The 1st Argyll & Bute Artillery Volunteers was a part-time unit of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

formed in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in 1860 in response to a French invasion threat. It 1908 it became the only Mountain Artillery unit in the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

, and saw action at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

and

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

it became the first Territorial Anti-Tank unit. One of its successor units was captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...

, but others saw action in the campaigns in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, and in

North West Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, North ...

from

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

, including

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

and the Rhine Crossing. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1955.

Artillery Volunteers

The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle and Artillery Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular

in time of need. The 1st Administrative Brigade, Argyll Artillery Volunteers, was formed with headquarters (HQ) at

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, ...

, on 10 October 1861 to include the following corps of

Argyllshire Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs):Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 24–6.Frederick, pp. 649–50.Grierson, pp. 149–51.''Army List'', various dates. * 1st Corps formed at

Easdale Easdale ( gd, Eilean Èisdeal) is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland. Once the centre of the Scottish slate industry, there has been some recent island regeneration by the owners. This is the smallest of the Inner Hebrides' ...

on 7 March 1860 (two batteries) * 2nd Corps formed at Tarbert,

Loch Fyne Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound ...

, on 12 April 1860 (disbanded 1862) * 3rd Corps formed at Oban on 8 March 1860 * 4th Corps formed at West Tarbert on 12 April 1860; moved to Dunmore 1864, and Eonachan 1866 (disbanded 1874) * 5th Corps formed at

Ardgour Ardgour () (, meaning ''Height of the goats'') is an area of the Scottish Highlands on the western shore of Loch Linnhe. It lies north of the district of Morvern and east of the district of Sunart. Administratively it is now part of the wa ...

on 16 January 1861 (one subdivision, disbanded in 1865) * 6th Corps formed at

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishin ...

on 11 February 1861 (Increased to two batteries, 1870) * 7th Corps formed at

Port Ellen Port Ellen ( gd, Port Ìlein) is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder, Walter Frederick Campbell. Its previous name, ''Leòdamas'', is derived from Old Norse meaning "Leòd's Ha ...

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's capital ...

, on 3 July 1861 * 8th Corps formed at South Hall on 10 September 1861; moved to

Castle Toward Castle Toward ( gd, Caisteal an Toll Àird) is a nineteenth-century country house on the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula, overlooking Rothesay Bay in Argyll and Bute on the west-coast of Scotland. Built in 1820 by Glasgow merchant Kirkm ...

1878. * 9th Corps formed at

Tobermory, Mull Tobermory (; gd, Tobar Mhoire) is the capital of, and until 1973 the only burgh on, the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is located on the east coast of Mishnish, the most northerly part of the island, near the northern entrance ...

on 15 May 1862 (Reduced to a half -battery, 1874). * 10th Corps formed at

Lochgilphead Lochgilphead (; gd, Ceann Loch Gilb ) is a town and former burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, with a population of around 2,300 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. The village lies at the end of Loch G ...

on 15 May 1862 * 11th Corps formed at Tarbet on 13 February 1866 * 12th Corps formed at

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...

on 2 April 1867 (Recruited from men of the Furnace Quarries) The 1st Bute Artillery Volunteers at Rothesay (raised on 20 March 1862) joined the unit on 20 March 1863, and the 2nd Bute Artillery Volunteers from

Millport, Cumbrae Millport (Scottish Gaelic: Port a' Mhuilinn) is the only town on the island of Great Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde off the coast of mainland Britain, in the council area of North Ayrshire. The town is south of the ferry terminal that links the i ...

, joined on formation on 5 October 1867. In 1864 brigade HQ moved to Lochgilphead, and in 1870 to Rothesay. On 25 May 1880 the brigade was consolidated as the 1st Argyll and Bute Artillery Volunteers, with twelve and a half batteries, distributed as follows: *Nos. 1 and 2, Easdale (late 1st Argyll) *No. 3, Oban (late 3rd Argyll) *Nos. 4 and 5, Campbeltown (late 6th Argyll) *No. 6, Port Ellen, Islay (late 7th Argyll) *No. 7, Castle Toward (late 8th Argyll). *No. 8, Rothesay (late 1st Bute) *No. 9, Millport (late 2nd Bute) *No. 10, Lochgilphead (late 10th Argyll) *No. 11, Tarbert (late 11th Argyll) *No. 12, Inveraray (late 12th Argyll) *Half-battery, Tobermory, Mull (late 9th Argyll) (disbanded in 1887) In 1887 a new 12th battery was formed at Rothesay, and in the following year the 8th Battery moved to Dunoon.

Royal Garrison Artillery

In 1882 all the artillery volunteers were affiliated to one of the territorial garrison divisions of the

(RA) and the 1st Argyll & Bute AVC became part of the

Scottish Division The Scottish Division was a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. It merged with the Prince of Wales' Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division in ...

. In 1889 the structure was altered, and the corps joined the Southern Division. In 1899 the RA was divided into separate field and garrison branches, and the artillery volunteers were all assigned to the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (R ...

(RGA). When the divisional structure was abolished their titles were changed, the unit becoming the 1st Argyll & Bute Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) on 1 January 1902, with its HQ at Tarbert. During the South African War in 1900, 211 men of the 1st Argyll and Bute volunteered their services, but only eight were accepted for active service. The corps was one of the most scattered in Britain. For example, No 6 Company had detachments at Bowmore, Bridgend, and Ardbeg. Personnel of the corps were spread over fifteen localities in some of the largest and least accessible country in Scotland. Owing to the varying occupations of the men, 75% were Gaelic-speaking, three training camps were arranged at different times of the year. In addition the corps had to maintain 15 carbine ranges. Many prizes were won by the corps, both in gun practice and repository exercises, at the Scottish National Artillery Association camps - the King's Cup was won at

Barry Buddon Barry Buddon Training Area is a Ministry of Defence-owned rifle range and training area in Barry, Angus, Scotland, which runs adjacent to Carnoustie Golf Links and the Dundee - Aberdeen railway Line. History Barry Buddon dates back to aroun ...

in 1903 by the Easdale companies. The pipe band consisted of over thirty pipers.

