite most difficult flying conditions due to mountainous terrain, and frequent early morning mists common in this area. One Victoria Cross was awarded to the regiment during the Mutiny. The set-up for columns entering Burma proper was that a stronghold was formed from which the columns operated and which contained an airstrip. But knowing what is there and what to ask for is not easy. Both predecessor regiments were affiliated with counties just south of the English-Scottish border, in what is now Cumbria, and so the new unit was named The Border Regiment. To give the reader some idea of the preparedness for, and the attitude of the British Indian Establishment, it is of interest to relate that the first action of the authorities was to try to carry out a customs examination of a mobilised British division arriving in the country complete with weapons and transport from a war zone to a potential war zone. Soon, other battalions of the regiment were formed. The National Army Museum works with a network of Regimental and Corps Museums across the UK to help preserve and share the history and traditions of the Army and its soldiers. Men of the 4th Battalion, Border Regiment travel in the back of a lorry, France, May 1940. During the training period from October the only time the Bn. The Border Regiment's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 19141918. WO 169 / 1454 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Bangalore was a comfortable station where we were in a semi-permanent camping site but where I discovered that I was suffering from amoebic dysentery. As I had always feared, I had an attack of malaria that morning, but, on taking Mepacrine, and on having my pack carried on a vehicle, I managed to march to the station and duly arrived at Bombay Docks, where we embarked on the Queen of Bermuda. 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. They landed in Sicily, fought in Italy with the 1st Airborne Div. 4th (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War 1939-1945. The Bn. Part of the new brigade was the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment. By January 1915, it was back in Britain and later that year fought at Gallipoli. They had not been informed as to our whereabouts. Frontier attitude appeared to exist right up to G.H.Q. It was then sent to South Africa in 1899, where it fought throughout the Boer War (1899-1902). It deals with the experiences of the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment during World War Two. Two whole Divisions, plus many lines of communications and troops were drawn into battle with the Germans. 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. I finished my army career, excepting for T.A. 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. RECORDS DOWN TO 1805. Our whole Brigade embarked on the Mauritania and so began the next phase of our travels, this time much further east. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. The battalion was moved to Dehra Dun to concentrate 23rd Bde. The Tobruk perimeter defences were not a system of continuous trenches like WW1, but consisted of underground concrete strong points built by the Italians before they came into the war. He wrote out this contribution out long hand and sent it to Radio Cumbria. Our heavy equipment was transported by mules, who were the most wonderful animals, and the muleteers became most attached to their animals. This is a list of regiments within the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War.. On the creation of the corps in 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, it comprised those regular cavalry and Territorial Army Yeomanry regiments that had been mechanised, together with the Royal Tank Regiment. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. Little in the way of operations were carried out, though the battalion did march to Shabe Bazar and B company was sent to a supposed area of Japanese activity at Taung Bazar, but despite active patrolling no contact was made with the Japanese. The 3d Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment was reactivated on 16 October 2009 in Germany as part of the 170th Infantry . 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. At first they headed towards Dieppe. Thought the presentation & interpretation made the subject accessible". No escort could be provided but all casualties evacuated by these means arrived safely at Brigade H.Q.. Obtaining information from official sources seems to be quite difficult. They were highly thought of by the Australian troops and the commander, General Leslie Morshead. As casualties were left for my attention, I and my orderly marched at the rear of the column and, rather than be left behind, we carried the casualtys pack ourselves as well as our own, and it sometimes happened that I arrived at the midday or evening rendezvous with two 80 lb. This infantry regiment was raised in 1755. was withdrawn and dispatched across the Canal Zone by troop train to Beit Lid in Palestine. 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. 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. The Bn. You should be able to get hold of a book in English entitled 'Finest Hour' by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig (1999), Hodder & Stoughton. Timeline of WW2 Raiders EXPLORE THE TIMELINES BELOW . 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. 