The 56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment was a Territorial Army 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 Gurk ...

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 ...

(RA), which converted from the 4th Battalion,

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the r ...

. During the

Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it first served with the

42nd (East Lancashire) Division The 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force (TF), originally as the East Lancashire Division, and was redesignated as the 42nd (East ...

in 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 Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

in May–June 1940. In 1942, it was sent to join the 70th Infantry Division in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where it was converted into a Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment. In this guise, it served in the Burma Campaign, mainly with the 5th Indian Infantry Division. It reconverted to the anti-tank role in late 1944 and in June 1945 it returned to India as a training unit. It continued serving in the TA postwar until 1961, when it re-merged into the King's Own.

Origin

56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery was formed in 1938 by the conversion of the 4th Battalion, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), a Territorial Army (TA) battalion based at

Ulverston Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few mi ...

in the

Furness Furness ( ) is a peninsula and region of Cumbria in northwestern England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, historically an exclave of Lancashire. The Furness Peninsula, also known as Low Furness, is an area of vill ...

area of north

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

(now in

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

). It formed the anti-tank regiment of the TA's

.Litchfield, pp. 124–5.Cowper. The regiment comprised four anti-tank batteries: 221, 222, 223 and 224.56 A/T Rgt at RA 39–35.
Western Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.
/ref> The TA was doubled in size after 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 Germany ...

and 56th A/T Rgt formed a duplicate regiment at

Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside ** Crosby (U ...

, near

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, on 9 May 1939. Originally, this was to be 61st A/T Rgt, but the designation was changed to 66th Anti-Tank Regiment on 1 June, and it was recruited to full strength by July. The regiment consisted of 261, 262, 263 and 264 A/T Btys.66 A/T at RA 39–45.
/ref>

Second World War

Mobilisation

In September 1939, the unit was mobilised at Ulverston and went to guard important points at

Barrow in Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...

docks.King's Own Museum
/ref>

Battle of France

The 42nd Division joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France in April 1940. The 56th provided the defence on a section of the

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.83 A/T at RA 39–45.
/ref>Joslen, p. 514. In November 1941, 223 Battery became 1st Air-Landing Anti-Tank Battery. It became the first

unit to fly into battle – on board gliders – serving with 1st Airborne Division in Sicily in 1942 and later at

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 banks of ...

in September 1944. 223 Battery, having been permanently detached to 1st Air Landing Rgt, was replaced by 203 (Ross) A/T Bty. This battery had been part of 51st (West Highland) A/T Rgt of

51st (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 ...

, most of which was captured at St Valery in 1940, remnants of the artillery escaping through

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. 51st A/T Regiment was placed in 'suspended animation' and 203 Bty transferred to 56th A/T.

Far East

The 56th had a wonderful record as a fighting unit; firstly, in Flanders during the 1940 campaign, after which it was evacuated at Dunkirk. Then, after a period at home on Beach Defence and Anti-Invasion roles, it went to the Far East. In 1942–3, Fourteenth Army adopted a new policy with the formation of composite Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank regiments, each containing two LAA and two A/T batteries. This format was intended to help divisions distribute sub-units with balanced firepower and mutual support in close jungle fighting where battle groups often had to move independently. 56th A/T Regiment was one of those selected for conversion, transferring 203 and 290 Btys to 55th (Devon) LAA Rgt (thus retaining the two original King's Own batteries), and receiving 163 and 164 LAA Btys in exchange in July and August 1943. These were equipped with the

Bofors 40 mm gun Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

.56 LAA/AT Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> The regiment was in training with

XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to: *XV Corps (British India) * XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * 15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I *XV Royal Bav ...

in September 1943, before joining 5th Indian Infantry Division in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

in October. The 5th Indian Division was facing the Japanese 55th Division on the coastal flank of the Arakan front. The defeat of the Japanese 55th Division, to which a large share of the credit must go to the Indian 5th Division, was the first decisive victory against the Japanese since they had invaded Burma two years previously. From the victory in the Arakan sector, the 5th Indian Infantry Division was air-lifted to the central front. 161 Brigade joined XXXIII Corps, which was beginning to arrive at Dimapur, and fought in the

Battle of Kohima The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Imperial Japan, Japanese Operation U-Go, U-Go offensive into British Raj, India in 1944 during the World War II, Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June ...

while the remainder of the division reinforced IV Corps, whose land victory at

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

and

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

, in which the Division played an important part, proved to be the turning-point of the Burma Campaign. Except for one period of rest and reorganization, the Indian 5th Division continued to fight and to advance throughout the rest of the war, and took part in the final thrust by IV Corps down to Rangoon.