Territorial Force

When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new

(TF) under the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the "Childers Reforms" of the e ...

of 1908 the bulk of the personnel of the 1st Argyll & Bute RGA (V) formed IV (4th) Highland (Mountain) Brigade, RGA, while the remainder formed one company of the

Forth and Clyde Royal Garrison Artillery The Forth Royal Garrison Artillery and its successors were Scottish part-time coast defence units of the British Army from 1908 to 1956. Although they saw no active service, they supplied trained gunners to siege batteries engaged on the Western ...

. The new brigade, which included the Lochcarron,

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting ...

, company from the former Highland Artillery Volunteers, was the only TF mountain artillery unit. It formed part of the

Highland Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

and had the following organisation:Frederick, pp. 894, 898–9.Litchfield, pp. 276–7.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 101–7. 10_Pounder_Mountain_Gun

IV Highland (Mountain) Brigade, RGA * HQ at Russell Street, Rothesay * Argyllshire (Mountain) Bty at Campbeltown * Ross and Cromarty (Mountain) Bty at Lochcarron * Buteshire (Mountain) Bty at Rothesay * 4th Highland (Mountain) Ammunition Column at Tarbert The batteries were equipped with the 10-pounder mountain gun,Becke, Pt 1, pp. 117–24. a 2.75-inch calibre 'screw gun' originally developed for the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

's mountain batteries.

World War I

Mobilisation

The Highland Division received a warning order for mobilisation on 29 July 1914, and the order to mobilise was received at 17.35 on 4 August. IV Highland Mtn Bde arrived at

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst t ...

on 10 August, where the division concentrated over the following days. During the winter of 1914–15 a number of units left the division to join other formations in the field. On 10 March 1915 IV Highland Mtn Bde (except the Bute Bty) transferred to the 29th Division. This was a new division formed mainly from

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

units returned from stations round the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, and was allocated to the forthcoming Dardanelles operation. The battery left from

Avonmouth Docks The Avonmouth Docks are part of the Port of Bristol, in England. They are situated on the northern side of the mouth of the River Avon, opposite the Royal Portbury Dock on the southern side, where the river joins the Severn estuary, within Avo ...

on 16 March, bound for

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and then

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, where it disembarked.

Gallipoli

10pounderMountainGunPostcardSergtPaterson

29th Division re-embarked at Alexandria and landed at Cape Helles on the

Peninsula at 07.00 on 25 April 1915. IV Highland Mtn Bde and its two batteries served through the difficult opening weeks of the campaign with 29th Division, including the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

and 3rd Battles of Krithia and the

Battle of Gully Ravine The Battle of Gully Ravine (''Zığındere'') was a World War I battle fought at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula. By June 1915 all thoughts the Allies had of a swift decisive victory over the Ottoman Empire had vanished. The preceding Thi ...

, before transferring to

11th (Northern) Division The 11th (Northern) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, raised from men who had volunteered for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Fron ...

on 29 July. The 11th was a newly arrived formation of '

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

' volunteers recruited since the outbreak of war. It was concentrating on the island of

Imbros Imbros or İmroz Adası, officially Gökçeada (lit. ''Heavenly Island'') since 29 July 1970,Alexis Alexandris, "The Identity Issue of The Minorities in Greece And Turkey", in Hirschon, Renée (ed.), ''Crossing the Aegean: An Appraisal of the 1 ...

for a fresh landing on the peninsula at

Suvla Bay View of Suvla from Battleship Hill Suvla () is a bay on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey, south of the Gulf of Saros. On 6 August 1915, it was the site for the Landing at Suvla Bay by the British IX Corps as par ...

, which was carried out on 7 August. This landing was no more successful than the first, and the campaign bogged down again. Once at Suvla the Argyll Battery transferred to the command of another Kitchener formation, the

10th (Irish) Division The 10th (Irish) Division, was one of the first of Kitchener's New Army K1 Army Group divisions (formed from Kitchener's 'first hundred thousand' new volunteers), authorized on 21 August 1914, after the outbreak of the Great War. It included ...

, on 8 August, followed by the rest of the brigade on 13 August.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 19–25.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 11–18. The IV Highland Bde fought with 10th (I) Division through the campaign, including the Battle of Hill 60 and the following trench warfare. When the division was withdrawn on 30 September the artillery, including IV Highland Bde, remained in action until the final evacuation of Suvla on the night of 19/20 December, when every gun was successfully withdrawn without loss.

Salonika

After the evacuations from Gallipoli, the troops were transported back to Egypt for rest and reorganisation. The IV Highland Bde was classed as 'Army Troops' with the

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning o ...

in the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

defences. In September 1916 the brigade was sent to

as reinforcements for the

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers to aid Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, in the autumn of 191 ...

. The Bute Battery, which had remained behind in Scotland and later England with the second line troops of the Highland Division (later the

64th (2nd Highland) Division The 64th (2nd Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised during the Great War. The division was formed in late 1914 as a second-line Territorial Force formation which served on home defence duties throughout the war. ...

