My feeling is that someone in the Rennes area will have researched the people who died on 17 June. 4th Raider Battalion designated as 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. All of the component units were federalized during the Spanish American War as the Second Infantry, Texas Volunteers. 1st Battalion was again in Burma on the outbreak of the First World War (1914-18), having returned there in 1910. 20 The battalion took part in the raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942. The 34th fought with General Burgoyne and was present at the disaster of Saratoga. L/Cpl. Our whole Brigade embarked on the Mauritania and so began the next phase of our travels, this time much further east. Indeed, there is a little about this period in the book, which must also be based on the War Diaries and personal testimony only a couple of yearas after the end of the war. The regiment mobilized 'The South Saskatchewan Regiment, CASF' for active service on 1 September 1939. The size of a battalion could range from 500 to 1,500 troops. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. Some days afterwards the Bn. 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. Copyright 2023. WO 169 / 1454 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. 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 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. This regiment was formed in 1881 by amalgamating the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. The Bn. 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. Men of 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment, at Arnhem, 20 September 1944. Archive List > United Kingdom > Hereford and Worcester. The regiment captured an Imperial Chinese Dragon Standard which hangs in Kendal Church, and was awarded the Dragon as a regimental badge. The 4th and 5th landed with the Army in the Crimea in 1854 and fought at the Battles of Alma and Inkerman. 2 Border soon followed with the 7th Dlv, and fought in the first Battle of Ypres in defence of the Channel Ports. Fighting in the Forest continued for two days in support of the 5th Sherwood Foresters. Her ended the war of the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment. Finally, while still holding Incheville with 'D Company', the Borders and Foresters were driven back, suffering casualties from heavy German mortaring and shelling. 1st Battalion spent the 1920s in India, Aden, England and Shanghai, prior to postings in Belfast and Palestine during the 1930s. It deals with the experiences of the 4th Battalion The Border Regiment during World War Two. (d.5th December 1943) Hutchinson J. Pte. 2nd Battalion 4th Marines | Military Wiki | Fandom As patrolling was the means of harassment of the Japanese, I will describe one patrol, which I accompanied. 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. 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. 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. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. I've just looked through some of my notes and various books in French and English to refresh my memory of what went on. It continued to serve there, as well as in Burma, until 1890, when it was replaced by 2nd Battalion. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion was in India on the outbreak of the war. After that it was Suez, Egypt, and a transit camp, until we entrained for the Western Desert. was established in a school and detachments were sent out to areas north of here, right up to the Nepalese border. The battalion was moved to Dehra Dun to concentrate 23rd Bde. But even so, the fighting patrols still went out, many of them at night. After returning from the Crimea the 34th were soon on their way to India as reinforcements to fight in the Indian Mutiny. Unfortunately for this account I do not have contact details for Mr Hutchinson personally. 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. Faulkner James Edward . and in 1944, fought at Arnhem. Regards, Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites Many men from 'D Company' of the Borders were killed or captured. Passing through Kohima was like viewing a scene of Flanders in the 1914-18 War with skeletons of trees with no leaves on them. ORIGINS: The 144th traces its lineage to six volunteer militia companies of the Texas Volunteer Guard in northeast Texas organized as the Fourth Regiment of Infantry, April, 1880. 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. We subsequently moved across the Ganges to Muzzaffapur, where H.Q. Here in the Basse Fort d'Eu, supported by the artillery of the 51st Highland Division. Burgess. KOSB A4/1. Border Regiment in the Second World War 1939-1945 - The Wartime Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. The "Fighting Eagles" Regiment: 8th U.S. Infantry 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. H.W.W. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. Especially we enjoyed the amenities of the St. Georges Hotel. 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. Exhausted, the 4th Battalion of the Border Regiment set sail. There appears to have been strict censorship in operation at the time. If I get a better reply I've got your e-mail and I will send a message to you that way. 4th Marine Regiment. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Humphreys William. 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 1947, 1st Battalion moved to Palestine. 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. This dragon now appears on the regimental buttons. This would have prevented later train traffic. public. In 1959, it was amalgamated with The Border Regiment to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. David G. We haven't had a message back from Mr Hutchinson yet I'm afraid. 