The Finsbury Rifles was a unit of Britain's
Volunteer Force
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...
and later
Territorial Army from 1860 to 1961. It 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 ...
, in
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 ...
and on the
Western Front during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
it served in the Anti-Aircraft (AA) role during the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
and the
Blitz
Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to:
Military uses
*Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign
*The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War
*, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...
, then 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 ...
,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Volunteers
The unit began as the Clerkenwell Rifles, formed in the
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England.
Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington.
The well after which it was named was redisco ...
and
Finsbury
Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London.
The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn ...
districts of London during the invasion scare of 1859–60 that led to the creation of hundreds of Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs).
It was adopted by the
Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. From 1794 to 1965, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex. The office was abolished on 1 April 1965, with the creation of Greater London and the post of L ...
as the 39th Middlesex RVC, and he issued the first officers' commissions on 6 March 1860, the commanding officer (CO) being Lieutenant-Colonel Colvill, Governor of
Coldbath Fields Prison
Coldbath Fields Prison, also formerly known as the Middlesex House of Correction and Clerkenwell Gaol and informally known as the Steel, was a prison in the Mount Pleasant area of Clerkenwell, London. Founded in the reign of James I (1603–1625 ...
and a former Captain in the
71st Foot
The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, raised in 1777. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in 1881.
History ...
. The corps was based at 16 Cold Bath Square, Clerkenwell. Colvill was later obliged to relinquish the command by the Middlesex magistrates, who considered it incompatible with his prison duties.
[Westlake, p. 174.] He was replaced as CO by Major Henry Penton (1817–1882) of the 3rd (Royal Westminster) Middlesex Militia, a local landowner in Clerkenwell whose grandfather had developed the district of Pentonville
Pentonville is an area on the northern fringe of Central London, in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient parish o ...
.[''Monthly Army List''.] The unit's HQ later moved to 17 Penton Street in Pentonville,[Finsbury Rifles at Stepping Out.]
/ref> and it became known from the beery ways of its members as the 'Pentonville Pissers'.[Holmes, p. 109.]
Together with the Central London Rangers, the Clerkenwell unit initially formed the 3rd Middlesex Administrative Battalion of RVCs, but because both units soon consisted of eight companies they were made independent battalions and the administrative battalion disbanded. In 1862 The Finsbury Rifle Volunteer Corps was officially added to its title, and it continued to expand, reaching a strength of 10 companies in 1870. Other Middlesex RVCs had been less successful and disappeared, so the Finsbury Rifles became the 21st Middlesex RVC in a general renumbering carried out in 1880.[
Following the ]Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms.
The reorganisation was ...
the Finsbury Rifles became the 7th Volunteer Battalion of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...
(KRRC) in 1881, but without changing its title. It had already adopted the Rifle green
Shades of chartreuse are listed below. Historically, many of these colors have gone under the name of either yellow or green, as the specifics of their color composition was not known until later.
Wrapping the spectrum into a color wheel
In a ...
uniform with red Facing colour
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 ...
of the KRRC.[Barnes, Appendix III.] The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training. Under this scheme the Finsbury Rifles formed part of the North London Brigade which would assemble at Caterham
Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valley but rises to equal ...
under the command of the CO of the Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
.[
During the ]Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
the battalion was increased from ten to 12 companies, and formed a service company of volunteers to serve alongside the Regulars in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, earning the Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.
In European military t ...
South Africa 1900–1902.[
]
Territorial Force
The Volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
were subsumed into the new 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 i ...
(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 ...
of 1908. The Borough of Finsbury had been incorporated into the new County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
since 1900, and so the unit joined the newly-created London Regiment, which consisted entirely of TF infantry battalions, with no Regular component. It became the 11th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles), with its headquarters and all eight companies located at 17 Penton Street. The North London Brigade became 3rd London Brigade in the TF's 1st London Division.[Barnes, Appendix IV.][Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–7.]
World War I
Mobilisation
Annual training for 1st London Division had just started when war was declared on 4 August 1914, and the Finsbury Rifles promptly mustered at Pentonville for mobilisation.[ Several battalions of the division were soon posted away to relieve Regular Army garrisons in the Mediterranean or to supplement the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. By January 1915, only the Finsbury and Hackney battalions remained with the artillery and other support elements of the division, and these were attached to the 2nd-Line TF division ( 2/1st London Division) that was being formed. Meanwhile, the Finsbury Rifles formed its own second line, the two units being designated 1/11th and 2/11th Battalions.][Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15.]
1/11th Battalion
Suvla Bay
In April 1915, the 1/10th (Hackney) and 1/11th (Finsbury Rifles) Bns were sent to Norwich to join 162nd (East Midland) Brigade in 54th (East Anglian) Division
The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fo ...
, which was being prepared for overseas service. At the end of July the battalion embarked at 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 ...
aboard the RMS Aquitania
RMS ''Aquitania'' was a British ocean liner of the Cunard Line in service from 1914 to 1950. She was designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her mai ...
bound for the Mediterranean, and arrived at Mudros
Moudros ( el, Μούδρος) is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the entire eas ...
on 6 August. After transferring to a smaller vessel it landed on 11 August at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Gallipoli Campaign had been in progress for several months and had reached stalemate. The Landing at Suvla Bay
The landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipol ...
on 6 August had been a flank attack designed to manoeuvre the Turks out of their defences, but it too became bogged down in trench warfare.[Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 125–31.][Westlake, ''Gallipoli'', pp. 241–2.]