), sailed direct from England to Salonika, disembarking on 20 September.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 55–9.'Mountain Batteries, RGA', The National Archives, file WO 95/5494/1.
/ref> Each mountain battery in Macedonia had four of the improved 2.75-inch mountain guns. The Macedonian Front was another area of stationary trench warfare until late in the war, when the final offensive began on 1 September 1918. IV Highland Bde and its batteries were allocated to different formations as required. The brigade was with 28th Division from December 1916 until 22 July 1918, when the Bute Bty went to 27th Division. The rest of the brigade left 28th Division on 10 September to come under XVI Corps before joining 26th Division on 23 September. The Bute Bty left 27th Division on 8 September when it went to XVI Corps, returning on 23 September. On 25 September the battery rejoined IV Highland Bde, which had left 26th Division and was then operating with 14th Greek Division as the campaign came to a successful end.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 97–103.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 105-11.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 143–9.

Interwar

When the TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920, the brigade reformed as 1st Highland Mountain Bde, RGA, under the command of Lt-Col W.H. Macalpine-Leny, DSO, with HQ at the Drill Hall at Tarbert. The TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921 and the brigade was redesignated as the 26th Highland Pack Brigade, RGA in January 1922. The Bute Bty (initially listed as 102 (Howitzer) (Bute) Pack Bty) had a

Cadet Corps A corps of cadets, also called cadet corps, was originally a kind of military school for boys. Initially such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes ...

affiliated to it. The RGA was subsumed into the

(RA) in 1924. The brigade (which was the only 'pack' unit in the TA) changed its number to 13th, with the following organisation: * HQ, Drill Hall, Tarbert * 49th(Argyll) Bty, Drill Hall, Oban * 50th (Bute) Bty, Drill Hall, Rothesay * 51st (Ross) Bty, Drill Hall,

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well ...

The brigade changed its designation again from 'Pack' to 'Light' in 1927, but it underwent a more fundamental reorganisation in 1936 when it was converted into a field artillery unit as 54th (West Highland) Army Field Brigade (the regiment and batteries re-used numbers from a Hampshire-based field regiment that had recently been converted to the anti-aircraft role):Frederick, pp. 495, 515. * HQ, Drill Hall, Tarbert * 214 (Argyll) Field Bty, Campbeltown * 215 (Bute) Field Bty, Drill Hall, Rothesay * 219 (Ross) Field Bty, Drill Hall, Stornoway * 371 (Oban) Field Bty, Drill Hall, Oban, formed February 1937 However, this was short-lived: by the late 1930s a need for specialist anti-tank (A/T) artillery had been recognised, and on 28 November 1938 the regiment (as RA brigades were termed from that year onwards) became the first such unit in the TA as 51st (West Highland) Anti-Tank Regiment.Frederick, pp. 914, 918, 920. * Regimental HQ (RHQ) at 130 George Street, Oban * 201 (Argyll) Anti-Tank Battery at Campbeltown * 202 (Bute) Anti-Tank Battery at Rothesay * 203 (Ross) Anti-Tank Battery at Drill Hall, Stornoway * 204 (Oban) Anti-Tank Battery at Oban

World War II

Mobilisation

The TA was doubled in size following the

Munich Crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Ger ...

of 1938, with existing units splitting to form duplicates before the outbreak of

. 51st A/T Regiment reorganised as follows: 51st (West Highland) A/T Rgt * RHQ at 130 George Street, Oban * 201 (Argyll) A/T Bty at Campbeltown * 202 (Bute) A/T Bty at Rothesay * 203 (Ross) A/T Bty at Stornoway * 204 (Oban) A/T Bty at Oban 61st (West Highland) A/T Rgt * RHQ at Rothesay * 241 (Highland) A/T Bty * 242 (Oban) A/T Bty * 243 A/T Bty * 244 A/T Bty The establishment of an A/T battery at this time was 12 x 2-pounder guns organised in

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Tr ...

s of four guns.

51st (West Highland) A/T Regiment

51st (West Highland) Anti-Tank Rgt mobilised at Oban under Lt-Col C.N. Roney-Dougal, MC, a Regular RA officer, and trained at

Bordon Camp Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps are British Army training camps close to the A3 and A325 roads in and around the settlements of Bordon, Longmoor, Liss and Liphook in Hampshire, England. The main street of the Longmoor part of the camp is bu ...

before crossing to France on 2 February 1940 to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) with 51st (Highland) Division. On 22 April the division was sent for a tour of duty with 3rd French Army on the

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...

Front, and took over a section of the line in front of the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the Minister of the Armed Forces (France), French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by French Third Republic, F ...

forts by 6 May.Joslen, pp. 83–4.

Battle of France

The

began on 10 May with the German invasion of the Low Countries. While the rest of the BEF responded by executing the pre-arranged

Plan D A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an Goal, objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a modal logic, temporal set (mathematics), set of intended actions through wh ...

and advanced to defend Belgium, 51st (H) Division stayed on the Saar Front, which remained quiet until 13 May. At 04.00 that morning the Germans began a heavy bombardment, and strong probing attacks were driven off. Attacks on the following days were half-hearted. On the night of 22/23 May the division was relieved in the line. By now German troops had reached

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

and cut off most of the BEF, and 51st (H) Division was ordered to move west to link up with the British 1st Armoured Division operating south of the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

. 51st (H) Division held the line of the Bresle, but was very stretched: one battery of 51st (WH) A/T Rgt had to cover of the river. Attacks by the division against a German bridgehead over the Somme were unsuccessful, and at 04.00 on 5 June the enemy attacked all along the division's front. The Bresle line was outflanked by German ''

Panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrma ...

s'' racing for

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

, and the division received orders to withdraw during the night of 8/9 June. During 9 June the division was cut off, and that night an ''ad hoc'' brigade group formed at

Arques-la-Bataille Arques-la-Bataille () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. The zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville (1777–1850) was born in Arques. Geography Arques is situated near the conflue ...

and known as Arkforce was sent back to protect the approaches to

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, where Operation Cycle was under way to evacuate base troops. Arkforce was formed around 154th Infantry Brigade and accompanied by 204 (Oban) A/T Bty. It set off during the night of 9/10 June, but shortly after it arrived the rest of 51st (H) Division was cut off from Le Havre. The division moved back to Saint-Valery-en-Caux where there was a chance that it could be evacuated. But

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

's 7th Panzer Division broke through to the cliffs overlooking the harbour. 201 (Argyll) Bty fought furiously to prevent this, but one by one its guns were put out of action. 51st (Highland) Division was forced to surrender on 12 June. All of 51st (WH) Anti-Tank Regiment except 204 (Oban) Bty became

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

and the regiment ceased to exist.

