Misc ww2 Special Force badges

The Long Range Desert Group

The Long Range Desert Group was formed by Ralph Bagnold in 1940 and played a major part in the Allies victory in North Africa in World War Two. The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) became the forward eyes and ears of the Allies and together with the Special Air Service played a secretive but vital role for the Allies.

The LRDG had two particular roles in the war in North Africa. They were to get behind enemy lines and act as scouts and gather intelligence to feed back to British military headquarters. To begin with, Bagnold’s new unit was known as the Long Range Patrol Group.

After getting the agreement of General Wavell to create such a unit, Bagnold was given 150 New Zealand volunteers, most of whom had a farming background. Bagnold believed that they would be more adept at maintaining vehicles in a difficult environment should mechanical problems occur.

The LRDG had three main patrols of forty men each. Each patrol was equipped with ten Lewis machine guns, four Boyes anti-tank rifles, anti-aircraft guns, Bren guns and Thompson sub-machine guns. Communication with base was maintained with the use of wireless sets. Their vehicle of choice was a Chevrolet 30-cwt truck. The first batch of these vehicles was obtained from the Egyptian Army or bought in Cairo. Each vehicle commander was allowed to modify his vehicle as he saw fit. The normal range for the Chevrolet was 1,100 miles and it could carry three weeks supply of food and water. In many senses it was the perfect desert vehicle.

On September 13th, 1940, the LRDG set up its first base at the Siwa Oasis. To get to this base, the LRDG had to drive about 160 miles across the Egyptian Sand Seas. Just two days later, the LRDG had its first experience of combat when a patrol led by Captain Mitford attacked an Italian petrol dump and emergency landing fields along the Palificata. Another patrol led by Captain Clayton crossed into French held Chad and persuaded the French forces there to join the Free French Forces. The two patrols met at Gilf Kebir, where they could re-supply, and travelled back to Cairo. By the time they returned, both patrols had covered about 4000 miles and had achieved a great deal.

Buoyed by such success, the War Office agreed that the LRDG could double in size to 300 men. The unit was officially now called the Long Range Desert Group (from Long Range Patrol Group) and Bagnold was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Volunteers were heavily vetted for such difficult work, but Bagnold found the extra 150 men he wanted. They came from the British, Indian and Rhodesian armies. Their primary targets were enemy held oases. The attackers went in quickly and disappeared just as quickly. Evidence points to the fact that the Italian commanders in North Africa were bemused by what happened to them and even Bagnold recognised that “the Italian army was halted for months”.

The LRDG returned to Chad and, combining with the Free French there, fought the Italian in the region of the Murzuk Oasis. They also succeeded in capturing Kufra, which in 1941 became the headquarters for the LRDG. Bagnold later wrote that the temperature frequently exceeded 50oC, which, he claimed, his men found tolerable as it was dry heat. His main bone of contention was not being able to eat properly during sandstorms, which lasted for several days. Because of the hostility of the environment, few other Allied units got to the Kufra region. To all intents, the LRDG commanders there were de facto full commanders of an area the size of northern Europe.

In July 1941, the LRDG got a new commander – Guy Prendergast. Bagnold, promoted to Colonel, returned to Cairo.

Popski’s Private Army

No. 1 Demolition Squadron
Active	1942–1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Role	Reconnaissance Raiding
Size	120 men
Part of	Eighth Army
Nickname	“Popski’s Private Army”
Engagements	Second World War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Vladimir Peniakoff
	Popski’s Private Army, officially No. 1 Demolition Squadron, PPA, was an unit of British Special Forces founded in Cairo in 1942 by Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Vladimir Peniakoff DSO MC. Popski’s Private Army was one of several raiding units formed in the Western Desert during the Second World War. They also served in Italy and the Adriatic before they were disbanded in September 1945.

History

At the start of the Second World War the British military in the Middle East looked for men who had experience in desert survival and knowledge of the North African desert. Vladimir Peniakoff was one such man and in 1941 he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the British Army.^[1] By 1942 Peniakoff had been on a number of operations with the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). British radio operators having trouble pronouncing his name led to the nickname Popski which was given him by Intelligence Officer of the LRDG, Captain Bill Kennedy Shaw. In the autumn of 1942 he was approached by Colonel John Hackett and asked to form a small independent unit to raid behind the Axis lines. The unit was officially designated No. 1 Demolition Squadron, PPA.

From a small start of five officers and 18 other ranks, Popski’s Private Army eventually numbered 120 men, which was the smallest independent unit of the British Army during the Second World War.

Their first raid behind the lines in December 1942, nearly ended in disaster. Travelling from Egypt to southern Tunisia they were intercepted by German aircraft, which destroyed all but two of their jeeps. All they had left was what the men happened to be carrying. Starting back to Egypt, Popski and his men covered 4,000 miles (6,400 km) before making contact with British patrols.

Less than a month later they were back behind the Axis lines, conducting raids on fuel dumps and installations. On 19 March, 1943, a unit of three men accepted the surrender of 600 Italian soldiers that had been cornered in a wadi.

During its time in the desert, Popski’s Private Army was credited with the destruction of 34 Axis aeroplanes, six armoured vehicles, 112 trucks and 450,000 gallons of fuel. For the loss of one man captured and two wounded.

Italy

After Axis forces surrendered in Tunisia, the PPA saw action in the Allied invasion of Italy. They were part of the British force that landed at Taranto, where they were assigned to reconnoiter enemy forces in the region. They succeeded in getting behind enemy lines and capturing a German quartermaster, who provided details on troop strength in the sector. They also took part in raids in the Adriatic, on one occasion capturing the German garrison of Caserma dei Fiumi Uniti, killing 40 and capturing 152 men, for the loss of three dead and five wounded. In early 1945, the 700-man German garrison of Chioggia surrendered to a patrol of the PPA consisting of 12 men and six jeeps. The following summer, the PPA crossed the Sibellini mountains and captured the town of Camerino.

With the end of the Second World War Popski’s Private Army was officially disbanded on 14 September 1945.

 

Victor-Force    Establishment and organisation

In April 1942, when the Japanese drove the British Army from Burma and seemed likely to invade India, General SirArchibald Wavell ordered the creation of a guerilla organisation which was to operate along the frontier between India and Burma. This frontier ran for 800 miles (1200 kilometres), from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.

V Force was envisaged as a “stay-behind” force. If the Japanese had invaded India after the monsoon season ended late in 1942, V Force was to harass their lines of communications with ambushes and sabotage, and to provide intelligence from behind enemy lines. The force was organised into six area commands, corresponding to the Indian Civil Service administrative areas, which in turn corresponded to the ethnicity of the inhabitants of the various parts of the frontier. Each area command had a Commander, Second-in-Command, Adjutant, Quartermaster and Medical Officer, four platoons (about 100 men) of the paramilitary Assam Rifles and up to 1,000 locally enlisted guerillas or auxiliaries.

The area commanders and other officers were rarely Regular Army officers; the qualification for appointment was more often expert knowledge of the local language and peoples. Some commanders were police officers or former civil administrators. Even some tea planters served as senior officers of V Force.

The Japanese did not invade India in 1942 as had been feared. V Force was able to consolidate itself in the wide area between the Allied and Japanese main forces. Bases and outposts were set up, standing patrols instituted and intelligence gathered and collated. By the end of 1943, the force had been reorganised into two main zones:Assam Zone, including Imphal and all the frontier north of it, and Arakan Zone to the south. Detachments in Tripurawere disbanded as they were deep inside India and unlikely to be threatened; an American organisation later took over the northernmost areas around Ledo.

When the Indian Eastern Army carried out a small-scale invasion of Japanese-occupied Arakan in early 1943, V Force provided a degree of warning about the movements of Japanese reserves to the threatened area.

Later operations. The threatened invasion of India finally happened in 1944. The V Force detachments forward of Imphal were engulfed. They could provide some intelligence of Japanese moves during the invasion, but they lacked supplies (the local dumps had been drawn down over 1943) and there were too many demands on Allied transport aircraft to allow supply drops to them. As a result they were unable to harass the Japanese lines of communication as had been planned, and had to disband or make their way back into Allied lines.

The Lushai Brigade was formed from Indian infantry battalions and several thousand of V Force’s former levies in the Lushai Hills, west of Imphal. Under Brigadier P. C. Marindin, they achieved great success against the lines of communication of the Japanese 33rd Division, and later spearheaded the Fourteenth Army’s advance to theAyeyarwady River west of the Chindwin River.

When the Japanese retreated late in 1944 and the Allies advanced, V Force changed its character. Small detachments of native-speaking personnel operated immediately ahead of the advancing regular formations, to gather short-range intelligence. Ambushes were also conducted against the retreating Japanese forces when possible. A very similar unit, Z Force established by Fourteenth Army operated further ahead, its parties being deployed by helicopter or parachute 80 to 100 miles (120 to 160 kilometres) ahead of the main forces.

Once Burma was largely reoccupied in 1945, V Force began deploying parties in Siam and Malaya in readiness for future operations. The war ended before they could be used in their intended role.

In the Arakan, V Force became involved in a local conflict between the mainly Moslem Maugh and Buddhist Arakanese peoples. The Maughs provided most recruits for V Force, the Arakanese supported the Japanese. Over the three years during which the Allies and Japanese fought over the Mayu peninsula, the Maughs engaged in a campaign against Arakanese communities, in many cases using weapons provided by V Force. In defence of the force, it can only be said that the conflict was no part of official policy, and possibly unavoidable in the situation.

Effectiveness. Overall, V Force provided a useful screen for the Allied armies in India during the stalemate of 1942 and 1943. It proved unable to carry out its intended role of sabotage against enemy lines of communication, although theLushai Brigade showed what was possible with assistance from regular units.

Regular formation commanders were occasionally scathing about the intelligence provided by V Force. One such was Lieutenant-General Geoffrey Scoones, Commander of Indian IV Corps. Concerning the arrival of Japanese reinforcements at the height of the Battle of Imphal, he wrote:

“Incidentally, the arrival of this Division or elements of it unheralded on this front is a pretty poor chit for our higher intelligence organisation. I sent in a long letter the other day setting out my views on the amount of money and manpower we are wasting on these hush-hush organizations and which, so far as I am concerned, produce nothing useful.”

Scoones was not referring to V Force alone. However, one of his subordinates at Imphal (Major-General Douglas Gracey, commanding Indian 20th Infantry Division) broke up his best battalion (9/12th Frontier Force Regiment) to provide his own forward screen, rather than relying on V Force.

For most of the Burma campaign, Allied formation commanders treated reports from organisations such as V Force as reliable only when a British officer personally gained the information. V Force was also hampered by lack of Japanese translators or interpreters to deal with captured documents. Lessons. V Force established certain principles in Britain’s handling of guerilla or irregular operations, which were to be important in later conflicts such as the Malayan Emergency. It was accepted that “civilians” with local expertise were entitled to command regular officers. Above all, V Force depended on the goodwill and loyalty of the local populations among which they operated, and made great efforts to gain this.

Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army

The Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) was a resistance movement during Japanese-occupied Malaya during World War II. It originated among ethnic Chinese cadres of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). Some units were trained by the British. The equipment and skills gained in guerrilla warfare against the Japanese served the MPAJA in good stead when it fought Commonwealth forces during the postwar Malayan Emergency (1948-1960).

Origins

Long before Malaya fell to Japan in 1942, many Chinese Malayans had been hostile to Japan, because of the Second Sino-Japanese War (which began in 1937). On December 18, 1941 shortly before the Fall of Singapore, the British and the MCP, formerly enemies, agreed to cooperate against the Japanese in Malaya. The British freed those MCP members they were holding in jail. They also gave some MCP members a crash course in guerilla warfare at 101 Special Training School (STS) in Singapore. These people then dispersed into the countryside to form an underground resistance force against the Japanese. Although small in number (about 165), they were one of the nuclei around which the MPAJA formed. The majority of the MPAJA’s soldiers came from the general population in Malaya, which was wholly occupied by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.

The MCP also participated in the defence of Singapore; they formed the largest group in Dalforce, the volunteer army that was formed to fight alongside the regular British soldiers.

For various reasons, including the enmity of China and Japan in their recent history, and the racial policy pursued by the Japanese in Malaya (they were much harder on the Chinese than on the Malays), the membership of the MPAJA became predominantly Chinese, although there were significant numbers of ethnic Malays and Indians also. The MPAJA was closely related to the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), and was directed by the MCP, but the organisations were not identical and most MPAJA members were not Party members. The MPAJA was joined by isolated Allied personnel who had been left behind in the retreat, or had escaped prisoner of war camps.

Development

Cheah (Boon Kheng) has characterised the MPAJA’s struggle against the Japanese as having gone through three periods. From February 1942 until mid 1943 they “fared badly, lacking food, capable leadership, and sufficient training and experience in guerrilla warfare. Japanese terrorism prevented people of all races from helping the guerrillas. One-third of the guerrilla force was said to have died during this period.” The second period lasted from mid 1943 until mid 1944. This period “saw the MPAJA improve its organization, food supplies, communications system, and military training; consequently, it was said to have increased four times in size.” The third period, from mid 1944 until the end of the war in August 1945, was one of both “consolidation” and continued growth. Also during this period the British were at last able to help the MPAJA by air-dropping them supplies.

After Singapore’s fall, the MPAJA and the British in Southeast Asia had lost contact. The British attempted to reestablish communications by landing army agents in Malaya by submarine. The first party, consisting of Colonel John Davis and five Chinese agents from the irregular warfare organisation Force 136, landed on the Perak coast on 24 May 1943. Other groups followed, the last on 12 September 1943. On 1 January 1944, MPAJA leaders arrived at the Force 136 camp and entered into discussions with the Force 136 officers. “It was agreed that in return for arms, money, training, and supplies the MPAJA would cooperate and accept the British Army’s orders during the war with Japan…” However, Force 136 was unable to keep several pre-planned rendezvous with its submarines, and had lost its wireless sets; the result was that Allied command did not hear of the agreement until 1 February 1945, and it was only during the last months of the war that the British were able to supply the MPAJA by air.

The MPAJA benefited from the collapse of the Malayan economy due to the Western campaign against Japanese shipping. This cut off Malaya’s tin and rubber exports to Japan. The Japanese had already cut off exports to the West. It also caused hunger in traditionally rice-importing regions of Malaya. Many ethnic Chinese, faced with hunger as well as Japanese discrimination which on some occasions went as far as massacre, moved into the jungle and cleared land to grow food. They formed a large pool of undocumented people who could be persuaded or intimidated into supporting the MPAJA. The MPAJA initially based themselves in the jungle within reach of ethnic Chinese or Malay communities, who provided them with food and recruits. However, the Japanese countered this by engaging in reprisals against the villagers, usually by burning down the village. As a result, the MPAJA retreated into the foothills of the central mountains. According to Cheah, “Many Chinese farmers followed them and cleared large fields where they planted vegetables, sweet potatoes, and tapioca to feed themselves and the guerrillas.”

Results

Cheah, in his assessment of the military results of the MPAJA insurgency, says that “British accounts have reported that the guerrillas carried out a number of military engagements against Japanese installations. The MPAJA’s own account claims its guerrillas undertook 340 individual operations against the Japanese during the occupation, of which 230 were considered “major” efforts — “major” meaning involving an entire regiment.” The MPAJA claimed to have eliminated 5,500 Japanese troops while losing 1,000 themselves. The Japanese claimed that their losses (killed and wounded) were 600 of their own troops and 2000 local police, and that that the MPAJA losses were 2,900. Cheah believes that the Japanese report is probably more reliable, although only approximate. A previous version of this article characterises the MPAJA campaign as a “low-level insurgency against the Japanese.”

The MPAJA engaged in reprisals against members of the local population who collaborated with the Japanese. Because of Japanese policy, these tended to be ethnic Malays, many of whom the Japanese employed as policemen. Although the MCP and MPAJA consistently espoused non-racial policies, the fact that their members came predominantly from the Chinese community caused their reprisals against Malays who had collaborated to be a source of racial tension. They have been criticised for this and also for occasionally wasting time attacking the Kuomintang instead of the Japanese.

356: Arab Legion, Aden Protectorate Levies, RAF Armd Car Coy

The Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF was a military unit of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) which was part of Habforce and Kingcol during World War II.

Creation

On 7 April 1922, “Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF” was formed at Heliopolis in the Kingdom of Egypt. The company was placed under the command of Squadron Leader M. Copenan.

Composition

Fordson armoured car waits outside Baghdad while negotiations for an armistice take place between British officials and representatives of the Iraqi rebel government.

The Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF was equipped with Rolls Royce armoured cars and Morris tenders. These were retained until 1944.

During the Anglo-Iraqi War, the company was initially located in the British Mandate of Palestineand was composed of eight Fordson armoured cars. “Fordson” armoured cars were Rolls Royce armoured cars which received new chassis from a Fordson truck in Egypt. Photographs show some of these vehicles with turrets fitted with what appears to be aBoys anti-tank rifle, a machine gun, and twin light machine guns for anti-aircraft defense.

Renaming

On 3 October 1946, Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF was incorporated into the RAF Regiment and was renumbered 2702 Armoured Car Squadron. On 25 Feb 1947, after pressure by Squadron members and veterans, it was renumbered as Number 2 Armoured Car Squadron. Seven years later, the armoured cars were gone and the unit was named Number 2 (Field) Squadron RAF Regiment. On 1 January 1970, the Squadron title changed again, this time toNumber 2 Squadron RAF Regiment.

The Trans-Jordan Frontier Force

The Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was created on 1 April 1926, to replace the disbanded Palestine Gendarmerie.  It was a creation of the British High Commissioner for Palestine whose intention was that the Force should defend Trans-Jordan’s northern and southern borders. The High Commissioner had been impressed with work done by The Arab Legion but local commanders thought it unnecessary to create an additional force when expansion of The Arab Legion might have been a better course of action.  The Arab Legion immediately incurred a loss of more than half of its forces when they were transferred as cadre for the Frontier Force.

In addition to the drop in personnel, The Arab Legion was also stripped of its machine guns, artillery, and communications troops.  Unlike the Arab Legion, the TJFF was responsible to the British High Commissioner in Jerusalem rather than to Amir Abdullah of Trans-Jordan.  The Force officially came under British Imperial Troops and appeared in British orders of battle.

On creation at Sarafand on 1st April, 1926, with Lieutenant-Colonel FW Bewsher, DSO, OBE, MC, in command, the TJFF was organised into three cavalry squadrons (of 120 men each) and one camel company, together with six reserve troops (around 190 men).  The first recruits to the TJFF were largely from the disbanded Palestine Gendarmerie.   Arab peasants (fellahin) from Palestinian villages made up around 70 percent of the other ranks.  There were some Sudanese in the camel company before 1930 when the company was replaced by a mechanised company.  Jews and town Arabs, being better educated, served in the technical and administrative posts and by 1935 just under 25 percent of the Force were Circassians – a small ethnic, Muslim minority living in Trans-Jordan.  The senior commanders were all British however junior officers were Palestinian Arabs, Circassians, Syrian Arabs, Sudanese and a few Jews.  The Amir Abdullah was an Honorary Colonel of the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force from its inception.

The TJFF commander was a British lieutenant colonel, with Headquarters at Zerqa.  Second-in-command was a British major, responsible for administration, workshops, quartermaster’s stores and pay.  The adjutant, also a British major, was responsible for training and personnel and was aided by an assistant adjutant who was a local Arab officer.

The squadrons and companies were all commanded by British majors, with another British officer as  second-in-command.  The cavalry squadrons were organised into three rifle troops (36 men) and one machine gun troop (36 rifles and 4 MGs).  The normal tactical and reconnaissance unit however, was the half-squadron or half-company and these were commanded by local captains.  Each half-squadron or company consisted of two troops, led by local lieutenants and captains. By the end of 1927 there were 39 officers (17 British), 12 warrant officers (all British), three staff sergeants and 676 other ranks. In 1930 there were 17 British officers, two in each of the four squadrons and companies with the remainder at Force HQ.  In 1935 there were 24 British officers – the CO, seven majors and sixteen captains.  Lieut-Col Bewsher relinquished command of the TJFF in 1928 and rejoined his Regiment in the Regular Army.  Command of the Force passed to Major (local Lt-Col) CA Shute, CBE, Indian Army, previously second-in-command.

The TJFF spent its first six months training in Palestine, first at Sarafand then, from October 1926, at Shunet Nimrin in the Jordan Valley.   Shortly after the HQ moved to Zerqa, Trans-Jordan, east of the Jordan River.   The cavalry squadrons were based at Zerqa and the camel company at Ma’an.  In 1929, the TJFF was called upon to help deal with Arab unrest in Palestine.  The camel company moved to Jericho and a cavalry squadron went to Jisr el Majamie.  In early 1930 a second cavalry squadron was despatched from Trans-Jordan as reinforcement.

In 1930, a mechanised company was formed and later that year the camel company disbanded.  The addition of motorised troops extended the range of TJFF troops for it had been discovered that the horsed cavalry was unable to travel far into the desert. The new mechanised company was based at Ma’an. During the year the strength of the TJFF was 980 men, including 28 Jews.

The TJFF, while more smartly turned out and drilled than the more pragmatic Arab Legion, was not regarded as an elite force and it must be remembered that it primary role was that of police or gendarmerie.  The Force had encountered great difficulties pacifying the desert tribes and in February 1931, Glubb, second-in-command of the Arab Legion reached an agreement with the TJFF that saw the withdrawal of outlying TJFF detachments from the desert to Zerqa and Ma’an, leaving the desert to be patrolled by Glubb’s newly formed Desert Patrol.

In 1933 a second mechanised company was formed and further expansion occurred after the outbreak of the Second World War, in late 1940.  In 1933 also, Lt-Col Shute completed his period of command of the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force, and was succeeded by Major (local Lieutenant-Colonel) CH Miller, 13/18th Hussars.  Throughout this pre-war period, the TJFF was called upon to help quell Arab unrest (in protest at rising Jewish immigration) and, later, to help control Jewish immigration.  At the same time, The Jewish Agency continually called for additional recruitment from the Jewish community.  During November 1937, military forces together with the Police and the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force undertook an extensive operation near the Syrian frontier as a result of which a large gang was located and dispersed with casualties.  The Force frequently participated in this kind of action and there was a steady trickle of casualties.  The cost of operating the Force may be indicated by the British grant for the TJFF for 1938 which was a sum of 200,000 Lebanese pounds.

On 1 January 1941, the cavalry squadrons were formed into 1st Cavalry (Horsed) Regiment at Jisr el Majamie followed in February by the formation of the 1st Mechanised Regiment (from the two mechanised companies) at Irbid.  A Line of Communication Squadron was raised to protect the Baghdad-Haifa road.

The first call to action was something of a disaster.   The Mechanised Regiment was earmarked to join Kingcol, part of Habforce, in the relief of Habbaniya in Iraq in April 1941.  ‘ D’ Company of the Regiment was at the H4 pumping station on the Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline but when ordered to advance against Rutbah, the men refused to cross the border into Iraq.  As a result, the Mechanised Regiment was excluded from the subsequent campaign and ‘ D’ Company was disbanded.  It was replaced by ‘ L’  Company, formed from the Line of Communication Squadron.  A new squadron, the Mobile Guard Squadron, was formed to take over the line of communication duties.

During this period, the cavalry squadrons were sent to Irbid-Jordan to ensure the security of the region.  A watch was also maintained on the Syrian border in case of infiltration by pro-Axis troops.

A better performance was achieved when in June 1941, both the Cavalry and the Mechanised Regiments joined British and Commonwealth forces in the Syrian campaign.  The TJFF regiments supported the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade advance on Damascus, via Deraa, Sheikh Meskine and Kuneitra.  The TJFF acted as advance guard, scouts and flank protection.  They were given the special task of protecting the railway line, with the horsed and mechanised regiments being given their own sectors to patrol.  Following the conclusion of the campaign, the TJFF left Syria in the Autumn of 1941, leaving behind cadres to instruct the newly formed Syrian and Lebanese armies.

In 1942, the Force was on the Turkish frontier on ‘watch and ward’ duties.  In November 1943, the Mechanised Regiment left Zerqa for Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf to help with the Middle East Anti-Locust campaign.  The regiment spent six months in Persia.  The TJFF was at Jezireh, Syria, in 1944 helping to keep the Syrians and the French apart.  At war’s end in 1945, the Mechanised Regiment was in Syria and the Cavalry Regiment in northern Palestine.

After the end of the Second World War, there were attempts at a return to pre-war normality, such as the holding of the “TJFF Open Horse Show and Display” at Sarafand, on the 27th and 28th June 1947, in aid of the The Jerusalem Babies Home (Anna Spafford’s) and the TJFF Benevolent Fund.  However, the Force now became involved in helping with British attempts to control the growing violence between the Arabs and the Jews in Palestine.  It was a role destined to make the Force extremely unpopular and the last CO, Colonel Hackett (later General Sir John Hackett, former CO of 4th Parachute Brigade which fought at Sicily, Taranto and Arnhem), was informed in January 1948 of the intention to disband the Force.   On 9 February, 1948 the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was disbanded.  Many members of the unit were absorbed into The Arab Legion.

Arab Legion

The Arab Legion (al-Jaysh al-Arabī) was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.

Arab army during the Arab revolt of 1916 against the Ottoman Empire formed the nucleus of the Arab Legion

In October 1920, after taking over the Transjordan region, Great Britain formed a unit of 150 men called the “Mobile Force” under the command of Captain Frederick Gerard Peake to defend the territory against both internal and external threats. The Legion was based in Zarqa and 80% of its men were the local Chechens.

It was quickly expanded to 1,000 men recruiting Arabs who had served in the military of the Ottoman Empire. On 22 October 1923, the police were merged with the Reserve Mobile Force, still under Peake, who was now an employee of the Emirate. The new force was named Al Jeish al Arabi (the Arab Army) but was always known officially in English as the Arab Legion. The Arab Legion was financed by Britain and commanded by British officers. The force was formed as a police force to keep order among the tribes of Transjordan and to guard the important Jerusalem–Amman road.

On 1 April 1926, the Transjordan Frontier Force was formed from cadre drawn from the Arab Legion. It consisted of only 150 men and most of them were stationed along Transjordan’s roads. During this time the Arab Legion was reduced to 900 men and was also stripped of its machine guns, artillery, and communications troops.

In 1939, John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, became the Legion’s commander and transformed it into the best trained Arab army.

World War II

During World War II, the Arab Legion took part in the British war effort against pro-Axis forces in the Middle East Theatre. By then the force had grown to 1,600 men.

The Legion, part of Iraqforce, contributed significantly in the Anglo-Iraqi War and in the Syria-Lebanon campaign, the two decisive early victories for the Allies.

1948 Arab-Israeli War

The Arab Legion actively participated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. With a total strength of just over 6,000, the Arab Legion’s military contingent consisted of 4,500 men in four single battalion-sized regiments, each with their own armored car squadrons, and seven independent companies plus support troops. The regiments were organized into two brigades. 1st Brigade contained 1st and 3rd Regiments while 3rd brigade contained 2nd and 4th Regiments. There were also two artillery batteries with four 25-pounders each. On 9 February 1948 the Transjordan Frontier Force was disbanded with members being absorbed back into the Arab Legion. Although headed by Glubb, now a Lieutenant General, command in the field was by Brigadier Norman Lash.

The Legion was initially withdrawn from Palestine to Transjordanian territory, under instruction from the United Nations, prior to the end of the British Mandate. With the commencement of hostilities the Legion re-entered Palestine with 1st Brigade heading to Nablus and 2nd Brigade heading to Ramallah. The Arab Legion entered Palestine with other Arab Forces on May 15, 1948 using the Allenby, now King Hussein, bridge as they were advancing to cover the approaches from Jenin, in the north to Alaffoula and from Al-Majame’a bridge on the Jordan River to Bissan Alaffoula.

There was considerable embarrassment from the United Kingdom government that British officers were employed in the Legion during the conflict and so they, including a brigade commander, were instructed to return to Transjordan. This led to the bizarre spectacle of British officers leaving their units to return to Transjordan before sneaking back across the border to rejoin the Arab Legion. Without exception all of the affected officers returned to their units. One British MP called for Glubb Pasha to be imprisoned for serving in a foreign army without the King‘s permission.

A few days before the war, Legion troops were involved in the Kfar Etzion massacre. At Latrun, the Legion blockaded the Jerusalem highway. On May 28, 1948, they conquered the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City (i.e. inside the walls of the Old City), expelled the Jews who lived there and took part in the destruction of the synagogues therein. The Legion also secured the West Bank for Transjordan.

Units of the Arab Legion were engaged in several battles with the Jewish forces including the following:

• Kfar Etzion massacre from 10 to 13 May 1948.
• Battles of Latrun from 20 May to 18 July 1948.
• Siege of Jerusalem from 17 May to 18 July 1948.

On 9 February 1948 the 3,000 strong Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was disbanded with members being absorbed back into the Arab Legion. By the wars end in 1949, the Arab Legion consisted of over 10,000 men manning a 100-mile front, which then expanded to a 400-mile front following the withdraw of Iraqi forces.

Further clashes with Israel

On September 11, 1956, an Israeli force in what the IDF termed one of its retribution operations raided Jordanian territory at Al-Rahwa, Hebron Sector, attacking the police station and clashing with a unit from the Legion’s Desert Force.

In another raid on October 10, 1956, an Israeli force, estimated at a motorized infantry brigade, supported by medium-range artillery and combat aircraft, attacked the towns of Hubla, Al-Nabi Illias and Azroun. The assaulting troops fought the Arab legion west of Al-Nabi Illias. One hundred Jordanian soldiers and 17 IDF soldiers were killed during the operation

The Legion generally stayed out of the 1956 Suez Crisis.

Jordanian army

On 1 March 1956, the Legion was renamed as the Arab Army (now Jordanian Armed Forces). In Israel, the Hebrew term “Ligioner” (ליגיונר), i.e. “Legionary” was still informally used for Jordanian soldiers for many years afterwards, also at the time of the 1967 war and its aftermath.

Aden Protectorate Levies

The Aden Protectorate Levies (APL) were a militia force for local defense of the Aden Protectorate. The Levies were drawn from all parts of the Protectorate and were armed and officered by the British military. They used the Lahejemblem of crossed jambiyah (traditional curved double-edged dagger) as their badge.

