4th battalion border regiment ww2

An uncle of mine was killed along with more than 800 others in an air attack on trains in Rennes, Monday 17th June. At the same time, the 34th Cumberland and the 55th Westmorland Regts became the 1st and 2nd Bns The Border Regt. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[9]. During the daylight hours, shelling of the British positions in Raschid-el-Fokkar was continuous. The 4th Border group that took the train was headed by Captain J.L. Anyway, we can but try! Moved to the West Indies to counter the French threat, the 4th and 55th share the battle honour St. at this time. If you can find these people I am sure they will share it with you as a relative. 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. 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 . I sourced a 1960 local newspaper article, in French, which gives the best account of June 1940 events in Rennes that I have so far found. Burma Star Memorial Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 1109753). Subsequently, in March 1941, the men of the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment left on the troopship H.M.T. 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. Bn. Afghanistan War: Commanders; Notable commanders: Halstead Dorey . This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. It remained in Britain re-equipping until April 1943, when it took part in the landings in Tunisia. In any case, I hope you find out what happened. Todays regiment remembers with pride the four battalions who served in Burma. As M.O., I had my own difficulties. From there we travelled by road up the length of Palestine through Tiberias and past the Sea of Galilee to Khiyam in Southern Lebanon. This regiment was formed in 1881 by amalgamating the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. 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). 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. 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. During the siege, after being the Western Desert Force the Division became the 70th British Division. 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. The regiment mobilized 'The South Saskatchewan Regiment, CASF' for active service on 1 September 1939. View this object. These were awarded 66 battle honours and four Victoria Crosses. Line of Communication troops were brigaded together as infantry to act as support to those two Divisions. The 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery battalion assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Between 1944 and 1946 I had in all nine attacks, but none after that. 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. Copyright 2023. 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. Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Pte. It was the only British Division of infantry in the Middle East at the time. Carrying the lineage of Battery C, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, the battalion carries campaign streamers from World War I, World War II, and Vietnam, and has served with the 4th Infantry Division and . 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. 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. [All the above relieved the Australian infantry. 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. (d.11th June 1940) Fearon William Milburn. The German invaders over-ran Rennes on Tuesday 18th June and currently I have an account of their initial arrival and occupation in translation. 2nd Kings Own and 2, 4 and 9 Border all fought in Burma as explained in the beginning of this article. moved off at 4.55 followed by 5th Btn and arrived in bivouac at 6pm. By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. left there was for a brief visit to Birmingham to participate in bomb-damage relief. On the night of 19th March, the Bn. David G. We haven't had a message back from Mr Hutchinson yet I'm afraid. When we had an airdrop, with five days rations, our packs weighed 80 lbs., which, along with the troops equipment and weapons was a considerable weight to carry up and down the hills. Cartwright John. 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!! It was also atthis time that the 'Lancastria' was hit. By now part of the 6th British Division, the 4th Battalion of the Border Regiment were moved back to the Western Desert. Thoroughly enjoyed it. 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. packs on my back. Troops of the 8th Infantry Regiment move out over the seawall on Utah Beach after coming ashore on D-Day, June 6, 1944. 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. This dragon now appears on the regimental buttons. was in good shape, an efficient unit, discipline and morale were good, and the unit well trained. For any other comments, please Contact Us. In August 1945 when Japan surrendered, the 9th was stationed at Waw, west of Sittang River. Frontier attitude appeared to exist right up to G.H.Q. Correspondence. Especially we enjoyed the amenities of the St. Georges Hotel. 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. Thought the presentation & interpretation made the subject accessible". The officers were billeted in, and had the Officers Mess in, the school buildings, the school having been evacuated by staff and pupils. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. 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. On the evacuation of Palestine in 1948, it served in Somali-land, and later in the Canal Zone of Egypt. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the The two Divisions were the 51st Highland Division and the 1st Armoured Brigade. This record is held by King's Own Scottish Borderers Regimental Museum. 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. As patrolling was the means of harassment of the Japanese, I will describe one patrol, which I accompanied. However, 21 days in 38th British General Hospital in Bangalore and a fortnights convalescent leave in Ootacomund, a very popular hill station in peace time with quite a colony of permanent British residents, soon put me on my feet and I never looked back. This immediately changed the role of 23rd Brigade. Passing through Kohima was like viewing a scene of Flanders in the 1914-18 War with skeletons of trees with no leaves on them. WO 169 / 1737 1st Northumberland Fusiliers Discover more about The Border Regiment by visiting Cumbria's Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle. We were actually on the train on Christmas Day, 1944, and it stopped all day at Delhi Station platform. The Border Regiment. 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. 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. Our whole Brigade embarked on the Mauritania and so began the next phase of our travels, this time much further east. Remained in India throughout the war. I am aware WW2 Peoples War is soon to close for contributions. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines was constituted in April 1914 during World War I when it was activated as one of the three . It then fought its way up through Italy, before returning to England in November 1943. Two whole Divisions, plus many lines of communications and troops were drawn into battle with the Germans. Simply enter your email address below to start receiving our monthly email newsletter. Platoon killed 30 Japanese and wounded 10 more and suffered two casualties only. 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. was called upon to reinforce the area. National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4HTRegistered Charity Number: 237902, The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). World War II Iraq War. Anyway, I hope this helps you, David. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had returned to Britain from South Africa in 1907 and deployed straight to France in September 1914. From the recollections of Part of the new brigade was the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment. On July 12th the Bn. The Border Regiment fielded 18 battalions [7] and lost almost 7,000 [8] officers and other ranks during the course of the war. On the subject of the environment, I would like to make a comment here on the conditions in which the columns were operating. After some delay, the 4th Battalion left the port and moved to Rennes by rail. Battalion - A battalion comprised three or more companies and was commanded by a lieutenant colonel. In addition 12 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. On 1 January 1914 the regiment was at Galveston, . Faulkner James Edward . In 1959, it was amalgamated with The Border Regiment to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. It went on to serve in many British Army campaigns until 1958, when it was merged into The Kings Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool). and after a night in the open, we rejoined the complete column. Even though suppressive Mepacrine tablets were regularly taken, malaria was not entirely suppressed. 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. An account of the visit is contributed to WW2 Peoples War. 1st Punjab Regiment, 4th (Outram's) Bn. This was a regimental formation of men drawn from the towns and villages of Cumberland and Westmorland: Carlisle, Penrith, Keswick, Grasmere, Longtown, Brampton, Hexham, Alston and many others. 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. Stretchers and litters were constructed of bamboo and casualties were evacuated with Nagas acting as stretcher-bearers. WO 169 / 1454 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. I shall describe briefly our training and operations, so as to give the reader some idea of the conditions obtaining. 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. 4th Raider Battalion designated as 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. (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. 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. The Battalion began the task of disarming some 2,000 Japanese and controlling the activity of dacoits on the Mokpalin and Bilin areas. 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. Here we took over from 2/13 Bn. 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. The Chinese Dragon with which the Border Regt was always associated was awarded to the 55th after the First China War of 1841. 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. 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. These patrols included the entering of the Vichy French village of Mergyioun and taking prisoners. 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. Finally, while still holding Incheville with 'D Company', the Borders and Foresters were driven back, suffering casualties from heavy German mortaring and shelling. Moving off into the town street fighting began. 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 battalion, nicknamed the Magnificent Bastards, is based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and are a part of the 5th Marine Regiment and 1st Marine Division. Major Scott was evacuated and did not rejoin us until we returned to Bangalore. 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. Part of the new brigade was the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment. At 3.45pm Orders issued in accordance with above and 4th Batt. 4th Marine Regiment. So, once again, we moved from Bangalore to the Jhansi-Sangor area of Central India. The fighting took place in Picardy, Artois and finally in Normandy. 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. They were joined by the 34th in the siege and capture of Sebastopol. Nowhere in the Naga Hills was there 50 yards of flat terrain. The 8th U.S. Infantry reactivated in 1947, assigned to Ft. Ord, California, remaining assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Again, the problem is finding the right person. The withdrawal of the Japanese from the Imphal/Kohima area had begun. Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. No ground action was experienced by the Bn. The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and The Border Regiment (Carlisle) amalgamated to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment in 1959. From Brest, they went by ship to Southampton, where they arrived on the morning of June 18th 1940. 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. This infantry regiment was created in 1881. 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. As winter was approaching the Bn. Soon, other battalions of the regiment were formed. 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. . Soon, in the middle of recuperation from the long and arduous journey, enemy tanks appeared on the ridge above the woods. Here in the Basse Fort d'Eu, supported by the artillery of the 51st Highland Division. Usually relief of the pack enabled the casualty to finish the days march to the rest area, but we had a small number of ponies in the column on which we transported the more serious casualties. 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. If I get a better reply I've got your e-mail and I will send a message to you that way. I believe that the Bn. Capt. Tobruk by Frank Harrison [ISBN 1-85409-361-6], War Diaries: This story has been placed in the following categories. The 4th Battalion was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit, originally assigned to the 126th Infantry Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. It would be almost impossible for me to source documentary evidence of kinship to my grand-uncle George. The early dawn mist gave way to brilliant unclouded weather as the tanks and infantry moved to the attack. The vessel in which I travelled was the destroyer, Jackal. Between 1809 and 1814, 11 battle honours were won by the regiment. This infantry regiment was first raised in 1702. 1st Battalion spent the 1920s in India, Aden, England and Shanghai, prior to postings in Belfast and Palestine during the 1930s. R.E. This infantry regiment was raised in 1755. As I had an attack of malaria that morning, I was unable to go up to the town and my Christmas dinner consisted of bully beef, army biscuits, pickles, cheese and tinned fruit, whereas all the other officers had their Christmas dinner in the New Imperial Hotel in Delhi. After returning from the Crimea the 34th were soon on their way to India as reinforcements to fight in the Indian Mutiny. The 11th and 12th Borderers, New Army "Service" battalions, were referred to as "Pals" Battalions because they were predominantly composed of colleagues. 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery However, the day did eventually arrive when we were instructed to march to the station to entrain for Bombay Docks. It was then sent to South Africa in 1899, where it fought throughout the Boer War (1899-1902). 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. We arrived at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol and embarked on the liner Orontes. Now began a period of intensive jungle training on Chindit lines. Posted on . Regards, 6 Royal Ulster Rifles, (T.A.) This dragon now appears on the regimental buttons. A total of 13,167 of the regiment were killed in action. During the few days that we were assembling at Mariani, word came through that Gen. Wingate had been killed in an air accident. 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. 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. Raising of the Regiment. All the RAF and British troops were tehn withdrawn, and there was this mad dash to get to the ports.

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