204 (Oban) Anti-Tank Battery

Arkforce was successfully evacuated from Le Havre the day after the surrender of the rest of the division at St Valery. 204 (Oban) Bty was under the command of Maj Donald Carmichael, who refused to allow the men to embark until their precious 2-pdrs were safely aboard. Arkforce was taken first to

Cherbourg Naval Base Cherbourg Naval Base is a naval base in Cherbourg Harbour, Cherbourg, Manche department, Normandy. The town has been a base of the French Navy since the opening of the military port in 1813. History Early works Cherbourg had been a stronghold ...

, where a new BEF was to be formed, then evacuated to the UK on 15 June (

Operation Aerial Operation Aerial was the evacuation of Allied forces and civilians from ports in western France from 15 to 25 June 1940 during the Second World War. The evacuation followed the Allied military collapse in the Battle of France against Nazi Germ ...

) after that attempt was abandoned. Back in the UK, 204 became an independent A/T Bty with 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group, a new formation made up of Regular infantry battalions brought back from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. As one of the few fully equipped formations in the UK, the brigade served with

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII (Ro ...

in the most threatened area of South East England during the 'invasion summer' of 1940, then in the

West Sussex County Division The West Sussex County Division was a formation of the British Army, raised in the Second World War and formed by the redesignation of Brocforce on 9 November 1940. On 18 February 1941, the headquarters was redesignated as the Essex County Div ...

along the South Coast from November 1940. When the West Sussex Division moved away in February 1941, 29th Bde remained guarding the South Coast under IV Corps and South Eastern Command. 204 (Oban) Bty left on 5 May 1941 when the brigade came under

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

control to prepare for overseas service. 204 (Oban) Independent A/T Bty was with 1st (Guards) Independent Brigade Group between 11 April and 5 August 1942. When that brigade was assigned to 78th Division assembling for

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – 16 November 1942) was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while al ...

, the battery transferred on 5 August to 1st Airborne Division. On 23 October 1942 it was redesignated 2 (Oban) Air-Landing A/T Bty, equipped (with

6-pounder 6-pounder gun or 6-pdr, usually denotes a gun firing a projectile weighing approximately . Guns of this type include: *QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss, a 57 mm naval gun of the 1880s; a similar weapon was designed by Driggs-Schroeder for the US Navy ...

A/T guns) and trained for glider operations.Joslen pp. 104–5. British Airborne Units

Air-landing battery

The battery served with 1st Airborne in the

Tunisian Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

, but its participation in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

(Operation Husky) was cancelled at the last minute. A shortage of transport aircraft for the invasion of mainland Italy meant that 1st Airborne Division landed by sea at

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important comme ...

(

Operation Slapstick Operation Slapstick was the code name for a British landing from the sea at the Italian port of Taranto during the Second World War. The operation, one of three landings during the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943, was undertaken by ...

); although the landing was unopposed, the battery suffered heavy casualties (the battery commander, Maj James Wilson, one other officer and 22 other ranks (ORs) when the mine-layer it was travelling aboard ( HMS ''Abdiel'') struck a mine in Taranto harbour and sank. 1st Airborne Division was withdrawn from Italy in the Autumn of 1943 and prepared for operations in

. The division was not called upon in the invasion of Normandy (

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

). A number of airborne operations were planned and cancelled before the attempt to 'bounce' the bridges up to and across the lower Rhine (

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

) was launched. Just beforehand, 2 (Oban) A/L A/T Bty was issued with some of the newer 17-pounder A/T guns: one 6-pdr Troop was converted and three additional 17-pdr Troops organised. The new gun could be transported in the large

Hamilcar __NOTOC__ Hamilcar ( xpu, 𐤇𐤌𐤋𐤊 , ,. or , , "Melqart is Gracious"; grc-gre, Ἁμίλκας, ''Hamílkas'';) was a common Carthaginian masculine given name. The name was particularly common among the ruling families of ancient Carthage. ...

glider. During the operation that battery flew in eight Hamilcars and 24

Horsa Hengist and Horsa are Germanic brothers said to have led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes in their invasion of Britain in the 5th century. Tradition lists Hengist as the first of the Jutish kings of Kent. Most modern scholarly consensus now r ...

gliders from

RAF Tarrant Rushton Royal Air Force Tarrant Rushton or more simply RAF Tarrant Rushton is a former Royal Air Force station near the village of Tarrant Rushton east of Blandford Forum in Dorset, England from 1943 to 1947. It was used for glider operations during W ...

and participated in the

Battle of Arnhem The Battle of Arnhem was a battle of the Second World War at the vanguard of the Allied Operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch city of Arnhem, the town of Oosterbeek, the villages Wolfheze and Driel and the vicinity f ...

. After the failure of the operation, one officer and 58 ORs were evacuated across the river out of 158 who had gone in. The battery commander, Maj A.F. Haynes was among those taken prisoner. The reduced 1st Airborne Division did not see action again, but it was sent to liberate Norway after

(

Operation Doomsday In Operation Doomsday, the British 1st Airborne Division acted as a police and military force during the Allied occupation of Norway in May 1945, immediately after the victory in Europe during the Second World War. The division maintained law ...