History

The APL were formed on 1 April 1928 primarily to protect Royal Air Force stations following the change of status of Aden to an Air Command in April 1927. Their secondary role was to be that of assisting the civil police. The APL also formed a Camel Troop.

Colonel M.C. Lake of the British Indian Army was the first Commanding Officer until Lt. Col. J.C. (Robby) Robinson took over command in 1929 and remained as C.O. till 1939. In 1928 the APL comprised two British officers and six platoons of Arabs (each one officer and 34 men) recruited from tribes in the Western Protectorate states, they had 48 camels and 8 mules. The APL recruited from the various tribes which lived in the foothills or the higher mountainous regions of the protectorate.

Based in Aden Colony was the APL Depot Battalion, the Levies Base and Training Organisation. The Depot included married quarters, a neonatal clinic, a school for children, the APL Band and the APL Camel Troop. Air supply and other repair and supply units also were based there.

The APL Hospital (ALH), located near Khormaksar, was a 160 bed RAF general hospital where free medical care was given to the APL’s 1,500 men active members and their families, and also to former members, about 10,000 people in all. The ALH also provided the veterinary medicines to the APL. The hospital CO was an RAF doctor assisted by two RAF warrant officers, and an administration and supplies staff. Medical coverage was provided by three RAF doctors and a surgeon who were assisted by local doctors. The other RAF personnel were two male nurses, two laboratory technicians and a Pharmacist. Local people made up the rest of the staff and all of them would have been trained on site.

Arab Officers (Bimbashis), one of whom in each Battalion was responsible to the Commanding Officer for Arab Administration, held Governor’s Commissions as 2nd Lieutenant (MulazimIth Thani); Lieutenant (Mulazim Al Awal); Captain (Rais); and Major (Wakil Qaid Ith Thani). The senior Arab was a Lieutanant Colonel (Qaid Al Awal).

World War Two

By 1939 the APL Anti-aircraft Wing shot down an Italian plane. During World War Two the APL consisted of 1,600 men operating in Aden and the Western Aden Protectorate but also providing garrisons at Socotra Island and Sharjah.

In 1942 British Army personnel started being replaced over a period of 6 years by RAF Regiment officers and airmen by 1948.

Postwar

During the December 1947 anti-Jewish riots, when there were no regular British troops in Aden at that particular time, Aden’s Jewish community felt some relief when they heard that the APL were to be bought in to protect them. But the Levies, being Arab Muslims, were seen to turn a blind eye to the violence and themselves fired indiscriminately on the Jews, killing many.

In 1960 the APL consisted of four rifle battalions each of which had 3″ mortars, medium machine guns and signallers, and a Mechanical Transport Platoon. The APL was a brigade-equivalent with its own air supply and air liaison officers and the Senior Arab Officer. Plus there was the APL Armoured Car Squadron, the APL Signal Squadron, the APL Band and the APL Camel Troop. The APL Camel troop was a ceremonial unit conducted many public appearances.

On 30 November 1961, following the creation of the Federation, the APL changed name to the Federal Regular Army.

Palestine Regiment

The Palestine Regiment was a regiment of the British Army that was formed in 1942. During World War II, the regiment was deployed to Egypt and Cyrenaica, but most of their work consisted of guard duty.

In 1940, Jews and Arabs living under the British Mandate for Palestine were allowed to form separate companies, known as Palestine Infantry Companies, and join the Royal East Kent Regiment, known as the “Buffs.” The British had intended to recruit an equal number of Jews and Arabs, but this proved unsuccessful.

The Palestine Regiment was formed in 1942 with the Palestine Infantry Companies that were attached to the Buffs. The regiment was divided into separate Jewish and Arab battalions. According to historian Ashley Jackson the regiment consisted of 1600 Jews and 1200 Arabs and according to writer Howard Blum, Jews outnumbered Arabs by a more than three to one ratio.

The Jewish companies were then formed into three battalions, which became the new Palestine Regiment.

Personnel of the Palestine Regiment formed the core of the Jewish Brigade.

Jewish Brigade

The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group (more commonly known as the Jewish Brigade Group or Jewish Brigadewas a military formation of the British Army that served in Europe during the Second World War. The brigade was formed in late 1944, and its personnel fought the Germans in Italy. After the war, some of them assisted Holocaust survivors to emigrate illegally to Israel, as part of Aliyah Bet.

Following the First World War, the British and French empires replaced theOttoman Empire as the pre-eminent powers in the Middle East. This change brought closer the Zionist movement’s goal of creating a Jewish state. The 1917Balfour Declaration signified the first official approval of such a proposal, providing the impetus for a surge of Jewish emigration, known as the “Third Aliyah“. Progressive emigration through the 1920s and 1930s followed the League of Nations sanctioning of Balfour’s statement, and the Jewish population expanded by over 400,000 before the beginning of the Second World War.

On May 17, 1939, the British government under Neville Chamberlain issued the White Paper, which abandoned the idea of establishing a Jewish Commonwealth. After the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the head of the Jewish Agency David Ben-Gurion famously declared: “We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper.”

The President of the World Zionist Organization Chaim Weizmann offered the British government full cooperation of the Jewish community in the British Mandate of Palestine and tried to establishment an identifiably Jewish fighting unit (under a Jewish flag) under the auspices of British Army. His request for a separate unit was rejected, but many Jews joined the British army, some in Jewish companies. Fifteen Palestinian Jewish battalions were incorporated into theBritish Army in September 1940 and fought in Greece in 1941.

During the War, many Jews in Israel wanted to fight the Nazis and many joined the British Army. The East Kent Regiment (“The Buffs”) included a Jewish battalion that was stationed in British Mandate Palestine. But there was no all-Jewish force fighting the Nazis in the European theater. Throughout the War, Jewish groups petitioned the British Government to allow a Jewish force to fight the Nazis, but the British refused. At that time, the White Paper was in effect, limiting Jewish immigration and restricting land sale to Jews. The British were against creating a Jewish fighting force, fearing their new-found ability to fight will be used to overthrow British rule. In August 1944, Winston Churchill finally allowed for the formation of a Jewish brigade. According to Rafael Medoff, Churchill consented because he was “moved by the slaughter of Hungarian Jewry [and] was hoping to impress American public opinion.”

 

3rd Dragoon Guards

The 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

The regiment was first raised as the Earl of Plymouth’s Regiment of Horse in 1685, by the regimenting of various independent troops, and ranked as the 4th Regiment of Horse.

In 1746 it was ranked as the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and formally titled in 1751 as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards.

Shortly thereafter, in 1765, it took the title 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards, for the future George IV.

After service in the First World War, it retitled as 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales’s) in 1921, and was amalgamated with the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers) to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards the following year.

Battle honours

The regiment was awarded the following battle honours:

• Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Warburg, Beaumont, Willems, Talavera, Albuhera, Vittoria, Peninsula, Abyssinia, South Africa 1901-02

• The Great War: Ypres 1914 ’15, Nonne Bosschen, Frezenberg, Loos, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Somme 1918, St. Quentin, Avre, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, Beaurevoir, Cambrai 1918, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18

Former names of the regiment and some Colonels

1685 4th Regiment of Horse

1685 Thomas, Earl of Plymouth —Windsor’s or The Earl of Plymouth’s Regiment of Horse

• 1687 Sir John Fenwick —Sir John Fenwick’s Horse
• 1688 Richard, Earl Rivers —Savage’s or Earl Rivers’ Horse
• 1693 John, Lord Berkeley —Lord Berkeley’s Horse
• 1693 Cornelius Wood —Wood’s Horse
• 1712 Thomas, Viscount Windsor —Lord Windsor’s Horse
• 1717 George Wade —Wade’s Horse

1746 3rd Regiment of Horse

• 1748 Sir Charles Howard K B —Sir Charles Howard’s Horse

1751 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards

• 1751 Sir Charles Howard K B —Sir Charles Howard’s Regiment of Dragoon Guards

1765 3rd (Prince of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards

• 1765 Lord Robert Manners —Lord Robert Manners’ Dragoon Guards
• 1782 Philip Honywood —Honywood’s or Honeywood’s Dragoon Guards
• 1785 Richard Burton Phillipson —Phillipson’s Dragoon Guards
• 1792 Sir William Fawcett K B —Fawcett’s Dragoon Guards
• 1804 Richard Vyse —Vyse’s Dragoon Guards

1921 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales’s)

1922 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards

after the regiment was amalgamated with the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)

 Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards)

The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.

History

The regiment was descended from the Ninth Horse regiment, raised in response to the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion in 1685, the first year of the reign of King James II. Colonelcy of the Ninth Horse was given to Richard, 2nd Viscount Lumley of Waterford. In accordance with tradition of the time, the regiment became known as Lord Lumley’s Horse. Shortly thereafter, Lumley petitioned the Queen Dowager to permit labeling the regiment The Queen Dowager’s Horse, which request was granted. In 1691, during King William’s Irish Campaign, the regiment distinguished itself, as a result of which it was posted to London and renamed The King’s Carabiniers.

The regiment participated in putting down the rebellion of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745-46. By this time, it was recruited almost entirely from Irish Protestants, and so the regiment was redesignated the Third Irish Horse, but continued to be known as The Carabiniers. In 1788 a reapportionment of the army establishment resulted in the designation 6th Dragoon Guards (The Carabiniers), which was to remain in place for the next 133 years. The regiment fought under this title through the Napoleonic Wars, to include the Peninsular War; the Crimean War; the Boer War; and World War I.

During the 1800s there was an attempt to convert the regiment to light cavalry, and various appropriate changes to uniform were made, however this change did not come to fruition, leaving various oddities, such as a Light Cavalry sabre, and the Blue and Yellow of British Light Cavalry that would be a lasting legacy.

In 1906, the regiment was part of The Cavalry Brigade at the Grand Durbar (the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Bangalore), during which HRH presented a new standard to The Carabiniers. The regiment was in the First and Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium, at the Battle of the Somme, Allenby‘s attack at Arras, and at Longueval. Following the war, the regiment was on constabulary duty in Ireland from 1919-1922.

In July 1922, the 6th Dragoon Guards (The Carabiniers) was returned to England and posted to Aldershot. There, they were amalgamated with the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales’s), and this regiment was designated the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards.

 

 

3rd Carabiniers

The 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.

History

The regiment was formed in 1922 as part of a reduction in the army’s cavalry by the amalgamation of the 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales’s) and The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards), to form the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards. Both regiments were based in India at the time of their amalgamation; the newly formed regiment departed in 1925 for Britain. It regained its carabinier association in 1928 when it was renamed the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards).

In 1936 the 3rd Carabiniers was posted to Sialkot,India; their first deployment of the 1930s. It began its mechanisation process in 1938, changing its horses for armoured vehicles, and became part of the newly formed Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) the following year.

Second World War

When the war began in September 1939, the 3rd Carabiniers were still based in India. In 1941, a cadre from the regiment was used to form the 25th Dragoons, which saw service in Burma; it was disbanded in India in 1947. The 3rd Carabiniers, itself, would serve solely in Asia after Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941. The regiment was initially based away from the frontline, guarding southern India from potential Japanese invasion. In 1943, it absorbed the personnel of the recently disbanded 26th Hussars.

Now equipped with the M3 Lee medium tank, the regiment was sent to North-East India with the 254th Indian Tank Brigade in December 1943. They took part in the Battle of Imphal, which began in late March 1944 after the Japanese launched the U-Go offensive. On 20 March, around Tamu six of the regiment’s tanks clashed with six Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go tanks, destroying five of them and capturing the other.  Later, in the battle to retake Nunshigum Ridge, on 13 April, tanks from the regiment’s ‘B’ Squadron supported the 1/17th Dogras in fierce fighting that dislodged the Japanese defenders. The Nunshigum action later became the 3rd Carabiniers’ regimental anniversary. The regiment continued its involvement in the Imphal battle until the Allied victory at Kohima on 22 June 1944 ended the Japanese offensive.

The 3rd Carabiniers, operating usually at squadron level or lower, took part in the successful advance deep into occupied Burma, taking part in (among others) an intense action at Kennedy Peak. Early 1945 saw the regiment engaged in fighting at Shwebo and Sagang; it took part in the capture of Ava and Mandalay in March, and later around the Irrawaddy River.

Post-World War II

After the war’s official end in September, the regiment remained part of the British garrison in India up until the British withdrawal. The regiment’s departure came in early 1947 when they embarked aboard the Highland Princess at Bombay, becoming the last cavalry regiment to leave India  

The 3rd Carabiniers was posted to the British Army of the Rhine in West Germany in 1952, based in Osnabrück remaining there until 1959.  After that, it moved to Catterick, England, but its stay there was short, as it joined the Strategic Reserve at Tidworth the following year. In 1961 the regiment deployed its ‘C’ Squadron to Kuwait as part of a British force charged with deterring Iraq from fulfilling its threats to annex it. A return to West Germany came the following year, when it joined the 20th Armoured Brigade in Detmold.

Having been armed with tanks since the early 1950s, the regiment was re-roled to a reconnaissance unit in 1967, first operating the Ferret scout car. Deployments to the British military installations in Libya and Cyprus followed. The regiment in 1968 also had one squadron each in Sharjah and Aden.^{[citation needed]} A brief posting to Münster, West Germany took place in 1969 before moving to Herford, West Germany.

On 2 July 1971, the regiment amalgamated with the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), forming the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys).

 

 

 

Royal Scots Greys

The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards) to form The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys).

The regiment‘s history began in 1678, when three independent troops of Scots Dragoons were raised. In 1681, these troops were regimented to form The Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons, numbered the 4th Dragoons in 1694. They were already mounted on grey horses by this stage and were already being referred to as the Grey Dragoons. In 1707, they were renamed The Royal North British Dragoons (North Britain then being the envisaged common name for Scotland), but were already being referred to as the Scots Greys. In 1713, they were renumbered the 2nd Dragoons as part of deal between the establishments of the English Army and Scottish Army when they were being unified into the British Army.^[1] They were also sometimes referred to, during the first Jacobite uprising, as Portmore’s Dragoons.^[2] In 1877, their nickname was finally made official when they became the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys), which was inverted in 1921 to The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons). They kept this title until 2 July 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers, forming the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Origins of the Scots Greys

The Royal Scots Greys originated as three troops of dragoons. The first two were formed on 21 May 1678 under the commands of Captain John Strachan and Captain John Inglis. The third, under the command of Captain Viscount Kingstoun, was formed on 23 September 1678. These were the first mounted troops raised for the British crown in Scotland. Inglis, Stachan and Kingstoun’s troops would spend their early years suppressing prohibited Presbyterian assemblies in Scotland.^[3]

In 1681, by Royal Warrant, these three troops were combined, with the addition of three further troops, into what would be named the Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons.^[4] Lieutenant-General Thomas Dalziel would be the regiment’s first colonel. In its original configuration, the Scots Greys were configured as a true dragoon regiment. Although mounted, as cavalry regiments were, their armament was closer to that carried by infantry units. Troopers of the Scots Greys were authorized, during the late 17th century, to carry matchlock muskets with bayonets, while their sergeants and corporals carried halberds and pistols. Only the officers were authorized swords, though the lieutenants were to be armed with a partisan.^[5] Interestingly, the original uniform called for the troopers to wear grey coats, but there is no record that the regimental mounts had to be of any particular colour.^[6]

Between its formation in 1681 and 1685, the Scots Greys were employed primarily in keeping civil order in Scotland. The regiment participated in expeditions against various fractious clans which resisted the monarch’s rule. In 1688, the regiment was quartered in London at the start of the Glorious Revolution. Upon the landing of William of Orange, the regiment took the side of William and Mary, being taken on into the new king’s army. Ordered back to Scotland, the Scots Greys took part in the Battle of Killiecrankie against the Jacobites. For their service, the regiment’s title as a Royal regiment was confirmed and they were ranked as the 4th Dragoons.^[7]

1693–1714: Grey Horses, Red Coats, and War of Spanish Succession

Prior to 1693, there is no record that the regiment used grey horses exclusive to others. However, when inspected in London in 1693 by King William III, people took note that the regiment was mounted on all grey horses. Some have offered the theory that the grey horses originated with the Dutch Horse Guards. When they left to return to the Netherlands, the horses were turned over to the Scots Greys.^[8] Although there is no definite reason, some of the men also wore either fur caps or broad-brimmed hats. By the time of their royal inspection, uniforms of the regiment had also changed. Gone were the dull grey coats they had initially worn, replaced with the red, or scarlet, coats with blue facings proclaiming the Scots Greys “Royal” status.^[8] After this first showing of an all grey horsed regiment, the regiment became increasingly known as the “Grey Dragoons” or the “Scots Regiment of Grey Dragoons”.

Together with the Royal English Dragoons and Lord Fairfax’s Dragoons, the Scots Greys were transferred to the Netherlands in 1694. There, they saw action during the Nine Years’ War deployed in the traditional dragoon role of reconnaissance and security duties. However, other than a few minor skirmishes on the border with France, the Scots Greys did not see any significant actions during their three years on the continent.^[8]

After returning to Scotland on garrison duties from 1697 to 1702, the Scots Greys were sent to Holland to join the army under John Churchill, soon to become the Duke of Marlborough. The War of the Spanish Succession had begun a year earlier and the Scots Greys were to take part in his campaigns on the continent. During the first two years of the war, Marlborough’s forces laid siege to a number of fortresses, including those on the Meuse, the lower Moselle and Rhine rivers. In the process, capturing Venlo, Roermond, Stevensweert, Liège, Bonn, Huy, and Limbourg. Under the command of Thomas Lord Tiviot, the Scots Greys would participate in the sieges.^[9] For most of the campaigns of 1702 and 1703, the Scots Greys performed the typical cavalry duties of reconnaissance and screening for Marlborough’s forces. Their first notable action was the capture of a French convoy in 1703, including a large shipment of bullion.^[10]

The following year, with the Holy Roman Empire threatened by the success of Rákóczi‘s Hungarian revolt, Marlborough made his march to the Danube. During the campaign, the Scots Greys served as part of Ross‘s Dragoon Brigade.^[11] At the Battle of Schellenberg, on 2 July 1704, the Scots Greys were originally held as part of the reserve. With the failure of the first assault, the Scots Greys were ordered into the line as dismounted infantry. Once the breakthrough occurred, the Scots Greys were back in the saddle participating in the pursuit.^[10]

 

A little more than two weeks later, the Scots Greys fought in the Battle of Blenheim. As part of Ross’ Brigade, the Scots Greys again fought as dismounted infantry in the attack on Blenheim itself.^[10] On route to the village, the Scots Greys and the Wynne’s Regiment of Dragoons had to fend off a charge by the French regiments of d’Artois and 1^er Provence.^[12] With the help of the Hanoverians, the Scots Greys beat back the charge and then helped to clear the French from Blenheim. Despite being heavily engaged, at times in hand-to-hand combat, the Scots Greys did not have a single fatality, though they did suffer many wounded.^[10]

Following the Battle of Blenheim, the Scots Greys returned to the Netherlands. In 1705, they took part in Marlborough’s campaign along the Moselle river.^[13] At the Battle of Elixheim, the Scots Greys participated in the massed cavalry charge which broke through the French lines.^[14] Although victorious, it was an incomplete victory as Marlborough had to follow up and complete the defeat of Duc de Villeroi’s army.^[15]

The following year, the Scots Greys were once again in the field under Marlborough. With the French armies pressing the Alliance, Marlborough’s forces had to remain in the Low Countries. The French armies were maneuvering to fight a battle that would allow them to dictate terms for a peace treaty.^[16] The two armies met near Ramillies on 23 May 1706. During the battle, the Scots Greys, serving in Lord Hays’ brigade of dragoons, forced their way into the village of Autre Eglise, routing the French infantry defending the village. After passing through the village, the Scots Greys encountered French and quickly defeated the Régiment du Roi. The French quickly surrendered, with the Scots Greys capturing their colours.^[17] It was also at this battle that the Scots Greys discovered that one of its troopers was more than he appeared. Carried wounded from the battle to the surgeon, it was discovered that one of the dragoons was in fact a woman who had joined the regiment searching for her husband.^[18]

The Scots Greys spent the next year on outpost duty. However, in 1708, with the French once again advancing into the Low Countries, the Scots Greys’ next significant action would be the Battle of Oudenarde.^[17] At the battle, the Scots Greys, now renamed the Royal North British Dragoons and were held in reserve until the French retreated. The Scots Greys took part in the pursuit until ordered off when it became too dark.^[19]

The following year, Marlborough’s Allied Army took the offensive against the French. The Scots Greys, still part of Sybourg’s Brigade, took part in the capture of the fortress as Tournai and Ypres.^[20] With Marlborough’s army heading towards Mons, the French Army moved to intercept. After a series of maneuvers, the two armies met at the Battle of Malplaquet on 11 September 1709. During the battle, the Scots Greys were brought up from the reserve but found themselves engaged with French cavalry almost as soon as they were ordered forward. After initially being driven back by the French cavalry, the Scots Greys rallied and reengaged the French. In a series of charges, the Scots Greys steadily drove back the French horse, until finally forcing them to retreat. In the process, the Scots Greys captured the standard of the French Household Cavalry.^[17]

1710 passed with the Scots Greys once again patrolling the frontier with the France. In 1711, the Scots Greys took the field once again with the Duke of Marlborough’s army. This time, they helped force Marshall Villars’ “ne plus ultra” lines defending Paris from the Allied Army operating from the low countries. As part of the covering force, they participated in the siege of Bouchain.^[17] This would be the last major battle of the war for both the Scots Greys and Marlborough. Marlborough would be stripped of his command, and the Scots Greys would be returned to Britain as the peace talks neared their completion.

As the Scots Greys were returning home, Britain was in the process of reorganizing the army in the aftermath of the Union of England and Scotland. The British government was trying to make it more uniform, as well as sorting out the question of which regiment took precedence over which. An examination of the records revealed that the designation of the Scots Greys as the 4th regiment of dragoons was improper. At the time they entered the service, in 1685, there had been only one other regiment of dragoons in service. However, the senior English dragoon regiment was raised after the Scots Greys was first formed. Although this would mean that the Scots Greys should be designated as the first dragoon regiment, there was a problem. The Royal Scots were already due to be redesignated as the first regiment of infantry. In order to blend the English and Scottish military establishments together, a compromise was reached. The English dragoon regiment would be designated as the first, and the Scots Greys would become the second.^[21] Therefore, the Scots Greys were redesignated as the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons^[1] (and hence the motto Second to None).^[22]

1715–1741 Home Service and Jacobites

Painting of the Battle of Sheriffmuir by John Wootton. The view is from the British government side. To the right, there are figures mounted on grey or white horses where, according to the accounts of the battle, the Scots Greys lined up before charging and routing the Jacobite cavalry.

Once back in Britain, the Scots Greys returned to Scotland where they helped police the countryside. In 1715, the Earl Mar declared for the “Old Pretender”, James Stuart, sparking the Jacobite Rising. Remaining loyal to the Anglo-German king, the Scots Greys were active in putting down the uprising. This included taking part at the Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November 1715. There the Scots Greys, under the Duke of Argyll, were stationed on the right of the Government forces.^[23][24] Also known at that time as Portmore’s Dragoons, the Scots Greys initially attacked the left flank of the Jacobite army. Advancing around a bog, which the highlanders had thought would protect their flank, the Scots Greys surprised the highlanders, making repeated charges into disordered ranks of the Jacobite infantry.^[2] The Scots Greys continue to pursue the shattered left wing of the Jacobite force as it fled for nearly two miles until it was blocked by the river Allan. Unable to fall back, disorganized, they were easy targets for the Scots Greys’ dragoons. It is reported that the Duke of Argyll was said to cry out to “Spare the poor blue bonnets!”. However, little quarter was given by Scots Greys to any group trying to rally that day.^[2] The rest of the royal forces were not as successful. The Jacobites managed to route the left wing of the Royal army, the day ending in a tactical standoff.^[1]

Although the fighting was indecisive, the battle had halted the Jacobite’s momentum. For the next four years, the Scots Greys continued to suppress Jacobite supporters in Scotland.^[24] With the final end of the First Jacobite Rising in 1719, the Scots Greys went back to their traditional role: policing Scotland. The next 23 years passed relatively uneventfully for the regiment.^[1]

 Campaign in the Low Countries

With the French Revolution in 1789, and the increasing tensions between Great Britain and Revolutionary France, the Scots Greys were brought up to strength and then expanded with four new troops to nine troops of dragoons, each of 54 men, in 1792 in anticipation of hostilities.^[44] Four troops of the Scots Greys were alerted for possible foreign deployment in 1792 and were transported to the continent in 1793 to join the Duke of York‘s army operating in the low countries.^[45] The Scots Greys arrived in time to participate in the siege of Valenciennes and then the unsuccessful siege of Dunkirk.^[44]

Following the failure of the siege, the Scots Greys were employed as part of the screen for the Duke of York’s army, skirmishing with French forces.^[46] The next significant of action for the Scots Greys occurred at Willems 10 May 1794 on the heights near Tournai. There the Scots Greys, brigaded with the Bays and the Inniskillings, charged the advancing French infantry. The French infantry, upon seeing the threat of the cavalry formed into squares. The Scots Greys charged directly into nearest of the squares. The charge broke the formed infantry square, a remarkable feat. The breaking of the first square demoralized the other French infantry, allowing the Bays and the Inniskillings to break those squares as well.^[47] In exchange for 20 casualties, the Greys had helped route three battalions and capture at least 13 artillery pieces.^[46] This would be the last time that British cavalry, alone without artillery support, would break an infantry square until the Battle of Garcia Hernandez in 1812.^[47]

Despite the victory before Tournai, the Allied Army would be defeated at the Battle of Tourcoing on 18 May 1794. From then on, the British Army would be retreating the face of the French Army. During the retreat, the Scots Greys were active in covering the British forces retreat through the low countries and into Hanover.^[46] By the spring of 1795, the Army reached Bremen, in Hanover, and was embarked on ships to return to England. The four troops of Scots Greys arrived in England in November 1795, allowing the regiment to be reunited.^[47] The ninth troop was disbanded when the regiment was reunited.^[46]

Despite their exploits in the low countries, and the fact that Britain would be heavily engaged around the globe fighting Revolutionary and, later, Napoleonic France, the Scots Greys would not see action until 1815.^[48] Over the next twenty years, the Scots Greys would rotate through stations in England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Waterloo  

This changed when news of Napoleon‘s escape from Elba reached Britain. The Scots Greys, which had been reduced in size because of the end of the Peninsular War, were expanded. This time, there would be 10 troops of cavalry, a total of 946 officer and men, the largest the regiment had ever been to that time.^[49] Six of the ten troops were sent to the continent, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel James Inglis Hamilton, to join the army forming under the command of the Duke of Wellington.^[49] The Scots Greys, upon arrival in Ghent, were brigaded under the command of Major-General Ponsonby in the Union Brigade, with Royal Dragoons and the Inniskillings Dragoons.

The Scots Greys, with the rest of the Union Brigade, missed the Battle of Quatre Bras despite a long day of hard riding. As the French fell back, the Scots Greys and the rest of the Union Brigade arrived at the end of their 50-mile ride.^[50] With the rest of Wellington’s Army, the Scots Greys fell back to take positions near the village of Waterloo.

On the morning of 18 June 1815, the Scots Greys found themselves in the third line of Wellington’s army, on the left flank.^[51] As the fights around La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont developed, Wellington’s cavalry commander, the Earl of Uxbridge, held the cavalry back. However, with the French infantry advancing and threatening to break the British center. Uxbridge ordered the Household Brigade and the Union Brigades to attack the French infantry of D’Erlon’s Corps. The Scots Greys were initially ordered to remain in reserve as the other two brigades attacked.^[52]

As the rest of the British heavy cavalry advanced against the French infantry, just after 1:30 pm, Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton witnessed Pack’s brigade beginning to crumble, and the 92nd Highlanders falling back in disorder.^[52] On his initiative, Hamilton ordered his regiment forward at the walk. Because the ground was broken and uneven, thanks to the mud, crops, and the men of 92nd, the Scots Greys remained at the walk until they had passed through the Gordons. The arrival of the Scots Greys helped to rally the Gordons, who turned to attack the French.^[52] Even without attacking at a full gallop, the weight of the Scots Greys charge proved to be irresistible for the French column pressing Pack’s Brigade. As Captain Duthilt, who was present with de Marcognet’s 3rd Division, wrote of the Scots Greys charge:

Just as I was pushing one of our men back into the ranks I saw him fall at my feet from a sabre slash. I turned round instantly – to see English cavalry forcing their way into our midst and hacking us to pieces. Just as it is difficult, if not impossible, for the best cavalry to break into infantry who are formed into squares and who defend themselves with coolness and daring, so it is true that once the ranks have been penetrated, then resistance is useless and nothing remains for the cavalry to do but to slaughter at almost no risk to themselves. This what happened, in vain our poor fellows stood up and stretched out their arms; they could not reach far enough to bayonet these cavalrymen mounted on powerful horses, and the few shots fired in chaotic melee were just as fatal to our own men as to the English. And so we found ourselves defenseless against a relentless enemy who, in the intoxication of battle, sabred even our drummers and fifers without mercy.^[53]

A lieutenant of the 92nd Highlanders who was present would later write, “the Scots Greys actually walked over this column”.^[54]

As the Scots Greys waded through the French column, Sergeant Charles Ewart found himself within sight of the eagle of 45^e Régiment de Ligne (45th Regiment of the Line). With a chance to capture the eagle, Ewart fought his way towards it, later recounting:

One made a thrust at my groin – I parried it off and … cut him through the head. one of their Lancers threw his lance at me but missed … by my throwing it off with my sword … I cut him through the chin and upwards through the teeth. Next, I was attacked by a foot soldier, who, after firing at me charged me with his bayonet, but … I parried it and cut him down through the head.[56]

With the eagle captured, Sergeant Ewart was ordered to take the trophy off, denying the French troops a chance to recapture their battle standard. In recognition of his feat, he was promoted from sergeant to ensign.^[57]

Having defeated the column and captured one of its battle standards, the Scots Greys were now disorganized. Neither Ponsonby nor Hamilton were able to effectively bring their troopers back under control. Rather than being able to reorganize, the Scots Greys continued their advance gaining speed, eventually galloping, and now aimed at Durutte’s division of infantry.^[58] Unlike the disordered column that had been engaged in attacking Pack’s brigade, some of Durutte’s men had time to form square to receive the cavalry charge.^[58] The volley of musket fire scythed through the Scots Greys’ ragged line as they swept over and round the French infantry, unable to break them. Colonel Hamilton was last seen during the charge, leading a party of Scots Greys, towards the French artillery.^[59] However, in turning to receive the Scots Greys’ charge, Durutte’s infantry exposed themselves to the 1st Royal Dragoons. The Royal Dragoons slashed through them, capturing or routing much of the column.^[60]

Having taken casualties, and still trying to reorder themselves, the Scots Greys and the rest of the Union Brigade found themselves before the main French lines.^[61] Their horses were blown, and they were still in disorder without any idea of what their next collective objective was. Some attacked nearby gun batteries of the Grande Battery, dispersing or sabring the gunners.^[62] Disorganized and milling about the bottom of the valley between Hougoumont and La Belle Alliance, the Scots Greys and the rest of the British heavy cavalry were taken by surprise by the counter-charge of Milhaud‘s cuirassiers, joined by lancers from Baron Jaquinot’s 1st Cavalry Division.^[63]

As Ponsonby tried to rally his men against the French cuirassers, he was attacked by Jaquinot’s lancers and captured. A nearby party of Scots Greys saw the capture and attempted to rescue their brigade commander. However, the French soldier who had captured Ponsonby executed him and then used his lance to kill three of the Scots Greys who had attempted the rescue.^[61] By the time Ponsonby died, the momentum had entirely returned in favor of the French. Milhaud’s and Jaquinot’s cavalrymen drove the Union Brigade from the valley. The French artillery added to the Scots Greys’ misery.^[59]

The remnants of the Scots Greys retreated to the British lines, harried by French cavalry. They eventually reformed on the left, supporting the rest of the line as best they could with carbine fire. In all, the Scots Greys suffered 104 dead and 97 wounded and 228 of the 416 horses. When they were finally reformed, the Scots Greys could only field two weakened squadrons, rather than the three complete ones with which they had begun the day.^[59]

Following the victory of Waterloo, the Scots Greys pursued the defeated French Army until Napoleon’s surrender and final abdication. The Scots Greys would remain on the continent until 1816 as part of the army of occupation under the terms of the peace treaty.^[59]

1816–1856: Years of peace and the Crimean War

Between 1816 and 1854, the Scots Greys remained in the British Isles. As they had done in the interludes between continental wars, they moved from station to station, sometimes being called upon to support local civilian authorities.^[64] During these years, there was very little that changed, either in the Scots Greys or the British Army in general.