On 15 August the battalion took part in the action at Kiretch Tepe Ridge, where 162nd Bde's task was to protect the flank of the two attacking brigades. Little fighting was anticipated. There was no time to reconnoitre and the brigade advanced towards the lower slopes of the ridge with 'no information about the probable whereabouts of the enemy'. After about 400 yards the leading battalion, the 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment, came under increasing rifle and machine-gun fire in the gullies and lost cohesion. Parties of the 1/10th and 1/11th Londons were 'dribbled forward' to reinforce the line. The battalions 'gallantly breasted the gully-riven slopes of the ridge, and ultimately advanced the left of the line to the south-western shoulder of Kidney Hill'. But they were unsupported, and withdrew that night to positions in Lone Tree Gully. Major G.F.M. Davies of 1/11th Londons was killed while covering the retreat of the rear party.[ Lone Tree Gully was shelled all the next day. The battalion's total casualties in the two days were about 360.][
Over the next two months the 1/11th Bn alternated in the firing line with the 1/5th Bedfords; when not in the line the battalion was in reserve at 'Finsbury Vale'. In October the dismounted 1/1st ]Suffolk Yeomanry
The Duke of York's Own Loyal Suffolk Hussars was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army. Originally formed as a volunteer cavalry force in 1793, it fought in the Second Boer war as part of the Imperial Yeomanry. In the World War I the regiment f ...
were attached to the Londons for training, and then relieved the battalion, which went into a rest camp dubbed 'Penton Hill' from 26 to 31 October. During November the battalion alternated with the Suffolk Yeomanry in the line. The 1/11th Bn was evacuated to Mudros on 3 December, and shortly afterwards the Gallipoli operation was closed down.[
]
Egypt
The 54th Division, very weak from battle casualties and sickness, was re-embarked on 13 December and landed at 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, Alexandria ...
in Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
on 18 December.[ After recuperating, most of the division moved into 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 popular ...
defences at the end of March 1916. It stayed there under 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 of ...
(EEF) until the beginning of 1917.
Palestine
By mid-January 1917, 54th Division had been concentrated at Moascar for the start of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. After a difficult crossing of the Sinai Desert
Sinai commonly refers to:
* Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God
Sinai may also refer to:
* Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...
, the division closed up to join the EEF's attack on Gaza. 162nd Brigade had only a peripheral part in the First Battle of Gaza
The First Battle of Gaza was fought on 26 March 1917 during the first attempt by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), which was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from th ...
(26–27 March), when 161st (Essex) Brigade took the objective but due to confusion was pulled back after dark.
For the Second Battle of Gaza
The Second Battle of Gaza was fought on 17-19 April 1917, following the defeat of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at the First Battle of Gaza in March, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. Gaza was defended by t ...
, 54th Division was to advance and then wheel left to attack the Ali Muntar ridge outside Gaza. 162nd Brigade, with 1/11th Londons as support battalion, formed the division's left, with its flank on the point where Wadi Mukkademe crossed the Gaza-Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
road. The advance began promptly at 07.20 on 19 April, but it soon became clear that the bombardment of the enemy trenches by artillery and naval guns had failed in its effects. The division's leading battalions came under well-directed artillery fire and intense machine gun fire as they approached the trenches. 162nd Brigade attacked towards the trench complex known as 'The Beer' and made the furthest advance but were forced back at the end of the disastrous day.
Capture of Gaza
The EEF did not make another attempt to take Gaza until November, after months of preparation. As part of the operation to clear the Gaza–Beersheba Line (the Third Battle of Gaza
The Third Battle of Gaza was fought on the night of 1–2 November 1917 between British and Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I and came after the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victory at the ...
, 27 October–7 November), 54th Division attacked directly towards the town on 2 November. It was a holding attack but the leading brigades made such good progress that 162nd Bde was able to pass through by 06.00 to move on to the final objective, Sheikh Hasan, which it secured after a 15-minute bombardment. The attack was continued on 7 November, with 162nd Bde heading towards Turtle Hill, north west of Gaza town. Supported by powerful artillery, the infantry walked through the defences to find that the Turks had evacuated Gaza. The EEF pursued the defeated Turks back to the Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
–Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
defence line, and Jerusalem fell on 7 December.
Jaffa
As a preliminary to the Battle of Jaffa planned for the night of 20/21 December, the 1/11th Londons were ordered to seize a hill from which enfilade fire could be brought onto Bald Hill, 350 yards away and one of the key objectives for the following night's attack. An officer of the supporting artillery described the Finsbury Rifles as 'very short of men and the commanding officer was only a captain, so great had been their losses, but they were very gallant fellows'. Their charge was preceded by a five minute bombardment by three field batteries, during which the enemy put down a counter-barrage along the edge of Bald Hill and manned their trenches. The attack on the other hill therefore came as a surprise, and the 1/11th Bn seized it with little loss, and then held it against three determined counter-attacks in the next two hours. Delivered over open ground, these attacks were easily beaten off by machine gun and rifle fire. Bombing attacks up the trenches were more dangerous, but one such attack was driven off single-handedly by Lance-Corporal John Alexander Christie
John Alexander Christie VC (14 May 1895 – 10 September 1967) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth for ...