). By then the battery had been combined with the other A/L batteries into a new 1st Airlanding A/T Rgt. It was disbanded in November 1945 after returning from Norway.Farndale, ''Years of Defeat''. Annex M.

61st (West Highland) A/T Regiment

61st (West Highland) Anti-Tank Rgt mobilised at Rothesay in

9th (Highland) Infantry Division The 9th (Highland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, formed just prior to the start of the Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a significant military power and its occupation of ...

, the 2nd Line duplicate of 51st (H) Division. It remained training in

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was comman ...

until 7 August 1940 when 9th (H) Division was redesignated as 51st (H) Division to replace the original formation lost at St Valery. 244 A/T Battery left the regiment to join a new 84th A/T Rgt on 22 September and was replaced by 296 A/T Bty from 55th (Suffolk Yeomanry) A/T Rgt on 15 December 1941. The regiment was authorised to adopt the 'West Highland' subtitle on 17 February 1942. 296 A/T Battery left on 10 May 1942 and later joined 107th A/T Rgt; it was replaced by a newly-formed 193 A/T Bty. After completing training in Scotland, the division sailed for Egypt on 16 June 1942, landing on 12 August.

North Africa

The division's first action was the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

, for which the regiment was equipped with 16 x 2-pdrs and 48 of the new

Ordnance QF 6-pounder The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt,British forces traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately . The approximate weight of the gun barrel and breech, "7 cwt" (cwt = hundredw ...

gun. It moved up during the preceding nights, occupying gun positions and dumping ammunition, and remaining concealed during daylight. The bombardment began at 21.40 on 23 October and the advance began 20 minutes later. 51st (H) Division ran into several centres of resistance and only on the extreme left did it reach its final objective; however, the 'break-in' phase of the battle had started well. Over following days 51st (H) Division made progress towards its own objective as the 'dog-fight' phase continued. The 'break-out' phase began on the night of 1/2 November with Operation Supercharge, preceded by another powerful barrage. In the early hours of 4 November 51st (H) Division broke through to the Rahman Track, and the

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

forces began to retreat. 51st (H) Division then took part in the pursuit to

El Agheila El Agheila ( ar, العقيلة, translit=al-ʿUqayla ) is a coastal city at the southern end of the Gulf of Sidra in far western Cyrenaica, Libya. In 1988 it was placed in Ajdabiya District; it was in that district until 1995. It was removed from ...

and Tripoli in January 1943. By 25 February it was past

Medenine Medenine ( ar, مدنين ) is the major town in south-eastern Tunisia, south of the port of Gabès and the Island of Djerba, on the main route to Libya. It is the capital of Medenine Governorate. Overview In pre-colonial times, Medenine wa ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and facing the

Mareth Line The Mareth Line was a system of fortifications built by France in southern Tunisia in the late 1930s. The line was intended to protect Tunisia against an Italian invasion from its colony in Libya. The line occupied a point where the routes into ...

. The Axis force made a spoiling attack on 6 March (the

Battle of Medenine The Battle of Medenine (german: Unternehmen Capri ''Operation Capri was an Axis spoiling attack at Medenine in Tunisia on 6 March 1943. The operation was intended to delay an attack by the British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line. The British ha ...

) but there was plenty of warning. 51st (H) Division was positioned along the Wadi Zassar, a natural anti-tank ditch, and the A/T guns had been positioned to 'kill tanks' rather than protect the infantry from them. The Axis advance was easily repulsed. The

Battle of the Mareth Line The Battle of the Mareth Line or the Battle of Mareth was an attack in the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (General Bernard Montgomery) in Tunisia, against the Mareth Line held by the Italo-German 1st Army (General Giovanni Messe). It ...

began on the night of 16/17 March when 51st (H) Division took the outpost line against negligible opposition. The main attack followed on 20/21 March with another massive night barrage, but little progress was made over the Wadi Zigzaou for the first two days and the line held until it was outflanked by other forces in the south. The Axis defence collapsed on 28 March and the following day 51st (H) Division was on its way to

Gabès Gabès (, ; ar, قابس, ), also spelled Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate in Tunisia. It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 152,921, Gabès is the 6th largest ...

. The next Axis defence line was along Wadi Akarit. The barrage for 51st (H) Division's assault began at 04.15 on 6 April, and the division's attack, in the words of the ''Official History'', 'went like clockwork'. 61st (WH) Anti-Tank Rgt went into action with its 6-pdrs towed by tanks while the gun crews rode on the back of the tanks with their ammunition. The tanks then formed a protective screen while the A/T gunners dug in under shellfire. For the first time the regiment encountered Tiger tanks, but these remained out of range of the 6-pdrs using their longer range guns to shell the Highlanders. Axis troops then began counter-attacks and the Highlanders had to fight hard to hold their gains. Some A/T guns got through to support 7th Battalion

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

(A&SH), but not to 7th Bn

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

, who were isolated away. However, the positions were held. The pursuit was resumed the following day, through

Sfax Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterrane ...

. From 22 April the division was in action in the hills around

Enfidaville Enfidha (or Dar-el-Bey, ar, دار البي ') is a town in north-eastern Tunisia with a population of approximately 10,000. It is visited by tourists on their way to Takrouna. Enfidha is located at around . It lies on the railway between Tunis ...

, until the end of the campaign on 15 May.