The decades of peaceful home service were broken with the outbreak of war with Russia. Trying to prop up the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, and Sardinia, mobilized forces to fight in the Black Sea. The allied nations agreed that the target of the expedition would be Sevastopol in the Crimea. Assigned to Brigadier-General Sir James Scarlett‘s Heavy Brigade of the Cavalry Division, the Scots Greys, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Griffith arrived in the Crimea in 1854.^[65] The Heavy Brigade was not present for the Battle of Alma on 20 September 1854. However, a little over a month later, the Heavy Brigade was present at Balaclava.

On 25 October 1854, the Heavy Brigade was part of a British force supporting the siege operations around Sevastopol. The British on the right flank of the siege lines were over extended, giving the Russian forces under General Pavel Petrovich Liprandi an opportunity to disrupt the British siege works and possible destroy their supply base at Balaclava.^[66] With nearly 25,000 men, including 3,000 cavalry troopers formed in 20 squadrons and 78 artillery pieces, General Liprandi attacked the British positions.^[67] To defend its supply base and siege lines, the British could counter with approximately 4,500 men and 26 artillery pieces.^[68]

As the Russian’s attacked, the Scots Greys watched as the redoubts protecting the supply lines and Balaclava were overrun by the Russians.^[69] They watched as the Russian force charge the 93rd Highlanders, only to be turned back by the “thin red streak tipped with a line of steel“.^[70] With additional Russian cavalry heading towards the Colin Campbell‘s 93rd Highlanders, Lord Lucan ordered Scarlett’s Heavy Brigade to attack.

Leading men into battle for the first time ever, Scarlett ordered his brigade to form two columns. The left column contained a squadron of the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, followed by the two squadrons of the Scots Greys.^[71] As they trotted to the assistance of the Campell’s Highlanders, Scarlett was informed of additional Russian cavalry threatening his flank. Ordering the brigade to wheel about, the Scots Greys ended up in line with the Inniskilling Dragoons in the front row supported by the 5th Dragoon Guards.^[71] Even with the Russian cavalry approaching, Scarlett waited patiently for his dragoons to be brought into formation rather than move in a disorganized formation.^[72]

The approaching Russian cavalry was on the heights and numbered about 3,000 sabers. The Scots Greys and the rest of the British dragoons were waiting at the base of the heights, and totalled about 800 men.^[72] Satisfied that his brigade was ready, Scarlett finally sounded the advance. Although Scarlett had spent precious minutes ordering his line, it soon proved to be unwieldy, especially in the sector occupied by the Scots Greys, who had to pick their way through the abandoned camp of the Light Brigade. The Scots Greys, once clear of the Light Brigade’s camp, had to speed up to catch Scarlett and his aides, who were more than 50 yards ahead of them.^[73] For some reason, the Russian cavalry commander chose to halt up slope of the Heavy Brigade, choosing to receive the charge at a halt.^[74]

Scarlett and his command group, two aides and a trumpeter, were the first to reach the Russian cavalry. The rest of the brigade follow closely. As they neared the Russian line, they started to take carbine fire, which killed the Scots Greys’ commander and took the hat off of its executive officer.^[75] The Scots Greys finally came abreast of the Inniskillings just short of the Russians and the two regiments finally were able to gallop.^[74] As the Inniskillings shouted their battle cry,Faugh A Ballagh, observers reported that the Scots Greys made an eerie, growling moan.^[76] The Scots Greys charged through the Russian cavalry, along with the Inniskilings, and disappeared into the melee among the mass of Russian cavalry. With both forces disordered by the charge, it became clear to the regimental adjutant of the Scots Greys that, to avoid be overwhelmed by Russian numbers, the Scots Greys had to reform.^[77] Pushed back from the center of the mass, the Scots Greys reformed around the adjutant and drove again into the Russian cavalry. Seeing that the Scots Greys were again cut off, the Royal Dragoons, finally arriving to the fight after disobeying Scarlett’s order to remain with the Light Brigade, charged to their assistance, helping to push the Russians back.^[78] Amid the hacking and slashing of the saber battle, the Russian cavalry had had enough, and retreated back up the hill, pursued for a short time by the Scots Greys and the rest of the regiments.^[79]

The entire encounter lasted approximately 10 minutes, starting at 9:15 and ending by 9:30 a.m. In that time, in exchange for 78 total casualties, the Heavy Brigade inflicted 270 casualties on the Russian cavalry, including Major-General Khaletski.^[79] More importantly, the Scots Greys helped rout a Russian cavalry division, ending the threat to Campbell’s Highlanders, and with it the threat the British supply base. With the rest of the Heavy Brigade, the Scots Greys could only look on as Lord Cardigan lead the Light Brigade on their ill-fated charge.

As the Scots Greys returned to the British lines, they passed Colonel Campbell and the 93rd Highlanders. Campbell called out to the Scots Greys, “Greys, gallant Greys, I am sixty-one years of age, but were I young again, I should be proud to serve in your ranks.”^[76] Not only did Campbell recognize their achievement, so did the Crown. Two members of the Scots Greys, Regimental Sergeant Major John Grieve and Private Henry Ramage, were among the first to be awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on 25 October.^[80] The regiment was awarded a battle honour for its part in the battle.

For the rest of the war, the Heavy Cavalry, including the Scots Greys, had little to do.^[81] The siege of Sevastopol finally ended with its fall to the Anglo-French forces in September 1855. With the conclusion of the peace treaty in 1856, the regiment left for home.

1857–1905: Home service, Egypt, and the 2nd Anglo-Boer War

By 1857, the regiment was back in Britain, returning to its peace time duties in England, Scotland and Ireland for the next fifty years of service without a shot being heard in anger.^[82] After years of being known as the Scots Greys, though official designated as the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons, their nickname was made official. In 1877, the regiment was retitled as 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys).^[81]

Although individual members of the regiment on secondment to other units may have seen action, the regiment as a whole did not see action until the start of the Anglo-Boer War. The largest detachment of the Scots Greys to see action were the two officers and 44 men who were sent to join the Heavy Camel Regiment during the expedition to relieve Gordon at Khartoum. They saw action at the Battle of Abu Klea, where they suffered thirteen killed in action, and another three who died of disease.^[83]

In 1899, the regiment’s years of peace ended with the start of the Second Anglo-Boer War. That year, the Scots Greys, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Hon. W.P. Alexander, were ordered to Cape Town to join the Cavalry Division being formed.^[84] In the years since Balaclava, much had changed about warfare. Gone were the red coats and bearskin shakos. The Scots Greys would now fight wearing khaki. In fact, with the popularity of wearing khaki that accompanied the start of the Boer War, the Scots Greys went so far as to dye their grey mounts khaki to help them blend in with the veldt.^[85]

The regiment arrived in the Cape Colony in December 1899 and was put to work guarding the British lines of communication between the Orange and Modder rivers.^[86] When Lord Roberts was prepared to begin his advance, the Scots Greys were attached to the 1st Cavalry Brigade under Brigadier General Porter.^[86] While serving under Porter, the Scots Greys were reinforced by two squadrons of Australian horsemen.^[87]

Once Roberts’ offensive began, the Scots Greys took part in the relief of Kimberly. With Kimberly relieved, the Scots Greys were engaged in the fighting during the advance to Bloemfontein and later Pretoria, including the Battle of Diamond Hill.^[88]

Following the capture of Pretoria, the Scots Greys were sent to liberate British prisoners. The POW‘s being held at Waterval POW camp, the same one where those captured in the Jameson Raid had been held.^[89] As the Scots Greys approached, prisoner lookouts at the camp spotted the dragoons when they moved through Onderstepoort. As word spread through the camp, the British prisoners over-powered the guards, mostly men either too old or too young to be out on commando, pushed their way out of confinement to meet with the Scots Greys.^[90] Although the camp guards were easily overcome, and most likely unknown to the British forces and prisoners, Koos de la Rey and his men were positioned to try and prevent the rescue of the British prisoners.^[89] De la Rey ordered warning shells fired, trying to keep the prisoners in their prison camp. Faced with the approaching Scots Greys and the prisoners, De la Rey opted to not do more and instead ordered a retreat rather than fight a battle over the prison camp.^[91] The Scots Greys finished the liberation without further incident.

The fall of Pretoria was also the end of the second phase of the war. With the end of formal fighting, and the start of third phase of the Boer War, the guerrilla campaign by the Boers, the Scots Greys were on the move constantly.^[88] The Scots Greys initially operated west of Pretoria, but soon detachments were being sent out to garrison important points. This included detachments sent to guard the passes in the Magaliesberg.

Among the detachments was a squadron was left at Uitval (also known as Silkaatsnek) under the command of Major H. J. Scobell. There they were eventually joined by five companies from the 2nd battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment, with a section of guns from O Battery, RHA.^[92] While Scobell had kept a strong picket line to watch for Boer commandos, this was changed when he was superseded as the commander of the garrison and the Scots Greys came under the command of an infantry colonel.^[93] This decrease in pickets allowed a force of Boar commandos to attack the outpost on 10 July 1900. Most of the squadron was captured during the disaster that ensued. The defeat allowed the Boers to hold Silkaatsnek.^[94]

Following the disaster at Silkaatsnek, the Scots Greys were concentrated and returned to operating with the 1st Cavalry Brigade. From February to April 1901, the Scots Greys and 6th Dragoon Guards were sent on a sweep from Pretoria to east of Transvaal. In the process, they captured or destroyed large amounts of Boer war stocks, including nearly all of the remaining artillery.^[88] Following that success, the Scots Greys and 6th Dragoon Guards were sent to sweep the guerrillas from the valley of the Vaal and into the Western Transvaal. There, they received word of the defeat of Benson’s column at Battle of Bakenlaagte on 30 October 1901.^[88] Reinforced by the 18th Hussars, 19th Hussars, and a detachment of mounted Australians, the reinforced brigade chased after the Boers, killing a number of those who had participated in the fighting at Bakenlaagte.^[88]

The Scots Greys would continue fighting to suppress the guerrilla campaign. The most notable capture made by the regiment was that of Commandant Danie Malan.^[95] Eventually, the last of the “bitter enders” in the Boer camp agreed to peace, with the formal end of the conflict happening on 31 May 1902. The Scots Greys remained for three more years, helping to garrison the colony, operating out of Stellenbosch, before returning home to Britain in 1905.^[95]

The Great War

During the inter-war years, the Scots Greys were reequipped and reorganized based on the experience of Boer War. Lee Enfield rifles and new swords were introduced as the British Army debated what the role of cavalry would be in the coming war. In 1914, the Scots Greys were organized as a regiment of three squadrons. Each squadron was made up of four troops with 33 men each.^[96] When war did come, in August 1914, the Scots Greys were assigned to the 5th Cavalry Brigade commanded by Brigadier P.W. Chetwode.^[95] The Scots Greys would remain attached to the 5th Cavalry Brigade for the rest of the war.

Initially, the 5th Cavalry Brigade operated as an independent unit under control of the B.E.F. However, on 6 September 1914, it was assigned to Brigadier-General Gough’s command. When Gough’s independent command was expanded to a division, the formation was redesignated as the 2nd Cavalry Division. The Scots Greys and the other cavalry regiments of the 5th Brigade would remain with the 2nd Cavalry Division for the rest of the war.^[97]

1914: Mons, the Retreat, the Marne, the Aisne

The regiment landed in France on 17 August 1914. Soon after arriving in France, staff of the B.E.F. issued a directive ordering the Scots Greys to dye their horses. The reason was partly because the grey mounts made conspicuous targets, but was also partly based on the fact that the all grey mounts made the regiment distinctive and therefore easier to identify. For the rest of the war, the grey horses of the regiment would be dyed a dark chestnut.^[98]

First contact with the German army came on 22 August 1914 near Mons. The Scots Greys, fighting dismounted, drove off a detachment from the German 13th Division. The German infantry reported that they fell back because they had encountered a brigade.^[99] As it became apparent that the B.E.F. could not hold the position against the German onslaught, the Scots Greys became part of the rear guard, protecting the retreating I Corps.^[98] In the aftermath of the Battle of Le Cateau, the Scots Greys, with the rest of the 5th Cavalry Brigade, helped to temporarily check the German pursuit at Cerizy, on 28 August 1914.^[100]

Once the B.E.F. was able to reorganize and take part in the Battle of the Marne, in September 1914, the Scots Greys shifted from covering the retreat to screening the advance. Eventually, the advance of the B.E.F. halted at the Battle of Aisne, where British and German forces fought to standstill just short of the Chemin des Dames.^[98]

1914: Race to the sea and First Ypres

After being pulled from the trenches at the Aisne, the Scots Greys were sent north to Belgium as part of the lead elements as the British and Germans raced towards the sea, each trying to outflank the other.^[101] With the cavalry reinforced to Corps strength, the Scots Greys and the rest of the 5th Cavalry Brigade were transferred to the newly formed 2nd Cavalry Division.^[102]

As the front became more static, and the need for riflemen on the front line more pressing, the Scots Greys found themselves being used almost exclusively as infantry through the Battles of Messines and Ypres. The regiment was almost continuously engaged from the start of the First Battle of Ypres until its end.^[101]

1915–1916: Trench warfare

The Scots Greys rotated back into the trenches in 1915. Due to the shortage of infantry, the regiment continued to fill the gaps in the line, fighting in a dismounted role. The regiment remained on line for all but seven days of the Second Battle of Ypres. The losses in that battle would force the Scots Greys into reserve for the rest of the year.^[101]

By January 1916, the Scots Greys were back in action, albeit in a piecemeal fashion. With the Kitchener Armies still not fully ready, men were still needed for the front. Like the other cavalry regiments, the Scots Greys contributed a troop to the front. In two months of action, this line troop was active in raids and countering raids by the German army.^[101]

With the arrival of the Kitchener Armies, the Scots Greys were concentrated again in preparation of the forthcoming summer offensive. The 2nd Cavalry Division became the reserve for General Plumer‘s Second Army. Mounted, the Scots Greys were held in readiness to exploit a breakthrough that never came during the Battle of the Somme.^[101]

As the war continued, it became apparent that more mobile firepower was needed at all levels of the British Army. Accordingly, the Scots Greys were expanded to include a machine gun squadron.^[103]

1917: Arras and Cambraib

Despite the defeat at the Battle of the Somme, British generals still hoped to use the Scots Greys and other cavalry regiments in their traditional roles. The Battle of Arras would demonstrate the futility of that hope.^[103]

Beginning in April, the Scots Greys were engaged in action around the town of Wancourt. In three days of fighting, in an action that would become known as the First Battle of the Scarpe, the regiment suffered heavy casualties among its men and horses.^[104] After a short period to refit, the Greys drew the assignment of raiding the German positions at Guillermont Farm. The raid succeeded, with the Scots Greys killing 56 and capturing 14 with negligible loss to themselves.^[103]

In November 1917, the Scots Greys saw a glimpse of their future when they moved to support the armoured attack at the Battle of Cambrai. Initially intended to be part of the exploitation force, as at the Battle of the Somme, the plan failed to develop the type of break through which could be exploited by the cavalry. As the fighting bogged down, the Scots Greys once again found themselves fighting on foot in an infantry role. Interestingly, part of the reason that the Scots Greys were unable to advance as cavalry was because the bridge that was crucial to the advance was accidentally destroyed when the tank crossing it proved to be too heavy.^[105] Unable to advance mounted, the Scots Greys were committed as infantry to the battle.^[103]

1918: St. Quentin, retreat, 100 Days

After the winding down of the battles of 1917, the Scots Greys found themselves near the St. Quentin canal. There, they witnessed the German offensive forcing their way across the canal. Although the Scots Greys held their positions, they were soon in danger of being flanked. After almost three years of static warfare, the rapidity of the German advance caught the regiment flat flooted as the German attacks penetrated the Scots Greys position.^[103] In the confusion of the retreat, detachments of the Scots Greys became lost and ended up serving with other regiments of the 5th Cavalry Brigade, fighting rearguard actions as the B.E.F. retreated. Once the Michael Offensive began to grind down in April, the Scots Greys, along with the other cavalry regiments, were able to be withdrawn from the line to refit and reorganize.^[103]

Between May and June 1918, the Scots Greys were held in reserve. However, in August, the Scots Greys was brought forward for the Battle of Amiens.^[106] Still part of the 2nd Cavalry Division, the Scots Greys moved in support of the Canadian Corps‘ attack on Roye.^[107]

With the victory at Amiens, the B.E.F. began its long awaited final offensive. During this first month of the offensive, August to September 1918, the Scots Greys rarely operated as a unit. Instead, detachments of the Scots Greys were engaged in a variety of traditional cavalry duties. This included scouting, liaison duties and patrolling.^[103] As the B.E.F. approached the Sambre river, the Scots Greys were used to probe the available river crossings. However, just as they did, many dragoons of the Scots Greys began to fall ill from influenza. Within a few days, due almost solely to the influenza outbreak, the regiment could muster only one composite company of men healthy enough to fight.^[108]

At the time of the Armistice, the Scots Greys were at Avesnes. To enforce the terms of the Armistice, the Scots Greys were ordered to cross into Germany, arriving there on 1 December 1918. However, although they would be here to police the terms of the armistice until a final treaty could be completed, they were almost immediately dismounted. By the beginning of 1919, the Scots Greys were reduced to 7 officers and 126 other ranks.^[108] This was approximately the size of one of its pre-war squadrons.^[96] After almost five years of service on the continent, the Scots Greys returned home to Britain on 21 March 1919 via Southampton.^[108]

1919–1939: Inter-war years

For the next year, the Scots Greys remained in Britain. While there, the regiment was once again renamed. This time they were designated the “Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons)”.^[109] Although tanks had been introduced during the First World War, many senior officers believed that the horse still had a place on the battlefield. Consequently, the Scots Greys retained their horses when they were sent on to their first peacetime deployment “East of Suez“. In 1922, the Scots Greys arrived in India, where they would serve for the next six years.^[109]

Upon returning to Great Britain, the Scots Greys found themselves subject to the problems that the rest of the British Army were going through in that era. In 1933, the regiment took part in a recruiting drive by conducting a march through Scotland, including a three day traverse of the Cairngorm Mountains to get better publicity.^[109] Although budgets were lean, the Scots Greys, like other British cavalry regiments, were finally reequipped. Each troop would now contain an automatic weapons section.^[109]

Still mounted on horses, the Scots Greys received orders for Palestine in October 1938. There they took part in suppressing the later stages of Arab Revolt. Much of the time, the Scots Greys were engaged in keeping the peace between the Jewish settlers and the Arabs.^[109] The regiment was operating out of Rehovot, near Tel Aviv, when word arrived that war with Germany had begun.^{[citation needed]}

Second World War

1939–1941: Palestine and Syria

Still stationed in Palestine, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel H. N. Todd, the Scots Greys were brought up to war strength following the declaration of war against Germany. Although the German blitzkrieg attacks in Poland, France and the Low Countries demonstrated that the tank was now the dominant weapon, the Scots Greys continued to be equipped with horses.^[109]

As the B.E.F. fought in France in 1940, the Scots Greys were retained in the Middle East to police the Mandate. In fact the last mounted cavalry charge on horseback by the Scots Greys occurred in February 1940, when the regiment was called to quell Arab rioters.^[109]

After this final charge, the regiment received word that it would be mechanized.^{[citation needed]} At first, the Scots Greys were transformed into a motorized regiment, using wheeled vehicles. It was as a motorized cavalry regiment that part of the regiment was assigned to the 7th Australian Division.^{[citation needed]} Elements of the Scots Greys and Staffordshire Yeomanry formed a composite cavalry regiment assigned to reinforce the divisional cavalry element for Operation Exporter, the invasion of Vichy held Syria and Lebanon. The remainder of the regiment remained in Palestine, operating in the vicinity of Jerusalem.^[110] The composite Grey-Stafford regiment took part in most of the battles of the campaign, including the Battle of Kissoué, where it held off a counter-attack by Vichy French armour.^[111]

The Scots Greys were the last Regiment of the British Army to use horses on active service.^{[citation needed]} A final review of the Scots Greys as a cavalry regiment occurred at Nablus in the Palestine mandate once the campaign in Syria and Lebanon was complete. Soon after this final review, the horses were traded in and then they who had spent their lives as dragoons were retrained to act as drivers, loaders, and gunners for tanks. Now designated as an armoured regiment, they received their first tanks in September 1941. Initially, the Scots Greys trained on the Stuart tank.^[112]

1942–1943: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia

With the conversion to armour complete, the Scots Greys were transferred to the Eighth Army. Once in Egypt, their new Stuart tanks were immediately withdrawn and the regiment spent time near Cairo learning to operate the Grant.^[112] By June, the Scots Greys were ready to join the fighting against the Axis.

Although combat ready, the Scots Greys did not participate in the fighting around Tobruk in the late spring and summer of 1942. Because so many other armoured units were mauled in the fighting, the Scots Greys had to turn over their tanks to other units. In July 1942, the Scots Greys finally were committed to the fighting, equipped with a mixture of Grant and Stuart tanks. Unlike most tank units in the Eighth Army, which were either predominantly fielding heavy/medium tanks or light tanks, the Scots Greys field 24 Grants and 21 Stuarts.^[113] Temporarily attached to the 22nd Armoured Brigade, the Scots Greys were placed with majority of the British heavy armour.^[114] Initially held in reserve on Ruweisat Ridge, the Scots Greys conducted a successful counter-attack against the German forces to plug a hole that had been created by the German attack.^[115] Attacking as though still a mounted regiment, the Scots Greys fought the Panzer IV’s of the 21st Panzer Division, eventually driving them back.^[116]

 

A month later, the Scots Greys were in action again at the Second Battle of El Alamein.^[112] Now attached to the 22nd Armoured Brigade, part of the 7th Armoured Division.^[114] As part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, the Scots Greys took part in the diversionary attack which pinned the 21st Panzer Division and Ariete Division in place while other elements of the Eighth Army executed the main attack to the north. the way through the minefields.^[117] Once the breakout began, with Operation Supercharge, the Scots Greys, now back with the 4th Armoured Brigade, which was attached to the 2nd New Zealand Division, began attempted breakout.^[118] In the course of their advance, the Scots Greys participated in the annihilation of the Ariete Division on 4 November 1942.^[119] At Fuka, the Scots Greys found the division’s artillery. Charging forward as if still mounted on horses, the Scots Greys captured eleven artillery pieces and approximately 300 prisoners in exchange for one Stuart put out of action.^[117]

The Scots Greys continued their pursuit of the Panzer Army Africa for the next month and a half. The main problem for the regiment faced as it chased after Rommel’s retreating army was the condition of its tanks. Some tanks were repairable, others had to be replaced from whatever was available.^[119] By the end of the month, the Scots Greys were fielding 6 Grant, 17 Sherman, and 21 Stuart tanks. Beginning in the second week of December, the Eighth Army became engaged in what would develop into the Battle of El Agheila. On 15 December 1942, the Scots Greys became engaged in tank battle with elements of the 15th Panzer Division near the village of Nofilia. Due to breakdowns and losses along the way, the Scots Greys were reduced to 5 Grants and 10 Shermans. Leading the 4th Armour Brigade’s advance, the Scots Greys entered the village, overrunning the infantry defenders, capturing 250 men of the 115 Panzergrenadier Regiment.^[118] Just as it was completing the capture of the prisoners, the Scots Greys encountered approximately 30 panzers of the 15th Panzer Division.^[118] The tank engagement was inconclusive, with each side losing 4 tanks, although the Scots Greys were able to recover 2 of their damaged tanks.^[120] The Germans withdrew as the 2nd New Zealand Division moved to the south, outflanking the 15th Panzer Division.^[118]

As the pursuit continued, the Scots Greys saw little in the way of tank versus tank action while Rommel’s army retreated into Tunisia. By January 1943, the decision was made to withdraw the Scots Greys from the front in order to refit the regiment.^[117]

1943: Italy

The Scots Greys were reequipped as an all-Sherman regiment, with Sherman II tanks. The regiment continued to refit through the Sicilian campaign, not seeing action until it was part of the Salerno landings in September 1943.^[117] The regiment was assigned to 23rd Armoured Brigade, an independent brigade reporting directly to X Corps.^[121]

 

Soon after landing, the Scots Greys were in action against the German forces during the advance to Naples. Although the regiment was part of the 23rd Armoured Brigade, the regiment’s three squadrons were split up to provide armour support for the three brigades of the 56th Infantry Division.^[122] Landing with the Black Cats of the 56th Division, the Scots Greys were instrumental in defeating the counter-attacks of Sixteenth Panzer Division.^[123] Finally, on 16 September, the Scots Greys were committed to the fight as a regiment, helping to stop, and then drive back, the Twenty-Sixth Panzer Division, allowing X Corps to advance out of the beachhead.^[124] The regiment would continue to participate in the Allied drive north, until it was brought to a halt at the Garigliano River. In January 1944, the regiment turned over its tanks to other units needing replacements and was transferred back to England.^[117] Just before the regiment sailed, they were transferred back to the 4th Armoured Brigade.^[125]

1944–1945: North-West Europe

The regiment spent the first half of the year refitting and training in preparation for the invasion of Europe. On 7 June 1944, the first three tanks of the regiment landed on Juno Beach.^[117] As part of the Battle of Caen, the Scots Greys took part in the fighting for Hill 112.^[126] During the fighting for Hill 112, the Scots Greys came to realize disparity between the Sherman II’s and the latest German armour, including the new Panthers. In one incident, a 75mm equipped Sherman of the Scots Greys hit a Panther at 800 yards four times. All four rounds impacted harmlessly on the Panther’s frontal armour.^[127]

Once the breakthrough was achieved, the Scots Greys took part in the pursuit of the retreating German forces. The Scots Greys saw action at the Falaise pocket, the crossing of the Seine, and was one of the first regiments to cross the Somme River at the beginning of September 1944.^[128] After crossing the Somme, the Scots Greys, along with the rest of the 4th Armoured Brigade, moved north into Belgium, near Oudenarde.^[128]

In mid September, the Scots Greys took part in the Operation Market-Garden, in particular the fighting around Eindhoven where the 101st Airborne landed to capture the bridges.^[129] The Scots Greys would operate in the Low Countries for the rest of the year. The regiment saw action in the operations to clear helping to capture of Nijmegen Island, and the area west of the Maas. The regiment also helped to capture the Wilhelmina Canal and clear German resistance along the Lower Rhine in order to secure the allied flank for the eventual drive into Germany.^[128][130]

After nearly six months of fighting in the low countries, the Scots Greys entered Germany as part of Montgomery’s Operation Plunder offensive. On 26 February, the Scots Greys crossed into Germany.^[131] Little more than a month later, the regiment was involved in the capture of Bremen.^[128]

With Germany crumbling, Allied commanders began to become concerned with how far the Red Army was advancing into Western and Central Europe. To prevent possible post-war claims over Denmark, the Scots Greys and 6th Airborne Division were tasked with the job of extending eastwards past Lübeck. Despite having been in action for three months, the Scots Greys covered 60 miles (97 km) in eight hours to capture the city of Wismar on 1 May 1945. .^[132] The regiment captured the town just hours before meeting up with Red Army.^[132]

The final surrender by the surviving Nazi officials on 5 May 1945 marked the end of the war for the Scots Greys. With no further fighting in the regiment’s near future, the Scots Greys immediately began collecting horses to establish a regimental riding school at Wismar.^[132]

1946–1971: Post-War and Amalgamation

After the final surrender of Japan, the Scots Greys shifted to garrison duty. From 1945 until 1952, the regiment remained in British sector of Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), garrisoned at Osnabrück as part of 20th Armoured Brigade.^[133][134] In 1952, the regiment deployed to Libya, joining the 25th Armoured Brigade.^[133] The regiment returned to home service in 1955, rotating through barracks in Britain and Ireland before returning to Germany 1958 to rejoin the BAOR.^[134]

In 1962, the Scots Greys were on the move again, this time deploying to help with the Aden Emergency. The regiment remained in Aden until 1963, helping to guard the border with Yemen.^[135] After a year in the Middle East, the Scots Greys returned to Germany where they would remain until 1969.^[134]

In 1969, the Scots Greys returned home to Scotland for the last time as an independent unit. As part of the reductions started by the 1957 Defence White Paper, the Royal Scots Greys were scheduled to be amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards). The amalgamation took place on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh. The amalgamated formation was christened The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys).