, who went forward 50 yards from his own line and scattered them with grenades. 'Jock' Christie was awarded the VC.
Tell 'Asur
The EEF began a new phase of offensive operation in March 1918, the so-called Actions of Tel 'Asur. At dawn on 12 March, 162nd Brigade assaulted behind a creeping barrage
In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire (shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across tha ...
, 'The infantry – Londons and Bedfords – were seen to disappear into the wadis in the pale light and then to reappear scrambling up the steep hillsides like lines of ants'.
Having occupied a much better line, the 54th Division settled down to a defensive routine. The next operation began on 9 April at Berukin, but 162nd Bde's planned attack on 14 April was cancelled at the last moment. 54th Division was now warned to prepare to move to reinforce the BEF on the Western Front following its defeats during the German spring offensive. This move was however cancelled in July, and the EEF reorganised for operations in the autumn to complete the Turkish defeat.
Megiddo
The culminating Battle of Megiddo began with the Battle of Sharon
The Battle of Sharon fought between 19 and 25 September 1918, began the set piece Battle of Megiddo (1918), Battle of Megiddo half a day before the Battle of Nablus (1918), Battle of Nablus, in which large formations engaged and responded to mov ...
. On the opening day, 19 September, the 1/11th Londons were assigned to escort the divisional artillery and cover the gap between the 54th Division and the 3rd (Lahore) Division
The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops ...
while the rest of 162nd Bde made a difficult attack alongside the Essex Brigade. The Turks quickly collapsed, and as the Desert Mounted Corps pursued them to Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
...
the infantry of 54th Division were left far behind. By the time the division reached Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
at the end of October, hostilities were brought to an end by the Armistice of Mudros
Concluded on 30 October 1918 and taking effect at noon the next day, the Armistice of Mudros ( tr, Mondros Mütarekesi) ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I. It was signed by th ...
.[
The battalion was demobilised in Egypt and its personnel shipped home during 1919.][
]
2/11th Battalion
The 2/1st London Division concentrated in East Anglia round Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
in August 1915, and was numbered as 58th (2/1st London) Division; the 2/11th Londons were in 175th (2/3rd London) Brigade. Although the division formed part of First Army of Central Force
In classical mechanics, a central force on an object is a force that is directed towards or away from a point called center of force.
: \vec = \mathbf(\mathbf) = \left\vert F( \mathbf ) \right\vert \hat
where \vec F is the force, F is a vecto ...
, no serious training could be undertaken because of lack of equipment. At first the only small arms available were .256-in Japanese Ariska rifles. In the Spring of 1916 the division took over a sector of the East Coast defences, digging many trenches. Finally it received Lee-Enfield service rifles and on 10 July 1916 it concentrated at Sutton Veny
Sutton Veny is a village and civil parish in the Wylye valley, to the southeast of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England; the village is about from Warminster town centre. 'Sutton' means 'south farmstead' in relation to Norton Bavant, on ...
for final training on Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...
.[
]
France
In January 1917 the 58th Division moved to Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and embarked for France, landing at 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 cl ...
. The 175th Bde was the last to arrive, and the division eventually concentrated at Lucheux on 8 February.[ The battalions were introduced to trench warfare by companies, being attached to battalions of the 46th (North Midland) and 49th (West Riding) Divisions. From March to April the 58th Division followed up the German retreat to the ]Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...
and was then put to work to repair the roads and railways destroyed by the retreating enemy.
Bullecourt
The 58th Division's first offensive operation was a peripheral part in the Second Battle of Bullecourt
The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the Wes ...
(4–17 May), for which 175th Bde was attached to 2nd Australian Division. On 17 May the 2/11th Bn provided two companies to act as stretcher bearers, suffering 30 casualties in so doing. For the next few weeks the division was engaged in small actions against the Hindenburg Line, and then went into a period of intensive battle training in old German trenches. 175th Brigade was then assigned to railway construction at Achiet-le-Grand
Achiet-le-Grand () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.
Geography
A farming village located 12 miles (19 km) south of Arras, at the D7 and D9 road junction. The SNCF railway has a station here.
History
The commu ...
near Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
.[
]
Ypres
After a period of trench holding near Arras, the 58th Division moved to the Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War.
Ypres district
Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. ...
in late August 1917, with 2/11th Bn being one of the first units going into the line, taking over positions at St Julien. To minimise casualties, the line was held by a series of outposts.
In the attack of 20 September (the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge
The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, sometimes called "Battle of the Menin Road", was the third British general attack of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle took place from 20 to 25 September 1917, in the Ypres Salient i ...
), 2/11th Bn was in reserve with 175th Bde. 175th Brigade led the division's attack at the Battle of Polygon Wood
The Battle of Polygon Wood took place from 26 September to 3 October 1917, during the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle was fought near Ypres in Belgium, in the area from the Menin road to Polygon Woo ...
(26 September), with 2/11th Bn in support. Afterwards the 58th Division went into reserve.
The division returned to the line for the Second Battle of Passchendaele
The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating attack during the Third Battle of Ypres of the First World War. The battle took place in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, in and around the Belgian village of Passchendaele, bet ...
