30th (Surrey) Searchlight Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army from 1924 until 1961. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it served in

The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

and later in the Tunisian and Italian Campaigns, while detachments from the regiment served in the Far East and were captured at the

Fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

Origins

The regiment had its origins in independent Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Companies of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

formed in the Territorial Army (TA) during 1924. In January 1925, those in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

were grouped as follows:Frederick, pp. 858, 861–2, 864.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 108, 112. Surrey Group Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Companies * HQ at London Road,

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

* 315 (Surrey) AA Company at Mitcham Road Barracks in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

* 316 (Surrey) AA Company at Kingston * 318 (Surrey) AA Company at

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

In December 1924, the Army Council sought permission from

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...

to buy and convert a property in Croydon to serve as HQ for 315 Company (225 all ranks) to be raised by the Surrey TA Association. The Army Council considered that 'the provision of accommodation must precede the call for men in order to ensure success', pointing out that 'The new Anti-Aircraft units are of great importance and recruiting, which is slow at present, is likely to be impossible without adequate headquarters to attract the personnel'. In the event, 315 AASL Company was accommodated at Mitcham Road Barracks in Croydon, originally built in 1794 as a depot for recruits to the Foot Guards, but used by local Territorial units since at least 1859. The site is still an Army Reserve Centre today. On 15 December 1935, the Surrey Group was redesignated 30th (Surrey) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers (TA). By then, an additional company (323 (Surrey) AA Company) had been formed at

Ewell Ewell ( , ) is a town in Surrey, England, south of Centre of London, central London and northeast of Epsom. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 34,872. The majority (73%) was in the NRS social grade, ABC1 ...

, later based at Lower Ham Road in Kingston (most of its officers coming from 315 Company. The battalion was subordinated to 27th (Home Counties) Anti-Aircraft Group (later termed a Brigade) based at

RAF Kenley Royal Air Force Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley, is a former List of former Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the Royal Air Force, RAF in the Second World War. It played a significa ...

in Surrey, forming part of 1st AA Division.''Monthly Army List'', 1939.

World War II

90cm_Projector_Anti-Aircraft_Flickr_8616022073

Home Defence

By the summer of 1939, 30 Searchlight Bn had been transferred to 47th AA Bde, also based at Kenley. It was part of 5th AA Division, responsible for defending Southern England in

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 ...

. 30 Searchlight Bn mobilised on 24 August (10 days before the declaration of war) and moved to its war stations in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

.30 Searchlight Regiment War Diary, 24 August 1939–31 December 1941, TNA War Office file WO 166/3044. In March 1940, the battalion HQ moved to Market Rasen Racecourse in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

as part of 39 AA Bde, whose responsibilities included airfields and other vulnerable points in Lincolnshire and along the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

. The battalion's searchlights were deployed accordingly. Some of these airfields were attacked during June, some searchlight equipment was damaged by bomb splinters, and one site engaged an enemy aircraft with its Lewis gun. After a short period (29 April–30 June) under command of Lt-Col F.L Congreve of the

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), the Commanding Officer from 1 July 1940 was Lt-Col Valentine Christian Green, a former infantry officer and veteran of the Kamerun campaign in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, who had recently transferred to the RA. On 1 August 1940, the AA Battalions RE were transferred to the RA, so the battalion became 30th (Surrey) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery and the companies were termed batteries.Litchfield, p. 226.Farndale, ''Years of Defeat'', Annex M, p. 339.

The Blitz

In mid-September 1940, S/L layouts had to be thinned out to a 6,000-yard spacing due to equipment shortages. 30 S/L Rgt redeployed with RHQ and one bty at

Gainsborough, Lincolnshire Gainsborough () is a market town and civil parish in the West Lindsey Non-metropolitan district, district of Lincolnshire, England. The population was 20,842 at the 2011 census, and estimated at 23,243 in 2019. It lies on the east bank of the ...

, the other btys at

Hatfield, South Yorkshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 17,236 at the 2011 Census. The town is located on the A18 road between Doncaster and Scunthorpe, and to the west of the M18 moto ...

, and

Thrybergh Thrybergh is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, from Rotherham. It had a population of 4,327 in 2001, reducing to 4,058 at the 2011 Census. History Thrybergh – which is mentione ...

. It took over 12 S/L sites from 306 S/L Bty ( 27th (London Electrical Engineers) S/L Rgt), which returned to London.39 AA Bde War Diary 1939–41, TNA file WO 166/2272. As German night air raids on the UK intensified (

), 30 S/L Rgt sent detachments to London in September and then to

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

in November to assist in their defence. On 12 January 1941, the newly formed 84th S/L Regt came into 39 AA Bde's area on Humberside. The brigadier's operation order commented that 'These Btys have had little training in practical S/L work' and distributed them to double-man S/L sites alongside the experienced 30th S/L Rgt: * 517/84 Bty alongside 315/30 Bty, with Bty HQ at Militia Camp, Gainsborough * 518/84 Bty alongside 316/30 Bty, BHQ at Militia Camp, Hatfield Woodhouse * 519/84 Bty alongside 318/30 Bty, BHQ at Netherfield House, near

Worksop Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located south of Doncaster, south-east of Sheffield and north of Nottingham. Located close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbys ...