 

 

 

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment has won numerous battle honours and three Victoria Crosses, and, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British Army. The regiment is currently based in Bad Fallingbostel, British Forces Germany, as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade (‘The Desert Rats’).

History

It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards) (themselves the product of the amalgamation in 1922 of 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales’s) and 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)), and The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons).^[1]

The regiment has deployed on four tours of Northern Ireland in 1972, 1974, 1976 and 1980, suffering one fatality in 1972, when Trooper Ian Hunter Caie, was killed by a bomb in a beer barrel that exploded in the path of his Ferret scout car in Moybane, near Crossmaglen County Armagh.^[2]

It saw active service during the Gulf War in 1991 deploying 57 Challenger tanks^[3] and in Bosnia as part of SFOR in 1996–97.^[4]

In 1998, it became the first regiment in the British Army to operate the Challenger 2 main battle tank.^[5]

It deployed to Kosovo, as part of KFOR, in 2000.^[6]

The regiment deployed to Iraq for Operation Telic, the British element of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The bulk of the regiment deployed as part of the Scots Dragoon Guards Battle Group with a single squadron (A Squadron) detached to the First Battalion The Black Watch Battle Group. All deployed elements of the regiment took part in the advance on Iraq’s second largest city, Basra. Prior to reaching Basra, A Squadron fought in and around Az Zubayr and C Squadron was detached from the SCOTS DG BG to fight with 3 Commando Brigade in actions south of Basra that included Britain’s largest tank engagement since the Gulf War, when 14 Challenger 2 tanks, engaged and destroyed 14 Iraqi tanks (the so-called ’14–0′ engagement).^[7]

More recently in 2008, 2011 and 2013/14 the regiment deployed to Afghanistan.^[8]

The pipes and drums have distinguished themselves, most recently winning the award for Album of the Year at the 2009 Classical Brits.^[9]

In November 2013, the unit bade farewell to its Challenger 2 tanks and converted to a Light Cavalry unit, armed with Jackal vehicles.^[10]

In the Army 2020 plan, it will be re-reroled to be a light cavalry unit, and will move to the Leuchars area.^[11]

Current organisation

Jackal Vehicles in use with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

The regiment has converted to the role of light cavalry as part of restructuring in the army under Army 2020. It is now equipped with Jackal armoured fighting vehicles.^[10]

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is also affiliated to A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick’s Own) Yeomanry) & C (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse) Squadrons of the Queen’s Own Yeomanry regiment of the Territorial Army.

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have a regimental museum situated at Edinburgh Castle.^[12] Opened in 2006, the exhibits include uniforms, medals, weapons, regalia, music and a captured enemy standard from the Battle of Waterloo.

Official abbreviation

The regiment’s official abbreviation (as listed in Joint Service Publication 101 (Service Writing)) is SCOTS DG (note all capitals and the space), the format of which follows the traditional Cavalry line whereby, for example, The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards was abbreviated 4/7DG, and the Royal Scots Greys was abbreviated GREYS.

Accoutrements and uniform]

The cap badge features an eagle, which represents the French Imperial Eagle that was captured by Sergeant Charles Ewart, the Royal Scots Greys at Waterloo, from the French 45th Regiment of Foot. It is always worn with a black backing in mourning for Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, who was their Colonel-in-Chief at the time of his execution. The cap badge also has the crossed carbines of the 3rd Carabiniers at the rear of the eagle.

The Plume of The Prince of Wales with its motto “Ich Dien” is worn by all members of the Regiment embroidered on the upper part of the left sleeve. The right to wear this badge was granted to the 3rd Dragoon Guards in 1765, subsequently became the cap badge and later, with the crossed carabines, formed the badge of the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s).

As a royal regiment, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is permitted to wear the Royal Stewart tartan, which was a privilege granted by HM King George VI, and is worn by the regiment’s pipers. In addition, the Regiment’s officers are permitted to wear the Black Stewart tartan. On informal occasions in their own Mess, officers may, at the discretion of the Commanding Officer, wear trews of Black Stewart tartan with their blue Undress tunics and also when in a civilian dinner jacket.

Traditions

The Loyal Toast is drunk at formal dinners in the Mess and is always drunk seated, except when Royalty is present. On evenings when a military band is present, besides playing “The Queen’ the band also play “God Bless the Prince of Wales”, an old 3rd Dragoon Guards custom, and the “Imperial Russian Anthem” in memory of Tsar Nicholas II, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Scots Greys, murdered during the Russian Revolution.

Regimental mottos

The regimental motto is Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity), also the motto of the Order of the Thistle, to which it refers.

• The regiment also uses the motto “Second to None”.

Pipes and Drums

The regiment has its own Pipes and Drums, who were first formed in 1946 and tour widely, performing in competitions, concerts and parades. Their most famous piece is “Amazing Grace“, which reached number one in the charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa in 1972. The track sold over seven million copies by mid 1977, and was awarded a gold disc.^[13] The band released a new CD in late November 2007 through Universal Music, featuring a number of classic pipe tunes along with some modern arrangements and was recorded while the regiment was based in Iraq. The album Spirit Of The Glen was produced by Jon Cohen and released by Universal on 26 November 2007. Spirit Of The Glen was officially launched at Edinburgh Castle^[14] and won Album of the Year at the 2009 Classical Brits.^[9][15] They have also made regular appearances at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo over the years.^[16]

 

 

French Foreign Legion 13. DBLE badges part 1

13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

13e Demi-Brigade de Légion Étrangère
Active	20 February 1940-
Country	France
Allegiance	French Foreign Legion
Branch	French Army
Type	Mechanized Infantry
Role	Security Assistance Desert Warfare
Size	One battlegroup
Part of	Légion Étrangère
Garrison/HQ	Djibouti
Nickname	Phalange magnifique
Motto	Honneur et Fidélité (Honour and loyalty)
March	Le Boudin
Anniversaries	Camerone Day (April 30) and Christmas
Engagements	World War II * Battles of Narvik * Battle of Gabon * Syria-Lebanon Campaign * Battle of Bir Hakeim * Second Battle of El Alamein * Tunisia Campaign * Italian Campaign * Colmar Pocket * Western Allied invasion of Germany First Indochina War * Battle of Hoa Binh * Battle of Dien Bien Phu Algerian War * Operation Jumelles
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Marchand
Notable commanders	Dimitri Amilakvari Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné Jules Gaucher Bernard Saint-Hillier

The 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (French: 13e Demi-Brigade de Légion Étrangère, 13e DBLE) is a mechanized infantry demi-brigade in the French Foreign Legion. It is the only permanent demi-brigade in the French Army, and is a unit of particular notoriety and reputation within the Legion. And is also the Highest paid of all the Foreign Legion regiments.

History

The 13e DBLE was raised in February 1939 at Sidi Bel Abbes in Algeria, with its cadre drawn from 1e REI. The 13e DBLE fought during World War II for the Free French Forces including service at the Battle of Narvik and the Battle of Bir Hakeim. The unit fought in the French Indochina War and suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Narvik 1940

Main article: Battles of Narvik

In January 1940, the British and French high commands had decided to dispatch an expedition to Finland, to support Finnish independence against the Soviet Union in the Winter War. The French decided to allocate a demi-brigade of legionnaires to the expedition – and 13e DBLE was born.

In March 1940, the 13e DBLE comprised 55 officers, 210 non-commissioned officers (sous-officiers), and 1,984 legionnaires. The average age of the legionnaires was between 26 and 28 years old, and most counted 4 to 5 years service. Many of its veteran NCOs had served in the Legion for 10 or more years. Its commander was Raoul Magrin-Vernerey, a hero of World War I, wounded 17 times in battle, who had served with the Legion since 1924.

Finland reached an armistice agreement with the Soviet Union on 12 March, and the British and French high commands decided to dispatch their expedition instead to Norway – to deny the Germans access to the Norwegian ports. The 13e DBLE was transported to the Norwegian coast in the troopship Monarch of Britain, before transferring to Royal Navy motor torpedo boats, whalers, and Landing Craft Assault on the morning of 13 May for the landing beaches at Bjerkvik, 8 miles (13 km) above Narvik. Once ashore, the 13e DBLE’s companies deployed and moved to seize the high ground to the north and south of the town. The legionnaires overran the German camp at Elvegårdsmoen and forced the German rearguard out of Bjerkvik. On 28 May, the 13e DBLE moved on Narvik. The legionnaires crossed Rombaksfjorden and landed squarely in the middle of the German positions. German air attacks forced the supporting British ships to withdraw, leaving the 13e DBLE ashore without fire support. The legionnaires engaged in the difficult task of clearing-out German machine gun nests located in railway tunnels and concealed terrain. Lieutenant-Colonel Magrin-Vernerey commanded from the front, patrolling his front-lines to point out German positions to his troops with his walking stick. During the next 10 days, the Allied troops pushed the Germans to within 10 miles (20 km) of the Swedish frontier. Then, with the collapse of the French and British armies in France it was decided to cancel the Narvik operation and withdraw. The 13e DBLE evacutated Narvik on 7 June and was withdrawn to England. The unit had lost 7 officers, 5 NCOs, and 55 legionnaires during the campaign.

Free French Forces

Main article: Free French Forces

In June 1940, the 13e DBLE moved to a camp at Trentham Park near Stoke-on-Trent in England where the legionnaires joined other French troops who had been evacuated from Dunkirk. The 13e DBLE comprised 1,619 of the 4,500 French soldiers present in England.

In France, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud resigned on 16 June and Marshal Pétain took control of the French government. Pétain announced his intention to capitulate to the Germans and sign an armistice. On 18 June, General Charles de Gaulle, under-secretary of defence in the Reynaud government, broadcast an appeal to the French people to continue resistance.

On 1 July, the French troops at Trentham Park were given the choice of repatriation to Vichy-controlled North Africa, or joining the Free French Forces under De Gaulle. The decision split the 13e DBLE between pro-Vichy and pro-De Gaulle cliques. The split was particularly felt amongst the officer corps, with 31 of the regiment’s 59 officers choosing repatriation. Amongst the legionnaires, which included many refugees from Nazi and Fascist countries, around 900 volunteered to continue the fight.

The 13th included a number of junior officers who would later rise to general rank, such as Captain Marie-Pierre Koenig, Captain Jacques Pâris de Bollardière, and Lieutenant Bernard Saint-Hillier. Other officers, such as Captain Dimitri Amilakvari and Captain Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné would also achieve fame on the battlefield. Second Lieutenant Pierre Messmer would later serve as De Gaulle’s defence minister.

On 30 August the “Free French” 13th Demi-Brigade sailed from Liverpool for operations against Vichy forces that would include the abortive Battle of Dakar and the storming of Libreville.

Bir Hakeim 1942

Main article: Battle of Bir Hakeim

The 13e DBLE was reorganized in two battalions following its participation in the successful Allied invasion of Syria (Operation Exporter). A disputed number of Legionnaires from the pro-Vichy 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment volunteered for service with the Free French 13e DBLE – the remainder of the pro-Vichy Legionnaires were repatriated to France in August 1941.

In 1942, the two battalions of 13e DBLE – designated 2nd battalion (II/13e DBLE) and 3rd battalion (III/13e DBLE) – were assigned to the 1st Free French Brigade commanded by General Koenig and joined the brigade at Bir Hakeim in Libya, approximately 90 miles (140 km) south of Tobruk. The French position sat astride the Afrika Korps‘ line of advance and represented a fortified “pocket” of resistance that had to be eliminated by General Erwin Rommel.

The Battle of Bir Hakeim commenced on 26 May 1942. The 2/13e DBLE held positions along the east facade of the French line. The 3/13e DBLE formed mobile reserve groups to reinforce French positions at any threatened point. In bitter irony, the Legionnaires of 13e DBLE faced Afrika Korps troops that included the German 361st “Afrika” Infantry Regiment which contained former fellow-Legionnaires of German extraction who had been repriated from Vichy Legion units in North Africa.

Hoa Binh 1952

Main article: Battle of Hoa Binh

The 13e DBLE participated in the Battle of Hoa Binh from 14 November 1951 to 24 February 1952. Hoa Binh (the name means “peace” in Vietnamese) was the capital of the Muong ethnic minority. By road, Hoa Binh lay a mere 67 kilometers of map distance from Hanoi via Colonial Route 6 (Fr: Route Coloniale 6). The Viet Minh had controlled Hoa Binh since October 1950 and used the district as a logistics staging area for operations in north central Vietnam. The French commander in Indochina, General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, ordered the retaking of Hoa Binh in late 1951.

The 2nd Battalion of 13e DBLE fought in a key engagement at Xon-Pheó from 8–9 January 1952. The legionnaires held a vital hill at Xon-Pheó astride Colonial Route 6, and they fortified their positions with trenches, bunkers, barbed wire, and minefields. On the night of 8 January, troops from the Viet Minh 88th Infantry Regiment infiltrated through the minefields and attacked the 2/13e DBLE positions. The Viet Minh forces overran the 5th Company position and destroyed bunkers with TNT satchel charges and Bangalore torpedoes. With many of their officers and NCOs killed or wounded, and half of their position overrun, the legionnaires counterattacked with fixed bayonets and hand grenades.

The legionnaires later counted 700 Viet Minh dead around the position at Xon-Pheó.

Dien Bien Phu 1953-1954

1st battalion (1/13e DBLE) and 3rd battalion (3/13e DBLE) fought at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu during the French Indochina War. At the commencement of the campaign, the demi-brigade was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Jules Gaucher. During the early stages of the battle, 1/13e DBLE occupied positions at the “Claudine” fortifications and 3/13e DBLE occupied positions at the “Beatrice” fortifications.

Lieutenant-Colonel Gaucher was killed on 13 March when his command post suffered a direct hit from Viet Minh artillery. Suffering from serious wounds – the loss of both arms, severe injuries to both legs, and an open chest wound – he died at the hospital. Gaucher was replaced as 13e DBLE commander on 23 March by Lieutenant-Colonel Lemeunier who was helicoptered into the fortress. Until the end of the battle, Lemeunier would be the senior Foreign Legion officer present at Dien Bien Phu.

The unit suffered heavy casualties during fighting in March and April. On 14 April the Dien Bien Phu garrison reported that 1/13e DBLE was reduced to 354 effectives and 3/13e DBLE was reduced to 80 effectives.

On 30 April, the Legionnaires at Dien Bien Phu celebrated the anniversary of the Legion’s historic Battle of Camerone. The celebration took place at the 13e DBLE command post where Lieutenant-Colonel Lemeunier read the traditional Camerone proclamation over a radio hook-up that could be heard throughout Dien Bien Phu.

The 13e DBLE was the only French unit present at Dien Bien Phu that saved one of its battle flags from destruction or capture. The guidon of 4th Company, 1/13e DBLE was initially captured by the Viet Minh during the assault on “Beatrice” on 13 March. On 19 May, while the Viet Minh were celebrating Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, Sergeant Beres, a Hungarian Legionnaire serving with 1 REP, crawled into a Viet Minh command post and rescued the flag. The seriously wounded Beres was evacuated by helicopter from Dien Bien Phu on 24 May with the guidon hidden under his clothes.

During its 9-year service in Indochina (1946–1955), the 13e DBLE suffered 2,721 killed in action (2334 légionaries, 307 warrant officers, 80 officers). This included two commanding officers – Lieutenant-Colonel de Sairigne and Lieutenant-Colonel Gaucher. ^[12]

Algeria 1955-1962

The 13e DBLE was reconstituted in May 1954 using the 2nd battalion (2/13e DBLE) as a cadre. In June 1955, the unit left Indochina and redeployed to French North Africa. During the Algerian War, the 13e DBLE served in Algiers, Constantine, and the Aurès Mountains. In 1958, the unit was assigned to duty as “un régiment d’intervention” for operations throughout Algeria.

Commanding officers

Lieutenant Colonel Raoul Magrin-Vernerey (1940) Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Cazoud (1940–1941) Lieutenant Colonel Dimitri Amilakhvari (1941–1942) Major Gabriel Bablon (1942–1944) Major Paul Arnault (1944–1945) Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Saint-Hillier (1945) Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Bablon (1946) Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné (1946–1948) Lieutenant Colonel Paul Arnaud (1948–1949) Lieutenant Colonel René Morel (1949–1951) Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Clément (1951–1953 Lieutenant Colonel Guigard (1952–1953) Lieutenant Colonel Jules Gaucher (1953–1954) Lieutenant Colonel Lemeunier (1954) Lieutenant Colonel Rossi (1954–1956) Lieutenant Colonel Marguet (1956–1957) Lieutenant Colonel Sanges (1957–1958) Lieutenant Colonel Roux (1958–1961) Lieutenant Colonel Vaillant (1961) Lieutenant Colonel Dupuy de Querezieux (1961–1962)

Lieutenant Colonel Lacôte (1962–1965) Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey (1965–1968) Lieutenant Colonel Foureau (1968–1970) Lieutenant Colonel Buonfils (1970–1972) Lieutenant Colonel Pêtre (1972–1974) Lieutenant Colonel Lardry (1974–1976) Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Claude Coullon Lieutenant Colonel Gillet (1978–1980) Lieutenant Colonel Loridon (1980–1982) Lieutenant Colonel Vialle (1982–1984) Lieutenant Colonel Rideau (1984–1986) Lieutenant Colonel Champeau (1986–1988) Lieutenant Colonel Le Flem (1988–1990) Colonel Ibanez (1990–1992) Colonel J.P. Perez (1992–1994) Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Beth (1996–1998) Lieutenant Colonel Debleds (1998–2000) Colonel Jean Maurin (2000–2002) Lieutenant Colonel Henri Billaudel (2002–2006) Colonel Marchand (2006- )

Colonel Thierry Burkhard (2010)

Officers and legionnaires

Jacques Pâris de Bollardière John F. “Jack” Hasey Marie Pierre Kœnig André Lalande

Pierre Messmer Radomir Pavitchevitch Frédéric Rossif

Current organization & deployment

From 1962 to the present, the 13 DBLE duty station has been Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The unit is a battlegroup and comprises 800 men, of whom 320 are permanent party.

• Compagnie de Commandement et de Soutien (CCS) – command and support company, permanent party.
• Compagnie de Maintenance (CM) – maintenance company, permanent party.
• Escadron de Reconnaissance (ER) – reconnaissance squadron equipped with ERC-90 light tank and P4 4×4 tactical vehicles, permanent party.
• Compagnie d’Infanterie – a roulement infantry company drawn from either 2 REI or 2 REP, equipped with VAB armoured personnel carriers and VLRA 4X4 tactical vehicles.
• Compagnie de Génie – a roulement engineer company drawn from either 1 REG or 2 REG.

Current operations

In addition to its security responsibilities in Djibouti, the 13 DBLE has participated in military operations that include Operation ORYX and Operation UNOSOM II in Somalia (1992–1993) Operation ISKOUTIR (1993–1995), Operation TURQUOISE in Rwanda (1994), and Operation UNICORN in the Ivory Coast (2002) ^[13]

Honours

Battle Honours

• Camerone 1863 ^[14]
• Bjerkvik-Narvik 1940
• Keren-Massouah 1941
• Bir-Hakeim 1942
• El Alamein 1942
• Rome 1944
• Colmar 1945
• Authion 1945
• Indochine 1946-1954

Decorations

• Ordre de la Libération

Traditions

Except from “Le Boudin” (the song of the French Foreign Legion), their regimental marching song is the “Sous le soleil brûlant d’Afrique^[15]” (Under the blazing sun of Africa).

French Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment 2. REP badges

Battle of Kolwezi

The Battle of Kolwezi was an airborne operation by the French Army that took place in May 1978 in Zaire during the Shaba II invasion of Zaire by the Front for the National Liberation of the Congo. It aimed at rescuing European and Zairian hostages held by Katangese rebels after they conquered the city of Kolwezi. The operation succeeded with the liberation of the hostages and light military casualties.

Situation of Kolwezi

The city of Kolwezi is situated in the ore-rich region of Shaba (now Katanga), in the South-East of Zaïre (now République démocratique du Congo). In 1978, the city held 100,000 inhabitants in a 40 km² urban area, with city quarters separated by hills. It is a strategic spot, as it lies on important roads and railroad lines that link Lubumbashi to Dilolo. There is an airport 6 km from the centre of the city.

Hostage taking by rebels

In March 1978, a meeting took place between Algerian and Angolese officials and militants of the Front for the National Liberation of the Congo. Zairian intelligence was made aware of a possible destabilisation operation in the Shaba region, which had a high value because of its mines of copper, cobalt, uranium and radium. For some months the Soviet Union had been purchasing all the cobalt available on the free market, but western intelligence did not connect this to the upcoming crisis. The FNLC operation was to be headed by Nathaniel Mbumba, with assistance from Cubans and East German officers.

In May 1978, an uprising took place in Karanga against dictator Mobutu. On 11 May, a 3,000 to 4,000 man strong Katangan rebel group arrived, accompanied by the 2nd Cuban Division; departing from Angola, it had crossed neutral Zambia. Upon arriving, they took about 3,000 Europeans as hostages and carried out various exactions, particularly after the intervention of Zairian paratroopers on 18. A Panhard AML 60 group of the Zairian Army rallied the rebels.

Between 90 to 280 Europeans were killed. From 15 May, hundreds of rebels started departing the city in stolen vehicles, leaving merely 500 men led by Cubans. Most were garrisoned in the quarter of Manika and in the suburbs.

Dictator Mobutu requested foreign assistance from Belgium, France and the USA. The day after the airport was retaken, Mobutu arrived in person to boost troop morale and reassure the population; he seized the opportunity to parade several European corpses in Villa P2. This struck western public opinion and led to a widespread acceptance of the decision by the Elysée to launch a parachute operation.

Pierre Yambuya later reported that the Europeans of Villa P2 had in fact been executed by troops of Colonel Bosange because Mobutu wished to provoke an international intervention.

Franco-Belgian operation

Preparation

On 16 May at 0:45, the 2nd REP, led by Colonel Philippe Erulin, was put on alert. A meeting took place in West Germany between Belgian and French officials so as to coordinate a common operation; the meeting was a failure, as the French wanted to deploy their forces to neutralise the rebels and secure the city, while the Belgians wanted to evacuate foreigners. Eventually the Belgian Paracommando Regiment was sent independently. Meanwhile, elements of the planned operation started to leak into the press, causing fears that surprise would be lost if a swift action were not taken.

On 17 May, soldiers of the 2e REP embarked in 4 DC-8s of the French airline UTA and were flown from Solenzara to Kinshasa. Heavy equipment followed in a Boeing 707, arriving on the 18th at 23:15. Preparation took place at Kinshasa military airport, notably instruction in using American parachutes that took place in the night of the 18th to the 19th of May. A briefing also took place, given by Colonel Gras, the military attaché of the French embassy. At 11:00, the first wave took off in 2 French Transalls and 4 Zairian C-130 Hercules. Meanwhile, the Belgian Paracommandos were regrouping in Kamina.

The first C-130 of the Belgian Air Force took off on 18 May at 13:15 from Melsbroek Air Force Base, bound for Kamina via Kinshasa. At the time authorisation for the crossing of French airspace had not yet been given, and it was obtained just as the third C-130 was taking off. 36 hours afterwards, the Paracommando Regiment was deployed in Zaire and ready for action.

French Bonite (or Léopard) and Belgian Red Bean Operations

Legionaries of Opération Léopard took off on 17 May from Solenzara in Corsica, and arrived in Kinshasa after a 10-hour flight. On 19 May, they were flown to Kolwezi, 1500 km away. At 14:30, a 450-man first wave jumped from a 250-metre altitude into the old hippodrome of the city. The drop was performed under fire from light infantry weapons, and six men were wounded as they landed, while another was isolated from his unit, killed and mutilated in the street before even removing his parachute.

A violent firefight ensued in the streets, while French snipers started picking out threatening rebels, killing 10 of them at 300 metres with the newly introduced FR F1 rifle. European hostages and those who had been able to hide started to come under the control and protection of the French. A rebel column, led by an AML vehicle, attempted a counter-attack that was stopped around 15:00 near the railway station by rocket fire. Using infantry tactics, the REP quickly neutralised all rebel groups in the city.

At 18:00, the city was under French control and mostly secured. During the night, rebels attempted to infiltrate but were stopped by an ambush prepared by the French Foreign Legion.

In the night of the 19th to the 20th of May, further fighting occurred. On the 20th, at 6:30, another wave of 250 paratroopers (the 4th company and the exploration and reconnaissance section) was dropped east of the city, taking rebel positions from behind and occupying this part of the city before noon. This group entered the P2 quarter and discovered the massacres that had occurred there.

On 20 may, the Paracommando Regiment landed on the airport and headed towards the city on foot. Elements of the French Foreign Legion opened fire and a few exchanges occurred before the units identified each other; the incident did not cause casualties. The Belgians then entered Kolwezi and started evacuating Europeans towards the Airport, leaving the securing of the city to the French. The first hostages were evacuated to Europe at noon.

Initially ordered to stay for 72 hours at most, the Belgians ended up staying over a month, along with Moroccan troops, supplying the population with food and maintaining order.

In the afternoon of 20 May, Metalkat (now Metal-Shaba) was taken by the 2 REP, forcing 200 rebels away. Sergent-Chef Daniel was killed during the fight. This swift operation provided the paratroops with a surprise element that they exploited, capturing the centre of the city.

Within two days, the entire city was under control, and 2,800 Europeans were secured and evacuated on 21 May.

The entire region soon came under control of French and Belgian paratroops, until they were relieved by an African force led by Morocco and comprising Senegal, Togo and Gabon. Between the departure of the French and the arrival of the Inter-African force, Kolwezi was under control of Mobutu’s force, who arrested and executed hundreds, labeled as “rebels”.

2,200 Europeans and 3,000 Africans were saved, while 60 Europeans and about 100 Africans were massacred.

The rebels lost about 400 killed and 160 prisoners, while 1,500 light and heavy weapons were seized, notably 10 heavy machine guns, 38 light machine guns, 4 artillery pieces, 15 mortars and 21 rocket launchers. Also, 2 AMLs were destroyed.

The French lost 5 killed and 25 wounded with the 2 REP, and 6 missing at the French military mission. One Belgian paratrooper and 8 Moroccans were killed.

The 311th Zairian paratrooper battalion lost 14 killed and 8 wounded.

700 African civilians and 170 Europeans were killed during the entire operation. The operation was an illustration of the efficiency and effectiveness of light infantry when used with the element of surprise and with good intelligence and logistics.

Mobutu’s regime was strengthened and Franco-Zairian military cooperation was increased. French industrial groups, notably Thomson-CSF, CGE and Péchiney, made notable increases in market share in Zaire.

1st Foreign Parachute Regiment

The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (French: 1er Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was a Foreign Legion airborne unit of the French Army. It fought in the First Indochina War, Suez Crisis and Algerian War, but was disbanded after taking part in a putsch against the French government in 1961.

Creation and Designations

• July 1st, 1948 : Creation of the 1 BEP
• December 31st, 1950: Unit dissolved
• March 18th, 1951: Second creation of 1 BEP
• September 1st, 1955: The unit is enlarged to a regiment and redesignated 1 REP
• April 30th, 1961: Final disbanding of 1 REP

Indochina

The 1st foreign parachute regiment (French: 1er Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was created July 1st, 1948 in Khamsis, near Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria, with the designation of 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (French: 1er Battalion Étranger de Parachutistes, 1er BEP).

The battalion boarded the transport ship “Pasteur” on the 24th of October, 1948 at Mers El-Kebir, and arrived in Indochina on the 12th of November that same year. During the entire period of conflict in Indochina, the unit primarily saw action in Tonkin (northern Vietnam).

As part of a consolidation of parachute-trained French formations, the unit absorbed Lieutenant Morin’s parachute company of the 3rd REI on June 1st, 1949, thus increasing their numbers.

On September 16th, 1950, the French post at Dong Khe was overrun, with only a small handful of survivors of the garrison making their way south to French lines at That Khe. In response, on September 17th and 18th, the battalion jumped on That Khe in order to reinforce the combat command under Lieutenant Colonel Lepage, operating out of nearby Lang Son, and to rescue the evacuated survivors of the battle of Cao Bang, who were holed up in That Khe. Following a consolidation of French forces at That Khe, the battalion lead the French forces north towards Dong Khe with plans to retake the town, hold it long enough to link up with French forces retreating from the north, and then evacuate south. Although the two French groups were able to link up, heavy Viet Mihn interdiction on the roads and constant ambushes in the thick jungle forced the French off the roads in an attempt to bypass the town. In so doing, the entire battle group was forced into the Coc Xo gorge, where it was destroyed piecemeal. An attempt to reinforce the battle group occurred on the night of October 8th when approximately 570 additional reinforcements were dropped near That Khe in an attempt to draw the Viet Minh forces away from the gorge, but this operation became hopelessly bogged down and the reinforcements were cut to pieces in turn. The unit was almost entirely destroyed in the subsequent battle in October around Dong Khe, with only 130 men of the battalion remaining of the original 500 who jumped. In this engagement, the battalion distinguished itself in its willingness to go to great lengths to evacuate their wounded through forbidding terrain, including an incident in which the men rapelled down a 75 meter cliff at the Coc Xo gorge with the wounded strapped to their backs. Over the course of the battle and subsequent engagements between the 17th of September and the 30th of October, the unit lost 21 officers, 46 NCOs, and 420 men killed or wounded, including the battalion commander, Pierre Segretain, killed in action the night of October 7th. Only isolated elements of the battalion were able to rejoin the French lines, including Captain Jeanpierre, who would later command the regiment in Algeria. Having ceased to exist as a combat-worthy formation, the unit was disbanded on December 31st, 1950.

