Between 1809 and 1814, 11 battle honours were won by the regiment. 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. to Ceylon. Regards, Find out how you can use this. This is a list of battalions of the Border Regiment, which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Inter-war The inter-war period saw 1st Battalion fighting on the North West Frontier in 1921, garrisoning India and then moving to Palestine. 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 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[9]. 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. 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. The two platoons set up two roadblocks outside the village and H.Q. Between 1944 and 1946 I had in all nine attacks, but none after that. We set off up the hill to join a track running into the village. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th Borderers were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th respectively. So, into the breech stepped the Naga Hillmen. 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines was constituted in April 1914 during World War I when it was activated as one of the three . The 8th Army eventually arrived on December 8th and we were subsequently transported back by truck to railhead at Buq Buq and then in goods wagons to a transit camp in the Canal Zone of Egypt, from which we were given four days leave in the fleshpots of Cairo, especially Shepherds Hotel and the Mena House at the Pyramids. Here in the Basse Fort d'Eu, supported by the artillery of the 51st Highland Division. We set sail down the Bristol Channel on 21st March. The 4th Battalion was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit, originally assigned to the 126th Infantry Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. 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. The regiment also raised 14 Territorial, New Army and Garrison battalions. 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. Having fought in the West Indies in the early years of the French Revolutionary War in the 1790s, the 55th were in the Army of the Duke of York in his campaign in the Low Countries in 1799, showing particular gallantry at the Battle of Egmont-op-Zee. By the outbreak of the Second World War (1939-45), 1st Battalion was back in Britain. 2nd Kings Own and 2, 4 and 9 Border all fought in Burma as explained in the beginning of this article. We carried out our diversionary attacks but the 8th Army never appeared. 2/4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion Formed at Kendal in September 1914 as a home service ("second line") unit. Mr Hutchinson has written the article which was then sent it in to BBC Radio Cumbria, Carlisle. Pte. 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. If you can find these people I am sure they will share it with you as a relative. Platoon killed 30 Japanese and wounded 10 more and suffered two casualties only. 1st Raider Battalion; 2nd Raider Battalion . The 3d Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment was reactivated on 16 October 2009 in Germany as part of the 170th Infantry . I've just looked through some of my notes and various books in French and English to refresh my memory of what went on. Soon, other battalions of the regiment were formed. 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. It continued in British Army service until 2006, when it was merged into The Duke of Lancasters Regiment. Line of Communication troops were brigaded together as infantry to act as support to those two Divisions. All three regiments were involved in minor wars on the frontiers of India, and the 4th in the Zulu War of 1879. was in good shape, an efficient unit, discipline and morale were good, and the unit well trained. 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. 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. and for reinforcement, which eventually led to the amalgamation of 4th and 9th Bn., The Border Regiment. They were highly thought of by the Australian troops and the commander, General Leslie Morshead. 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? On forming up we travelled by train to railhead further south and then by road to Bawli Bazar. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. After being earmarked for support in General Archibald Wavell's offensive 'Battleaxe' the next departure was for the Syrian campaign. We arrived in the early hours of the morning at the Christian village of Phakedzumi, where the inhabitants gave us hot tea. Passing through Kohima was like viewing a scene of Flanders in the 1914-18 War with skeletons of trees with no leaves on them. Intensive field training was carried out but, in addition, we enjoyed the considerable amenities of Hereford. This immediately changed the role of 23rd Brigade. Sadly he died on 6th. 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. The regiment captured an Imperial Chinese Dragon Standard which hangs in Kendal Church, and was awarded the Dragon as a regimental badge. It continued in British Army service until 1958, when it was amalgamated with The South Lancashire Regiment to form The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Waless Volunteers). It deployed to the Western Front in March 1916, remaining there for the rest of the conflict. Bob and I had a bathe in the lake the first day we were there, but, as someone told us that a woman had been carried off by a crocodile the previous week, we did not repeat that event. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. This would have prevented later train traffic. It continued in British Army service until 1959, when it merged with The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) to form The King's Own Royal Border Regiment. entrained in a railway tunnel in Malvern presumably for security reasons, although the whole town knew that we were leaving for overseas. Five of the new Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiments. (d.5th Dec 1941) Grant James Alexander. 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 troubles at Gaya were not serious and we returned to Ranchi after two weeks. He wrote out this contribution out long hand and sent it to Radio Cumbria. In August 1945 when Japan surrendered, the 9th was stationed at Waw, west of Sittang River. There were varying degrees of success. GOOD, T.D., R.A.M.C. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division 's 41 Canadian Brigade Group. The fighting took place in Picardy, Artois and finally in Normandy. 1st Punjab Regiment, 4th (Outram's) Bn. Platoon, with Major Douglas Scott in command, attacked various areas around the village itself. I will try to have it completed for contribution in advance of the imminent closure. had. The Bn. This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. It deployed to France in September 1939 with the initial British Expeditionary Force, but was evacuated home in June 1940. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers. 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. 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. These patrols included the entering of the Vichy French village of Mergyioun and taking prisoners. 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. There was the odd troublesome one, but mostly its own muleteer learned how to control it and to keep it in line. Our H.Q. Hudson John. Some days afterwards the Bn. 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. The battalion spent an unpleasant time bivouacking without cover, but eventually formed up for embarkation on river transport. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. View this object. This infantry regiment was first raised in 1702. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. While it isn't strictly what you are looking for I thought it might shed a little more light on it. 4th Raider Battalion designated as 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. 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. At 3.45pm Orders issued in accordance with above and 4th Batt. They were also given the task of relieving the Black Watch Battalion who were in the village of Incheville. The 4th Battalion was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit, originally assigned to the 126th Infantry Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. For any other comments, please Contact Us. Normal infantry training was resumed and included two weeks jungle warfare training, which gave us a welcome change of location from our camp area. There were so many that the newspapers at home dubbed Kendal, the hometown of most of them, 'The Town of Missing Men'. public. On July 12th the Bn. However I have been to Rennes, visited his grave and spoke to some local people. 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. 01 FEB 44; 21 July - 10 AUG 44 ; 01 APR 45- 22 JUN 45; 19 FEB 45; 01 FEB 44. Under orders from the 10th French Army Commander, the 4th Border moved North-West to the line of the River Bresle. 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. referenced. It also served in the Sudan and China in the 1920s, and in India again throughout the 1930s. 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. 4th (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment during the Second World War 1939-1945. Remained in India throughout the war. I think he was one of the Burgess newspaper family so he may have written his memoirs somewhere. Just then the monsoon broke and all military operations became static. All the RAF and British troops were tehn withdrawn, and there was this mad dash to get to the ports. The 8th U.S. Infantry reactivated in 1947, assigned to Ft. Ord, California, remaining assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. 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. WO 169 / 1454 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. This was the old date for 'Empire Day'. Battalion - A battalion comprised three or more companies and was commanded by a lieutenant colonel. It was against a Japanese occupied village named Phakedzumi. and A.E.R. had come out with the withdrawal from Europe, not through Dunkirk but further west through Cherbourg and Brest. I know what you mean about the problems of getting information, David, when you are not either the person who served in the Forces or their Next of Kin. 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.