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. SADF 4 SAI Ratels were known for their conspicuous red call sign markings. to a Company at an airfield at Side Barrani, where a roving Messerschmidt attacked us. was attached to the 4th Battalion Border Regiment, as Platoon Commander of 12th Field Company RE . 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. At the same time, the 34th Cumberland and the 55th Westmorland Regts became the 1st and 2nd Bns The Border Regt. On this day in 1944 Captain D.V. Bangalore was a fine town and the climate was temperate for India. The 2nd Bn The Kings Own formed 41 and 46 Columns in 111 Bde in the Chindits; 2nd 13n The Border Regt in 20th Indian Division; 4th Bn The Border Regt in 23 Brigade forming 34 and 55 Columns; and the 9th Bn The Border Regt in 17th Indian Division. I might point out that 4 Border was in peacetime a Territorial Army unit, in other words part-time soldiers and there were still a considerable number of T.A. 1st Raider Battalion; 2nd Raider Battalion . 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. 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. On one occasion I was present in Djerablus for a conference with the Mayor of the town and a gathering of Bedouin sheikhs. David G. Thanks for taking the time to read the article about the 4 Bn Borders in WW2 and your most interesting question. Subsequently, in March 1941, the men of the 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment left on the troopship H.M.T. The size of a regiment could range from 1,000 to 5,000 troops. 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] Trouble with Mexico caused the regiment to be stationed on the Texas border in 1913. In the meantime, I've had a look through your postings, and also the CWGC website about their cemetery at Rennes. On 1 January 1914 the regiment was at Galveston, . Raising of the Regiment. "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. 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. 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. whose name, curiously, was the same as mine, Capt. This infantry regiment was first raised in 1702. Remained in India throughout the war. Please see my various contributions to this archive on the incident. This infantry regiment was created in 1881. The 4th and 5th landed with the Army in the Crimea in 1854 and fought at the Battles of Alma and Inkerman. An account of the visit is contributed to WW2 Peoples War. September 2003. The problem at this time is that there is only just over a week before the site is closing down for furter postings! Our force consisted of two platoons and a headquarters platoon. The HQ of the battalion was in Kendal, then in Westmorland. Have a look at pages 181-187. vessels en route by sea to Tobruk. We were given fourteen days leave, which Bob Watt and I took together. Pte. Five of the new Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiments. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[9]. 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. It was planned at 8th Army H.Q. 01 FEB 44; 21 July - 10 AUG 44 ; 01 APR 45- 22 JUN 45; 19 FEB 45; 01 FEB 44. The 4th Battalion was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit, originally assigned to the 126th Infantry Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. It mentions that Churchill and the Ministry of Information kept the disaster of this evacuation quiet at that time. Find out how you can use this. 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. Any information would be much appreciated. moved off at 4.55 followed by 5th Btn and arrived in bivouac at 6pm. After some delay, the 4th Battalion left the port and moved to Rennes by rail. 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. It would be almost impossible for me to source documentary evidence of kinship to my grand-uncle George. There seems to be some accounts in the Public Records Office about what happened. Line of Communication troops were brigaded together as infantry to act as support to those two Divisions. entrained in a railway tunnel in Malvern presumably for security reasons, although the whole town knew that we were leaving for overseas. We looked up and saw a Japanese officer looking down at us. 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 . Abandoned by the fleet and besieged by the French, they were forced to surrender, but were allowed to march out with colours flying as a tribute to their gallant defence. World War II Iraq War. If your French is rusty that might be a problem, but it can be overcome. was at the centre and in rear of the strong points and in my Regimental Aid Post, we lived in dugouts as did the rest of H.Q.. The Luftwaffe harassed the evacuation which is when your uncle was unfortunately killed. Pte. If you can find these people I am sure they will share it with you as a relative. Anyway, we can but try! Moved to the West Indies to counter the French threat, the 4th and 55th share the battle honour St. The training was severe and, apart from the tactical training, consisted, quite frequently, of marching up to 40 miles a day with full equipment. Todays regiment remembers with pride the four battalions who served in Burma. 4th (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment in the So, all the units of the 70th Division were glad to take the airfield. He wrote out this contribution out long hand and sent it to Radio Cumbria. This record is held by King's Own Scottish Borderers Regimental Museum. I only know a little about that area and that incident, but if 'Ouest France' has featured the story, then I am sure there must be many details available about what happened. As we rested before finally stepping up onto the track, a Naga hillman came up and said Japani. By then, they were surrounded. 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. From there, they went by troop camels up the desert to Sidi Barrani. 