The 1st BEP reformed on the 18th of March, 1951 from the survivors of the original battalion (which had up to that point been attached to the 2nd BEP), as well as men from the 2nd BEP and reinforcements newly arrived from North Africa. Thus the battalion consisted of 3 companies, including a headquarters formation, the 1st and 2nd companies, and a company composed of Indochinese volunteers.

On the 10th of September, 1951, the unit returned to combat during Operation Tulip, part of General de Lattre de Tassigny’s effort to put the Viet Minh on the defensive around the Cho Ben pass, north of Hoa Binh. The operation was a tactical success with the battalion successfully assisting in the capture of Hoa Binh, but further counter-attacks by the Viet Minh in November convinced the French military command at they were overextended and as a result the area was evacuated, with the last units leaving Hoa Binh in February, 1952.

Having reached an apparent stalemate in early 1952 around the Red River Delta, the French command again decided to go on the offensive, giving the plan the code name Operation Lorraine. On November 9th, 1952, the 1st BEP and other airborne formations were dropped into combat near Phu Doan, capturing a quantity of Viet Minh supplies and securing the area. However, the operation failed in drawing the Viet Minh into a large, set-battle (as the French commanders had hoped), and as such the operation was abandoned and the remaining French forces were withdrawn on the 16th and 17th of November. The battalion was one of the formations selected to hold the rearguard post at Na San, where it sustained a fierce assault from the Viet Minh between November 23rd and December 2nd, 1952. The post was well-fortified and held in the face of overwhelming numbers, with the bloodied Viet Minh falling back after a week of fighting.

After falling back to the French defensive positions around the de Lattre line, the battalion was reorganized and reinforced, with a third company of legionnaires being added, bringing the total strength of the battalion to 4 combat companies: 3 legion and 1 Indochinese. In addition, on September 1st, 1953 the 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company (French: 1ere compagnie étrangère parachutiste de mortiers lourds, 1 CEPML) was created and attached to the 1st BEP.

On November 21st, 1953, the unit was dropped as part of the second wave of French troops into the area around Dien Bien Phu as part of Operation Castor, with the objective of securing a WWII-era landing strip and drawing the Viet Minh into another pitched battle against a well-defended position. The operation was completed without incident, with the battalion digging in around Dien Bien Phu in late November, 1953. During the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the battalion was divided into mobile fire-brigades, with the primary focus being the Huguette forts, specifically Huguette 5. The 1 CEPML was stationed at Dominique 2 until the 14th of March, 1954, at which point it was shifted to various different locations in the fort. Despite furious resistance, the 1st BEP is destroyed for a second time on May 7th, 1954 with the final fall of the outpost. The unit loses 316 men killed in action over the course of the siege, not including those who subsequently die in captivity in Indochina.

Algeria

Following the Geneva Conference, on February 1st, 1955, the unit embarked of the steamship “Pasteur” in Saigon and arrived at Mers el-Kebir on the 24th of the same month. On September 1st, 1955, the 1st BEP was expanded to a regiment-level formation and renamed 1st REP. From that point on, the unit was based out of Zeralda.

November 6th, 1956, the regiment landed in Egypt at Port-Said and Port-Fuad as part of the French military force participating in the Suez canal crisis. It was evacuated piecemeal between December 10th and 22nd, 1956, as which point the towns were handed over to United Nations control.

From 1957 onwards, the regiment was sent back to Algeria, first in Algiers, then in the djebel, and finally at Guelma.

On the 29th of May, 1958, during operation “Taureau 3,” the regimental commander Lt. Col. Jeanpierre was killed when his helicopter was shot down by rebels. His successor, Col. Borthier, assumed command on the 17th of June 1958 with the mission of securing Algeria.

On the eve of the Algiers putsch of April, 1961, the regiment was commanded by Helie Denoix de Saint Marc, as Lt. Col. Guiraud was on leave.

With the accession of the cadre, Major de Saint-Marc activated the regiment alongside the mutineers, and began the putsch on April 21st by marching on Algiers. Following the failure of the putsch, the regiment was disbanded the 30th of April, 1961 under the orders of Pierre Messmer, the minister of the army. The legionnaires left their camp singing Edith Piaf’s song Non, je ne regrette rien. At that point, part of the regiment deserted and went over to the OAS. Those who did not join in the putsch were escorted back to France and detained at Fort de Nogent. This event marked the end of the 1st REP.

From that point onwards, the 2nd REP remains the only foreign parachute regiment in the French army.

British Colonies & Protectorates Badges part 2

Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps

Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was a regiment attached to the Ceylon Defence Force which was the predecessor to the Sri Lanka Army prior to 1949 when the Ceylon Army was formed. It was a volunteer (reserve) regiment based in Kandy, made up of only Europeans, who were tea and rubber planters of the hills of Sri Lanka.

History

After the disbandment of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment (CRR) in 1873 the only locally raised regular outfit some British planters and mercantile elite want to had before this had tried to create a volunteer infantry unit loosely known as the Matale Rifle Volunteer Corps but only months after its creation it was decommissioned.

In 1900 a new regiment named the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was established with headquarters in Kandy; the officers and other ranks were made up of Europeans, who were tea and rubber planters in the central highlands of Ceylon. Its first Commanding Officer was Colonel R.N. Farquharson, a retired Naval Captain. The regiment was a volunteer regiment mobilized under internal emergencies or for deployments overseas.

The regiment’s first deployment was in 1902 when a detachment was sent to South Africa arriving just before hostilities ended, not having experienced combat in the Second Boer War. The overall conduct of Ceylon troops received accolades from General Kitchener, Chief of Staff to Lord Roberts in South Africa, who affirmed, “The Ceylon Contingent did very good work in South Africa I only wish we had more of them.”

In the First World War the regiment sent a force of 8 officers and 229 other ranks commanded by Major J. Hall Brown. The unit sailed for Egypt on October 1914, and was deployed in defence of the Suez Canal. After which the unit was transferred to the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and was in 1915 dispatched to Anzac Cove (‘Z’ Beach) on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The CPRC also performed operational duties as guards to ANZAC headquarter staff, including the General Officer Commanding ANZAC, Lieutenant General William Birdwood, who remarked, “I have an excellent guard of Ceylon Planters who are such a nice lot of fellows.” According to its onetime Commanding Officer (CO), Colonel T.Y. Wright (1904–1912), the CPRC had sustained overall losses of 80 killed and 99 wounded in the First World War.

The CPRC was once mobilized once more when World War II started in 1939. Although primarily deployed for home defence in Ceylon the CPRC source for officer reinforcements, providing an estimated 700 volunteers to be commissioned as officers in the British Army and British Indian Army. Between August 1940 and July 1942, the CPRC dispatched six contingents amounting to 172 soldiers as officer reinforcements to the Officer Training School at Belgaum, India.

With Ceylon gaining independence from Britain the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps was disbanded on 11 April 1949 along with the Ceylon Defence Force which led to the formation of the Ceylon Army.

Recent years

In 1984 on request of planters in the highlands, the Sri Lanka Rifle Corps was created, based on the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps . The two battalions were raised in Pallekele and Neuchatel Estate Neboda. The Rifle Corps has since then been deployed both in the central highlands and other parts of Sri Lanka due to the current civil war, with its members coming from the highlands and the plantations.

Ceylon Light Infantry

The Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) is the oldest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of ten regular battalions, five volunteer battalions. Headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda. Over the years it has become the most distinguished and dependable regiments in the army.

History

The origins of the regiment goes back to the formation of the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteer force was formed on 1 April 1881 by a proclamation issued by the Governor of Ceylon it was a reserve unit.

The first commanding officer of the force was Lt. Col. John Scott Armitage and the Colonel of the Regiment was HRH Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales. It is said that the Regimental March “I am Ninety Five” and the Regimental Bugle Call, in use up to now, was adopted soon after raising of the force. In the same year, the Unit had the distinction in that HRH the Prince of Wales accepted the Honorary Colonelcy of The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers, by virtue of which fact the Unit adopted his Crest and motto as Its badge. In 1892, a mounted infantry company was formed and later it became a regiment of its own by the name of the Ceylon Mounted Rifles.

The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteer force troops were sent to South Africa in 1900, for the Boer war and after the distinguish service in South Africa the force obtained the Banner from HRH The Duke of York.In 1902, King Edward VII became the Colonel-in-Chief.

In 1910 with formation of the Ceylon Defence Force CLIV became a part of it and was renamed as the Ceylon Light Infantry. The regiment saw action during World War I along with allied troops. Soon after the war a regular element of the regiment was formed to take up garrison duties in Ceylon. This unit was named the Mobilised Detachment of Ceylon Light Infantry (Mob. Det., CLI). The regiment was again mobilized during World War II and was deployed in the Seychelles and the Cocos Islands.

First Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka Hon. D.S.Senanayaka visiting the 1st battalion of the CLI at the Echelon Square and watching volunteers being trained to handle light machine guns.

After Ceylon gained its independence from Britain in 1948 and with the Army Act of 1949 the CLI became the Ceylon Infantry Regiment and came under the newly formed Ceylon Army. But in 1950 the regiment once again became the 1st Battalion, The Ceylon Light Infantry becoming the regular unit and the and the Volunteer Battalion was re-designated as the 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry.

The regiment was deployed for counter insurgency operations in during the 1971 Insurrection and in 1972, when Sri Lanka became a republic, the regiment changed its name to Sri Lanka Light Infantry. In the early 1980s units of the regiment has been deployed in the norther parts of the island. In the ambush of the Four Four Bravo patrol from the C Company of the 1st Battalion marked the beginning of the Sri Lanka civil war. Since then the SLLI has been deployed combat operations thought out the island and has expanded to its present size of 15 Battalions.

The regiment took par in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti in 2003

Cadet Battalion

In 1881 a cadet platoon was formed at Royal College, Colombo attached to the CLI. This eventually expanded to became the Cadet Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry under the Ceylon Defence Force. Later this unit became the Ceylon Cadet Corps, now know as the National Cadet Corps.

Regimental Colours

The regimental colours were awarded to the regiment in 1921 and on 22 March 1922 Ceylon Light Infantry was awarded with the King’s and the Regimental Colours. When the first battalion regular force was formed HM Queen Elizabeth II presented the new colours to the battalion in 1949. The Queens and Regimentals Colours were presented to the 1st battalion on 21 April 1954 by HM Queen Elizabeth II. With the declaration of the Republic of Sri Lanka were land to rest within the regimental museum on 29 June 1974.

In 10 October 1978 H.E. President J.R. Jayawardena awarded the President’s and Regimental Colours to the 1st Bn SLLI and 2nd Vol Bn SLLI.

Regimental Insignia

In early stage, from March 1881 to 28 November 1881 volunteer corps used an elephant and a coconut tree as their emblem. With the declaration of republic of Sri Lanka 1st and 2nd battalions of CLI decided to retain as much with the configuration and pattern of the existing badge. As result of these suggestions, a new insignia was introduced with following details;

• To retain the silver bugle horn bound with brass, which is on the existing badge. This was retained because the bugle traditionally represents the infantry arm and by doing so, the Regiment could perpetuate in no small measure some of the high ideals associated with the previous insignia.

• It in corporate with three sheaves of paddy arranged in a manner of up to the three plumps on the existing crest. These were in corporate to signify prosperity and the heritage of the people as an agrarian nation. It retains the motto of the Prince of Wales “ICH DIEN” which has been adopted as the motto of the regiment in its translation form “I SERVE”.

Kenya Regiment

The Kenya Regiment was formed in 1937 and disbanded in May 1963.

Volunteers were recalled in about 1950, with European settlers making up the main force. At the end of 1950 a call-up of eighteen-year-olds was introduced as the Mau Mau uprising was beginning. The first recruits were sent to Salisbury, now Harare, in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, for basic military training and then on to operational units. Later, training was conducted at Sgt Leakey V.C. Barracks (Kenya Regiment Training Centre) at Lanet, near Nakuru, Kenya.

The Kenya Regiment then operated as a part of combined operations, which included British Regiments, King’s African Rifles, Kenya Police and Kenya Police Reserve, and the Royal Air Force. Apart from the Kenya Regiment operating in its own right, it also seconded officers to the King’s African Rifles and as District Officers in the Kenya Administration.

Tanzania Defence Force

The Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF) (Swahili: Jeshi la Wananchi la Tanzania (JWTZ)) was set up in September 1964. From its inception, it was ingrained in the troops that they were a people’s force under civilian control. They were always reminded of their difference from the colonial armed forces  The TPDF was given a very clear mission: to defend Tanzania and everything Tanzanian, especially the people and their political ideology. TPDF sailors, pilots and officers are trained in China.

Tanzanian citizens are able to volunteer for military service from 15 years of age, and 18 years of age for compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school. Conscript service obligation was 2 years as of 2004.

Early history

The formation of the TPDF was a result of the disbandment of the Tanganyika Rifles after a mutiny in 1964. Soldiers of the regiment mutinied on January 1964. The Mutiny began in Colito barracks in Dar es Salaam, then spread to Kalewa barracks in Tabora with Nachingwea, a new barracks, following suit. The mutiny was over pay, promotions, the removal of British officers and Africanisation. Julius Nyerere conceded that the “soldiers had genuine grievances and the demands presented a perfectly reasonable case.” However, he could not tolerate a mutiny. The mutiny raised questions about the place of the military in the newly independent Tanganyika — a military under a foreign command and not integrated into the country’s system. After the mutiny, the army was disbanded and fresh recruits were sought within the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) youth wing as a source.

Wars fought

TPDF officers also trained African National Congress fighters in Morogoro. TPDF officers also participated in the training of the new Democratic Republic of Congo army, but were later withdrawn because of the war in the Congo.

The most significant TPDF involvement in the Uganda-Tanzania War following a Ugandan invasion of Kagera in 1978. Idi Amin with the help of Libya, accused Julius Nyerere of being at the root of his troubles and of waging war against Uganda. Amin invaded Tanzanian territory on 1 November 1978 and annexed Kagera. Julius Nyerere told the nation that Tanzania had the reason to fight Amin, was intent on fighting Amin and had the ability to defeat him. The war effort was not for the army alone on 22 November 1978, but for the entire population, the nation understood him and the reaction was predictable. In April 1979, Tanzania took Kampala and Amin fled the country to Libya and eventually ending up in Saudi Arabia after falling out of favour with Muammar al-Gaddafi. Unlike Amin’s soldiers, the TPDF had a relaxed relationship with the locals and at times went out of their way to assist them.

Royal Malay Regiment

The Royal Malay Regiment (Malay: Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja) is one of two infantry regiments in the Malaysian Army, and is the premier unit of the army. At its height, 27 battalions of the Malay Regiment were formed. At present, two battalions are parachute trained and form a component of the Malaysian Army Rapid Deployment Force. Another battalion has converted into a mechanized infantry battalion. The remaining battalions are standard light infantry battalions. The 1st Battalion Royal Malay Regiment is the ceremonial battalion for the King of Malaysia, and is usually accompanied by the Central Band of the Malay Regiment. As its name suggests, the regiment only recruits ethnic Malays into its ranks.

History

Since 1902, the Malay rulers led by Sultan Alang Iskandar Shah (Sultan of Perak), Tuanku Muhamad Ibni Yam Tuan Antah (Negeri Sembilan), Raja Chulan (Perak Royal Family), and Dato Abdullah Haji Dahan (Undang Luak Rembau) urged the British colonial office for the formation of an army regiment raised from the local population. Previously, various British and Indian Army battalions (including the Burma Rifles) provided security for the Malay States.

On 23 November 1932, the British War Office approved the formation of the Malay Regiment as a locally raised regiment of the British Army. On 23 January 1933, the Federal Consultative Council passed the Malay Regiment Act, as Act No. 11. The Federal Legislative Council also approved an allocation of $70,000 for the purchase of the Kong Sang Rubber Estate in Port Dickson for use as the Recruit Training Centre.

The regiment traces its origins back to the 1st Experimental Company in 1933. This was a company of native Malays established as the beginning of a native military force in Malaya. On 1 February 1933, 25 young Malay locals were chosen from the initial 1,000 applicants as suitable to be recruited for the new regiment. Formed on 1 March 1933 in the Haig Lines, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, this Experimental Company started off with the 25 recruits selecred. The Commanding Officer was G. McBruce, and Captain K. G. Exham was appointed Adjutant. The Regimental Sergeant Major was A. E. McCarthy, and E. Oldfiled served as Quartermaster Sergeant.

The company was designated ‘Experimental’ because, at this stage, the ‘Company’ was only an attempt to “find out how the Malays would react to military discipline” (Major-General G. Mcl. S. Bruce, O. B. E. M. C. (retired); excerpt from article “Trying it out with No. 1 Squad” in Pahlawan, Vol. 1, Kuala Lumpur, 1952). On 1 January 1935, the Experimental Company became the Malay Regiment with a complement of 150 men. Recruitment accelerated, and with another 232 recruits, two rifle companies were established, as well as a headquarters wing that included a Vickers machine-gun platoon, a Signalling Section, and a Corps of Drums. On 1 January 1938, the 1st Battalion Malay Regiment had a complement of 17 British officers, six Malay officers, 11 Warrant Officers, and 759 non-commissioned officers and other ranks.

As the shadow of war loomed larger, training intensified. Long route marches and exercises at battalion and brigade levels became frequent. The regiment also began training with mortars and anti-tank weapons. In August 1941, a Bren gun carriers‘ platoon was formed. Under Captain R. R. C. Carter, it trained with the British 2nd Loyals Regiment.

In March 1941, the Colonial Governor of the Straits Settlements, authorised the increase of the regiment’s strength to two battalions. The 2nd Battalion was established in 1941, and the two battalions of the Malay Regiment, along with the 2nd Battalion The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), formed the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade and went on to play a major role in the defence of Malaya during the Second World War.

Company A of 2nd Battalion was the first Malay Regiment unit to engage Japanese forces landing at Kampung Salak in Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan. Outnumbered, the unit withdrew to Kuala Krai, and later to Singapore.

Battle of Pasir Panjang Ridge

The first battle between the Malay Regiment and Japanese soldiers occurred on 13 February at around 1400 hrs. The Japanese 18th Division started to attack the south-western coast along the Pasir Panjang Ridge and astride of Ayer Rajah Road. The Japanese 56th Infantry Regiment, supported by a considerable force of artillery, attacked the ridge during the morning. One of the units defending the line was ‘B’ Company of 1st Battalion, Malay Regiment. Under the heavy fire of Japanese troops supported by artillery and tanks, ‘B’ Company was forced to retreat to the rear. However, before they could retreat successfully, the Japanese succeeded in breaking through ‘B’Company’s position and encircled the entire company. In the battle, ‘B’ Company troops fought savagely in hand-to-hand combat using bayonets against the Japanese when their ammunition ran out. Captain Yazid Ahmad of the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force who was seconded to the Malay Regiment took over ‘B’ Company due to the mounting officer casualties and let them in a heroic and glorious last stand eclipsing the later achievements of 2nd Lieutenant Adnan Saidi which have been largely exaggerated. Captain Yazid died where he stood leading his men. A few men from ‘B’ Company managed to break out from the encirclement while the other survivors were captured as prisoners-of-war. The destruction of ‘B’ Company led to the night withdrawal of both the 44th Indian and 1st Malaya Brigade to the general line of Mount Echo (junction of Ayer Rajah and Depot Road)- Buona Vista.

Battle of Bukit Chandu

On 14 February, the Japanese again launched a heavy attack at 0830 hours, supported by intense mortar and artillery fire, on the front held by the 1st Malaya infantry Brigade. The fighting included bitter hand-to-hand combat, and losses from both sides were heavy. At 1600 hours, an attack supported by tanks eventually succeeded in penetrating the left, and the defenders on this flank were forced back to a line from the junction of the Ayer Rajah and Depot Road through the Brick Works and along the canal to Bukit Chermin. Owing to the failure of units on both its flanks to hold their ground, the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade withdrew at 1430 hours. It was at this point that C Company of the Malay Regiment received instructions to move to a new defence position Pt. 226, Bukit Chandu (Opium Hill).

On this hill, 7 Platoon, C Company of the 1st Bn Malay Regiment, led by Lt Adnan Saidi, made their famous final stand against the Japanese attack. Lt Adnan Saidi’s bravery was exemplified in the battle and he was killed together with many of his Malay Regiment soldiers in the last defence battle at Pasir Panjang. His motto “Biar Putih Tulang Jangan Putih Mata” is still proudly remembered. The translation loosely means, it is better to die fighting than to live crying in regret till the eyes becomes blind. In other words, Death Before Dishonour.

Opium Hill was situated on high ground overlooking the island to the north and had the Japanese gained control of the ridge, it would have given them direct passage to the Alexandra area. The British army had its main ammunition and supply depots, a military hospital and other key installations located in the vicinity.

C Company’s position was separated from D Company by a big canal. Oil was burning in the canal, which flowed from Normanton Depot. The burning oil prevented C Coy soldiers from retreating further south. C Company was under the command of CPT Rix who died during the early part of the engagement on this hill. Command had automatically passed to Lt Adnan Saidi.

The Japanese troops pressed their attack on Opium Hill in the afternoon. Under the guise of a deception, they sent a group of soldiers, dressed in Punjabi uniforms, passing themselves off as Punjabi soldiers from the British army. But Lt Adnan Saidi saw through this trick. British soldiers march in threes and Japanese soldiers march in fours. When the disguised soldiers reached the Malay Regiment’s defence line, C Company’s squad opened fire on them with their Lewis machine guns. Some of the Japanese troops were killed and the rest badly wounded. Those who survived rolled and crawled downhill to save themselves. Point to take note, in the previous years military competition held in Singapore, the four top marksmen went to the very same men of this regiment.

Two hours later, the Japanese launched an all-out assault in great numbers. The Japanese were in point blank location to the Australian artillery.In order to save ammunition, the Australian artillery did not fire on the Japanese.This very move surprised the Japanese army. Those same artillery round that was “saved” by the Australian artillery was handed over to the Japanese army on the next day when General Percival surrendered Singapore to General Yamashita.

Soon the attack overwhelmed the Malay Regiment. Greatly outnumbered and short of ammunition and supplies, the Malay Regiment continued to resist the Japanese troops. It was reported that 2LT Adnan manned a Lewis machine gun against the Japanese troops. Some soldiers engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat using bayonets. Yet, they stood their ground frustrating their enemy. 2LT Adnan was seriously wounded but he refused to retreat and instead encouraged his men to fight to the last. It was this disregard of danger that inspired the company to stand up gallantly. 2LT Adnan was captured and tortured before being bayoneted to death.

In another incident on 28 February 1942, four Malay Regiment officers who were taken prisoner of war were executed in Pasir Panjang by firing squad for refusing to join the Imperial Japanese Army at the urging of Malay traitor Major Mustapha Hussein of the Fujiwara Kikan. They were Lieutenant (No.8) Ariffin Hj Sulaiman, Lieutenant (No.29) Abdul Wahid Jidin, Lieutenant (No.57) Abdullah Saad and Lieutenant (No.12) Ibrahim Sidek. Lieutenant Ahmad Noordin of ‘A’ Company, 1st Battalion was executed earlier on 15 February 1942 while Lieutenant Muhammad Isa Mahmud of the HQ Company, 1st Battalion was executed on 12 February 1942. Most of the surviving captured Malay Regiment officers defected and joined the Imperial Japanese Army.

For the entire Malayan Campaign, but largely on 12, 13 and 14 February 1942 in Singapore, the Malay Regiment suffered a total of 159 killed (six British officers, seven Malay officers, and 146 other ranks) and a large but unspecified number wounded. On the whole the British were not convinced that the Malays were a martial race in view of the widespread desertions among Malay Volunteer troops leading to most of the remaining Malay Volunteers being disarmed before they entered Johor and ordered home. A small core of well trained and loyal Malay Volunteer officers and NCOs fought to the very end in the defence of Singapore.

Post war

In 1946, the British Military Administration recommended a quick reconstruction of the Malay Regiment and mooted the idea of opening recruitment of the Malay Regiment to all races. This would create a racially integrated regiment, along the political lines of fusing the states of Malaya. A multi-racial Malay regiment was seen as a unifying force in post war Malaya. This proposal was met with bitter opposition from the Malay Rulers and the Malay population, and was seen as a link to British efforts to erode Malay supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu) which was a key feature of the Malayan Union.

By mid 1946, the idea of a multi-racial Malay Regiment was dropped. The all-Malay Malay Regiment would be part of a Federation Army of one division strength freeing up British regiments for other (more strategic) duties. The British strategy of developing a strategic reserve of three brigades held in Britain would require the raising of more local regiments.

By 1947, the Overseas Defence Committee endorsed a gradual expansion of the Malay Regiment to six battalions by 1950 where the Malay Regiment would be used mainly for internal security, with multi-racial formations in the supporting arms.

The Malayan Emergency

By 1948, the British Army had 7 partially reformed Gurkha battalions in Malaya, in addition to 2 battalions of the Malay Regiment. In mid 1948, only 3 British battalions were in Malaya providing security to the Federation. The Malay Regiment also played a major role against the Communists during the Malayan Emergency when an eventual 7 battalions served during the Emergency, with the 3rd battalion raised in 1948.

In 1960, the regiment gained the ‘royal’ prefix, becoming the Royal Malay Regiment and by 1961 had a strength of 11 Battalions.

Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Michael Klinegardner, a member of the Beachmaster Unit (BMU) One, detachment Western Pacific’s craft control team, explains his role in landing craft, air cushioned (LCAC) operations to landing force members of the Royal Malay Regiment (RMR)

Malayan Special Forces In Congo

The 4th Bn Royal Malay Regiment under the command of Lt Kol Ungku Nasarudin formed the core of the Malayan Special Force that served under UN command in the Congo in 1960. In turn the 6th Bn Royal Malay,7th Bn Royal Malay and 2nd Bn Royal Malay served in the Congo under UN command. 2nd Bn Royal Malay ended the Congo deployment on 28 April 1963 and returned home.

Somalia

The 19th Bn Royal Malay Regiment (Mechanised) was part of the United Nations deployment in Somalia UNOSOM and started deployment of its 870 members on in Mogadishu from 18 June 1993. The battalion was involved in the combat rescue of US Army Rangers during the Battle of Mogadishu, where the Battalion provided the Radpanzer Condor armoured personnel carriers for the QRF force from the 10th Mountain Division that effected the rescue. One member of the battalion, a driver of one of the APCs, Private Mat Aznan (posthumously promoted to Corporal) was killed and 4 APCs were destroyed during the rescue.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

23rd Bn Royal Malay and 3rd Armor formed MALBATT I as part of the United Nations Protection Force and started deployment in September 1993. 23 Bn Royal Malay served until August 1994 and replaced by MALBATT II comprising 5 Bn Royal Malay and 2nd Armor. MALBATT III (28 March 1995 until November 1995) was formed from 12 Bn Royal Malay and 1st Armor. Malcon 1 (2 Royal Ranger Regiment & 4th Armor), Malcon 2 (18 RMR & 2nd Armor), Malcon 4 (2 RMR & 1 Armor)

Indonesian Confrontation

During the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, the Royal Malay Regiment were also deployed in Sabah and Sarawak. It was during this deployment that the Kalabakan incident happened on 29 December 1963. An outpost in Kalabakan in Tawau, established and manned by members of C Company of the 3rd Battalion under the command of Maj Zainal Abidin bin Haji Yaacob was ambushed by “volunteers” of the North Kalimantan Army while performing their Maghrib prayers. The company however reacted and stood to, and were finally able to repel the attacking force. However, 7 members of the company, including Major Zainal Abidin were killed and 16 others were wounded.

Regimental Crest

The Regiment’s crest was designed with a pair of tigers, supporting an Oriental Crown. Within the circle of the crest are a kris and a scabbard with the Regimental motto “Ta’at Setia” written in Jawi, meaning “Loyal and True”. Major G. McI. S. Bruce and Captain K. G. Exham, the founding officers of this Regiment, designed the crest.

Three colours were chosen- green (the Muslim colour), yellow (for Malay royalty) and red (for the British Army influence).

Royal Ranger Regiment

The Royal Ranger Regiment (Malay: Rejimen Renjer DiRaja; RRD) is an infantry regiment of the Malaysian Army. Although it is second in seniority to the Royal Malay Regiment (Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja; RAMD), the RRD can trace its origins back to the mid 19th century and the establishment of The Sarawak Rangers, the peacekeeping force in the Sarawak region. This force was absorbed by the Sarawak Constabulary in 1932, but the name was revived in 1941 as a British Colonial unit; this unit commanded by British Lieutenant Colonel C.M. Lane was captured by the Japanese in 1942.

History

In 1948, at the beginning of the Malayan Emergency, groups of Iban trackers ^[3]were recruited to help in the defence against the Communist Party of Malaya. These Iban trackers were organized into a regimental formation as the Sarawak Rangers in 1953. Prior to 1963, they were attached as scouts to many British units serving in Malaya. One of the trackers, Awang anak Rawang was awarded the George Cross on 20 November 1951, during his attachment to the Worcestershire Regiment.

In 1963, following the formation of Malaysia on 16 September of that year, the unit was transferred from the British Colonial Forces to the new Malaysian Army^[4] and expanded into a multi-battalion, multi-ethnic regiment named Renjer Malaysia. This became the Rejimen Renjer in 1971, before being given the ‘Royal’ prefix and hence known as the Rejimen Renjer DiRaja (Royal Ranger Regiment) in 1992.

Present

The RRD is organized in the same way as the RAMD and currently consists of nine battalions,

The 1^st to 6^th, and the 9^th are light infantry battalions.

The 8^th Ranger Battalion is one of the three airborne infantry battalions that form the 10 Para Brigade, the element of the Army’s Pasukan Atur Cepat.

A Ranger – A Special Malaysian Soldier

Unlike other units of the Malaysian Army, a private rank in the Rangers battalion is addressed as ‘Ranger.’ In the Rejimen Gerak Khas, a commando formation, a private is addressed as Trooper as well as the Royal Armoured Corps. In the Royal Engineers Regiment, a private is known Sapper, while the Royal Artillery Regiments addressed as Gunner. For the rest of the Malaysian Army, a private rank soldiers is addressed as Private.