(26 October). As it arrived, the weather broke, and the division was forced to jump off from a line of flooded craters in the Poelcapelle
Langemark-Poelkapelle () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders.
Geography
Other places in the municipality include Bikschote, Langemark and Poelkapelle. On January 1, 2006, Langemark-Poelkapelle had a total populati ...
area and struggle forward behind a barrage that advanced too quickly. 2/11th Battalion was one of those sent up immediately afterwards to relieve the exhausted attackers.
By now the BEF was suffering a serious manpower crisis and roughly a quarter of its infantry battalions were disbanded. The 2/11th Bn was one of those chosen, and it was disbanded on 31 January 1918. The men were drafted to the 1/20th, 1/21st and 1/22nd Bns London Regiment in 47th (2nd London) Division).[
]
3/11th Battalion
A 3rd-Line reserve battalion was formed in early 1915 and designated the 3/11th. By April it was at Tadworth
Tadworth is a large suburban village in Surrey, England in the south-east of the Epsom Downs, part of the North Downs. It forms part of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. At the 2011 census, Tadworth (and Walton-on-the-Hill) had a population o ...
, training on Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 and are open to users such as ramblers, model ...
before moving to winter billets in Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
in October 1915. It moved to Fovant
Fovant is a village and civil parish in southwest Wiltshire, England, lying about west of Salisbury on the A30 Salisbury-Shaftesbury road, on the south side of the Nadder valley.
History
The name is derived from the Old English ''Fobbefunt ...
in the Salisbury Plain training area in January 1916. The unit was redesignated the 11th Reserve Bn, London Regiment, in the 1st London Reserve Group on 8 April, and absorbed by the 9th Reserve Bn on 1 September 1916. Throughout the war it trained recruits and prepared them for drafting to the service battalions overseas.
Interwar
The Finsbury Rifles were reconstituted in 1920 in the renamed Territorial Army (TA). The London Regiment no longer existed, so its battalions were designated as regiments in their own right, the Finsbury Rifles becoming 11th London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles), once again affiliated to the KRRC, but now in 142nd (6th London) Brigade of 47th (2nd London) Division.[
In 1935 the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence, particularly for London, was addressed by converting the 47th (2nd London) Division into the 1st Anti-Aircraft Division. A number of London infantry battalions were also converted to the AA role, the 11th Londons being transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) on 15 December 1935 as 61st (Finsbury Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery), with the following organisation:][Frederick, pp. 754–6, 770.][Litchfield, p. 177.]
* HQ at Pentonville
*170 AA Battery at Finchley
Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross.
Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...
*171 AA Battery at Pentonville
*195 AA Battery at Finchley (raised by April 1938)
* AA Machine Gun Battery at Pentonville (redesignated 224 Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Battery in 1937)
Despite their transfer to the RA, the personnel continued to wear their Finsbury Rifles cap badge.[Litchfield, pp. 168–9.][Anon, ''Badges''.] The 61st AA Bde formed part of 28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Group of 1 AA Division,[ but in May 1938 it joined a new 37th AA Bde based in North London.]
The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during 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 ...
, with units manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October. With the expansion of the TA after the Munich Crisis, most units split to form duplicates. In the case of 61st AA Bde, 224 LAA Bty was expanded into a full regiment in October as 12th (Finsbury Rifles) Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery, with 33–35 LAA Btys and a new 44 LAA Bty formed on 16 January 1939, while 61st adopted 'Middlesex' as its subtitle and formed a new 272 Bty at Southgate
Southgate or South Gate may refer to:
Places Australia
*Southgate, Sylvania
*Southgate Arts and Leisure Precinct, an area within Southbank, Victoria
Canada
*Southgate, Ontario, a township in Grey County
* Southgate, Middlesex County, Ontario
Ed ...
on 1 November. On formation the new 12th LAA Bde chose to show its ancestral links to the Finsbury Rifles and KRRC by wearing a black KRRC button on the shoulder straps of their tunics and battledress blouses. On 1 January 1939 the RA adopted the more normal designations of 'regiments' for 'brigades'.[Frederick, pp. 800, 821.] By April 1939 272 Bty had left 61st AA Rgt to become the basis of a new 90th AA Rgt in 37th AA Bde.[
]
World War II
Mobilisation
In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under the control of a new 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 37th AA Brigade was transferred to a new 6th AA Division in May. In June a partial mobilisation of TA units was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations.[Table LX, p. 378.]
61st (Middlesex) HAA Regiment
37th AA Brigade operated a layout of gun sites from Dagenham
Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross.
It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...
to Thorpe Bay
Thorpe Bay is an area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. located on the Thames Estuary. Thorpe Bay is situated within the Thorpe ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or un ...
in Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, along the north side of the Thames Estuary
The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain.
Limits
An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
, known as 'Thames North'. Opportunities for action were rare during the Phoney War
The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germa ...
, but on the night of 22/23 November 1939 the Thames North guns combined with those of 28 AA Bde on the other bank of the river ('Thames South') to engage at least two enemy mine-laying aircraft that had strayed into the mouth of the Estuary. One wrecked aircraft was found on the marshes.
On 1 June 1940 the RA's AA regiments equipped with 3-inch or 3.7-inch guns were redesignated Heavy AA (HAA) to distinguish them from the newer LAA regiments.