Demobilisation

During the period from June to August 1945, the 66th A/T Rgt was gradually placed into a state of "suspended animation" and its personnel were posted to the 56th, which had just come out of the line in Burma and was reforming as a Self-Propelled unit in India - approximately 80% of the original 56th's personnel were sent back to England for repatriation and replaced by personnel from the 66th. The 56th was itself also placed into a state of "suspended animation" while its remaining personnel and equipment were returned to England.

Commanders

The following officers commanded 56th A/T Rgt during the war: * Lt. Col. B.H. Palmer. (1940–1941) * Brigadier Claude M. Vallentin (Jul 1941 – Jun 1942) * Brigadier Robert Mansergh (Jun 1942 – Sep 1944) * Brigadier Geoffrey B.J. Kellie (Sep 1944 – Jun 1945) * Brigadier R.G. Loder-Symonds (Jun 1945 – Aug 1945)

66th Anti-Tank Regiment

This regiment mobilised in September 1939 as part of the

55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...

. In November, it transferred to 59th (Staffordshire) Division, which was being organised as a duplicate of the 55th. In June 1940, it returned to the 55th Division.Joslen, pp. 90–1. At this time, the 55th Division was part of XI Corps defending Essex and Suffolk against possible German invasion. There was very little equipment available: 66 A/T Rgt had only two guns and was acting as infantry, providing a reserve for 164th Brigade. In August, it was assigned to man a number of static 4-inch Naval guns until they were taken over by a medium artillery regiment. That month it received more A/T guns, bringing it up to a total of 10. In September 1941, 66 A/T Rgt also transferred one of its original batteries (262 Bty) to 83 A/T Rgt, and raised a new 306 Bty to replace it in December. 66th Anti-Tank Regiment remained with 55th Division, serving in various parts of the UK, including a spell in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

until July 1944, when it transferred to Home Forces. The regiment remained in the UK throughout the war.

83rd Anti-Tank Regiment

This regiment was formed at Clacton in September 1941 for service overseas. It was assembled from batteries of four existing regiments: * 68 A/T Battery from 14th Anti-Tank Regiment, a Regular Army unit of 4th Division * 224 A/T Battery from 56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment, ''see above'' * 262 A/T Battery from 66th Anti-Tank Regiment, ''see above'' * 265 A/T Battery from 67th Anti-Tank Regiment, the 2nd Line TA duplicate of 57th (

East Surrey East Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Claire Coutinho, a Conservative. The seat covers an affluent area in the English county of Surrey. Since its creation in 1918, East Surrey has e ...

) Anti-Tank Regiment, in

56th (London) Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...

. Half of the regiment was therefore drawn from the King's Own, and it was included in the Regimental History. In December 1941, it sailed round the Cape in the same convoy as 56th A/T Rgt, and landed at

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...

in Iraq on 1 February 1942, where it joined 8th Indian Division. In April, it was split up between the division's three brigades:Joslen, p. 516. * 68 A/T Bty to

18th Indian Infantry Brigade The 18th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October, 1940 at Meerut in British Raj, India and assigned to the 8th Infantry Division (India), 8th Indian Infantry Divis ...

* 262 A/T Bty to

17th Indian Infantry Brigade The 17th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. History It was formed in November 1940, at the Delhi Cantonment in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. They were se ...

* 265 A/T Bty to

19th Indian Infantry Brigade The 19th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October, 1940 at Old Delhi in British Raj, India and assigned to the 8th Infantry Division (India), 8th Indian Infantry Di ...

Meanwhile, Regimental HQ and 224 A/T Bty moved to

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and, together with two field batteries, formed 'Y' Field Regiment (later 165th Field Regiment) under the command of 25th Indian Infantry Brigade of

10th Indian Division The 10th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army during World War I. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914 with three infantry brigades of Indian Expeditionary Force F. After taking part in the Actions on the Sue ...