As an infantry regiment whose recruits are drawn from every race and pribumi (native) group of Malaysia, Rejimen Renjer Malaysia is rich with cultural heritage. The “Ngajat”, the Iban Warrior Dance of the Sarawak Dayak community is now part of the regimental drill used to welcome visiting dignitaries. The adoption of this warrior dance as part of the regimental culture is due to the fact that this reincarnated unit of the Sarawak Rangers was once almost exclusively filled in the ranks by Iban soldiers.

Col.(R) Dunstan Nyaring Angking of 1 Renjer was the first native Iban officer to attain the rank of full colonel in the Malaysian army. He served with 1 Renjer during the Indonesian confrontation and was the ensign that received on behalf of his battalion, the battalion’s Battle Truncheon. The Battle Truncheon was presented by the late Governor of Sarawak, Tun Abang Haji Openg Bin Abang Sapi’ee on 19^thNovember 1966 in Lundu, First Division, Sarawak. In his address to the battalion, he had this to say amongst other things^[5]:

“This TRUNCHEON which is presented to you is an emblem from the State Government. It is also a mark of appreciation of the Government and the people of Sarawak for your services to the country and for the worthy upholding of the best tradition of our people. This a great honour earned through your conduct, bearing and bravery in battle every-where you are called upon to serve”.

Currently, Col. Stephen Mundaw from Pakit, Sri Aman, Sarawak is the only known highest native Iban officer serving the Malaysian Army as full Colonel. On November 1, 2010, he became the first native Iban officer to be appointed as Brigadier General.^[6] Apart from that, another known Dayak officer is Lt. Col. Jimbai Bunsu PBK, currently a 2nd I/C of the 1st Bn/511th Regiment TA based in Kuching.

The other well known native Iban officers are Lt. Col.(R) Robert Rizal Abdullah @ Robert Madang PGB PBK from Lachau, Sri Aman and Lt. Col.(R) James Tomlow ak Isa and Lt. Col.(R) Linus Lunsong, who later became first Iban to command 22nd Malaysian Special Forces.

A known Malay officer from Sarawak to have commanded the Ranger regiment as Commanding Officer, was Lt. Col (R) Abang Hamdan Bin Abang Hadari. Another Sarawakian Malay officer, Capt.(R) Ahmad Johan, later became well known businessman and now known as Tan Sri Ahmad Johan.

Battalions of The Royal Malaysian Rangers

1^st Rangers

Following the terms of the Defence Agreement, Britain had agreed to raise, train and maintain one infantry Battalion, each from Sabah and Sarawak. HQ Malaya Command Ranger Group was formed and headed by Colonel I.G. Wellstead to coordinate and implement this clause of the agreement.

The First Battalion Malaysian Rangers, was formed on 16 September 1963 at Baird Camp, Ulu Tiram, Johore – the same camp occupied by the Sarawak Rangers. Lt. Col E. Gopsill OBE, DSO, MC of the 7th Gurkha Rifles was appointed the Commanding Officer.

The Sarawak Rangers disbanded on 15 September 1963 and was absorbed – approximately 100 strong – into the new battalion. Amongst them was Lt. James Tomlow ak Isa who was originally granted a Governor’s Commission in the Sarawak Rangers was subsequently granted the Regular Commission by the Agong.

In October 1963, the nucleus of the Battalion moved out of Baird Camp to Kandy Lines, Trg Depot BDE of Gurkhas at Sungai Petani to prepare and conduct recruit training and continuity training for the new intakes. The recruits went through about four months of basic individual training followed by another two months continuity training.

Initially, this British Colonial battalion was almost exclusively composed of Sea Dayak (Iban) soldiers Sarawak Rangers]and a small number of Malay and Indian officers. On the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the Sarawak Rangers was disbanded and absorbed into the Malaysian Armed Forces. The 1^st Battalion is the premier battalion and remains the icon of the Ranger Corps. Prior to the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the Sarawak Rangers gained their fearsome reputation during the Malayan Emergency. Concurrently, during the post-colonial reconstruction era, the 1^st Battalion fought on extensively against the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), Clandestine Communist Organization (CCO) the military arm of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP ) and its affiliate the Parti Rayat Kalimantan Utara (PARAKU) and the Tentera Nasional Indonesia (TNI). Accounts from captured Communist Terrorists (CTs) in the ’60s and ’70s suggest that other than the (British Royal Marines) commandos, the CPM feared the deployment of the 1^st Battalion in the immediate vicinity. The Rangers also saw action at the Malaysian-Thai border

The 1^st Battalion remains an active unit of the Malaysian armed forces, although rather inexplicably, the recruitment of Iban stock has been gradually declined significantly over the last 20 years. Consequently, it’s racial composition is about the same as other Malaysian infantry battalions.

It is worth noting that in the 1950s and 1960s, the British SAS were taught jungle tracking by Iban soldiers. The Ibans from the jungles of Borneo are particularly suited to jungle warfare, serving as jungle trackers for many Commonwealth battalionsSurviving and living off the land are just daily routines to these jungle soldiers. During the Malayan Emergency, Iban trackers from the previous Malayan Scouts were attached to and served in several SAS units.

8^th Rangers was formed on 1 March 1973, 3 years after the formation of 7^th Rangers. 8^th Rangers was raised as the first parachute infantry battalion in the Malaysian Army, and achieved operational status on 1 July 1990 as a component of the elite 10 Paratroop Brigade (Malaysia).

8^th Rangers gained fame during the communist Insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s. 8^th Rangers engaged in several search and destroy missions against Communist Terrorists in Sarawak. From 1977, the battalion was particularly successful against Communist Terrorists in search and destroy missions in the Hulu Perak, Kinta and Kuala Kangsar regions in Perak.

Several members of the battalion were awarded the nation’s highest gallantry award, the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) and the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) medals. Pegawai Waran II Kanang anak Langkau remains to this day the only recipient of both the Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa and the Panglima Gagah Berani medals. Sarjan Michael Riman anak Bugat and Sarjan Beliang anak Bali were both awarded the Panglima Gagah Berani medal.

Rangers in Combat

6^th Rangers-Ambush at Klian Intan

On 27 August 1970, in a successful ambush of communist terrorists near Tanah Hitam, Klian Intan in Perak, 5 Communist Terrorists (CTs) including a branch committee member were killed, and several weapons were captured by members of 6 Bn Ranger Regiment. Mejar Ismail bin Salleh, commading officer of Charlie Company and Leftenan Muda David Fu Chee Ming who was the platoon commander of 8 Platoon were awarded the Panglima Gagah Berani on 2 June 1971.

Based on information gathered by the Special Branch, that 60 Communist terrorists would be infiltrating Tanah Hitam moving on to Grik, Charlie Company with a complement of 3 officers and 94 other ranks were tasked to lay an ambush along the infiltration route. Charlie Company was split into 3 groups, with Company Hq and 9 Platoon forming the centre blocking force, 7 Platoon to the right and 8 Platoon to the left. The groups were given 2 days to prepare their ambush positions and lay booby traps and Claymore mines.

On 20 August, 1 Section consisting of 8 personnel heard the rustling of branches and bamboo being snapped by footfalls. 1 section immediately stood to in their bunkers. Renjer Abu bin Mat saw an armed CT on the trail, 35 meters from their bunker, a lead scout of a larger group. Renjer Abu bin Mat and Renjer Abu Samah Hj. Ibrahim who were manning the Section’s support GPMG, along with Lans Koperal Abdullah bin Nawi held their fire and continued their wait. Moments later, another CT appeared on the trail, and joined by another 2 CTs.

At 3:45 p.m., Lans Koperal Abdullah detonated his Claymore mine while the GPMG crew opened fire, joined by the LMG manned by Lans Koperal Karim bin Sidek manning the left bunker. At 4:20 p.m., the CTs ceased fire, even though movement could still be heard in the trail. 1 Section opened fire to suppress the CT’s movements. With nightfall, the CTs made an attempt to retrieve their fallen comrades. Mejar Ismail called for close in artillery support on the trail, walking the artillery rounds close to 1 Section’s position. The CTs withdrew before morning, leaving behind their dead. Searches the following morning revealed 5 dead CTs.

 

South Wales Borderers

The South Wales Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It first came into existence, as the 24th Regiment of Foot, in 1689, but was not called the South Wales Borderers until 1881. The regiment served in a great many conflicts, including the American Revolutionary War, various conflicts in India, the Zulu War, Boer War, and World War I and II. The regiment was absorbed into the Royal Regiment of Wales in 1969.

The regiment was formed as Sir Edward Dering’s Regiment of Foot in 1689, becoming known, like other regiments, by the names of its subsequent colonels. It became the 24th Regiment of Foot in 1751, having been deemed 24th in the infantry order of precedence since 1747. In 1782 it became the 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. The 1st Warwickshires were the 6th (1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot.

In 1776 the regiment was sent to Quebec where it subsequently fought American rebels who had invaded the province during their War of Independence. The regiment was part of the 5,000 British and Hessian force, under the command of Gen. John Burgoyne, that surrendered to the American rebels in the 1777 Saratoga Campaign and remained imprisoned until 1783.

In 1814 the 1st Battalion took part in The Gurkha War which saw the British and the Gurkhas gain mutual respect. Gurkhas were recruited by the British after the war, becoming part of the British Indian Army and then, after Indian independence in 1947, four Gurkha regiments joined the British Army.

Isandlhwana

In 1875 the 1st Battalion arrived in Southern Africa and subsequently saw service, along with the 2nd Battalion, in the 9th Xhosa War in 1878.

In 1879 both battalions took part in the Zulu War, begun after a British invasion of Zululand, ruled by Cetshwayo. The 24th Foot took part in the crossing of the Buffalo River on 11 January, entering Zululand. The first engagement (and the most disastrous for the British) came at Isandhlwana. The British had pitched camp at Isandhlwana and not established any fortifications due to the sheer size of the force, the hard ground and a shortage of entrenching tools. The 24th Foot provided most of the British force and when the overall commander, Lord Chelmsford, split his forces on 22 January to search for the Zulus, the 1st Battalion (5 companies) and a company of the 2nd Battalion were left behind to guard the camp, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine (CO of the 1/24th Foot).

The Zulus, 22,000 strong, attacked the camp and their sheer numbers overwhelmed the British. During the battle Lieutenant-Colonel Pulleine ordered Lieutenants Coghill and Melvill to save the Queen’s Colour—the Regimental Colour was located at Helpmakaar with G Company. The two Lieutenants attempted to escape by crossing the Buffalo River where the Colour fell and was lost downstream, later being recovered. Both officers were killed. At this time the Victoria Cross (VC) was not awarded posthumously. This changed in the early 1900s when both Lieutenants were awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses for their bravery. The 2nd Battalion lost both its Colours at Isandhlwana though parts of the Colours—the crown, the pike and a colour case—were retrieved and trooped when the battalion was presented with new Colours in 1880.

The 24th had performed with distinction during the battle. The last survivors made their way to the foot of a mountain where they fought until they expended all their ammunition and were killed. The 24th Foot suffered 540 dead, including the 1st Battalion’s commanding officer.

Rorke’s Drift

After the battle, some 4,000 to 5,000 Zulus headed for Rorke’s Drift, a small missionary post garrisoned by a company of the 2/24th Foot, native levies and others under the command of Lieutenant Chard, Royal Engineers, the most senior officer of the 24th present being Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. Two Boer cavalry officers, Lieutenants Adendorff and Vane, arrived to inform the garrison of the defeat at Isandhlwana. The Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton persuaded Bromhead and Chard to stay and the small garrison frantically prepared rudimentary fortifications.

The Zulus first attacked at 4:30 pm. Throughout the day the garrison was attacked from all sides, including rifle fire from the heights above the garrison, and bitter hand-to-hand fighting often ensued. At one point the Zulus entered the hospital, which was stoutly defended by the wounded inside until it was set alight and eventually burnt down. The battle raged on into the early hours of 23 January but by dawn the Zulu Army had withdrawn. Lord Chelmsford and a column of British troops arrived soon afterwards. The garrison had suffered 15 killed during the battle (two died later) and 11 defenders were awarded the Victoria Cross for their distinguished defence of the post, 7 going to soldiers of the 24th Foot.

After the Cardwell-Childers Reforms of the British Armed Forces, the 24th Foot became the South Wales Borderers on 1 July 1881. The regiment’s regimental depot had been moved to Brecon in Wales in 1875 and this, understandably, led to the regiment having close links with South Wales. The South Wales Borderers became the county regiment of Brecknockshire, Cardiganshire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, and Radnorshire.

1st Battalion

In 1893 the 1st Battalion arrived in Egypt and after a two-year stay there moved to Gibraltar. The battalion moved back to the east when it joined the British garrison in India in 1897. As with most British battalions posted to India, it was a lengthy stay, not leaving until 1910. It was based in Britain when the First World War began.

First World War

Western Front

The 1st Battalion was part of the original British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was sent to France shortly after war was declared.

In March 1916 the 2nd Battalion arrived into the carnage of the Western Front in France.

Welsh poet and language activist Saunders Lewis served in the South Wales Borderers during Wold War I.

Middle East and Other Theatres

The 2nd Battalion provided the only British contribution, a symbolic one, to the Japanese invasion of Tsingtao — a German naval base in China that was the base of the East Asiatic Squadron. Shortly after the capture of Tsingtao, the battalion arrived in Hong Kong and then back home in January 1915.

As part of the 29th Division, the battalion took part in the Dardanelles Campaign, landing at S Beach, Cape Helles on 25 April 1915. Unlike other beaches, the 2nd South Wales Borderers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel H.G. Casson, met little opposition and the landing, supported by the battleship HMS Cornwallis, was completed by 7:30am.

Inter-War

1st Battalion

The end of war gave the 1st South Wales Borderers no respite. The battalion moved to Dunshaughlin in 1919 where it was part of the British Army during the Irish War of Independence. They were involved in operations against Michael Collins and the Irish Republican Army. After the Anglo-Irish Treaty established the Irish Free State, the Battalion was evacuated.

In 1928 the 1st Battalion arrived in Egypt where they remained until they were posted to Hong Kong in 1930. In 1934 the 1st Battalion was, once more, posted to India, based in Rawalpindi.

The battalion was sent, for a brief time, to Iraq in 1937, a rare deployment for a British Army unit, Iraq being under Royal Air Force administration. It returned to India the following year where it took part in operations against hostile tribes in the volatile North-West Frontier. It was still in India when World War II began in 1939.

2nd Battalion

In 1919 the 2nd Battalion arrived at Barrackpore, India. It remained there, based in a variety of places, for many years, until it was posted to Aden (now part of the Yemen) in 1927 where it remained until returning to Britain in 1929.

The battalion was back in the Middle East in 1936 when it was sent to Palestine to assist in quelling a rebellion by Arabs. The battalion left in December, moving Northern Ireland. It was still based in the UK when World War II began.

Second World War

North-West Europe

The 2nd Battalion, as part of 24th Guards Brigade (Rupertforce), took part in the Norwegian campaign, fighting the Nazi German invaders.

In 1944 the 2nd Battalion had the distinction of being the only Welsh battalion to take part in the Normandy Landings landing under command of 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division. It was under command of 7th Armoured Division for a few days in June 1944, reverting to 50th (Northumbrian Division). In August 1944 it was briefly under command of 59th (Staffordshire) Division and on August 20 joined 49th Infantry Division. It ended its war in Germany, and remained there, as part of the occupation forces, until 1948 when it returned home.

Africa and the Middle East

The 1st Battalion, as part of the Indian 10th Infantry Division, was sent to Iraq to quell a German-inspired uprising in Iraq. The battalion saw subsequent service in Iran.

The 1st Battalion sustained enormous casualties in Libya near Tobruk when they lost around 500 officers and men captured or killed during a general retreat. The battalion found itself cut off when the German forces outflanked them, the commanding officer, Lt. Col. F.R.G. Matthews, decided to attempt to escape around the enemy and break through to British lines. It turned into a disaster with only four officers and around one hundred men reaching Sollum. To the surprise of the survivors the battalion was ordered to disband in Cyprus and the remnants of the battalion were transferred, with the exception of a cadre that returned to the UK, to the 1st Battalion, The King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). A few months later the battalion was re-formed from the cadre and the 4th Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment though it would remain in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war.

Post-War

In 1945 the 1st Battalion was embroiled in the volatile uprising in Palestine, as well as undertaking operations to assist in the prevention of illegal Jewish immigration into the territory.

The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948—every other second battalion of the Line Infantry was also disbanded as a consequence of defence cuts implemented shortly after the Second World War.

In 1946 the 1st Battalion arrived in Cyprus where it remained until 1949 when it deployed to the Sudan. The following year the regiment became part of the occupation force in Eritrea — a former Italian colony that was ruled by a British military administration after World War II. The regiment left after Eritrea joined its larger neighbour Ethiopia in 1952 after the United Nations ratified a resolution creating a federation between the two countries.

In 1948 a State of Emergency was declared in Malaya shortly after Communist insurgents, mostly from the large ethnic Chinese community, began a campaign against the British presence in Malaya as they did not believe Malaya’s eventual independence would lead to the installation of a Communist regime. This situation was what the South Wales Borderers entered in October 1955, in a conflict known as the Malayan Emergency. It was a vicious, brutal campaign, one of claustrophobia when they sent patrols deep into the Malayan jungle to search for the elusive guerillas—they were known as Communist Terrorist (CT) in British parlance. The regiment returned to the UK in 1958.

The regiment’s conduct during the war compelled Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer — a distinguished British officer during World War II and a man instrumental in the defeat of the CTs during the Emergency—to state that, “there has been no better regiment in Malaya during the ten years of the emergency and very few as good”.

In 1953 the regiment arrived in Brunswick, West Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine.

In 1960 the regiment was posted to Minden, Germany and returned home two years later. In 1963 the regiment arrived in Hong Kong,[Stanley Fort], performing internal security duties until it returned home in 1966 to Lydd in Kent. During this time in the UK the Regiment was given the honour of performing ceremonial duties at Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. (Normally a Regiment of Guards duty). In January 1967 the regiment arrived in Aden — a British territory in the Middle East, in what is now the Yemen, that was experiencing turbulent times shortly before it achieved independence from the British—where it performed internal security duties until it returned home later that year

In 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the Welch Regiment to form the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)

 

 

Welch Regiment

 

The Welch Regiment (or “The Welch”, an archaic spelling of “Welsh”) was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1969. Until 1920 it was called the Welsh Regiment.

History

The Origins of the Regiment:

The Welch Regiment had its origins in two regiments, the 41st and 69th Regiments of Foot, the first of which has long standing links with the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The 41st was raised in March 1719 as a Regiment of Invalids, namely Out-Pensioners of the Royal Hospital, to release active units for service overseas in the wars against the French. Known as Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Fieldings Regiment of Foot (or the Invalids), between 1719 and 1787 it carried out garrison duties in Portsmouth, Plymouth and the Channel Islands. In 1757 a second battalion was raised for the 24th Foot, and placed at the disposal of the Admiralty for service as marines with the fleet. In 1758 this Battalion was redesignated as the 69th Foot and, in 1782, linked to South Lincolnshire for recruiting purposes. In 1787 the Invalid character of the 41st was abandoned and the Regiment re-formed as a marching regiment of line fit for worldwide service. Between that date and 1881 the two Regiments pursued roles independent of one another, but drew closer when a common depot was established at Fort Hubberstone in 1871. Both campaigned and saw service in many parts of the world – achieving magnificent records of service – ultimately to be linked under the title ‘The Welch’.

A chronological history of both Regiments follows:

1719 – When units were needed for garrison duties at home in order to release active units for service overseas in the wars against the French, a number of the more active out-pensioners of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, who were fit for light duties at home, were enrolled and formed Colonel Edmund Fielding’s Regiment of Invalids.

1751 – The Regiment of Invalids became 41st Regiment of Foot (or Invalids).

1756 – A Second Battalion of the 24th Regiment, to become eventually The South Wales Borderers, was raised and in 1758 became the 69th Regiment of Foot. The 41st and 69th followed separate careers until 1881 when they became respectively the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Welsh Regiment.

1761 – The 69th first distinguished itself at the Capture of Belle Île. Belleisle is the Regiment’s oldest Battle Honour although for some reason it was not actually awarded until 1951.

1762 – A year later the 69th took part in an equally successful operation in the West Indies against the French-held island of Martinique.

1782 – During the Napoleonic Wars in the latter part of the 18th and early part of the 19th centuries Infantry Regiments sometimes served on board ships of the Royal Navy and performed many of the duties carried out by the Royal Marines. In this year the 69th took part in the Battle of the Saintes. For their share in this victory the 69th was included in a Vote of Thanks passed by both Houses of Parliament, and was awarded a Naval Crown, superscribed ’12 April 1782′ to be carried on the Regimental Colour. This battle honour is unique.

In the same year the 69th became the South Lincolnshire Regiment and for this reason The Welsh Regiment played ‘The Lincolnshire Poacher’ as one of its Regimental Marches. The 69th continued its service afloat and served, amongst other ships, in HMS Agamemnon under the command of Horatio Nelson, then a captain. A little later, when Nelson commanded HMS Captain, he came across a detachment of the 69th serving aboard his ship, greeting them as ‘My Old Agamemnons’ a nickname that prevailed for many years.

Lt Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, joined the 41st Regiment of Foot on 23 January 1788 and served with the Regiment until 25 June 1789 when he transferred to the 12th Light Dragoons.

1796 – The 69th moved once more to the West Indies when two detachments served on HMS Britannia and HMS Captain both of which were present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797. These detachments greatly distinguished themselves, particularly that under the command of Lieutenant Charles Pierson in HMS Captain (still commanded by Nelson), which played a leading part in the capture and boarding of the Spanish ship San Josef.

The Welch Regiment is intensely proud of the unique Battle Honour of St. Vincent and in 1951 was given permission to associate it with the Battle Honour of the Naval Crown.

1797 – The battle of St Vincent marked the end of the 69th’s service afloat and in 1799 it took part in an expedition to Holland and in 1800 returned to the West Indies. Following this and after a spell at home the 69th moved East and commenced a tour of India that covered a period of twenty years. Having taken part in a series of operations in this time it earned the Battle Honour India.

Twice between 1805 and 1825 the 69th sailed on seaborne expeditions from India.

1799 – The 41st moved to Canada and carried out garrison duties there until war broke against the United States in 1812.

1803 – A second Battalion of the 69th (2/69th) was raised and was in garrison in Belgium when Napoleon escaped from Elba.

1810 – the 69th’s first expedition was against the French-held island of Bourbon, as Réunion was then called, and Mauritius. Both were attacked from the sea and captured. The second was against Dutch-owned Java, but occupied by the French. The expedition was successful although the fighting was severe and casualties considerable. In the meantime the final phases of the Napoleonic Wars were being played out in Europe.

1812 – The war against the United States lasted two years and was fought mainly on the Canadian border. The 41st played a leading part in the successful actions at the Siege of Detroit, the Battle of Queenston Heights, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, and Miami for which Battle Honours were awarded.

The Battle Honours Detroit and Miami are unique to The Welch regiment.

1815 – In June Napoleon moved up to the Belgian Frontier to attack the Allied Army commanded by the Duke of Wellington, who some years earlier had served as a Lieutenant in the 41st. The 2/69th fought at Quatre Bras on 16 June where, owing to mistaken orders, it was caught unprepared and badly mauled by French cavalry. The Battle of Waterloo was fought on the 18 June.

At the end of the campaign the 2/69th was disbanded.

1822 – The 41st moved to India.

1824 – The Regiment took part in an arduous campaign against the Ava Kingdom, to become known as Burma and now Myanmar (Interestingly, in 1945 the 69th camped on the ‘maidan’ made by the 41st during the Ava campaign.).

1831 – On the 25 February on the recommendation of Colonel Sir Edmund Williams, then in command, royal approval was given to the ’41st Regiment being in future styled the 41st or THE WELSH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY’. Later in the same year the 41st was permitted to bear on its Colours the Prince of Wales‘s Plume and Motto – ‘GWELL ANGAU NA CHYWYLIDD’ (Rather death than dishonor).

So began the Regiment’s association with Wales which has been maintained with great pride ever since.

1842 – The 41st took part in the First Afghan War which broke out in this year and was engaged in the fighting at Kandahar, the Battle of Ghazni and finally Kabul the Afghan capital; following which the Regiment returned to England.

1854 – The Crimean War broke out in which Britain, France and Turkey fought against the Russians who were seeking supremacy in the region. The 41st fought throughout the campaign gaining Battale Honours at Alma, Inkerman and Sebastopol. The 41st was most heavily engaged at Inkerman, the last occasion on which the Colours were carried in Battle.

It was a ‘Little’ Inkerman fought on 26 October 1854 that Sergeant Ambrose Madden won the Victoria Cross, the first to be awarded to a member of the Regiment.

Inkerman ‘the soldier’s battle’ was fought on 5 November in thick mist, through which the Russians advanced in overwhelming numbers. The battle was fought out hand-to-hand in small groups and the Russian attack was finally broken. Captain Hugh Rowlands was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in this battle. In another engagement Ensign John Stirling, carrying the Reimental Colour, was shot dead. The Colour was sized by a Russian but recovered by Sergeant Major Daniel Ford for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his courage.

This episode is commemorated in the silver centerpiece of the 41st which was made from some of the silver that was salvaged from the Officer’s Mess that was burned down at Pembroke Dock in 1905. Until its amalgamation the Battle of Inkerman was commemorated annually in the Regiment on 5 November.

1870 – the 69th saw no further active service in the 19th Century and having served in Canada was at home in 1881.

1881 – The Crimean War was the last occasion on which either the 41st or 69th fought under their original tiles; in this year they became respectively the 1ST AND 2ND BATTALIONS THE WELSH REGIMENT.

1881 to 1913

1881 – As the result of General Order 41 of 1 May the eighty-two single Battalion Regiments in the Army were amalgamated by pairs. Reducing these single Battalion Infantry regiments to forty-one resulted in the formation of two Battalion Regiments with new titles. Linking the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment with the 41st Regiment may seem strange but the two had been linked for drafts for some time. There were strange anomalies in pairing and it was not an easy time for the Army as a whole. This policy may have seemed a logical step for Ministers but some ‘married’ pairs felt otherwise. The new depot for both battalions was established at Cardiff forging links with the city that are still extant.

At the time of the amalgamation 1st Battalion was deployed in South Africa and the 2nd Battalion in Sheffield, England; they were not to meet for some time so there were no ceremonial parades or other events to ‘consummate’ the pairing. This was not to happen for another eleven years.

1886 – The 1st Battalion moved to Egypt where they were issued with the new khaki drill uniform consigning their redcoats they had worn from their inception to ceremonial occasions only.

1888 – on 20 December the 1st Battalion took part in the Battle of Suakin under the leadership of the force commander colonel (later Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener), who wrote in his dispatches;

The half-Battalion of The Welsh Regiment are seasoned soldiers and whatever I asked of them to do they did well. Their marksmen at Gemaizah Fort and the remainder of the half-Battalion on the left fired section volleys driving the Dervishes from their right position and inflicting severe punishment upon them when in the open. Significantly the Battalion did not lose a man.

1892 – Following the tour in Egypt the 1st Battalion moved to Malta and there for the first time they met with the 2nd Battalion on its way by troopship to India. It was recorded at the time that ‘much cordiality’ followed before the 2nd Battalion went on its way.

1894 – The 1st Battalion returned home to Pembroke Dock where on St. David’s Day in 1895 the Officers’ Mess was totally destroyed and almost all the Regiment’s artifacts, plate and silver was lost.

1899 – When the Second Boer War broke out the 1st Battalion was in Aldershot and was immediately mobilized and dispatched to South Africa where it landed at Port Elizabeth on 26 November.

The 1st Battalion were first engaged in the Relief of Kimberley, where a British Force was besieged and was again in action on the 10 February at Battle of Paardeberg, where they lost heavily, and again at the Battle of Driefontein on the 10 March. The war became very fluid and developed into a prolonged struggle between the light, irregular and very mobile Boers and the more heavily laden and orthodox British Army. The 1st Battalion provided a company in the 6th Mounted Infantry Battalion, recorded as an initially motley unit provided with a mixed and indifferent stable of horses, and reinforcements from South Wales included soldiers from the Volunteer Battalions in South Wales to become the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Service Companies.

The 3rd Militia Battalion of the Regiment was also embodied and served as a separate unit and with great with distinction from 1900–1902.

For service throughout the campaign The Welsh Regiment was awarded the Battle Honours of Relief of Kinberley, Paardeburg as well as the theatre Honour South Africa 1899–1902′.

One historian has commented about this period:

Despite the jingoism and victory bells at home, Britain had little to be proud of. It had taken 450,000 troops (including 256,000 regulars) two and half years to defeat the ‘rabble’ of some 87,000 Boer farmers. The war had cost £20 million and 20,721 British soldiers lives (of whom 13,310 died of disease). The Boers lost an estimated 4,000 killed.

1902 – Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion were still serving peacefully in India and in this year were involved in the Delhi Durbar, organized by Lord Curzon the Viceroy, which was one of the most lavish and spectacular military events ever staged in India, to celebrate the Coronation of Edward VII as King-Emperor following the death of Queen Victoria on 23 January 1901.

1904 – The lst Battalion returned home to barracks at Gravesend, Kent in July.

1910 – The 1st Battalion were now in India and the 2nd Battalion at Pembroke Dock. From 23 August to 13 September this year the 2nd Battalion were chosen to undertake ceremonial guard duties at Buckingham and St. James’s palaces in relief of the Guards Brigade who undertook field training at that time.

1913 – Just prior to the outset of the First World War the 2nd Battalion were undergoing a field training exercise with Aldershot Command at Bordon, whilst the 1st Battalion continued to serve quietly in India

1914 to 1918 

When war broke out on 4 August 1914 The Welsh Regiment consisted of 1st and 2nd Battalions, respectively, in India and at home. Regimental Headquarters with 3rd (Special Reserve) and 7th (Cyclist) Battalions at Cardiff, 4th Battalion at Llanelli, 5th Battalion at Pontypridd and the 6th Battalion at Swansea.

Service Battalions were formed and the total number of Battalions of The Welsh Regiment rose to thirty four.

Fighting in the First World War was world-wide but the main theatre of war was in France and Belgium where the greatest strengths were deployed and the most important battles were fought and the heaviest casualties sustained. In a war of such magnitude covering so many theatres upon so vast a scale it is impossible to give detailed accounts of battles fought by The Welsh Regiment in this short history. But there are names that will live forever in the annals of The Welch Regiment and Wales.

