4th battalion border regiment ww2

In the Army reforms of 1881, the 4th Kings Own Royal Regt was territorially affiliated to Lancaster, and recruited in Furness and North Lancashire. After an uneventful journey through the Suez Canal, with a visit to Simon Artz store in Port Said, and a few days lying in Gibraltar Harbour, we arrived at Greenock. At nighttime, the Companies sent out patrols between their fronts and the enemy but no major clashes occurred before November 18th. Regards, On the night of 19th March, the Bn. Alongside this, the 4th (Militia) Battalion was also disbanded in 1908. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 4th (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War 1939-1945. 21 It landed again in 2nd Kings Own and 2, 4 and 9 Border all fought in Burma as explained in the beginning of this article. 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. Our force consisted of two platoons and a headquarters platoon. 1st Battalion was again in Burma on the outbreak of the First World War (1914-18), having returned there in 1910. It went on to serve in many British Army campaigns until 1958, when it was merged into The Kings Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool). 'Orontes' bound for Suez. The size of a battalion could range from 500 to 1,500 troops. were evacuated. 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. However, having brushed aside the customs hiccup, we were duly transported to Poona, which may be described as the epitome of the Indian Army. Leaving the desert, the 70th Division, including the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment, were now went to India and Burma. The programme in Tobruk perimeter until November 18th, this being early October, was as follows: At early morning and again in the evening, we were subjected to periods of artillery fire in Bn. We set sail down the Bristol Channel on 21st March. For any other comments, please Contact Us. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. He was R.M.O. Regards, 6 Border were a beach landing group at the Normandy landings. 'D Company' held on to Incheville for several days until they ran short of ammunition. Thoroughly enjoyed it. entrained in a railway tunnel in Malvern presumably for security reasons, although the whole town knew that we were leaving for overseas. Find out how you can use this. 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. This was when your uncle would have been ordered to leave. We now proceeded towards the concentration area at Column H.Q. 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. In October 1941, they were taken by destroyer to Tobruk. There was much suffering but also much success, including the taking of many prisoners. During these engagements the H.Q. In the advance into Burma, 2 Border crossed the Irrawaddy on February 13, whilst in April, 1945, 9 Border fought in the battles for Meiktila. As M.O., I had my own difficulties. I will try to have it completed for contribution in advance of the imminent closure. Men of the 4th Battalion, Border Regiment travel in the back of a lorry, France, May 1940. It was also atthis time that the 'Lancastria' was hit. We set off up the hill to join a track running into the village. had come out with the withdrawal from Europe, not through Dunkirk but further west through Cherbourg and Brest. WO 169 / 1454 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. Nowhere in the Naga Hills was there 50 yards of flat terrain. 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+. Now it was a question of taking over internal security that had been under Vichy French control. Repatriation to the U.K. had begun for those with three years and eight months overseas service, so the strength of the battalion was gradually diminishing. 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. 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. Subsequently, in March 1941, the men of the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment left on the troopship H.M.T. By the end of the war, in May 1945, 1st Battalion had recovered sufficiently to help disarm the German occupation force in Norway. and for reinforcement, which eventually led to the amalgamation of 4th and 9th Bn., The Border Regiment. The regiment mobilized 'The South Saskatchewan Regiment, CASF' for active service on 1 September 1939. Pte. Occupying the village of Kiam in the central sector, the battalion were engaged in patrolling. Trouble with Mexico caused the regiment to be stationed on the Texas border in 1913. The regiment also raised 13 Territorial Army and New Army battalions during the war. 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. 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. The badge of todays regiment includes the Lion of England of the Kings Own and the laurel wreath awarded to the 34th for their part in the rearguard which saved the Army at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Unfortunately for this account I do not have contact details for Mr Hutchinson personally. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. The Brigade now moved into Imphal and was thereafter moved by truck to railhead at Dimapur. The regiment captured an Imperial Chinese Dragon Standard which hangs in Kendal Church, and was awarded the Dragon as a regimental badge. and I met their M.O. They were highly thought of by the Australian troops and the commander, General Leslie Morshead. referenced. that day. 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. Before Dunkirk, 1 Border, 4 and 5 Border and 5 Kings Own fought in France. FEB '44 - JUN '45. David G. We haven't had a message back from Mr Hutchinson yet I'm afraid. The hotel served the best curry we had ever tasted. An uncle of mine was killed along with more than 800 others in an air attack on trains in Rennes, Monday 17th June. It was like Beau Geste excepting instead of arriving on camels, they came in the latest American cars. The regiment lost over 7,700 men during the war. 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. By January 1915, it was back in Britain and later that year fought at Gallipoli. 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment It then spent two years in Somaliland, before returning to Britain in 1950, where it merged with 2nd Battalion in October of that year. 1st Punjab Regiment, 4th (Outram's) Bn. READ MORE. THE BORDER REGT. H.Q. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers. During World War II, the regiment fought German forces on three fronts, North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. 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. Historical records of events in France, post Operation Dynamo, are sketchy. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had moved from England to Ireland shortly after the regiments formation. The long and illustrious history of the Second Battalion, Fourth Marines began in April of 1914 during WWI when it was activated as one of the three battalions of the Fourth Marine Regiment The Lancastria was sunk during the afternoon of same day. To be perfectly honest, until this last year when I have been a volunteer story-gatherer for this "People's War" project, most of the WW2 research I have done has been in France, and a little bit in Belgium and the Netherlands. 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. 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. 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 . The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites Pte. In 1959, it was amalgamated with The Border Regiment to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. Raising of the Regiment. Bn. (d.11th June 1940) Fearon William Milburn. 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. The 4th Kings Own formed a part of General Napiers Army that fought the Abyssinian War of 1867-68. Personal information on file in military records on individual soldiers is only available to the soldier himself or to next of kin. (d.5th December 1943) Hutchinson J. Pte. The problem at this time is that there is only just over a week before the site is closing down for furter postings! [All the above relieved the Australian infantry. Here in the Basse Fort d'Eu, supported by the artillery of the 51st Highland Division. We remained in Bangalore until coming up to Christmas and, just before Christmas, we entrained again, this time for Dehra Dun, a military cantonment in north India. Todays regiment incorporates the history and traditions of three former regiments. 1/4th Border Regiment 2/4th Border Regiment (home service battalion) 3/4th Border Regiment (depot/training battalion) Roll of Honour[edit| edit source| hide] Troops of the 8th Infantry Regiment move out over the seawall on Utah Beach after coming ashore on D-Day, June 6, 1944. 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. 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. Mr Hutchinson has written the article which was then sent it in to BBC Radio Cumbria, Carlisle. 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. It shifted to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in July 1942, before fighting in Burma from November 1943 onwards. Inter-war The inter-war period saw 1st Battalion fighting on the North West Frontier in 1921, garrisoning India and then moving to Palestine. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. On the evacuation of Palestine in 1948, it served in Somali-land, and later in the Canal Zone of Egypt. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 4th Bn. By now part of the 6th British Division, the 4th Battalion of the Border Regiment were moved back to the Western Desert. 11th Sikh Regiment, 4th . A. The two platoons set up two roadblocks outside the village and H.Q. Archive List > United Kingdom > Hereford and Worcester. 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. We first took over Baqush Box, a defended area east of Mersah Matruh, which was uncomfortable living, excepting for glorious Mediterranean sea bathing, and the companies were on detachment on aerodrome defence further forward. 70th Div. There was the odd troublesome one, but mostly its own muleteer learned how to control it and to keep it in line. 1st Raider Battalion; 2nd Raider Battalion . They were small, around 5 ft. in height, but wiry and capable of running up and down hills with heavy loads. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. left there was for a brief visit to Birmingham to participate in bomb-damage relief. public. Platoon, with Major Douglas Scott in command, attacked various areas around the village itself. GOOD, T.D., R.A.M.C. Among the Indian Infantry battalions which formed part of this Division were 3rd Battalion (Bn.) 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. In 1947, 1st Battalion moved to Palestine. Copyright 2023. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. We were given fourteen days leave, which Bob Watt and I took together. WO 169 / 1713 Durham Light Infantry Line of Communication troops were brigaded together as infantry to act as support to those two Divisions. It continued to serve there, as well as in Burma, until 1890, when it was replaced by 2nd Battalion. Subsequently we found that this Col. Blimp and N.W. For any other comments, please Contact Us. During the daylight hours, shelling of the British positions in Raschid-el-Fokkar was continuous. They had not been informed as to our whereabouts. 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. The 4th Battalion of the Borders were given the task of clearing the woods that were partially held by the Germans. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. 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. The fighting continued all day in the beautiful spring day until nightfall when all the companies withdrew, taking numbers of prisoners with them. It served on the Western Front until November 1917, when it was sent to Italy. 2nd Battalion The Border Regiment on the North-West Frontier of India, c1933. The third company reached their allotted bridge, crossed to the east bank and drove off the enemy. 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. In 1702, the regiment which became the 34th (Cumberland) Regt was raised, and the 55th (Westmorland)) Regt was raised in 1755. The size of a regiment could range from 1,000 to 5,000 troops. Cpl. service, in Northern Ireland, my final posting being with a unit of Lancashire Fusiliers at St. Patricks barracks, Ballymena, my dear wifes home town, and where both my sons were born. Whilst 1 Border served in BAOR and Berlin, the Kings Own served in Aden and Kenya. 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. The 4th Battalion The Border Regiment had been guarding the Lines of Communications in France since November 1939, but they, inevitably, became heavily engaged in the German onslaught. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[9]. But knowing what is there and what to ask for is not easy. Obtaining information from official sources seems to be quite difficult. We did not go ashore there, nor at Cape Town, where we lay off Table Mountain for a day, but we had four very pleasant days in Durban, entertained royally by the very hospitable residents. You might also try writing to (or visiting) the Town Hall in Rennes and asking what records they might have. "Now little remembered, regarded and even by-passed in the history of the time, there were men who fought on in France after the main force of the B.E.F. So, men from Cumberland and Westmorland were present at both checks on Rommel and the German Afrika Corps! The column commander, Major Scott, was wounded in the arm and, as I was dressing his wound, we were fired upon by a machine gun from the top of the hill. After Dunkirk, 1 Border were converted to gliderborne troops. I could not imagine a more appropriate ending. 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. As so often happened, things did not work out that way. (d.5th Dec 1941) Grant James Alexander. This is a list of battalions of the Border Regiment, which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. This story has been placed in the following categories. Correspondence. However we got into the unit lines without casualties, only to be shelled by our own Howitzers from inside Tobruk. If I get a better reply I've got your e-mail and I will send a message to you that way. The 2nd Bn The Kings Own and the 1st Bn The Border Regt fought in the Boer War and both were present at the Relief of Ladysmith in 1900 and in the battles before the Relief. Hudson John. 18 It was redesignated '1st Battalion, The South Saskatchewan Regiment, CASF' on 7 November 1940, 19 and on 15 December 1940 it embarked for Great Britain. and in 1944, fought at Arnhem. This immediately changed the role of 23rd Brigade. Under orders from the 10th French Army Commander, the 4th Border moved North-West to the line of the River Bresle. included our brigade, 23 Bde., and the 4th Border Regiment. 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. Have a look at pages 181-187. L/Cpl. The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and The Border Regiment (Carlisle) amalgamated to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment in 1959. It deployed to France in September 1939 with the initial British Expeditionary Force, but was evacuated home in June 1940. Men of 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment, at Arnhem, 20 September 1944. The 4th Border lads were split into 2 groups and didn't meet up until they got back into Britain.

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