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. We now proceeded towards the concentration area at Column H.Q. Many battalions of the regiment were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. (d.5th December 1943) Hutchinson J. Pte. During World War II, the regiment fought German forces on three fronts, North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. packs on my back. Hello Joseph, They were joined by the 34th in the siege and capture of Sebastopol. Anyway, we can but try! The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. Our journey was uneventful and our first landfall was at Freetown, Sierra Leone, though we had previously had a glimpse of the Azores. But then at night, the Australian artillery returned the compliment tenfold! The Brigade now moved into Imphal and was thereafter moved by truck to railhead at Dimapur. The terms of the BBC Peoples War website have been read and understood. Moved to the West Indies to counter the French threat, the 4th and 55th share the battle honour St. It served on the Western Front until November 1917, when it was sent to Italy. The 4th Border lads were split into 2 groups and didn't meet up until they got back into Britain. The casualties were mainly exhaustion with malaria. 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). Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had moved from England to Ireland shortly after the regiments formation. List of battalions of the Border Regiment, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), "Cumberland militia history Cumbria County Council", "Border Regiment 4th Battalion (TF) 1908-1914", "Border Regiment 5th Battalion (TF) 1908-1914", "The Border Regiment Cumbria's Museum of Military Life", "1st Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "2nd Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "4th (Westmoreland and Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "5th (Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "6th (East Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "8th (Home Defence) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "9th Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War", "1st Battalion, 34th Regiment of Foot 17021881/1st Battalion, The Border Regiment 1881-1959", "1st Battalion, 55th Regiment of Foot 17551881/2nd Battalion, The Border Regiment 1881-1950", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_battalions_of_the_Border_Regiment&oldid=1127169899, Lists of British Army units and formations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Amalgamation of the 1st (Cumberland) and 2nd (Westmorland) Volunteer Battalions, Absorbed into the 4th (Reserve) (Cumberland and Westmorland) on 1 September 1916, Absorbed into the Training Reserve Battalion of the 4th Reserve Brigade, Absorbed into the 1/5th (Cumberland) Battalion on 31 July 1918, Absorbed into the 75th Training Reserve Battalion, 1/1st Battalion Cumberland Volunteer Regiment, 2/1st Battalion Cumberland Volunteer Regiment, Amalgamated with the 1st Battalion Westmoreland Volunteer Regiment February - August 1918, 1st Battalion Westmoreland Volunteer Regiment, Amalgamated with the 2/1st Battalion Cumberland Volunteer Regiment February - August 1918, Disbanded post war, Soldiers drafted to one of the nine battalions making up the, October 1940, redesignation of the 50th (Holding) Battalion, Amalgamated with the 4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion, taking on the name of the latter on 1 December 1945, Redesignated as the 9th Battalion in October 1940, Amalgamated with 2nd Battalion on the 28 October 1950, without a change in title, Amalgamated with 1st Battalion on the 28 October 1950, Amalgamated with 1st Battalion, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), to form 1st Battalion, The King's Own Royal Border Regiment, Transferred to the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, without a change in title, This page was last edited on 13 December 2022, at 07:48. included our brigade, 23 Bde., and the 4th Border Regiment. It was like Beau Geste excepting instead of arriving on camels, they came in the latest American cars. 42 PDF version, 681.5 KB Footnotes GO 155/05. 21 It landed again in This story has been placed in the following categories. Exactly how many were killed in this evacuation I am unsure, but all together, with the Lancastria, other ships and on the trains it must have been 2000+. The 4th Border group that took the train was headed by Captain J.L. They were part of the 70th British Infantry Division]". 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. In the Army reforms of 1881, the 4th Kings Own Royal Regt was territorially affiliated to Lancaster, and recruited in Furness and North Lancashire. 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment In 1857 they fought at the Relief of Lucknow. "First time @NAM_London today. It was the only British Division of infantry in the Middle East at the time. It deployed to France in September 1939 with the initial British Expeditionary Force, but was evacuated home in June 1940. They were small, around 5 ft. in height, but wiry and capable of running up and down hills with heavy loads. 1st Raider Battalion; 2nd Raider Battalion . 