Sicily

51st (H) Division then went into training for the Allied landings in Sicily (Operation Husky). Together with its 6-pdrs the regiment was issued with a few of the new 17-pounder A/T guns on the stop-gap Pheasant carriage (adapted from the 25-pounder field gun). 51st (H) Division sailed in the invasion convoy from

on 8 July and the assault brigade (154 Bde) landed near

Pachino Pachino (; scn, Pachinu ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). The name derives from the Latin word ''bacchus,'' which is the Roman god of wine, and the word ''vinum'', which means wine in Latin; originally the ...

at 03.00 on 10 July. There was little opposition and 241 A/T Bty's guns were got ashore and deployed at pre-arranged sites in the morning. The larger Landing Ships, Tank, arrived about 12.00 and the rest of the regiment went ashore that night. 242 A/T Battery was assigned to 153 Bde and 243 Bty to 152 Bde, while 193 A/T Bty remained with RHQ as divisional reserve. The division then moved forward to

Vizzini Vizzini is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It is located from Catania in the Hyblaean Mountains, on the most northwesterly slopes of Monte Lauro. The commune territory is b ...

and

Francofonte Francofonte ( Sicilian: ''Francufonti'') is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy, located about southeast of Palermo and about northwest of Syracuse. Francofonte borders the following municipalities: ...

, where it met its first opposition on 13 July. 243 A/T Bty fired the first rounds of the campaign at a

pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military) A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, norm ...

with great effect, and thereafter the divisional policy was to have A/T guns well up with the infantry as close assault guns for use against pillboxes and machine gun posts in houses. The division continued with scarcely a pause towards the

Dittaino The Dittaino (Greek: ; Latin: Chrysas) is a river of central Sicily which rises in the Heraean Mountains, not far from the modern towns of Gangi and Enna. It is long. After flowing through the territory of Assorus, where its tutelary divinity ...

river, where it sent a composite force of infantry and armour ('Arrow Force') accompanied by 243 AT Bty to cross the Dittaino and attempt to capture

Paternò Paternò ( scn, Patennò) is a southern Italian town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale. Geography Paternò ...

. It achieved a bridgehead on 17 July but further advance was checked, so on the night of 20/21 July the division made an attack against the main enemy defences at Gerbini Airfield. 7th A&SH made the attack supported by A Trp and half of B Trp (Pheasants) and some tanks. Although the attack succeeded, fierce counter-attacks by the Hermann Goring Division drove the Highlanders out the following morning, after which 51st (H) Division was put onto the defensive. Further counter-attacks and heavy shelling on 23/24 July led to more casualties. Because of casualties in men and guns 193 A/T Bty made use of three captured German 75 mm A/T guns and H Trp was immobilised to keep the others up to strength. The division was relieved on 30 July and redeployed for operations against

Adrano Adrano (, scn, Ddirnò), ancient '' Adranon'', is a town and in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the east coast of Sicily. It is situated around northwest of Catania, which was also the capital of the province to which Adrano belonged, n ...

(the battles round Etna). The A/T guns were assembled at Sferro under fire, so that they could be quickly deployed as soon as the infantry were on their objectives. 51st (H) Division took its new bridgeheads over the Dittaino on the night of 31 July/1 August and the A/T guns were in action by daylight. Enemy armour put in a counter-attack at 14.00 and a few tanks got close enough to be destroyed by the A/T guns. Paternò fell on 4 August,

Biancavilla Biancavilla () is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is located between the towns of Adrano and S. Maria di Licodia, northwest of Catania. The town was founded and historically inhabited by t ...

on 6 August, and the division began a 'sidestep' north of Zafferana on 12 August. By now the Axis forces were evacuating Sicily, which was completed on 17 August. During the Sicily campaign the regiment lost 1 officer and 5 ORs killed, 1 officer and 40 ORs wounded, and 2 ORs missing. 51st (H) Division did not take part in the subsequent Italian Campaign, having been earmarked for

Normandy

51st (Highland) Division was in the first follow-up wave of formations in Overlord. On 2 June 1944 it embarked at

East India Docks The East India Docks were a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin and listed perimeter wall remain visible. History Early history Following the successful creation of the W ...

, London, bound for Normandy and began landing on 7 June (D + 1). The first troops ashore on D + 1 included 242 A/T Bty with 153 Bde Gp and the 17-pdr Trp of 193 A/T Bty with Divisional troops. The division then got bogged down for several weeks in operations round 'The Triangle' north-east of

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,3rd Division's attack on the flank of Operation Goodwood on 18 July. On 8 August 51st (H) Division spearheaded II Canadian Corps' attack towards

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

(

Operation Totalize Operation Totalize (also spelled Operation Totalise in recent British sources) was an offensive launched by Allied troops in the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord, from 8 to 9 August 1944. The intention was to bre ...

). The attack began before dawn and by first light the break-in was going well, with a number of villages taken. 4th Canadian and 1st Polish Armoured Divisions then passed through to continue the advance. The Canadians renewed the advance to Falaise on 14 August in

Operation Tractable Operation Tractable was the final attack conducted by Canadian and Polish troops, supported by a British tank brigade, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II. The operation was to capture the tactically important French town of Fala ...

, with 51st (H) Division attacking towards the Laison Valley on the left flank. By 21 August the Falaise Pocket had been closed and the division was advancing eastwards towards

Lisieux Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. Name The name of the town derives from the ...

. It was then sent across the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

to liberate St Valery, site of the original division's surrender in 1940. 51st (H) Division then moved in for the assault on

(

Operation Astonia Operation Astonia was the codename for an Allied attack on the German-held Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a ''Festung'' (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. Fought from ...

). This was a major operation, with heavy air and artillery bombardment and armoured support, which cowed the opposition. It was followed by a similar assault to take

( Operation Wellhit), and operations to mask

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

Low Countries

The division next made a long move to the

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

area at the end of September, then spent three weeks in the line at

Sint-Oedenrode Sint-Oedenrode () is a town in the province of North Brabant. Sint-Oedenrode is a moderately urbanized town in the Meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch. Sint-Oedenrode had an unknown population as of and has an area of . On 1 January 2017 Sint-Oedenrod ...

