My feeling is that someone in the Rennes area will have researched the people who died on 17 June. Have a look at pages 181-187. After re-training for D-Day, the battalion eventually had to wait until August 1944 to deploy to North-West Europe. 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. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not KOSB A4/1. SADF 4 SAI Ratels were known for their conspicuous red call sign markings. 160th Infantry Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of [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]. At 3.45pm Orders issued in accordance with above and 4th Batt. had come out with the withdrawal from Europe, not through Dunkirk but further west through Cherbourg and Brest. The hotel served the best curry we had ever tasted. At the end of the training period, the battalion was not only highly trained in jungle and Chindit operations but, with the constant exercise and increased rations, was very fit. As patrolling was the means of harassment of the Japanese, I will describe one patrol, which I accompanied. was attached to the 4th Battalion Border Regiment, as Platoon Commander of 12th Field Company RE . Todays regiment remembers with pride the four battalions who served in Burma. 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. A.E.F. It is of interest that one of our officers, who was wounded on a night patrol, was Anthony Steele, who later became a British film star and was married to Anita Ekberg!! Regards, We remained here three weeks during which we had the opportunity to visit Beirut, which was a beautiful town with wonderful amenities and it is so sad to think of the horrors that it has suffered in recent years. Not in any way belittling the heroic battles fought around Kohima by the 2nd British and 7th Indian Divisions, the harassing operations by 23rd Brigade of which 4 Border Regt. The whole of the 70th Division became engaged in the fighting on Sidi Rezagh and El Duda. Again, the problem is finding the right person. 4th Durham Survey Section 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. (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. It is a tragedy that since Indian independence they have been harassed to this day by the successors to the British Raj. However, having brushed aside the customs hiccup, we were duly transported to Poona, which may be described as the epitome of the Indian Army. 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. The Border Regiments final independent deployment was to West Berlin in 1957. The relief of Tobruk, the capture of Sidi Rezegh and the capture of El Adem was thus the second defeat of the German land forces. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. We were given fourteen days leave, which Bob Watt and I took together. On the evacuation of Palestine in 1948, it served in Somali-land, and later in the Canal Zone of Egypt. Three months later, it became the first British unit to join a major engagement by glider, when it landed in Sicily as part of 1st Airborne Division. The 4th Battalion of the Borders were given the task of clearing the woods that were partially held by the Germans. At nighttime, the Companies sent out patrols between their fronts and the enemy but no major clashes occurred before November 18th. It then spent two years in Somaliland, before returning to Britain in 1950, where it merged with 2nd Battalion in October of that year. We carried out our diversionary attacks but the 8th Army never appeared. 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. 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. Between 1809 and 1814, 11 battle honours were won by the regiment. 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? Bombing and shelling here in Tobruk became the daily and nightly portion. Border Regiment - The Long, Long Trail It shifted to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in July 1942, before fighting in Burma from November 1943 onwards. During World War II, the regiment fought German forces on three fronts, North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. at this time. After the obvious withdrawal of the Japanese, the column moved westwards to Ukhrul and here then operations were complete. This was carried out by C Company. Part of the new brigade was the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment. This infantry unit was raised in 1680 and subsequently served in many British Army campaigns during its long history. 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. WO 169 / 1705 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. Border Regiment soldiersatThiepval Wood, August 1916, Medals of Sergeant Fred Bowman, The Border Regiment, c1918. It was air-dropped on Arnhem the following month and suffered such heavy casualties during Operation Market Garden that it saw no further action for the rest of the conflict. Any information would be much appreciated. The 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment in WW2 Alongside the Borders were the 4th 'Buffs' who ran into bombardment in the streets of Fcamp. As we were not now in touch with the two platoons on roadblocks, and as I was not an infantry officer and Major Scott was wounded, it was decided to withdraw as the party was no longer large enough to carry out an assault on the strong point on the hill from which the LMG fire had come. 22nd Infantry Regiment (United States) - Military Wiki Pte. 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. Personal information on file in military records on individual soldiers is only available to the soldier himself or to next of kin. We subsequently moved across the Ganges to Muzzaffapur, where H.Q. Lucia 1778.. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th Borderers were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th respectively. those of the BBC. 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. They landed in Sicily, fought in Italy with the 1st Airborne Div. We now proceeded towards the concentration area at Column H.Q. National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4HTRegistered Charity Number: 237902, The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). It went on to serve in many British Army campaigns until 1958, when it was merged into The Kings Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool). BBC - WW2 People's War - 9th Border Regiment, to Ceylon. The Bn. It was after the last battle that the enemy finally broke and made for the . I used to go in a truck to visit a different Company each day from Aleppo, so that I really saw a lot of the country. In 1982, 4 SAI converted to a mechanised infantry battalion mainly consisting of Ratel-20 IFVs. I finished my army career, excepting for T.A. On one occasion I was present in Djerablus for a conference with the Mayor of the town and a gathering of Bedouin sheikhs. The regiment mobilized 'The South Saskatchewan Regiment, CASF' for active service on 1 September 1939. Discover more about The Border Regiment by visiting Cumbria's Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle. lost a Company as POWs in France but was made up by the time they re-assembled at Kington Camp, including quite a number of newly commissioned officers. Tobruk by Frank Harrison [ISBN 1-85409-361-6], War Diaries: Before Dunkirk, 1 Border, 4 and 5 Border and 5 Kings Own fought in France. It deployed to the Western Front in March 1916, remaining there for the rest of the conflict. 