On the 14 September 1914 at Chézy sur Aisne Lance Corporal William Charles Fuller won the Regiment’s first Victoria Cross of the war when, under withering and sustained rifle and machine gun fire, he advanced one hundred yards to rescue Captain Mark Haggard who was mortally wounded; Captain Haggard’s dying words of encouragement to his men ‘STICK IT THE WELSH’ are immortalized above the clock over the door of the main Barrack block at Maindy Barracks, Cardiff. Captain Edgar Kinghorn Myles and Private Hubert William Lewis each won Victoria Crosses in 1916 at the Siege of Kut, and Evzonoi, Macedonia respectively.

Of the thirty four Battalions of The Welsh Regiment, nineteen served actively overseas at a cost of nearly 8000 officers and men killed or died of wounds or illness.

So wide-flung was the extent of the First World War that it was finally decided that each Regiment should be awarded 10 Principal Battle Honours to be borne on the Colours and that, in addition, further Honours to which it was entitled would be shown on the Army List. Of these latter Honours the Regiment earned sixty one.

The Principal Battle Honours carried on the Colours of the Regiment’s Battalions are:

Aisne 1914,1918; Ypres 1914,1915,1917; Gheluvelt; Loos; Somme 1916,1918; Pilckem; Cambrai 1917,1918; Macedonia 1915–1918; Gallipoli; Gaza.

1918 to 1938

1918 – Once the war ended the Service Battalions were disbanded and the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion was disembodied. The Territorial Army Battalions were re-formed and the 7th (Cyclist) Battalion was absorbed into the 6th Battalion.

1919 – The 1st Battalion returned to British India until 1924 where it fought in Waziristan.

1920 – The regiment changed its name slightly to the Welch Regiment.

1927 – The 2nd Battalion had remained at home until moving to China to become part of the Shanghai Defence Force.

1938 – The Territorial Army was again mobilized as the possibility of another European conflict was deemed inevitable and so the Territorial Army was doubled in size with each unit forming a duplicate. In Wales the 2/5th and 15th Battalions were raised, both as 2nd Line duplicates of the 4th and 5th battalions. The 6th Battalion became an Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battalion and was lost to the Infantry at that time.

1939 to 1945[edit]

1939 – The 1st Battalion moved to Palestine to play its part in operations connected with the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. At the outbreak of war on 3 September the Welch Regiment comprised the 1st Battalion in Palestine and the 2nd Battalion in British India. In South Wales the Regimental Headquarters and Depot was in Cardiff with the four Territorial Army battalions situated 4th and 15th in Carmarthen and 1/5th and 2/5th in Glamorgan. In this World War the number of infantry battalions raised by the Welch Regiment was eleven. However, only the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 1/5th saw active service overseas and the rest would be used mainly for home defence or as training units.

Around 1,400 officers and other ranks of the Welch Regiment were killed or died from wounds or sickness during World War II with many more wounded.

1940 – The 1st Battalion first saw action in the Western Desert Campaign of 1940.

1941 – The 1st Battalion landed in Crete in February but was overwhelmed by the enemy in fighting at Suda Bay; Canea; and Sphakia Beach. Eventually the 1st Battalion was reformed in Egypt and joined the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the 4th Indian Infantry Division and moved back again to the Western Desert.

1942 – After heavy fighting in the area of Benghazi the 1st Battalion was again overrun and again suffered heavy casualties when the Afrika Korps swept through Cyrenaica, Libya.

1943 – Following a period of rest and training in Egypt and the Sudan the 1st Battalion was re-organized as 34th (Welch) Beach Brick and in March landed with the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, part of General Montgomery’s British Eighth Army, during the invasion of Sicily in July. Returning to Egypt it then became the 37th (Welch) Beach Brick until May 1944.

1944 – In May 1944 the 1st Battalion received replacements and became an effective infantry unit again. In July the battalion landed in Italy and fought in the Italian Campaign and would remain there for the rest of the war. The battalion was assigned to 168th (London) Infantry Brigade, part of 56th (London) Infantry Division. They took part in heavy fighting on the Gothic Line, one of many German defensive lines in Italy, and in the Croce area where the battalion, and the rest of the 56th Division, suffered heavy casualties and the 168th Brigade was disbanded.

Having been mobilized in 1939, the 4th and 15th Battalions had been retained at home where the 15th Battalion rendered valuable service training infantry replaceements to units overseas. The 4th Battalion was in Northern Ireland with the 1/5th Battalion in the 160th Infantry Brigade attached to the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division. In June 1944 they were, after many years of training, ordered to France to join the British Second Army in the Normandy Campaign. From the start of the campaign the 4th Battalion was involved in fierce fighting during the Battle for Caen, and around the Falaise pocket, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Reichwald where it sustained very heavy casualties and involved some of the fiercest fighting in the North West Europe Campaign for British soldiers as they were up against determined German paratroopers.

Meanwhile the 1/5th and 2/5th Battalions, mobilized at the same time as the 4th and 15th Battalions, were retained at home where the 2/5th also trained and prepared drafts for overseas although it remained at home throughout the whole war as a Home Defence Battalion. The 1/5th Battalion, originally with the 160th Infantry Brigade, moved to Normandy in late June 1944 and fought alongside the 4th Battalion in the 53rd (Welsh) Division in the North West Europe Campaign distinguishing itself at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Falaise Gap, the Ardennes and the Reichwald Forest. In August 1944 the 1/5th Battalion was transferred from 160th Brigade to the 158th Infantry Brigade, still with 53rd (Welsh) Division. Some of the hardest fighting took place around the Falaise Gap where on 16 August 1944, near Balfour, Lieutenant Tasker Watkins of the 1/5th Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross for supreme personal bravery and inspired leadership.

1944 – While this fighting was going on in Northern Europe the 2nd Battalion had been retained in India but in October 1944 the battalion moved to Burma as part of the 62nd Indian Infantry Brigade attached to the 19th Indian Infantry Division where it joined the British Fourteenth Army, led by Bill Slim. In November the battalion crossed the Chindwin River at Sittang, captured Pinlebu and saw some very hard fighting on the Swebo Plain.

1945 – In March 1945, after the 168th Brigade was disbanded, the 1st Battalion was strangely transferred to the 1st Guards Brigade, part of 6th Armoured Division, and remained with it until the end of the war. In April they took part in Operation Grapeshot which ended with the capture of thousands of prisoners of war and the surrender of the German Army in Italy on May 2. The 2nd Battalion saw its bitterest fighting along the Taungoo–Mawchi Road where for a hundred miles, with deep jungle on either side, the Japanese defended vigorously all the way.

The Second World War ended in Europe on the 8th May 1945, now known as VE-Day, and against the Japanese on 14 August, VJ-Day. The deployment of the active battalions of the Welch Regiment at this time was: the 1st Battalion at Tarvisio, North East Italy; the 2nd Battalion at Taungoo, Burma; and both the 4th and 1/5th Battalions in Hamburg, Germany.

1946 to 1959[edit]

1946 – 4th and 5th Battalions ceased to be operational following occupation duties in Düsseldorf and the Ruhr respectively.

1947 – The 4th and 5th Battalions were re-formed as TA Battalions on St.David’s Day.

The 1st Battalion returned home and was garrisoned at Malvern, Worcester with the 2nd Battalion that had returned from Burma.

1948 – In February the 1st Battalion moved to Brecon and assumed the role of Welsh Brigade Training Centre.

On 14 June as a result of Infantry reductions the 2nd Battalion amalgamated with the 1st bringing to an end nearly two hundred years of active service on both land and sea.

1950 – In the Spring the 1st Battalion relinquished its training role and re-formed as an active Infantry Battalion and moved to Colchester where it undertook an intense period od training prior to moving to the Korean Peninsula where the Korean War had just started.

The Battalion sailed from Southampton on 10 October and disembarked Pusan on 12 November. Joining the 29th British Infantry Brigade in the 1st Commonwealth Division and at once relieved lst Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment.

During the Korean War the Battalion won no less that three Distinguished Service Orders, three Military Crosses and many Mention in Despatches. It also gained the Battle Honour ‘Korea 1951–52’ that remains the only Battled Honour won by any Welsh Regiment since the end of the Second World War.

1952 – On 9 November the Battalion moved to Hong Kong and became part of 27th Infantry Brigade and was stationed in the New Territories.

1954 – The Battalion returned home in November and took up residence again in Pembroke Dock (Llanion Barracks) where it had once before been stationed in 1895.

1956 – The Battalion moved to Luneburg, North West Germany on 6 June becoming part of the 10th Infantry Brigade.

1957 – In September the Battalion underwent intensive training at Malvern, Worcestershire in preparation for a tour of duty in Cyprus. The Battalion sailed for Cyprus on 31 October arriving in Lefka on the north east coast of the island on 10 November.

1958 – Following distinguished service in the Cyprus campaign the Battalion moved to North Africa and established its Headquarters in Benghazi with company detachments at Derna, Marj and Al Adm.

1959 – The Battalion returned to Maindy Barracks, Cardiff where it remained until moving to Berlin in 1960.

1960 to 1963

The 1st Battalion was stationed in Berlin at Brooke Barracks in Spandau. This was at the height of the Cold War and in 1961 came the erection of the infamous Berlin Wall. The battalion incurred numerous duties within the defence parameters of the city such as the Ice Keller duties of an armoured escort to an 8 year old boy from his home on the Iron Curtain border to his school in Spandau and return. The Corps of Drums were trained to become a Mines and Explosives response team (EOD) to help the Royal Engineers in time of trouble. After the shooting of Peter Fechter, who was left to die on the wall, the allied forces arranged for a military ambulance to be stationed on Checkpoint Charlie in the American Zone. This was crewed by members of the Corps of Drums together with the RAMC staff and they would have to enter East Berlin and risk their lives to rescue any persons shot on the east side of the wall by the East German guards {VOPOS – Volkspolizei} and take them to an East Berlin hospital. Also the battalion contributed to the guarding of the famous Berlin Troop Train, that operated from West Germany through East Germany into West Berlin.

The year 1962 was significant in that it saw the end of National Service and the last National Servicemen left the Battalion in Berlin. His name was Wayne Rawlings from Caerphilly. This moment was recorded in the Regimental Journal ‘The Men of Harlech’ in the following words ‘For the first time for almost 25 years we are an all-Regular Battalion’. This valedictory was less than generous to the men who had served, fought and died in the Regiment and all those involved could be mightily proud of the time they served in the Regiment and the often arduous duties they performed for Queen and Country in that time.

1963 to 1965

The 1st Battalion became the Demonstration Battalion of The School of Infantry, stationed first at Netheravon and then Knook Camp in Heytesbury. In 1965 they became the first occupants of the newly built Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster.

1966 to 1968

For their final overseas posting 1 Welch took over from 1SWB in Stanley Fort on Hong Kong Island. Here they carried out internal security duties, border patrols and ceremonial duties. Sgt Matchett was awarded a George Medal for rescuing two Police Officers who had been injured in a minefield.

1969

The 1st Battalion The Welch Regiment amalgamated with The 1st Battalion The South Wales Borderers to form the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales 24th/41st on 11 June in Cardiff Castle. The newly appointed Colonel-in-Chief, HRH The Prince of Wales, presented new Colours to the Regiment and the traditions of both Regiments were handed to the Royal Regiment of Wales. Later that year in Caernarvon Castle The Prince of Wales wore the uniform of the Regiment at his Investiture.

Regimental holders of The Victoria Cross

(Prior to 1881)

• Lieutenant Ambrose MADDEN VC (Sergeant-Major in 41st (the Welsh) Regiment of Foot)
• General Sir Hugh ROWLANDS VC KCB (Captain in 41st (the Welsh) Regiment of Foot)

(Post 1881)

• Sergeant William Charles FULLER VC (Lance-Corporal in 2nd Bn)
• Private Hubert William LEWIS VC (Private in 11th Bn)
• Captain Edgar Kinghorn MYLES VC DSO (Second Lieutenant in 8th Bn)
• Major Sir Tasker WATKINS VC GBE PC (Lieutenant in 1/5th Battalion)

Battle honours

The Regiment was awarded the following battle honours:

• From the 41st Regiment of Foot: Detroit, Queenstown, Miami, Niagara, Ava, Candahar 1842, Ghuznee 1842, Cabool 1842, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol

• From the 69th Regiment of Foot: Bourbon, Java, Waterloo, India

• Belleisle¹, Martinique 1762¹, The Saints², St Vincent 1797 ¹, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, South Africa 1899–1902

• The Great War: Mons, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914 ’18, Ypres 1914 ’15 ’17, Langemarck 1914 ’17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Givenchy 1914, Gravenstafel, Saint-Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916 ’18, Albert 1916 ’18, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 ’18, Messines 1917 ’18, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 ’18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Béthune, Scherpenberg, Arras 1918, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–18, Struma, Doiran 1917 ’18, Macedonia 1915–18, Suvla, Sari Bair, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915–17, Gaza, El Mughar, Jerusalem, Jericho, Tell ‘Asur, Megiddo, Nablus, Palestine 1917–18, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916–18

• The Second World War: Falaise, Lower Maas, Reichswald, North-West Europe 1944-45, Benghazi, North Africa 1940–42, Sicily 1943, Coriano, Croce, Rimini Line, Ceriano Ridge, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943–45, Crete, Canea, Withdrawal to Sphakia, Middle East 1941, Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead, Maymyo, Rangoon Road, Sittang 1945, Burma 1944-45

• Post-War: Korean War 1951–52

From the above Battle Honours the following were actually borne on the Regimental and Queen’s Colour:

• The Regimental Colour:

Belleisle, Martinique 1762, St. Vincent 1797, India, Bourbon, Java, Detroit, Queenstown, Miami, Niagara, Waterloo, Ava, Candahar 1842, Ghuznee 1842, Cahool 1842, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeburg, South Africa 1899–1902, Korea 1951–52.

• The Queen’s Colour:

Aisne 1914–18, Ypres 1914-15-17, Gheluvelt, Loos, Somme 1916–18, Pilkem, Cambrai 1917–18, Macedonia 1915–18, Gallipoli 1915, Gaza, Falaise, Lower Mass, Reichswald, Croce, Italy 1943–45, Crete, Canae, Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead, Sittang 1945, Burma 1944–45.

¹ Awarded for the services of the 69th Foot.

² Awarded in 1909 for the services of the 69th Foot, with the badge of a Naval Crown superscribed 12th April 1782.

References

‘History of the services of the 41st (The Welsh Regiment)’ by Captain and Adjutant D.A.N. Lomax, ‘The History of The Welsh regiment. 1719 – 1918’ author unknown, ‘The History of The Welch Regiment 1919–1951’ Based on the original work of CaptainJ.de Courcy and amplified and enlarged by Major General CEN Lomax CB CBE DSO MC (Colonel The Welch regiment)

External links

41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot, 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot – National Army Museum, The Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh (Brecon), 41st – Regiment History, The Regiment, 1719 to now – 41st Regiment of Foot, Information Services – 17th Battalion The Welch Regiment, Pembroke County War Memorial – Boer War Memorial, 4th (Carmarthenshire) Battalion The Welch Regiment TA, 5th Battalion The Welch Regiment, 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion The Welch Regiment TF.

• Royal Glamorgan Light Infantry
• Wm Fuller at victoriacross.org

 

 

Royal Welsh Regiment

 

Royal Welsh Regiment
Active	1999–2006
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Line Infantry
Role	Infantry

The Royal Welsh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom.

History

The regiment was formed in 1999 as part of the restructuring of the TA by the amalgamation of the two Welsh TA battalions:

• 3rd (V) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers
• 2nd (V) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales

The regiment had a total of five companies:

• HQ Company – Cardiff
• A (RWF) Company – Wrexham
• B (RRW) Company – Swansea
• C (RRW) Company – Pontypridd
• D (RWF) Company – Colwyn Bay

No new cap badge was created for this regiment, soldiers wore their former regimental cap badge or were badged according to the company they joined. As part of the restructuring of the infantry announced in 2004, the Royal Welsh Regiment became the TA battalion of the new amalgamated regiment of Wales, the Royal Welsh, on the 1 March 2006.

 

 

Royal Welsh

The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) (Welsh Y Cymry Brenhinol) is one of the new large infantry regiments of the British Army. Its formation was announced on 16 December 2004 by Geoff Hoon and General Sir Mike Jackson as part of the restructuring of the infantry and it was actually formed on St David’s Day, 1 March 2006. The 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment of Wales), is to be scrapped as part of the Army 2020 defence review.A more recent news report stated that “it will in fact be the 1st Battalion which will disappear, being dissolved into the 2nd Battalion with the latter then being renamed as the 1st.” After the restructuring and reorganisation of the army in 2006, the Royal Welsh is one of three regiments to trace its lineage and draw its recruits primarily from Wales.

Formation

The Royal Welsh consists of just one Regular Army battalion, plus an Army Reserve battalion, and was created through the merger of two single battalion regiments. The former regiments formed part of the battalion title (in brackets):

• 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Welch Fusiliers) (ex 1st Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot)) – a Regular Army light infantry battalion based since August 2008 at Dale Barracks, Chester. This follows a two year tour in Cyprus. Under Army 2020, this will be the only Royal Welsh battalion in the regular army and its new role will be as an armoured infantry battalion, under 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade.
• 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment of Wales) (ex 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)) – a Regular Army armoured infantry battalion based at Lucknow barracks, Tidworth. This battalion merged with 1 R WELSH on 2 April 2014 to form just the 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh.

The Regiment’s cap badge is a representation of the Prince of Wales’s feathers (formerly the cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Wales), while the hackle of the Royal Welch Fusiliers is worn by all NCOs and Other Ranks. HM The Queen is the new regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief.

The regiment includes a goat, presented by the monarch; this is not a mascot but a ranking soldier. Lance Corporal William Windsor retired on 20 May 2009; a replacement, Fusilier William Windsor, was appointed on 15 June 2009.

The 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh (3 R WELSH) is the Regiment’s Reserve battalion. Paired with 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, they will deploy on future Operations with them. The Battalion’s HQ is at Maindy Barracks in Cardiff, with Company locations in Swansea, Pontypridd, Aberystwyth and Colwyn Bay.

Regimental Band and Corps of Drums of The Royal Welsh

The Regimental Band of The Royal Welsh is an all-brass band within the British Army. Formed of 30 soldiers who are all members of the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), it is renowned for its versatility, and can provide:

• Marching Band
• Concert Band
• Fanfare Team

They are perhaps most well-recognised for their performances in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, performing pre-match entertainment and the National Anthems before Wales International Rugby games. They have travelled abroad extensively, including countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Canada and Australia.

On many engagements, the Band is enhanced by the presence of “The Corps of Drums of The Royal Welsh” who with their own inimitable style and expertise add the final polish to any engagement.

In October 2009, due to £54m of Ministry of Defence budget cuts affecting front line services including the war in Afghanistan, all bookings from end of October 2009 until April 2010 were cancelled. This covered the Autumn Rugby Union Internationals and Remembrance Day. Band members agreed to honour all charity appearances during this period, but without pay.^[9] These budget cuts have since been reversed and the band continues to perform.

 

Badges of the

Special Air Service

Special Air Service

David Stirling founded the Special Air Service in 1941. The work done by the Special Air Service (SAS) during World War Two was to revolutionise the way wars could be fought and many other special forces were to copy their tactics.

The philosophy of the SAS was to throw out standard military tactics – in one sense, the regiment had no formal tactics and improvisation was at the heart of their success. Some of the higher echelons of the military were less than enthusiastic about what they called “private armies” and in its early stages, the SAS received little support from on high, especially from those senior officers who had been brought up in the traditional regiments of the British Army. Ironically, Stirling had joined one of these regiments at the start of the war – the Scots Guards.

David Stirling had got a taste for unconventional warfare when he volunteered for 8 Commando, which was more commonly known as ‘Layforce’ after its commander, Captain Robert Laycock. The lack of enthusiasm for Special Forces was shown when Layforce reached North Africa for its first taste of action, only to find that it was effectively disbanded before it had been able to prove itself.

Possibly angered by this treatment of Layforce, and to prove a point, Stirling set about setting up a unit that could fight behind enemy lines with the minimal of support but to devastating effect. Stirling believed that a small group of like-minded, highly trained and dedicated men could cause havoc to the Germans. He was joined in the venture by an Australian called Jock Lewes, an officer in the Welsh Guards.

While in early training, Stirling was injured in a parachute jump. He spent two months in hospital. For this energetic man, it must have been a difficult time as he was by his own standards, inactive. However, Stirling’s hospital stay may well have saved the SAS. Because he could do little physical activity in hospital, Stirling dedicated his time to actual planning – something that he had not done a great deal of before hand. By the end of his hospital stay, Stirling had a very clear idea of what he wanted the regiment to be able to do and the qualities of the men who would fight in it.

Using the unorthodox methods that are now associated with the SAS, Stirling did not go through the normal chain of command when putting forward his idea for the new regiment. He managed to get to see the Deputy Commander Middle East, General Ritchie who presented Stirling’s plans to the British commander in North Africa, General Auchinlek. He authorised the use of the SAS almost immediately as he saw that potential it had in an environment like North Africa.

The first unit of the SAS was made up of 66 men from Layforce and it included seven officers. Its official title was L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade. The title was an effort to confuse the Germans as to the size of the new unit – making it seem larger than it actually was.

The very first mission of the SAS was in November, 1941. The unit was to parachute behind the lines of the German Army in Gazala, North Africa, gather intelligence and harass the Germans where possible. The mission proved to be a failure. Stirling placed too much faith in the capabilities of the men in the unit and gave the go-ahead for them to make a parachute jump in weather than simply did not warrant the risk – high winds and strong rain. Of the 66 men on the mission, only 22 made it back. This was the proof that some needed to prove that ‘private armies’ were a waste and an unnecessary drain on military resources. However, the failure of the mission only spurred on Stirling and Lewes and they learned a great deal from this first outing. Though the SAS was on a steep learning curve, what was learned from this failed mission, was an apt memorial for those who did not return from it.

One of the most obvious lessons Stirling learned was that a parachute drop could be a disaster. Therefore, he turned his attention to his men getting to their objective overland. In this, the SAS joined forces with the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) who were experts in movement behind enemy lines. They would drop off SAS troops at a designated point and then collect them from another set point. Most travelling was at night – though not exclusively. The two units worked very well together, with a devastating impact on the Germans.

The major targets for the SAS were German and Italian air bases. Jock Lewes had many qualities, and inventing things was one of them. The Lewes Bomb was a bomb that was small enough to be carried in quantity by an individual but had a big enough explosive charge to destroy a plane. Weighing in at just one pound, the bomb could ignite the fuel in a plane, thus destroying it. The most successful plane ‘buster’ was Paddy Mayne, who destroyed dozens of planes. The Axis powers in North Africa lost many planes as a result of SAS activity. The actions of the regiment had another impact which is more difficult to quantify. No-one knew where they would attack next and all German forces were on a constant state of alert with the accompanying drain on resources that this entailed. The Germans were literally chasing shadows in the night. The success of the SAS in North Africa provoked Hitler to produce the order (‘Kommandodobefehl’) that stated that any commandos or special forces men that were captured should be shot and not afforded the protection of the Geneva Convention.

The Germans did what they could to stop attacks by the SAS. In response, the regiment changed its approach. They acquired their own transport, which were heavily armed with machine guns and equipped with plenty of supplies. Now they could stay behind enemy lines for days on end and it made it even more difficult for the Germans to predict what they might do next.

When working with the LRDG, the SAS would walk to their target after being dropped off by the LRDG. Now, equipped with Jeeps, they drove onto an airbase in complete surprise and created havoc. The ensuing panic meant that the SAS received relatively light casualties themselves. However, the defeat of the Germans after the Battle of El Alamein, meant that the SAS now had to find a new role for itself after its work in the desert. The regiment turned its attention to Europe.

In Western Europe, the SAS was in an entirely different terrain – one it had no experience of fighting in. However, the philosophy of the regiment stayed the same. In Western Europe, they set up bases behind enemy lines, gathered intelligence and, when possible, created havoc before slipping away. In France, four men units frequently worked with the Maquis, the French Resistance. Communication networks (rail lines, bridges etc) became favoured targets and intelligence gathering greatly assisted the D-Day landings in June 1944. Not everything ended in success though. Twenty four SAS men were captured by the Germans. They were tortured before being killed. In the final days of the war, one of the main tasks of the SAS was to hunt the men who committed this atrocity along with SS and Gestapo thugs.

Ironically, in the brave new post-war world, there did not seem to be a place for the SAS and it faded away only to be resurrected when its expertise was needed in the Far East against communist insurgents.

 

The Sacred band was a Greekspecial forces unit formed in 1942 in the Middle East, composed entirely of Greek officers and officer cadets under the command of Col. Christodoulos Tsigantes. It fought alongside the SAS in the Libyan desert and the Aegean, as well as with General Leclerc‘s Free French Forces in Tunisia. It was disbanded in August 1945 but is the precursor of the modern Greek Special Forces.

History

Establishment

Further information: Military history of Greece during World War II

Immediately after the German occupation of Greece in April–May 1941, the Greek government fled to Egypt and started to form military units in exile. The plethora of officers in relation to the number of ordinary soldiers, led Air Force Lt. Colonel G. Alexandris to suggest the creation of an Army unit, formed by officers, with soldier’s duties. This suggestion was approved by the Commander of the II Greek Brigade, Infantry Colonel Alkiviadis Bourdaras. Some volunteers that fled firstly to Turkey were told that they would not be accepted if identified as soldiers. Therefore according to reports they claimed to be Greek officers and later joined the original group of officers. Firemen were also reported in that group. Thus, in August 1942 the Company of Chosen Immortals was formed under Cavalry Major Antonios Stefanakis in Palestine, with 200 men. Initially, the unit was organized as a Machine Gun Company and intended to be attached to the II Greek Brigade, then under formation.

However, on September 15, 1942, the unit’s new commander, Colonel Tsigantes, renamed the unit to “Sacred Band” after the Sacred Band of Thebes and the Sacred Band of the Greek Revolution, and successfully applied for its conversion into a special forces unit.

SAS Squadron

In close cooperation with the commander of the British SAS Regiment, Lt. Colonel David Stirling, and with the approval of the Greek HQ, the company moved to the SAS base at Qabrit in Egypt to begin its training in its new role. However, following the Second Battle of El Alamein, the speed of the Allied advance across Libya brought an end to the era of jeep-borne raiding.

Nevertheless, this period provided a useful introduction to the SAS Regiment in general, and Major Jellicoe’s squadron in particular. This squadron was being built upon the amphibious skills of the famous Commando unit, the Special Boat Section (SBS) and would become the Special Boat Squadron (SBS). With the end of the war in Africa, in May, the SAS split into two branches. The Special Raiding Squadron would serve in the central Mediterranean, before returning home to develop an airborne role, whilst the SBS would serve in the Aegean, operating alongside the Greek Sacred Squadron for the rest of the War. Both were later expanded to Regimental status.

Meanwhile, the Greeks were keen to put their new jeep-borne role into practice.

First actions in Tunisia

On 7 February 1943, following Colonel Tsigantes’ suggestion, the Commander of the British 8th Army, General Bernard Montgomery, put the Greek company under the command of General Jacques-Philippe Leclerc of the Free French2nd Armoured Division, with the duties of Light Mechanized Cavalry. On March 10, 1943, in the area of Ksar-Rillan in Tunisia, the Sacred Band gave its first battle against a German mechanized detachment, while covering the advance of the X British Army Corps that tried to by-pass the Mareth defence line from the South.

Immediately after the Allied forces captured the Tunisian city of Gabès, the Sacred Company was detailed to the 2nd New Zealand Division (March 29) and on April 6, a mixed Greek-New Zealand detachment fought against the Germans at Wadi Akarit. On 12 April the Sacred Band entered Sousse, and participated in the battle for Enfidaville between April 13 and 17.

Commando actions in the Aegean

Further information: Dodecanese Campaign

From May 1943, the Sacred Band, now composed of 314 men, moved to Palestine, in various camps. In July, it went to Jenin for parachute training. There it also underwent a reorganization into an HQ Section, a Base Section, and Commando Sections I, II and III. After the Italian armistice on 9 September 1943, British forces moved into the Italian-occupied, but Greek-inhabited Dodecanese islands. Section I of the Sacred Band was dropped by air to the Greek island of Samos on 30 October, while sections II and III moved there on fishing boats. With the failure of the campaign after the battle of Leros, however, Samos was evacuated, and the men of the Sacred Band withdrew to the Middle East.

In February 1944, it was put under the command of the British Raiding Forces. On February 7, Section I moved for combat operations to the islands of the northern Aegean sea (Samos, Psara, Lesvos, Chios), while Section II moved to the Dodecanese with the same purpose.

In April 1944, the Sacred Band was expanded to regimental size, with a strength of around 1,000 men. This reflected the unit’s effectiveness, and, from a British standpoint, political reliability in the face of mounting political tensions among the Greek forces in exile.

The Dekemvriana, end of war and disbandment of the unit

After the Greek mainland was liberated (October 1944), the Sacred Band returned to Greece, where strains were becoming evident in the relationship of George Papandreou‘s British-backed national unity government and the leftist National Liberation Front (EAM), which controlled most of the Greek countryside. The crucial issue was the disarmament of the guerrilla forces and the formation of a new national army out of members of both the exiled armed forces and the guerrillas of ELAS and EDES. However, the Papandreou government wished to retain the Sacred Band and the 3rd Greek Rimini Mountain Brigade intact: faced with the far larger guerilla army of uncertain political intent, Papandreou and the British wished to keep these units and make them the core of the new army. Disbanding them would mean that their members would become individual recruits in a possibly EAM-dominated people’s army. This tension eventually spilled over into the Dekemvriana events in Athens, where the Sacred Band fought against ELAS forces.

Throughout October 1944, and then again from February 1945, after the fighting in Athens had ended, the Sacred Band continued operating against the remaining German garrisons in the islands of the Aegean Sea until the war’s end in May 1945. In June, the unit returned to Egypt prior to its disbandment, which took place in a ceremony in Athens, on 7 August 1945. During the ceremony the unit’s flag was awarded with Greece’s highest military awards, the Commander’s Cross of the Cross of Valour and the War Cross First Class. The unit’s casualties throughout its existence amounted to 25 dead, 56 wounded, 3 missing and 29 taken prisoner.