. 61st (WH) Anti-Tank Rgt was deployed to cover the chain of bridges captured during

, engaging occasional targets such as occupied houses or with long-range harassing fire. On 13 October 193 Bty helped drive off a 'small but well organised' German attack with their A/T guns and

Bren gun The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also used ...

s, while 241 Bty contributed fire from 2-inch mortars. The regiment also practised assault river crossings, using stormboats to ferry

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...

-towed 6-pdrs and improvised pontoons with outboard motors to carry 17-pdrs and

Quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

tractors.61 A/T Rgt war diary at RA Netherlands.
/ref> On 23 October the regiment took part in Operation Colin, a divisional attack on

Schijndel Schijndel () is a town and former municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Schijndel is located approximately southeast of 's-Hertogenbosch. Schijndel was founded on 6 December in the year 1309. On 1 January 201 ...

. Schijndel was taken relatively easily and the division pressed on to take

Vught Vught () is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, and lies just south of the industrial and administrative centre of 's-Hertogenbosch. Many commuters live in the municipality, and the town of Vught was once named "Best place to liv ...

on 25 October. On 4 November the division began an operation against 'The Island' west of

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of ...

with a crossing of the Afwaterings Canal. Deception shoots were carried out by 193 Bty on the right flank and by 243 Bty on the left flank, including giving covering fire from 12 Bren guns for the infantry crossing. On 14 November the division carried out an assault crossing of the Willems Canal near

Weert Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. Pop ...

(Operation Ascot), then moved on to the Zig Canal and crossed that on 17 November with much less preparation. Once the canal had been bridged, 61st (WH) A/T Rgt's guns were deployed to defend the bridgehead, helped through the bad conditions by being towed by

Kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

armoured personnel carriers. 51st (H) Division was then tasked with holding the wet low-lying country between

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

and

that had been captured during Operation Market Garden, some of which subsequently had to be evacuated (Operation Noah) when the Germans broke the dykes and flooded the area. At the beginning of December the division was pulled out of the line for rest. In December the division was suddenly moved south as part of the response to the German breakthrough in the Ardennes (the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

), and then in January 51st (H) Division fought its way into the flank of the 'Bulge' in winter conditions. Archer_SP_17_pdr_Tank_Destroyer

In the winter of 1944–45 the A/T batteries of infantry divisions were restructured to have one Troop each of towed 6-pdrs, towed 17-pdrs and

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

self-propelled (SP) 17-pdrs on

Valentine tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during World War II. More than 8,000 of the type were produced in eleven marks, plus various specialised variants, accounting for approximately a quarter ...

chassis.

Rhineland

51st (H) Division was next engaged in the fighting in the

Reichswald A or imperial forest was an area of historic woodland which existed in the Holy Roman Empire and was under direct imperial control, protection and usage. may refer to: * , a nature reserve near Nuremberg ** , a section of the Nuremberg , which ...

(

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the Second World War. The operation was conduc ...

). It began at 05.00 on 8 February with a huge artillery preparation, after which the Highlanders attacked and were on their objectives by 23.00 that night. 61st (WH) A/T Rgt's batteries were as usual attached to the infantry brigades (and 193 Bde with RHQ), but the guns were not actually needed. On 10 February the SP Trp of 242 Bty came into action against enemy machine gun posts and houses, though several Archers of 242 and 243 Btys were bogged or damaged by enemy A/T fire. The slow advance continued through

Gennep Gennep () is a municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the right bank of the Meuse river, and south of the forest ...

on 11 February, and the gunners suffered from enemy shellfire. One of the regiment's officers reconnoitring in a Valentine observation post (OP) tank on 12 February attacked and drove off an enemy party in the forest. On 13 February the SP guns destroyed a tank and a church steeple at Hekkens used as an enemy OP, while other gunners drove off local attacks by German paratroopers with small arms fire. On 16 February 243 Bty's SP and towed 17-pdrs supported a night attack by 152 Bde on Asperden. The final phase of the operation for 51st (H) Division began on 18 February against Goch, which was successfully taken after stiff fighting. The_British_Army_in_North-west_Europe_1944-45_BU2069

The_British_Army_in_North-west_Europe_1944-45_BU2069

The division took a leading part in the Rhine crossing (

Operation Plunder Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Li ...

). The division then continued through Isselburg and Anholt.Saunders, pp. 46, 66–7, 195–218. The division reached the

Dortmund–Ems Canal The Dortmund–Ems Canal is a long canal in Germany between the inland port of the city of Dortmund () and the seaport of Emden. The artificial southern part of the canal ends after at Herbrum lock near Meppen. The route then takes th ...

on 8 April. After a pause at the canal, it advanced rapidly towards

Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state cons ...

against delaying actions. It reached

Delmenhorst Delmenhorst (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Demost'') is an urban district ('' Kreisfreie Stadt'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the ...

on 20 April and closed in on the centre of Bremen. The

German surrender at Lüneburg Heath On 4 May 1945, at 18:30 British Double Summer Time, at Lüneburg Heath, south of Hamburg, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery accepted the unconditional surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany including all ...

ended the fighting on 5 May. 61st (WH) A/T Rgt was placed in suspended animation on 1 April 1946.

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, 61st (WH) A/T Rgt was formally disbanded and the former 51st (WH) A/T Rgt was reformed as 254 (West Highland) Anti-Tank Rgt with HQ at

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, forming part of 51st/52nd (Lowland) Division.Frederick, p, 997. In 1950 the regiment re-roled as 254 (West Highland) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.Litchfield, p. 282. In 1954 it absorbed 417 (Dumbartonshire) (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Rgt (originally the Clyde RGA, to which the 1st Argyll & Bute Artillery Volunteers had contributed personnel). The combined regiment reverted to being 254 (West Highland) A/T Rgt, with one battery from the 417th. Finally, on 10 March 1955 the regiment was amalgamated into the

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowland ...