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. The size of a battalion could range from 500 to 1,500 troops. By the outbreak of the Second World War (1939-45), 1st Battalion was back in Britain. 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. 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. 4th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia WW2 Raiders - US Marine Raider Association Hutchinson M.B.E. Correspondence. Inter-war The inter-war period saw 1st Battalion fighting on the North West Frontier in 1921, garrisoning India and then moving to Palestine. Trouble with Mexico caused the regiment to be stationed on the Texas border in 1913. whose name, curiously, was the same as mine, Capt. The Border Regiment fielded 18 battalions [7] and lost almost 7,000 [8] officers and other ranks during the course of the war. The battalion spent an unpleasant time bivouacking without cover, but eventually formed up for embarkation on river transport. 2/4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion Formed at Kendal in September 1914 as a home service ("second line") unit. On July 12th the Bn. So, men from Cumberland and Westmorland were present at both checks on Rommel and the German Afrika Corps! in moving his G.H.Q. 7th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia Exhausted, the 4th Battalion of the Border Regiment set sail. They were part of the 70th British Infantry Division]". The Durham Light Infantry Bn. The fighting took place in Picardy, Artois and finally in Normandy. However we got into the unit lines without casualties, only to be shelled by our own Howitzers from inside Tobruk. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had returned to Britain from South Africa in 1907 and deployed straight to France in September 1914. 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. 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. It is no longer possible to leave messages here. The 4th Border group that took the train was headed by Captain J.L. It was the only British Division of infantry in the Middle East at the time. 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. Some weeks later we were off again by train to Suez. Here we took over from 2/13 Bn. We were actually on the train on Christmas Day, 1944, and it stopped all day at Delhi Station platform. that day. This infantry regiment was first raised in 1702. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft. 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 terms of the BBC Peoples War website have been read and understood. This was a regimental formation of men drawn from the towns and villages of Cumberland and Westmorland: Carlisle, Penrith,. Such was not possible in the Naga Hills. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. But then at night, the Australian artillery returned the compliment tenfold! The Battalion began the task of disarming some 2,000 Japanese and controlling the activity of dacoits on the Mokpalin and Bilin areas. By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. This was a well-planned and executed campaign, overcoming incredible supply difficulties. Military Digest: Sudan evacuation a reminder of India's World War II ties The 4th and 5th landed with the Army in the Crimea in 1854 and fought at the Battles of Alma and Inkerman. This dragon now appears on the regimental buttons. 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. Mixed fortunes followed: one company was ambushed before they reached their objective and scattered. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion was in India on the outbreak of the war. 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. public. 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. It remained in Britain re-equipping until April 1943, when it took part in the landings in Tunisia. During the daylight hours, shelling of the British positions in Raschid-el-Fokkar was continuous. This regiment was formed in 1881 by amalgamating the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After its posting in India and Burma from 1890, it moved on to South Africa in 1905. Again, intensive training was carried out for the next three months and again all enjoyed the amenities, which were just as good as in Hereford. Regimental Orders. 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. Attached on arrival to Poona Brigade in 6th (Poona) Divisional Area. The casualties were mainly exhaustion with malaria. We duly set sail from Calcutta in a British India ship, the Ethiopia, and arrived at the port of Chittagong in East Bengal (now Bangladesh). 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). Capstick William. At the same time, the 34th Cumberland and the 55th Westmorland Regts became the 1st and 2nd Bns The Border Regt. 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. 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. It was always a view held amongst commentators that Deolali was a centre where those who had become mentally deranged after long service in crab stations were congregated prior to repatriation to an appropriate institution for their disablement, hence the anxiety of anyone posted to Deolali as to whether they would survive to arrive home or not, a view supported by the fact that the camp area allotted to us was just over a wall around the graveyard which contained graves of servicemen, extending well back into the last century. Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. [2], The Border Regiment fielded 18 battalions[7] and lost almost 7,000[8] officers and other ranks during the course of the war. Good. 42 PDF version, 681.5 KB Footnotes GO 155/05. Then, after yet another railway journey, this time at night, they arrived at Brest. Just at this time the dingdong battles with the Japanese in the Maungdau/Buthidaung area of the Arakom District in Burma flared up and the Bn. They were joined by the 34th in the siege and capture of Sebastopol. All three regiments were involved in minor wars on the frontiers of India, and the 4th in the Zulu War of 1879. Similar to 1 SAI, 4 SAI's mechanised leaders followed the same training route all students attended the course until the Section Leaders Phase had been completed. Stretchers and litters were constructed of bamboo and casualties were evacuated with Nagas acting as stretcher-bearers. It was against a Japanese occupied village named Phakedzumi. There were varying degrees of success. to a Company at an airfield at Side Barrani, where a roving Messerschmidt attacked us. 