In the Greek Army, some of the Sacred Band’s traditions are carried on by the Mountain Raiding Companies (LOK), founded in 1946.

British connections

As a unit operating under British direction, the Sacred Squadron and Regiment had British officers attached. Some were figures well known in military or other circles.

• Walter Milner-Barry (officer of the Transjordan Frontier Force and SBS).
• Ian Lapraik (famous SBS and later 21 SAS officer).
• Wilfred Thesiger (officer of the Sudan Defence Force and, briefly the SAS, but best known as a desert explorer and author).

Translations of the unit name

Understandably, there is considerable variation in the translation of the unit’s name into other European languages. It is perhaps most commonly referred to by British historians as the Sacred Brigade, even though it never reached anywhere near brigade strength, and occasionally as the Sacred Company, Sacred Squadron or Sacred Battalion. French military historians tend to refer to it as “Le Regiment Sacré”. In contemporary Greek military parlance, a “lochos” is a company, but the unit’s full strength was much closer to that of a regular infantry regiment.

 

 

 

Special Reconnaissance Regiment

The Special Reconnaissance Regiment or SRR is a Special Forces regiment of the British Armed Forces. It was established on 6 April 2005 and is part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) under command Director Special Forces,^[1] alongside the Special Air Service (SAS), Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG).

The SRR was formed to meet a demand for a special reconnaissance capability identified in the Strategic Defence Review New Chapter. The regiment conducts a wide range of classified activities related to covert surveillance and reconnaissance. The SRR draws its personnel from existing units and can recruit volunteers from serving male and female members of all the United Kingdoms Armed Forces.

Formation

The Ministry of Defence does not comment on special forces matters, therefore little verifiable information exists in the public domain. The Special Reconnaissance Regiment was raised at RMA Sandhurst and conducts surveillance operations mainly but not limited to counter terrorist activities. It was formed to relieve the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service of that role, and is believed to contain between 100 – 300 personnel.

Media reports state they are based alongside the Special Air Service, in Hereford.he regiment was established following a Strategic Defence white paper identifying a requirement for assets to engage in covert special reconnaissance and surveillance in support of military activities worldwide. It is the second newest Special Forces regiment in the United Kingdom’s Armed forces, announced by the then Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon in 2004.

The regiment was formed around a core of the already established 14 Intelligence Company which played a similar role against Irish republican and loyalist terrorism in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland

In March 2009, Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde informed the Policing Board that the Special Reconnaissance Regiment had been deployed in Northern Ireland to help gather intelligence on dissident republicans.

Uniform distinctions

Personnel retain the uniforms of their parent organisations with the addition of an ’emerald grey’ coloured beret and the SRR cap badge. The cap badge shares Excalibur (the sword of King Arthur) in common with the other Special Forces units, in the case of the SRR placed behind a Corinthian helmet surmounting a scroll inscribed RECONNAISSANCE.The stable belt of the SRR is similar in style to that of the SAS, however is darker in appearance, being Midnight Blue.

 

Gurkha unknown badges

Nepal – The Land and the People

Nepal lies along the mountains of the central portion of the Himalayas. This rectangular piece of South Asia has acted as an important bridge linking two ancient civilizations of the Asian continent – China in the North and India in the South. The land slopes downwards from the almost impenetrable and mighty Himalayan wall of the North until it reaches the Southern fertile Tarai plains. The narrow track of Tarai plains was once covered by thick tropical forest known as the Char Kose Jhadi. This malarial curtain kept settlements out until recently when the forests started being cleared and people from all directions came to settle down, making it the fastest growing habitated area in the country. India lies to the South of the Tarai. The river Mechi flowing from North to South is the Eastern border and the river Mahakali makes up the Western border of Nepal. Nepal was once much more extensive and included the present-day Indian Kumaun and Gadhwal and all the hill country West to the river Sutlej.

Between the Himalayas and the Tarai plains lie two mountain ranges running from West to East broken only by streams and rivers that run from North to South. These natural furrows have acted as natural barriers against the movement of people from one part of the country to the other which meant that the isolated communities could enjoy their own unique lifestyles without hindrance from others. The Mahabharat range reaching up to 10,000 ft in height takes up the largest area of the country and most of the Nepalese live on the slopes and valleys of this range. The Chure or Siwalik range, a single file of sandstone hills running from the East to the West, not exceeding 300 to 600 feet from the base, is the outer border of the mountainous ranges. The Tarai lies to the South of Chure and serves as the rice bowl of Nepal today.

The Nepal Himalayas consist of four major massifs making the formidable Northern wall throughout the length of the country-Nanda Devi (25,700 feet); Dhaulagiri (26,826 feet); Gosainthan (26,305); and Kanchanjunga (28,156 feet). The 29,028 feet Mount Everest lies roughly midway and gives off no main ridges.

The climate of Nepal varies according to the landscape. Farther North, between the Great Himalaya and the Tibetan marginal mountains, lie the Bhot valleys, which resemble in almost every respect the Tibetan landscape. The Bhot valleys offer a typically tundra climate, with cool summers and very cold winters. The Southern Tarai and inner valleys have a hot, humid, tropical climate. The centrally located mountain and hilly areas offer conditions between these two extremes. In spite of the great variations available, the climate can generally be described as temperate.

The mountains stop the monsoon winds blowing from the Southeast providing the country with plenty of rains from June to September. However, the winds get drier as they flow West making the Eastern parts wetter than the West. Small amounts of winter rain are also brought by winds from the Arabian Sea. Due to the influence of topography, great variations in the amount of rainfall are found even in rather small localities. The rain shadow areas of the Tibetan plateau, which contain the Northernmost parts of Nepal, get very little rain, some years not at all. Given the narrowness of the rectangle, as the breadth of Nepal does not cover more than five degrees in latitude in any part, the range in climate is striking. The climatic variations offer a sanctuary for a wide variety of plant and animal species. The biodiversity is one of the richest even though the area of the land mass is small.

This diversity in climate, plants and animals is matched only by the diversity of people and their individual lifestyles. Within such a small geographical area many different ethnic groups have settled on the slopes of separate mountains and in valleys. Throughout the ages, people from North, South, East and West settled in these parts bringing in their influences to create a unique culture. Records show that some 93 different languages are spoken in Nepal, besides the Nepali language itself. These people have lived in the difficult terrain for centuries toiling hard for a simple lifestyle. Their hospitality and honesty have been highly regarded throughout the world. They have learned to use the mountains not only for their livelihood and lifestyle but for their security as well. The harsh conditions and independent mindset nurtured the strong martial spirit of the Nepalese people, which has been well known throughout history. Ancient scriptures reflect that Nepalese forces had fought even during the Mahabharat war.

The rugged landscape offers some passes, albeit for only hardened human beings, to traverse. These breaks or passes have served as strategic points for contacts between the Northern and Southern civilizations since time immemorial. There are more than half a dozen passes through the Nepal Himalayas leading to the Tibetan plateau that have been regularly used to this day.

Apart from the numerous streams which originate in the mountainous country before furrowing their way to the South, three main rivers provide some basin landscapes in Nepal. The snow fed rivers rise in the Himalayas and provide a perennial source of water for irrigation, transportation and the like. They are: the Western basin of the Karnali, Central basin of the Gandaki and the Eastern basin of the Koshi.

The Origin of Histroy

Recorded history of Nepal begins after 350 BC. Documented evidences, apart from the scriptures, are not available for periods before that. Different kings of different dynasties like Gopal, Mahishpal, Kirat and Lichchabi had ruled over this country during the Pauranic (ancient) Age. Capturing other principalities and invading territories through armed might was common practice. Records show that the institution of the army was initiated just after 350 AD. In those days, the neighboring countries, including China, Tibet and Southern states, known as India today, had armies of their own. Nepal had also maintained her military strength according to documents of the reigns of prominent Lichchavi kings, including Mandev, Shiva Dev, Narendra Dev and Anshuvarma. King Narendra Dev’s Nepal had extended the cooperation of 7,000 cavalry and 3,500 infantry troops in the year 647 AD at the request of China to attack a Southern kingdom.

The armed forces used to be centrally located during the ancient times, whereas, in the middle age, they were deployed in vital locations like fortresses in strategically important places of the country. The commander of the fortress was called “Kwantha Nayak” and they were very powerful. The Malla dynasties ruled Nepal in the middle age. Newar Malla kings ruled over Kathmandu valley and the surrounding areas while the Karnali region was ruled by Khas Malla kings, who had maintained powerful armies. King Jitari Malla had attacked Kathmandu valley but the Khas Malla forces were ignobly defeated by the Newari Malla soldiers.

During this period, Nepal was divided into fifty different principalities which meant that military strength remained dispersed. Soldiers were maintained by the kings, princes, chiefs of army, mulmi, kwantha nayaks and umraos. These traditional ranks were prestigious positions in the army. Since some of the principalities were stronger than the others, there were continuous clashes. In Kathmandu valley, and also in Doti, it is now known that Indian mercenaries had also been used. The significance of military might derived from the Pauranic Age was well understood and used liberally.

The 1700s was a century of uncertainty throughout the world. Rivalry among states was not confined to this part of the planet. The world military powers like Britain, France and Portugal were busy creating colonies in different parts. Clashes in their interests resulted in wars in different countries. Britain and France were also moving towards South and Southeast Asia. This threatened Nepal as well.

The British East India Company had already captured major parts of India and was moving forward towards the Northeast and approaching Nepal. Nepal was divided into many principalities during this period. It was at this time that King Prithvi Narayan Shah, hailing from one of the principalities called Gorkha, decided to unify Nepal. He was the architect of modern Nepal. Although, Gorkha was small and economically weak, King Prithvi Narayan Shah astounded the world by carrying out such a challenging task under such difficult circumstances. The Unification Campaign was initiated in 1740 AD at which time the British had already started colonizing the Indian provinces.

This was a turning point in the history of the Nepalese army (NA). Since unification was not possible without a strong army, the management of the armed forces had to be exceptional. Apart from the standard army being organized in Gorkha, technicians and experts had to be brought in from abroad to manufacture war materials. After the Gorkhali troops finally captured Kathmandu (then known as Nepal), the Gorkhali armed forces came to be known as the Nepalese Army.

Their gallantry, sincerity and simplicity impressed even the enemy, so much so, that the British East- India Company started recruiting Nepalese into their forces. Since the British had fought against the Nepalese Army, which was till that time, still colloquially known as “Army of Gorkha” or “Gorkhali” army, the British took to calling their new soldiers “Gurkhas”. Hence, in essence, the “Gorkha” heritage belongs, first and foremost, to the Nepalese Army.

There is still some misunderstanding that the Nepalese Army is a part of the British and Indian Armies. The Gurkha Rifles existing in India and Britain are part of foreign military organizations where Nepalese are recruited. The NA rightfully is the proud national army of sovereign and independent Nepal with an unbroken history since the year 1744. The fact that Nepal and the Nepalese people have never been subjugated by any colonial power is a significant achievement of the Nepalese Army. King Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great was the founder of the Nepalese Army.

The Unification Battles

Nuwakot, a strategic area in the Northwest of Kathmandu valley, belonged to the kingdom of Kathmandu. King Narabhupal Shah, the father of Prithvi Narayan Shah had tried to annex Nuwakot into Gorkha. But his attempt had failed. The first attempt by King Prithvi Narayan also failed. So, this was really the third attempt by the Gorkha King.

Kazi Kalu Pande, the Gorkhali commander, chalked out a strategy to mount a sudden attack against the defenders from an unexpected direction without giving the enemy opportunity for counterattack. When Kazi Kalu Pande began to climb up from the North, it was dawn of the 26th of September 1744. The defenders of Nuwakot were still sleeping. The Gorkhali forces reached Mahamandal, a tactical outpost in Nuwakot, and mounted a surprise attack there. Shankha Mani, the commander of the defenders, began to encourage his panic-stricken soldiers to stand up and fight against the Gorkhalis, but to no avail. He himself took a sword, charged forward and wounded a few Gorkhali soldiers. He had already sustained injuries. He advanced towards Dal Mardan Shah, brother of Prithvi Narayan Shah, and challenged him. Dal Mardan Shah was just 13 years old. Dal Mardan Shah answered the challenge and with a swift strike on Shankha Mani’s head, killed him on the spot. Kalu Pande’s plans had proved successful.

Another group of Gorkhali soldiers led by Chautaria Mahadam Kirti Shah, another brother of Prithvi Narayan Shah, crossed Dharampani but met with strong resistance. The battle continued for a while and ultimately the Gorkhali forces prevailed. Many defenders died and the remaining fled.

The third group, led by King Prithvi Narayan Shah himself, began to advance swiftly towards Nuwakot Gadhi (fort) after receiving news of the capture of Mahamandal. The death of Shankha Mani had taken the wind out of the defenders’ sail. They began to flee towards Belkot instead of fighting. Kazi Kalu Pande reached Nuwakot with a small contingent of forces. Mahodam Kirti Shah also arrived. King Prithvi Narayan Shah entered the Nuwakot Gadhi fortress. Nuwakot was annexed to the Gorkha State. The first foothold in the process of unification of Nepal had been secured.

Over the next few years, this success was followed by a deliberate and practical strategy to lay general siege on the Kathmandu Valley from all directions. Another important step in the initial unification campaign was the conquering of Kirtipur, the fortress in the southern part of Kathmandu valley. Gorkhali troops had failed twice to secure Kirtipur. King Prithvi Narayan Shah changed his plan and encircled and blockaded the whole fort. A six-month long siege by the Gorkhali forces created panic among its inhabitants. The Kirtipur Commander, on 12th March, 1766, opened the gates of the fort at mid-night and surrendered to the Gorkhali forces. Kirtipur was annexed to Gorkha without any battle.

Similar blockade tactics also helped secure Makawanpur, south of Kathmandu Valley. Well known names like Mohaddam Kirti Shah, Surpratap Shah, Dalamardan Shah, Rana Rudra Shah, Nandu Shah, Kaji Bamsa Raj Pandey, Kaji Kehar Singh Basnyat, Kaji Nahar Singh Basnyat and Kaji Abhiman singh Basnyat were dispatched with about 1,100 fighting troops to encircle the Makawanpur fortress by the dawn of 20th August 1762.

King Digbardhan Sen and his minister Kanak Singh Baniya had already sent their families to safer grounds before the encirclement of their fortress. The Gorkhalis launched an attack on 21st August 1762. The battle lasted for eight hours. King Digbardhan and his minister Kanak Singh escaped to Hariharpur Gadhi. Makawanpur was thus annexed to Nepal.

After occupying the Makawanpur Gadhi fort, the Gorkhali forces started planning for an attack on Hariharpur Gadhi, a strategic fort on a mountain ridge of the Mahabharat range, also south of Kathmandu. It controlled the route to the Kathmandu valley. At the dusk of 4th October, 1762, the Gorkhalis launched the attack. The soldiers at Hariharpur Gadhi fought valiantly against the Gorkha forces, but were ultimately forced to vacate the Gadhi after mid-night. About 500 soldiers of Hariharpur died in the battle.

The unification process by Prithvi Narayan Shah continued after this death in 1775. The Kangra fort, now part of Himachal Pradesh of India, was kept under encirclement for three years during the unification battles by the Nepalese Army under the command of Bada Kazi Amar Singh Thapa. In the years that followed the death of King Pritvi Narayan Shah, his younger son Regent Bahadur Shah and others had succeeded in extending Nepal to the Sutlej river (now in India) and beyond in the West and Sikkim and Bhutan to the East. The Kangra fort, situated on top of a hill about 64 Kilometers from the Vyas river, was considered impregnable and had a great strategic and military importance.

Sansar Chand, the king of Kangra, was unpopular even amongst his countrymen. Amar Singh Thapa camped his forces at Jwalamukhi, from where a contingent of Nepali forces laid seige to the Kangra fort. Sansar Chand sent a message to Amar singh Thapa saying he intended to give up control of the Kangra fort and Tara Gadh and hand them over to him. He asked for a period of ten days to do so. Amar Singh Thapa withdrew his forces from the gates of Ganesh valley. But Sansar Chand was just buying time and secretly approaching Ranjit Singh of Punjab for help. Ranjit Singh along with his 1,500 Sikh soldiers reached the Kangra fort, dodging the Nepalese. He launched a multipronged attack against the Nepali forces. The first battle was fought at Ganesh valley, the second at Gorkha Tila and the last at Malkan da. A fierce fight raged in the Ganesh valley, where both sides suffered heavy casualties. The Sikhs made a retreat but again attacked in the evening. The Nepali forces had to give up some positions in the battle. Ultimately, a peace treaty was signed between the opposite camps. The Nepali forces had to fall back to Sutlej river on 24th August, 1809. The battle of Kangra was the last of the unification battles, except for the annexation of Palpa which was accomplished after the death of Regent Prince Bahadur Shah.

Defending a Nation in the Making

If the unification battles brought the bravery of the Gorkhalis into the limelight, that bravery was to be tested to the limits by the wars they had to fight to preserve the fledgling Kingdom. The stories that follow show how the Nepalese forces kept up their reputation even during adverse circumstances. They were almost always vastly outnumbered and outgunned, but rarely out-soldiered.

Battle against Mir Kassim – 1763 AD

The fortress of Makawanpur has a historical and military significance for the Nepalese. It was here that the Nepalese defeated superior forces of Mir Qasim and seized 500 guns and two cannons. Later on, these weapons were used by Nepalese troops and four regular companies were established, namely, Sri Nath, Kalibox, Barda Bahadur (Bardabahini) and Sabuj. (Purano) Gorakh Company was established a few months later. It was the first rank and file system beginning the modern organizational history of the Nepalese Army. The battle against Mir Qasim’s troops was the first battle of the Nepalese Army against a foreign power.

Sardar Nandu Shah was the fortress Commander of Makawanpur with 400 troops, some guns and home-made traditional weapons like Dhanu (bows), Khukuri, Talwar (swords), Ghuyatro (sling shot) etc. They devised different hit-and-run strategies to surprise the enemy. For instance, a night spoiling attack base was set up on the Taplakhar mountain ridge.

Mir Qassim’s renowned warrior, Gurgin Khan commanded about 2,500 troops with cannons, guns, ammunition and superior logistics back up. Their attack base was at the bottom of the Makawanpur Gadhi hill. They had planned a night attack. When the enemy’s heavy forces marched on December 1762 and arrived at Harnamadi in January 1763, they found all the local houses already evacuated and the area short of food provisions. Makawanpur Gadhi was on top of a mountain, about nine kilometers uphill from the Harnamadi area. Although the Nepalese had physically occupied all the fortresses enroute, the enemy was able to initially push them back to the Makawanpur Gadhi area.

About 300 troops launched a strong attack on 20th January 1763 putting the Nepalese even more on the defensive. But they were totally surprised by the preplanned spoiling sttack when they were resting in Taplakhar, where Kaji Bamsa Raj Pandey led a downhill attack on them. Kaji Naharsigh Basnyat led an uphill attack from below them and Nandu Shah led a frontal attack. The smooth coordination among the three, leading their, by now battle-hardened, troops in the dark of the night, led the bewildered enemy to scatter. About 1700 of them died and 30 Nepalese soldiers were lost in that battle. The Nepalese captured 500 rifles and two canons with other military equipment. More importantly, the battle led to the beginning of a modern reorganization of the Nepalese Army.

Defeating the Kinloch Campaign- 1767 AD

King Jayaprakash Malla of Kantipur was in search of foreign military help against the Gorkhali military campaign. He decided to seek urgent military assistance from East India Company’s Consular General of Betiya, Mr. Goulding, in March 1767. King Prithvi Narayan Shah for his part sent a message to the British asking them not to help the Malla King. But the company ignored the message and a threatening letter was sent to King Prithvi Narayan Shah to fall back to Gorkha and not to block the trade routes to Kathmandu Valley.

Captain Kinloch, a veteran of many campaigns, was the Commander of about 2,400 well armed and equipped men. He planned to advance from Patna (India) to Panauti (Kabhrepalanchok). Kinloch marched from Patna on 17th August 1767. But when they were marching form Dhungrebas to Sindhuli Gadhi, the Nepalese troops launched ferocious surprise attacks from both front and rear, routing the column. Captain Kinloch managed to escape with about 1600 men. Kinloch fell back to Janakpur with his surviving troops. He planned to launch another offensive via the Bagmati river and the target was Hariharpur Gadhi. He reorganized and regrouped his surviving troops.His second military expedition started towards Hariharpur Gadhi on 20th September 1767. But the adverse weather conditions and the swelling river stalled his advance.

Prithvi Narayan Shah deployed Kaji Ram Krishna Kunwar with reinforcements at Hariharpur Gadhi. When Kinloch received the news he lost heart. He was physically restricted by the flooded Bagmati and mentally harassed by the Nepalese Army tactics. With low morale among the troops, Kinloch reluctantly retreated to India in disgrace after a small battle.

Anglo-Nepal War 1814 AD – 1816 AD

Border tensions and ambitious expansionism led to the inevitable Anglo-Nepal War in 1814. Nepal was in difficulty due to shortage of war materials as the Nepalese had been fighting continuously for half a century, ever since the unification process began. Huge amount of resources were spent on the first and second wars against the Tibetans. And now, they had to fight the numerically superior and well equipped British. The commanders of the Nepalese Army were hard pushed to concentrate the troops in time because they remained over extended and scattered in many places between the Tista river in the East to the Alakhnanda of Gadhwal in the West. Bada Kaji Amar Singh Thapa, Sardar Bhakti Thapa and Captain Bir Balabhadra Kunwar were not in favour of war with the British at the time, but, Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa and his officers had calculated otherwise. Nepal had about 14,000 troops. They had some pieces of cannons and about 4,000 rifles to fight the British.

The Nepal-East India Company war was a painful ordeal for Nepal. About half of the Nepalese territory was lost in this war. But the battles also proved the fighting mettle of the Nepalese under severely adverse conditions. The British military strategy against Nepal was to launch multiple offensives to split reaction while primarily threatening Kathmandu directly. Their strategy was to capture the whole of Kumaun and Gadhwal, Bushair in what is now a part of India’s Himanchal Pradesh and adjoining hill states. The British also wanted to free other areas from Gorkha control. For this they would have to contain the Sikhs and the Marathas through alliances. They would also need to pacify the Chinese. The British made a detailed plan for a huge offensive thrust against Nepal, which was designed to divide the Nepalese forces into fragments. Their armed forces not only greatly outnumbered the Nepalese side but had far superior weapons. Major General Marley led the first division to seize the pass at Makawanpur as a preliminary step to advance to Kathmandu. Major General John Sullivan Wood led the second division. Major General Rollow Gillespie had the third division under his command and his aim was to advance to Deharadun via Saharanpur and then reach Srinagar. Colonel David Ochterlony was given the fourth division to advance through Bilaspur- Ramgadh, Arki/Malaun-Subathu-Jaithak and then link up with Gilliespie’s troops. Captain B Latter was given approximately 2,400 troops to secure a firm base and provide flank protection to Major General Marley’s troops from the Eastern direction.

Battle of Jitgadh 1814 AD

With the help of an ousted Palpali king, Major General Wood planned to march on Siuraj, Jit Gadhi and Nuwakot with a view to bypass the Butwol defenses, flushing out minor opposition on the axis, and assault Palpa from a less guarded flank.

Nepalese Colonel Ujir Singh Thapa had deployed his 1200 troops in many defensive positions including Jit Gadhi, Nuwakot Gadhi and Kathe Gadhi. The troops under Colonel Ujir were very disciplined and he himself was a dedicated and able commander. He was famous for exploiting advantage in men, material, natural resources and well versed in mountain tactics.

The British advance took place on 22nd Poush1871 BS (January 1814 AD) to Jit Gadh. While they were advancing to this fortress, crossing the Tinau River, the Nepalese troops opened fire from the fortress.

Another of the attackers’ columns was advancing to capture Tansen Bazar. Here too, Nepalese spoiling attacks forced the General to fall back to Gorakhpur. About 70 Nepalese lost their lives in Nuwakot Gadhi. Meanwhile, more than 300 of the enemy perished.

Battle of Makwanpur Gadhi 1814 AD

Major General Marley was tasked to occupy Hetauda and capture the fortresses of Hariharpur and Makawanpur before proceeding to Kathmandu. His frontage of advance lay between Rapati river and Bagmati river. After additional reinforcements, he had 12,000 troops for his offensive against the Makawanpur and Hariharpur axis. A big attack base was established but Major General Marley showed reluctance to take risks against the Nepalese. Some skirmishes had already started taking place. Similarly, Major General George Wood, sometimes known as the Tiger of the British Indian Army, proved exceedingly cautious against the hard charging Nepalese.

Colonel Ranabir Singh Thapa, brother of Bhimsen Thapa, was to be the Sector Commander of Makawanpur-Hariharpur axis. He was given a very large fortress and about 4,000 troops with old rifles and a few pieces of cannons. But the British could not move forward from the border. Colonel Ranabir Singh Thapa had been trying to lure the enemies to his selected killing area. But Major General Wood would not venture forward from Bara Gadhi and he eventually fell back to Betiya.

Battle of Hariharpur Gadhi 1815 AD

No special military action had taken place in Hariharpur Gadhi fortress in the first campaign. Major General Bannet Marley and Major General George Wood had not been able to advance for an offensive against Makawanpur and Hariharpur Gadhi fortresses.

Battle of Nalapani 1814 AD

Gillespie’s Army entered Dehradun well before the declaration of war. When Bal Bhadra Kunwar, commander of the Nepalese Army defences there, heard of the approach of the British Army and its size, he realized that it would be impossible to defend the city. He withdrew from Dehradun and moved his six hundred men, mainly of Purano Gorakh Batallion including dependents, to a hill Northeast of the city, where he took up position in the small fort of Nalapani, Khalanga.

The first British attack on Nalapani took place on 31st October, the day before the official declaration of war. Gillespie’s plan was to storm the fort from three sides. Under cover of fire, pioneers swarmed up to the walls, only to be cut down by the fearsome blast of Bal Bhadra’s cannon. Gillespie’s men fell back. Bravely, but perhaps a bit foolishly, Gilespie moved forward to rally his men but a Nepalese Army marksman got him. Marley and Wood never really recovered from the shock of Gillespie’s death, and even with very substantial reinforcements they could not be brought to engage the Nepalese Army in their respective areas of responsibility.

Major Mawbey, who was next in command at Nalapani, after reinforcement, bombarded the fort and breached the wall. The British forces then tried to storm the breach, but hesitated when they found their way blocked by sharpened bamboo sticks. The Nepalese Army troops fired on the attackers and drove them off. The day ended with the British withdrawing. British casualties for the day mounted to over five hundred men dead and wounded. And still Bal Bhadra held his position.

Mawbey then instructed his by now strongly reinforced gunners to fire into the fort, and he sent scouts out to discover the fort’s water sources. The water supply was finally blocked, and the Nepalese were forced to evacuate the fort on 30 November, but Bal Bhadra and some seventy of his men were able to cut their way through and escape into the hills. This battle more than any other established the warrior reputation of the Gorkhalis. Balbhadra and his 600 had held against the might of the British/native troops for a month. Gen Gillipsie had been killed. Even with only 70 remaining survivors after his water source had been cut off, Balbhadra refused to surrender, instead charged out and successfully hacked their way through the seige. It set the tone for the rest of the campaign. To this day, the British made memorials still stand in Nalapani. One in the honour of Gillespie but the other, in the highest traditions of the British Army, in honour of “Our brave adversary Bul Buddur (Bal Bhadra) and his gallant men”.

Battle of Jythak 1814 AD

Nalapani had cost both sides dearly, but in Nahan and Jaithak, further West, they were to suffer more. Kazi Amar Singh Thapa’s son, Ranajor Singh Thapa, was in command there. Nahan had been left undefended, and Ranajor Singh set up his defences at Jaithak on a ridge overlooking Nahan. Major-General Martindell, who had meanwhile assumed command of Gillespie’s forces, took possession of Nahan on 25 December and immediately set about preparations for the attack on Ranajor Singh’s positions.

The result of the first day’s battle at Jaithak was almost a repetition of the first day at Nala Pani for the British. They were the very troops who had fought at Nalapani – British grenadiers, not just the native sepoys. During the night of 25th December, Major Richards set out first taking his troops on a wide sixteen mile sweep around to the North to get into position for the attack on Ranajor Singh’s ridge, early the next morning. Major Ludlow, who led the attack up the Southern slope of the ridge, left camp in the early hours of the 26th. The combined force of British grenadiers and Indian sepoys carried on to a small ruined temple, where they were to await the attack by Major Richard’s party to the North. In the distance a small, lightly defended Nepalese Army stockade was seen which the British grenadiers in Ludlow’s force attacked to avenge the humiliation they were suffering. This was a questionable move as it meant abandoning the original battle plan.

Jaspao Thapa who had concealed the major part of his forces in a slight hollow behind that stockade, sent out flanking parties on both sides of the British troops. When the force of the British charge was broken on the stockade itself, these flankers caught the British in a deadly cross-fire. The Nepalese Army soldiers pursued the British down the mountain side. The Indian sepoys who were waiting in the assigned area to the rear were caught up in the rush of the retreat, which rapidly developed into a rout. Ludlow and his men, defeated and exhausted, arrived back in camp at the foot of the ridge before 1000 that morning, before, in fact, the attack had even been scheduled to begin.

Meanwhile, Major Richards and his men on the Northern approaches managed to secure a point on the top of the ridge and hold it throughout most of the day. But they were pinned down by Nepalese Army fire, and instead of reinforcing them, Martindell, fearing another Nalapani, ordered Richards and his men to retreat. This first day of battle at Jaithak cost the British over three hundred men dead and wounded and cooled Martindell’s ardour for battle. For over a month and a half, he refused to take any further initiative against the Nepalese Army. Thus by mid-February, of the four British commanders the Nepalese Army had faced till that time, Gillespie was dead, Marley had deserted, Wood was harassed into inactivity, and Martindell was practically incapacitated by over-cautiousness. It set the scene for Octorloney to soon show his mettle and change the course of the war.