Battle of Britain
By 11 July 1940, the Thames North AA layout operated by 37 AA Bde had a total of 46 HAA guns ( 3.7-inch and even 4.5-inch). The brigade was heavily engaged throughout the Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
On 22 August, for example, a mass raid flew up the Thames Estuary to attack RAF Hornchurch
Royal Air Force Hornchurch or RAF Hornchurch is a former Royal Air Force Royal Air Force station, sector station in the parish of Hornchurch, Essex (now the London Borough of Havering in Greater London), located to the southeast of Romford. The a ...
on the Essex shore: the raid was broken up by 37 and 28 AA Bdes, and then the fighters of No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group is a group in the Royal Air Force first formed in 1918. It had been formed and disbanded for various periods during the 20th century before disbanding in 1996 and reforming again in 2018. Its most famous service was in 1940 in the Ba ...
attacked. Follow-up raids were marked for the fighters by 'pointer' rounds of HAA fire. On 2 September another mass raid arrived over the Medway and flew up the Thames towards Hornchurch. They came under heavy fire from the 3.7s and 4.5s of 28 and 37 AA Bdes and 15 were shot down before the fighters took over. On 7 September heavy raids up the estuary attacked oil wharves at Thameshaven, Tilbury Docks
The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for contai ...
and Woolwich Arsenal: a total of 25 aircraft were destroyed by AA guns and fighters.[Routledge, pp. 385–6.]
On 15 September, remembered as the climax of the battle, 220 bombers attacked London in the morning despite heavy casualties inflicted by the RAF fighters. More attacks came in the afternoon and the AA guns around London, particularly Thames North, were continuously in action. Between the guns and fighters, the ''Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' lost 85 aircraft that day, an unsustainable rate of loss.[Farndale, p. 110.]
The Blitz
After 15 September the intensity of ''Luftwaffe'' day raids declined rapidly, and it began a prolonged night bombing campaign over London and industrial towns (The Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
). This meant that the Thames North guns were in action night after night as the bomber streams approached the London Inner Artillery Zone, but even with the assistance of searchlights, the effectiveness of HAA fire and fighters was greatly diminished in the darkness. 61st HAA Regiment served throughout this period.[Farndale, Annex D.][Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/79.]
Iraq
61st HAA Regiment was next selected to be sent to the Middle East. It left AA Command in September[ and by 8 December 1941 it was in 8th AA Bde in Tenth Army in ]Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and 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 ...
. Tenth Army was being built ip to counter the threat from air raids on the vital oil installations if the German Army on the Eastern Front penetrated into the Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
. The tasks allotted to 8th AA Bde were defence of the 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 ...
base area, RAF Habbaniya
)
, location = Habbaniya
, country = Iraq
, image = Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941.jpg
, alt = A black and white image of some hangars, tentage and hard standings in a desert
, ...
, Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
and the oil installations at Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
. These widely spread Gun Defence Areas (GDAs) generally received one HAA battery and one LAA battery each.[Routledge, p. 199.]
The German threat to the Persian oilfields never materialised, but Tenth Army found a secondary role in acclimatising units before they went on active service 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 ...
. Hence 61st HAA Rgt left 8th AA Bde in March 1942 to move to Middle East Forces (MEF) in Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
to bolster the AA defences of 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 popular ...
.[
]
Egypt
In April, RHQ 61st HAA Rgt with its signal section, Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...
, and Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...
workshop was ordered down from Tell El Kebir
Tell El Kebir ( ar, التل الكبير lit."the great mound") is 110 km north-north-east of Cairo and 75 kilometres south of Port Said on the edge of the Egyptian desert at the altitude of 29 m. Administratively, it is a part of the Ism ...
in the Nile Delta
The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...
to Suez
Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...
, arriving on 21 May. During the summer the regiment took charge of all HAA batteries on the eastern side of the canal at the Suez end under 89th (Cinque Ports) HAA Rgt, whose CO was AA Defence Commander (AADC), Suez. These 3.7-inch gun sites were manned by 170 and 171 Btys of 61st HAA Rgt, together with 5 HAA Bty, Royal Malta Artillery
The Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) was a regular artillery unit of the British Army prior to Malta's independence. It was formed in 1889, having been called the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery from 1861 until 1889.
Initially on the British Esta ...
manning two 4.5-inch guns and Z Battery
A Z Battery was a short range anti-aircraft weapon system, launching diameter rockets from ground-based single and multiple launchers, for the air defence of Great Britain in the Second World War. The rocket motors were later adapted with a ...
rocket projectors.[89 HAA Rgt and AADC Suez War Diary, 1942, TNA file WO 169/4808.]
By September 1942, with 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 '' Panzerarmee Afrika'' at El Alamein
El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...
, just 66 miles (106 km) from 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, Alexandria ...
, ''Luftwaffe'' reconnaissance raids over Suez Bay and the docks and oil refinery at Port Tewfik
The Suez Port is an Egyptian port located at the southern boundary of the Suez Canal. It is bordered by the imaginary line extending from Ras-El-Adabieh to Moussa sources including the North Coast until the entrance of Suez Canal. Originally ''Por ...
became common.[ Later that month, 61st HAA Rgt was relieved at Suez and in October, at the time of 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 station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...