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. On the evacuation of Palestine in 1948, it served in Somali-land, and later in the Canal Zone of Egypt. troops and travelled by road and rail down through Beirut, Tyre and Sidon to Haifa, where we entrained and eventually ended up at Amyriah transit camp west of Alexandria. Pte. 4th (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment 5th (Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment 6th (East Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment 7th Battalion, Border Regiment 8th (Home Defence) Battalion, Border Regiment 9th Battalion, Border Regiment 30th Battalion, Border Regiment 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion, Border Regiment After a week or two of rest at railhead, during which malaria began to take its toll, we once more entrained for the long journey back to our old haunt Bangalore. If your French is rusty that might be a problem, but it can be overcome. Todays regiment remembers with pride the four battalions who served in Burma. By the end of the war, in May 1945, 1st Battalion had recovered sufficiently to help disarm the German occupation force in Norway. Unfortunately, this book doesn't specifically mention the train incident that your uncle lost his life. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[9]. and I met their M.O. READ MORE. Delhi, hence Louis Mountbattens action on arrival to take command of S.E.A.C. 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. During the siege, after being the Western Desert Force the Division became the 70th British Division. There seems to be some accounts in the Public Records Office about what happened. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. Whilst waiting to board the riverboat, a Japanese Zero fighter flew over but did not attack and that was all we saw of the Japanese during this period. The railway complex at Rennes was bombed during mid morning Monday 17th June. 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 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. The early dawn mist gave way to brilliant unclouded weather as the tanks and infantry moved to the attack. There appears to have been strict censorship in operation at the time. 70th Div. 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. All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. 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. All the RAF and British troops were tehn withdrawn, and there was this mad dash to get to the ports. The size of a battalion could range from 500 to 1,500 troops. Regards, SADF 4 SAI Ratels were known for their conspicuous red call sign markings. 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. I've just looked through some of my notes and various books in French and English to refresh my memory of what went on. Gaya is supposed to be the birthplace of Buddha and there is an interesting Buddhist temple there, although India was at that time largely Hindu/Moslem and Buddhism associated more with Ceylon and countries further east. By then, they were surrounded. Pte. We were given fourteen days leave, which Bob Watt and I took together. L/Cpl. The main duties of the battalion in this situation were the control of and dispersal of mobs and setting up of roadblocks and checkpoints. The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". Unfortunately for this account I do not have contact details for Mr Hutchinson personally. Attached on arrival to Poona Brigade in 6th (Poona) Divisional Area. The days 16 - 18 June 1940 were really vital to what happened in France, because it was when De Gaulle was trying to get the French Government to continue fighting the war, and Ptain took over and asked the Germans for an Armistice. As so often happened, things did not work out that way. I believe that the Bn. It would seem reasonable therefore to assume your Mr. Hutchinson and his comrades transited through Rennes shortly before. If you can find these people I am sure they will share it with you as a relative. 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. Hudson John. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 4th Bn. This was when your uncle would have been ordered to leave. They are colloquially known as "The Loyal Eddies". Trouble with Mexico caused the regiment to be stationed on the Texas border in 1913. In 1959, it was amalgamated with The Border Regiment to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. The whole of the 70th Division became engaged in the fighting on Sidi Rezagh and El Duda. There was the odd troublesome one, but mostly its own muleteer learned how to control it and to keep it in line. I met here one Sheikh Hamoudi, who was a friend of Lawrence of Arabia, and Glubb Pasha. On this day in 1944 Captain D.V. This dragon now appears on the regimental buttons. It was against a Japanese occupied village named Phakedzumi. Over in Europe it seems a lot easier finding out official information about the war and commemoration is taken very seriously. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites 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. Troops of the 8th Infantry Regiment move out over the seawall on Utah Beach after coming ashore on D-Day, June 6, 1944. National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4HTRegistered Charity Number: 237902, The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). The size of a regiment could range from 1,000 to 5,000 troops. So, once again, we moved from Bangalore to the Jhansi-Sangor area of Central India. 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery moved by road the whole length of the Lebanon and Syria to Aleppo, where we were billeted in the aerodrome with companies on detachment to towns on the Turkish frontier - Djerablus, Actarine and Azzaz.
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