:Joslen, p. 510. * RHQ from 83rd A/T Rgt * 224 A/T Bty from 83rd A/T Rgt * 463 Bty from 87th (1st West Lancashire) Field Rgt * 486 Bty from 121 (West Riding) Field Rgt In July 1942, 26th Indian Brigade moved to Egypt, where 224 A/T Bty left 165 Field Rgt to rejoin the reforming 83rd A/T Rgt, whose other batteries re-assembled from Iraq during August. The regiment then served in North Africa, where it was commanded by Lieut-col

Bill Leggatt Lieutenant colonel William Murray Leggatt (2 September 1900 – 13 August 1946) was an English officer in the British Army and amateur cricketer who played in 11 first-class cricket matches between 1926 and 1933. He served in the Royal Artiller ...

, and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

until it was disbanded in December 1944.

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, the 56th and 66th A/T Rgts reformed as 380 A/T and 390 LAA Rgts respectively.

380 Anti-Tank Regiment

The regiment reformed at Ulverston as 380 Anti-Tank Regiment (King's Own) in 42nd (Lancashire) Division. In 1951 it was reorganised and redesignated as a Light Regiment instead of A/T. In 1955, with the disbandment of

Anti-Aircraft Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

and the reduction in AA units, the regiment absorbed 293 (East Lancashire) LAA Rgt and 556 (East Lancashire) Heavy AA Rgt to form:Litchfield, Appendix 5.372–413 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> 380 Light Regiment (King's Own) * P (

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

) Bty from 556 HAA Rgt * Q (

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

) Bty from 293 LAA Rgt * R (Furness) Bty from 380 Light Rgt Two years later, R Bty was redesignated R (King's Own) Bty. In a further reduction of the TA in 1961, 380 Light Regt was absorbed into 288 (2nd West Lancashire) LAA Rgt, but R (King's Own) Bty was converted back into infantry and joined 5th Bn King's Own to form A Company in a new 4/5th Bn King's Own, thus completing its journey back to its original regiment.

390 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment

This regiment reformed as 390 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (King's Own) with its HQ at Altcar Ranges at Hightown and forming part of 95th Army Group Royal Artilley (AA). However, in 1950 it was amalgamated into 306 HAA Regiment (Lancashire Hussars), becoming R Bty in that unit.289–322 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
/ref>

Equipment

As an Anti-Tank Unit, the 56th was supplied with the then new Ordnance Q-F 6 Pounder 7cwt, which replaced the previous equipment of 2 Pounders, used in France and England. During the regiment's time in England in 1940 to 1941, it underwent training on the new 6 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun, which was continued in India prior to its deployment with the

5th Indian Division The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three differe ...

Insignia

Initially upon conversion to artillery, the 56th A/T Rgt retained the King's Own cap badge in white metal, though in October 1939 this was replaced by the RA's grenade collar badge, worn as a cap badge. However, all ranks retained the King's Own buttons in service dress. While serving in Burma the regiment wore a white metal King's Own lion collar badge on a red/blue RA diamond patch on the turn-up of their bush hats. While serving with 1st Airborne Division, 223 Bty wore an embroidered shoulder title bearing the words 'ANTI-TANK BATTERY'. The 66th A/T Rgt also retained King's Own buttons on service dress. After the war the regiment wore a red lanyard in place of the white RA one, which it retained as R Bty of 306th HAA Rgt.

Museums

Kings Own Museum

Royal Artillery Museum

Re-enactment Group

'Beyond The Chindwin, British in Burma' (non-profit organisation).

Notes

References

* Col Julia Cowper, ''The King's Own: The Story of a Royal Regiment'', Volume III: ''1914–1950'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden, 1957. * 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, . * * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, .

External sources

British Army units from 1945 on

British Military History

Peter Donnelly ''Army:56th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery (The King's Own)'' at BBC People's History (20 January 2006). Last accessed 14/10/2015

* ttps://ra39-45.co.uk The Royal Artillery 1939–45
Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947''
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Anti-tank regiments of the Royal Artillery Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations in Lancashire