, it was part of 17th AA Bde, assigned to Eighth Army and held in reserve for the breakthrough and advance into Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
.[
In January 1943, as Eighth Army swept westwards, 17th AA Bde, including 61st HAA with all three of its batteries, was defending the port of ]Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...
and its airfields at El Adem
Gamal Abdel Nasser Airbase () is a Libyan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الليبية, translit=al-Quwwāt al-Ǧawwiyya al-Lībiyya, Berber: Adwas Alibyan Ujnna) base, located about 16 km south of Tobruk. It is believed to on ...
and Gambut. It was still in these positions in May when 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. The ...
ended.[
]
Sicily
61st HAA Regiment was not involved in the assault phase of 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 bega ...
(Operation Husky) (''see below''), but moved to the island when it became the base for the Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign (World War II), Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General (Unit ...
in September 1943. RHQ, 170 Bty and half of 171 Bty, with a total of 12 3.7-inch guns, were under 73rd AA Bde defending the ferry port of Milazzo
Milazzo ( Sicilian: ''Milazzu''; la, Mylae; ) is a town (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy; it is the largest commune in the Metropolitan City after Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The town has a p ...
. By January 1944 the regiment, now at full strength, was defending the port of Augusta.
Italy
61st HAA Regiment crossed to mainland Italy in September 1944 and joined 25 AA Bde, which was responsible for defending the ports of Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
, Barletta
Barletta () is a city, ''comune'' of Apulia, in south eastern Italy. Barletta is the capoluogo, together with Andria and Trani, of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It has a population of around 94,700 citizens.
The city's territory belong ...
, Brindisi
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
and Manfredonia
Manfredonia is a town and commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the gulf to the east of ...
in Apulia
it, Pugliese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographic ...
. Bari in particular had continued to attract attention from ''Luftwaffe'' night bombers after the disastrous raid
Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to:
Attack
* Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground
* Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business
* Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...
of December 1943. 25th AA Brigade HQ was relieved of its tasks in south east Italy in December 1944, and 61st HAA Rgt came under the command of 22nd AA Bde.
The long static spell was broken by the Allied breakthrough in April 1945. 61st HAA Regiment was sent across Italy to join 66th AA Bde (in which 12th (Finsbury Rifles) LAA Rgt was serving in an infantry and field artillery role, ''see below''). The brigade was sent 100 miles north to defend Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, and it was AA advance parties who actually captured the city with little difficulty. Early in May the requirement for AA defence ended when the Surrender of Caserta came into force.[Routledge, p. 286.]
Regimental HQ with 171 and 195 HAA Btys was placed in suspended animation on 1 September 1945; 170 HAA Bty followed on 27 October.[
]
12th (Finsbury Rifles) LAA Regiment
On the outbreak of war this regiment was in London District
London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''.
History
In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...
, but shortly afterwards was assigned to a new 56th Light AA Bde. This was formed in 6th AA Division on 30 September 1939 with responsibility for defending airfields in South East England.
44 (Finsbury Rifles) LAA Battery
:
On 15 February 1940, 44 LAA Bty went to Fleet, Hampshire
Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart District of Hampshire, England, centred 38.2 miles (61.5 km) WSW of London and 13 miles (21 km) east of Basingstoke. It is the major town of the Hart District, and has large technology business a ...
, France to help form a new 101 LAA/Anti-Tank Rgt for 1st Support Group
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 ...
in 1st Armoured Division with the BEF. It sailed for France on 16 May when 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 ...
had already begun. It immediately went into action to hold crossings over the Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributarie ...
until the tanks arrived, though the LAA batteries only had Lewis gunss. It took part in the Battle of Abbeville
The Battle of Abbeville took place from 27 May to 4 June 1940, near Abbeville during the Battle of France in the Second World War. On 20 May, the 2nd Panzer Division advanced to Abbeville on the English Channel, overran the 25th Infantry Briga ...
and then, when the bulk of the BEF had been evacuated from Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.[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 ...]
(15–17 June). 101st LAA/AT Rgt was broken up in November 1940, but 44 LAA Bty did not return to its parent unit. Instead it joined a new 61st LAA Rg in 1st Support Group, with which it fought in North Africa.
Meanwhile, the rest of 12th LAA Rgt was serving in 6th AA Bde in 6th AA Division, responsible for AA defence of RAF airfields in Essex during the Battle of Britain and early part of the Blitz.[ By May 1941 it was in 60th AA Bde in 8th AA Division, responsible for covering ]Yeovil
Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...
, Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
and Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
.[
]
Middle East
In March 1942 the regiment began the two-month voyage to the Middle East, joining 8th AA Bde of Tenth Amy in Iraq in May. In September it transferred to Persia and Iraq Command
The Persia and Iraq Command was a command of the British Army established during the Second World War in September 1942 in Baghdad. Its primary role was to secure from land and air attack the oilfields and oil installations in Persia (officially ...
(PAIFORCE), and then in May 1943 moved on to MEF in Egypt. From there it joined Eighth Army in Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, where it was preparing for the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky).[
]
Operation Husky
For the assault landing on 10 July 1943, all three of 12th LAA Rgt's batteries were assigned to Beach Groups in XXX Corps's sector. Beach Groups consisted of a mixture of sub-units from different Arms and Services to secure, defend and control the landing points over which the assault units would pass. Each beach group was allotted one HAA and one LAA battery, commanded by a small AA HQ in radio contact with a control ship. The AA batteries landed with a minimum scale of men and equipment. The gunners went ashore as infantry, prepared for a firefight before moving to the sites selected for gun positions.[Routledge, pp. 260–2.][Routledge, Table XLII, p. 267.]