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. But then, on hearing that Rouen had fallen into enemy hands, Fcamp became the destination. Our journey was uneventful and our first landfall was at Freetown, Sierra Leone, though we had previously had a glimpse of the Azores. Some weeks later we were off again by train to Suez. There were varying degrees of success. I believe that the Bn. 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. List of battalions of the Border Regiment - Wikipedia An uncle of mine was killed along with more than 800 others in an air attack on trains in Rennes, Monday 17th June. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion had moved from England to Ireland shortly after the regiments formation. The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". This was carried out by C Company. But it was in the Napoleonic wars, and particularly in the Peninsula War that the regiment gained its battle honours. Alongside this, the 4th (Militia) Battalion was also disbanded in 1908. We set sail down the Bristol Channel on 21st March. 160th Infantry Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of During that night, and still under constant harassment, embarkation took place on to ships and Naval craft. The Brigade now moved into Imphal and was thereafter moved by truck to railhead at Dimapur. I've left a message for Jemma, the co-ordinator for the Radio Cumbria volunteer story gatherers, asking for your question to be passed on to Mr Hutchinson, and if he has further details. 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 9th Battalion The Border Regiment took part in several such actions, notably at Wetlet, Yindaw, Kinde and Pywabwe. 'Orontes' bound for Suez. We arrived in the early hours of the morning at the Christian village of Phakedzumi, where the inhabitants gave us hot tea. 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. Sadly he died on 6th. 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. WW2 Army Units and Sizes | World War 2 Facts The Bn. From the recollections of 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. 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. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines - GlobalSecurity.org Thank you for your detailed reply to my query and I await any further information. Find out more about the site contributors. It was also atthis time that the 'Lancastria' was hit. A total of 13,167 of the regiment were killed in action. It remained in Britain re-equipping until April 1943, when it took part in the landings in Tunisia. 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). Then, after yet another railway journey, this time at night, they arrived at Brest. It was believed that this was the infantry of the 7th German Panzers. 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. On the subject of the environment, I would like to make a comment here on the conditions in which the columns were operating. 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. 9th Infantry Regiment (United States) | Military Wiki | Fandom The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not 4th Battalion, The Border Regiment WO 169 / 1713 Durham Light Infantry Among the Indian Infantry battalions which formed part of this Division were 3rd Battalion (Bn.) 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. 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. This infantry unit was raised in 1680 and subsequently served in many British Army campaigns during its long history. After kitting up we were transported one morning to the dockside in Alexandria and boarded R.N. The Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and The Border Regiment (Carlisle) amalgamated to form The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment in 1959. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. was withdrawn and dispatched across the Canal Zone by troop train to Beit Lid in Palestine. at this time. 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. Regards, 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 South Saskatchewan Regiment - Canada.ca The 8th U.S. Infantry reactivated in 1947, assigned to Ft. Ord, California, remaining assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Loyal Edmonton Regiment - Wikipedia 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery At this point I should mention that the 51st Regiment of the Royal Field Artillery, comprising of men from Carlisle and all over Cumberland were present during the whole of the siege. 1 Kings Own was posted to Korea in October, 1953, moving on to Hong Kong. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines was constituted in April 1914 during World War I when it was activated as one of the three . 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. 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. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. 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? A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 4th Bn. 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. This story has been placed in the following categories. where they had an airstrip. 1 Kings Own later fought in Italy with the 10th Indian Div. to land in Gallipoli in April, 1915. Platoon killed 30 Japanese and wounded 10 more and suffered two casualties only. These became the new units 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively. A month earlier these Manchus had been in Alaska preparing for annual winter maneuvers to be conducted in temperatures of 50 below zero. 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. The railway complex at Rennes was bombed during mid morning Monday 17th June. There is usually someone locally at these places who will know everything that happened! Two M.C.s and two M.M.s were awarded for the Phakedzumi Patrol Action. Regimental Orders. In any case, I hope you find out what happened. H.Q. During the siege, after being the Western Desert Force the Division became the 70th British Division. 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.