-based 277th (Highland) Field Rgt and the Argyll & Bute lineage ended.

Uniforms & insignia

51st (West Highland) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA

The original uniforms varied greatly. Colonel F. Campbell (commanding 1884–1903) wrote:'The corps had their separate uniforms, which were tunics or Garibaldi shirts, caps with red, yellow, or white bands ; belts brown, black, or white. The officers' dress was even more varied. They joined simply to encourage the movement, and wore much what they chose, utilising any old uniform that they might have worn some time or other, whether cavalry, infantry, or other. Swords of all patterns, perhaps presentations to their forefathers before and after Waterloo'. In 1860 the 3rd Corps had blue uniforms with scarlet

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusb ...

, white pouch belts, black waistbelts, and busbies. The 4th Corps wore a jumper and trousers of blue flannel, and a broad

Kilmarnock bonnet The Balmoral (more fully the Balmoral bonnet in Scottish English or Balmoral cap otherwise, and formerly called the Kilmarnock bonnet) is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Developed from t ...

, such as was usually worn by Tarbert fishermen, of whom it was mainly composed. On the creation of the TF in 1908 IV Highland (Mtn) Bde adopted the usual brass shoulder titles consisting of 'T' over 'RGA' over the territorial designation, but in this case the three batteries adopted individual titles: T/RGA/ARGYLL, T/RGA/ROSS&CROMARTY and T/RGA/BUTE. While serving in Macedonia in 1916 IV Mtn Bde was issued with

Balmoral bonnet The Balmoral (more fully the Balmoral bonnet in Scottish English or Balmoral cap otherwise, and formerly called the Kilmarnock bonnet) is a traditional Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. Developed from t ...

s for officers and Kilmarnock bonnets for ORs.

Tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

flashes were worn behind the RA gun badge, each battery having a different tartan: * HQ Bty: Royal Stewart * Argyll Bty: Campbell * Ross Bty: Hunting Stewart * Bute Bty:

Mackenzie Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to: People * Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Clan Mackenzie, a S ...

Commanding Officers

The following served as Commanding Officer (CO) of the units: *

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

J. Campbell, CB, holder of the

Waterloo Medal The Waterloo Medal is a military decoration that was conferred upon every officer, non-commissioned officer and soldier of the British Army (including members of the King's German Legion) who took part in one or more of the following battles: Li ...

, appointed

Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

10 October 1861,

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

23 July 1863 * John Campbell Marquis of Lorne (later 9th Duke of Argyll), KT,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

, appointed Lt-Col Commandant 13 July 1866. * Col Frederick Campbell, late Lieutenant RA, CB, VD, appointed 21 March 1884. * Col John W Stewart, VD, appointed 1 August 1903. * Colin G. P. Campbell, late 2nd Lieutenant

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

, appointed 17 February 1906

Honorary Colonels

The following served as Honorary Colonel of the unit: *

John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, (6 August 1845 – 2 May 1914), usually better known by the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, by which he was known between 1847 and 1900, was a British nobleman who wa ...

, former CO, appointed 18 July 1900. * C. McL. Robertson, DSO, TD, appointed 3 January 1923. * T. McElvie, CMG, TD, appointed 3 January 1929 * Maj Sir Colin W. McCrae, CVO, CBE, appointed 3 January 1935

Memorial

There is a memorial in Stornoway to the men of 1st Ross-Shire Mountain Bty who died in Egypt, at Gallipoli and in the Balkans during World War I, and during World War II. The monument is of stone in the form of a cairn surmounted by a thistle, standing in front of the Drill Hall and TA Centre at the crossroads of Church and Lewis Streets.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3a: New Army Divisions (9–26)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1938/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot, The Ogilby Trusts, 1982, .
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* Col Julia Cowper, ''The King's Own: The Story of a Royal Regiment'', Volume III: ''1914–1950'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden, 1957. * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Maj L.F. Ellis
''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1954/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, 978-1-85457-056-6.
* Major L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol I: ''The Battle of Normandy'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1962/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Major L.F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnd ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988, . * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X. * Maj-Gen James Grierson
''Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859–1908'', Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1909.
* Lt-Gen Sir

Brian Horrocks Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, (7 September 1895 – 4 January 1985) was a British Army officer, chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World W ...

, ''A Full Life'', London: Collins, 1960. * * Lt-Col Martin Lindsay, ''So Few Got Through'', London: Collins, 1946/Arrow Books (pbk; nd)/Leo Cooper, 2000, . * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Norman Litchfield & Ray Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859–1908 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1982, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony,''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol V: ''The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and the Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944'', London: HMSO, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Maj-Gen

I.S.O. Playfair Major-General Ian Stanley Ord Playfair, (10 April 1894 – 21 March 1972) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Colonel F.H.G. Playfair of the Hampshire Regiment and educated at Cheltenham College, Playfair joined the Roy ...

& Brig C.J.C. Molony, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol IV: ''The Destruction of the Axis forces in Africa'', London: HMSO, 1966/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, * Tim Saunders, ''Operation Plunder: The British and Canadian Rhine Crossing'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2006, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, .

External sources

Mark Conrad, ''The British Army, 1914'' (archive site)

British Army units from 1945 on

51st Highland Division website and online museum

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

The Long, Long Trail

Airborne Assault Paradata website

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

Royal Artillery 1939–1945

Royal Artillery Units Netherlands 1944–1945

{{refend

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

Military units and formations in Argyll and Bute Scottish regiments Military units and formations established in 1860