There was only light opposition to the assault on Eighth Army's front, and most of the beach groups were established at their designated gun sites or alternatives by the time the guns arrived four hours later. During the morning the ''Luftwaffe'' began attacking the beaches and shipping with high-level bombing and low-level machine-gunning, and the LAA batteries were very active. 34 Battery of 12th LAA Rgt shot down two aircraft in the morning, but the LAA gunners were hampered by the lack of early warning radar and by having unsuitable radio receivers. Over the next two days the AA HQs and the batteries' equipment came ashore, but confusion continued and there were many cases of 'friendly fire' incidents against Allied aircraft over the beaches.[
Eighth Army captured ]Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
on 5 August, and the AA units moved up behind it to defend the airfields. 12th LAA Rgt defended Catania under 73rd AA Bde, with 34 Bty detached to Comiso
Comiso ( scn, U Còmisu), is a comune of the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. As of 2017, its population was 29,857.
History
In the past Comiso has been incorrectly identified with the ancient Greek colony of Casmene.
Under the Byza ...
under 62nd AA Bde. By mid-September, when Eighth Army launched Operation Baytown
Operation Baytown was an Allied amphibious landing on the mainland of Italy that took place on 3 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy, itself part of the Italian Campaign, during the Second World War.
Planning
The attack was ...
to cross the Straits of Messina
The Strait of Messina ( it, Stretto di Messina, Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria ( Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Se ...
onto mainland Italy, 34 Bty had rejoined RHQ at Catania, while 36 Bty had been pushed forward to Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
. During the early stages of the fighting on the mainland 12th LAA Rgt remained in the area of Messina and Milazzo alongside 61st HAA Rgt under 73rd AA Bde.[Routledge, Table XLIII, p. 268.]
By January 1944, when Sicily was merely a rear base, 12th LAA Rgt was alongside 61st HAA Rgt at Augusta, with 34 Bty detached to Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
.[
]
Italy
The regiment landed in Italy later in 1944. After the breakout from the Anzio
Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.
Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...
beachhead and the capture of Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in June, it joined 66th AA Bde supporting the advance of the US Fifth Army up the west coast to Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
. The brigade then remained in the area between Livorno and Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
for the winter, in heavy rain, flooding and snow. The tasks were limited to the AA defence of the port of Livorno (HAA and LAA) and five airfields (LAA only). By now there was a severe frontline manpower shortage and an excess of AA units, so several regiments including 12th LAA began re-training as infantry. At one point 12th LAA formed a troop armed with US 75mm pack howitzers.[
In April 1945, 66th AA Bde moved on to Genoa (''see above''). At the end of the war 12th LAA Rgt became a holding regiment on 22 November 1945, with A to D Btys, before being placed in suspended animation at ]RAF Gosfield
Royal Air Force Gosfield or more simply RAF Gosfield is a former Royal Air Force station in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north of Braintree; about north-northeast of London
Opened in 1943, it was used by both th ...
, Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, on 14 April 1946.[
]
Postwar
In 1947 both regiments were reformed in the reconstituted TA.
61st HAA Regiment became 461st (Middlesex) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, with HQ at Finchley, forming part of 63 AA Bde (the former 37th AA Bde). However, when AA Command was disbanded on 10 March 1955, the regiment was ordered into 'suspended animation'. This was soon changed to total disbandment, which was completed by July that year.[
12th LAA Regiment became 512th (Finsbury Rifles) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, with its HQ at Pentonville, forming part of 52 (London) AA Bde (the former 26th (London) AA Bde. It survived the disbandment of AA Command, instead merging with 568 (St Pancras) (Mixed) LAA/Searchlight Regiment and 656 (Tower Hamlets) HAA Regiment to form 512 LAA Regiment:
* P (Finsbury Rifles) Battery
* Q (St Pancras) Battery
* R (Tower Hamlets) Battery.
The new regiment was in 33 AA Bde (the wartime 63rd AA Bde). Another round of mergers in 1961 saw P and R Batteries amalgamate with 459 (Essex Regiment) HAA Regiment and 517 LAA (formerly 7th and 5th Bns ]Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...
respectively) to form a new 300 (Tower Hamlets) Light Air Defence Regiment, when the Finsbury Rifles lineage ended.
Insignia
The 35th Middlesex RVC adopted the Rifle green uniform with red facings and black buttons of the KRRC.[
Despite their transfer to the RA in 1935, the regiment's personnel continued to wear their Finsbury Rifles cap badges. On formation 12th LAA Rgt chose to show its ancestral links to the Finsbury Rifles and KRRC by wearing a black KRRC button on the shoulder straps of tunics and ]battledress
A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to dress ...
blouses.[
During World War II, 61st HAA Rgt bore an embroidered arm title '61 MIDDX RA' in gold on maroon, worn on the sleeve of the battledress blouse.][
]
Honorary Colonels
The following served as Honorary Colonels of the Finsbury Rifles:[
* Col Henry Penton (1817–1882; see above)
* Capt Frederick Thomas Penton, MP (1851–1929; son of Henry Penton)
* ]William Compton, 6th Marquess of Northampton
William Bingham Compton, 6th Marquess of Northampton, DSO (6 August 1885 – 30 January 1978), known as Earl Compton from 1897 to 1913, was a British peer and soldier.