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 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. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. Todays regiment incorporates the history and traditions of three former regiments. Major Scott was evacuated and did not rejoin us until we returned to Bangalore. 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. Regards, After kitting up we were transported one morning to the dockside in Alexandria and boarded R.N. This infantry regiment was created in 1881. We arrived at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol and embarked on the liner Orontes. If you can find these people I am sure they will share it with you as a relative. You should be able to get hold of a book in English entitled 'Finest Hour' by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig (1999), Hodder & Stoughton. Faulkner James Edward . This story has been placed in the following categories. 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. A. Find out how you can use this. In addition 12 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. Depots were open in Bowerham Barracks, Lancaster for The Kings Own, and in The Castle, Carlisle for The Border Regt. The 4th Border Regimentrefers to three individuals battalions of the Territorial Force (Cumberland & Westmorland). 4th Raider Battalion designated as 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. Moved to the West Indies to counter the French threat, the 4th and 55th share the battle honour St. The only change to the regiment's structure during the period of 18811908 occurred in 1900, when a new volunteer battalion was raised, namely the 3rd (Cumberland) Volunteer Battalion. It appears the British authorities at the time suppressed news of those left behind while, for understandable propaganda reasons, playing up the relative success of Operation Dynamo. 6 Royal Ulster Rifles, (T.A.) Just then the monsoon broke and all military operations became static. After Dunkirk, 1 Border were converted to gliderborne troops. Border Regiment in the Second World War 1939-1945 - The Wartime Even though suppressive Mepacrine tablets were regularly taken, malaria was not entirely suppressed. The "Fighting Eagles" Regiment: 8th U.S. Infantry This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. The King's Own Scottish Borderers | National Army Museum On the retreat of the German / Italian Forces, the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment occupied the airfield of El Adem. Part of the new brigade was the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment. An uncle of mine was killed along with more than 800 others in an air attack on trains in Rennes, Monday 17th June. 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. After an uneventful voyage across the Indian Ocean, we eventually arrived at Bombay. By January 1915, it was back in Britain and later that year fought at Gallipoli. Her ended the war of the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment. had. This is a list of battalions of the Border Regiment, which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. The column now moved to another hilltop village, Thetsemi, and after many more harassing raids against the Japanese, one night we noticed heavy traffic along a track leading to the Chindwin River crossing into Burma proper. Especially we enjoyed the amenities of the St. Georges Hotel. The date of the first contact with the enemy was early on the morning of 24th May 1940. 5th Battalion, Border Regiment in the Great War - The Wartime Memories . On forming up we travelled by train to railhead further south and then by road to Bawli Bazar. It then participated in the Cherbourg Peninsula operation while attached to 2nd Armored Division from 19 July through 2 August 1944. At 3pm Orders received for the 4th and 5th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers to move from huts they are at present occupying to bivouac in H2g - HQ to Hopital Farm. The third company reached their allotted bridge, crossed to the east bank and drove off the enemy. In any case, I hope you find out what happened. It was quite pleasant living in Dehra Dun, a regular peacetime station, but early in February we moved to the transit area for repatriates at Deolali. List of battalions of the Border Regiment - Wikipedia An account of the visit is contributed to WW2 Peoples War. In 1919, 2nd Battalion moved from Italy to Ireland. 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. 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. H.Q., which was replied to by our R.A. batteries. The vessel in which I travelled was the destroyer, Jackal. It deals with the experiences of the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment during World War Two. As the war progressed and further horsed regiments were . 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. The German invaders over-ran Rennes on Tuesday 18th June and currently I have an account of their initial arrival and occupation in translation. 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. 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'. 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. 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. Soon, other battalions of the regiment were formed. 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 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 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. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. public. At the time of the merger, 1st Battalion was in India. He was R.M.O. Burma Star Memorial Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 1109753). But it was in the Napoleonic wars, and particularly in the Peninsula War that the regiment gained its battle honours. A pathway over sunken ships and merchandise had been constructed from ship to shore and we were guided in the dark by Australians. 2nd Kings Own and 2, 4 and 9 Border all fought in Burma as explained in the beginning of this article. 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. As so often happened, things did not work out that way.
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4th battalion border regiment ww2