Early life
Northampton was the eldest son of William George Spencer Scot ...
, DSO, appointed 15 December 1923
* Maj Cyril Frederick Penton (1886–1960; younger son of F.T. Penton), appointed Hon Col of 11th Londons and later 12th (Finsbury Rifles) LAA on 23 May 1935
* Sir Howard Button, appointed Hon Col of 61st (Middlesex) HAA on 27 August 1938.
Prominent members
* Field Marshal Lord Harding (1896–1989), commissioned as a TF 2nd Lt on 15 May 1914, transferred to the Regular Army during World War I.[
* Lance-Corporal ]John Alexander Christie
John Alexander Christie VC (14 May 1895 – 10 September 1967) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth for ...
(1895–1967), enlisted September 1914, won the VC in Palestine.
Battle Honours
The Finsbury Rifles were awarded the following Battle Honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.
In European military t ...
s (those listed in Bold Type were chosen to appear on the regimental appointments):[
South Africa 1900–02.
World War I: Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, France and Flanders 1917–18, Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915–17, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jerusalem, Jaffa, Tell 'Asur, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine 1917–18.
The Royal Artillery does not carry battle honours, so none were awarded to 61st HAA Rgt or 12th LAA Rgt for World War II.
]
Memorials
The 11th Londons (Finsbury Rifles) and 12th (Finsbury Rifles) LAA war memorials are in St Mark's, Myddelton Square, Clerkenwell.
A bronze panel on the Finsbury War Memorial depicts the Finsbury Rifles at Gaza. The memorial is in Spa Green Garden at the junction of Rosebery Avenue and Gloucester Way.[
The regiment is one of those whose titles are inscribed on the ]City and County of London Troops Memorial
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in front of the Royal Exchange, London
The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London Cor ...
, with architectural design by Sir Aston Webb
Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in par ...
and sculpture by Alfred Drury
Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury (11 November 1856 – 24 December 1944) was a British architectural sculptor and artist active in the New Sculpture movement. During a long career Drury created a great number of decorative figures such as busts and ...
. The right-hand (southern) bronze figure flanking this memorial depicts an infantryman representative of the various London infantry units.
A memorial plaque to Jock Christie, VC, was unveiled on 28 March 2014 at Euston Station
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...
where he had worked as a parcels clerk for the London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
.[
]
Notes
References
* Anon, ''Regimental Badges and Service Caps'', London: George Philip & Sons, 1941
* Brig C.F. Aspinall-Oglander, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations Gallipoli'', Vol II, ''May 1915 to the Evacuation'', London: Heinemann, 1932/Imperial War Museum & Battery Press, 1992, .
* Maj R. Money Barnes, ''The Soldiers of London'', London: Seeley Service, 1963.
* Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, .
* David L. Bullock, ''Allenby's War: The Palestine-Arabian Campaigns 1916–1918'', London: Blandford Press, 1988, .
* John Wm. Burrows, ''Essex Units in the War 1914–1919'', Vol 5, ''Essex Territorial Infantry Brigade (4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions), Also 8th (Cyclist) Battalion The Essex Regiment'', Southend: John H. Burrows & Sons, 1932.
* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938.
Major 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 Press, 2004.
* Capt Cyril Falls, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, Egypt and Palestine'', Vol II, ''From June 1917 to the End of the War'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1930/Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military Press, 2013, .
* J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, .
* Richard Holmes, ''Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors'', London: HarperPress, 2011, .
* N.B. Leslie, ''Battle Honours of the British and Indian Armies 1695–1914'', London: Leo Cooper, 1970, .
* Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, .
* Lt-Gen Sir George MacMunn & Capt Cyril Falls, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, Egypt and Palestine'', Vol I, ''From the Outbreak of War with Germany to June 1917'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1928/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1992, .
* David Martin, ''Londoners on the Western Front: The 58th (2/1st London) Division in the Great War'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2014, .
* Lt-Col H.R. Martin, ''Historical Record of the London Regiment'', 2nd Edn (nd).
* John North, ''Gallipoli: The Fading Vision'', London: Faber & Faber, 1936.
* Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, .
* Lt-Col J.D. Sainsbury, ''The Hertfordshire Batteries, Royal Field Artillery: An Illustrated History 1908–1920'', Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Historical Trust/Hart Books, 1996, .
* Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, .
* ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927; RA section also reprinted in Litchfield, Appendix IV.
* Ray Westlake, ''Tracing the Rifle Volunteers'', Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2010, .
Online sources
British Army units from 1945 on
British History Online
British Military History
The Long, Long Trail
Orders of Battle at Patriot Files
* ttps://ra39-45.co.uk The Royal Artillery 1939–45
The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918
Stepping Forward: A Tribute to the Volunteer Military Reservists and Supporting Auxiliaries of Greater London
UK War Memorials Register
{{LondonRegiment
Military units and formations established in 1860
Rifle Volunteer Corps of the British Army
Military units and formations in London
Military units and formations in Middlesex
Military units and formations in Islington
Battalions of the London Regiment (1908–1938)
Military units and formations disestablished in 1961