* 512 S/L Bty at The Wheatsheaf, Ely Road, Chatteris, in 40 AA Bde area, was regimented with 84 S/L Rgt from 12 January, but remained in its location for a while before joining 323/30 Bty. The newly formed 511 Bty of 58th (Middlesex) S/L Rgt, initially attached to 40th (Sherwood Foresters) S/L Rgt, came under command of 30th (Surrey) S/L Rgt from 8 January (when it was considered operationally active) until 12 May 1941, when it was exchanged for 370 Bty of 43rd (5th Duke of Wellington's) S/L Rgt. 370 S/L Battery in turn came under command of 84th S/L Rgt in the summer. In March 1941, German bombers began dropping mines in the Humber Estuary, and 39 AA Bde ordered 30 Searchlight Regt to establish a mobile detachment to help the defenders engage these raiders. The 'Northern Rovers' and 'Southern Rovers', each of three sections, patrolled the north and south bank of the estuary. At the end of March, the regiment moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

for fire-watching and fire-fighting duties, particularly at Bristol and

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

. Bristol was heavily blitzed, especially on 11 April. 315 and 316 Batteries were ordered to prepare for deployment overseas, and they left the regiment on 5 June, 567 Battery (organised on 22 April at Shirehampton Transit Camp, Gloucestershire, from the surplus personnel of 315 and 316) later joined in their place. During the summer of 1941, the regiment's batteries were successively relieved from fire duties at Bristol and went to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

for rest and retraining for a mobile role. In October, the regiment rejoined 39 AA Bde, deployed along the Humber and in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

. On 23 January 1942, 511 Battery returned and became part of the regiment. On 1 February, Lt-Col Green was promoted away to command 41 (London) AA Bde. He was replaced by Lt-Col F. Howard Phillips. In the spring of 1942, 318 and 511 batteries were engaged with German raiders over Birmingham, while 323 and 567 were deployed to airfields in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

.30 Searchlight Regiment War Diary, 1 January–31 December 1942, TNA file WO 166/7780.

Overseas Service

The Croydon and Kingston Batteries, 315 and 316, had been sent by sea with 18th Infantry Division bound for the Middle East, but were diverted to Malaya, where they were attached to 5th Searchlight Regiment. As Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight units equipped with Bofors guns they were involved in the defence of airfields against Japanese attack before retreating to be captured in the

. The men remained prisoners of war until 1945, many dying in captivity.Farndale, ''Far East'', Annex A, p. 328. A new 315 SL Battery was formed in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and served there in Air Defence Command 1942–44. 30 Searchlight Regiment left AA Command in August 1942 and joined the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

Reserve. In September, it was ordered to mobilise for overseas service: 318 and 511 Batteries were detached to remain in the UK as independent batteries, while 400 Battery (from 50 (Northamptonshire Regiment) Searchlight Regiment) and 568 Independent Battery replaced them. On 2 January 1943, the regiment was assigned to First Army, which had landed in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

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

. The regiment's order of battle on the eve of departure was as follows:Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 22 November 1942, TNA file WO 212/8 30th (Surrey) Searchlight Regiment, RA * 323 (Surrey) Battery * 400 (Northampton) Battery * 567 Battery * 568 Battery * 30 S/L Rgt Signal Section,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

* 30 S/L Rgt Platoon,

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

* 30 S/L Rgt Workshop Section,

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers". History Prior t ...

Regimental headquarters (RHQ) and leading elements of 30 S/L Rgt embarked at

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

aboard the troopship HMS Otranto on 7 January 1943 and landed at

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

on 17 January.30 S/L Rgt War Diary 1943, TNA file WO 175/479. Some of the regiment's lorries and searchlight equipment were lost when a following troopship was torpedoed on 7 February.30/62 Searchlight Regiment War Diary 1943, TNA file WO 175/480. 567 and 323 Batteries remained in the UK as part of GHQ Reserve until February before they sailed. 30 Regiment was the only British searchlight unit serving with

Allied Force Headquarters Allied Force Headquarters (AFHQ) was the headquarters that controlled all Allied operational forces in the Mediterranean theatre of World War II from August 1942 until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. History AFHQ was established i ...

in North Africa. It was split into two parts: RHQ, 567 and 568 Batteries moved to

Bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

and came under the command of 66 AA Bde, while 323 and 400 Batteries (collectively known as '30/62 Regiment') moved into Tunisia in February with 62 AA Bde, initially running ammunition columns for the rest of the artillery. Both detachments saw action, replying to direct air attacks on their sites with light machine-guns, 20 mm Hispano cannon on home-made mounts, and 20 mm Oerlikon cannon manned by 218 Battery, RA. Later, 567 and 568 Batteries' sites were each supplied with a Bofors gun manned by 64 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment for close defence. In April, 567 and 568 Batteries were cooperating with 76 and 79 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, while from March onwards 30/62 Regt had 131 Z Battery under command. By the final phase of Operation Torch, HQ and one Bty of 30 S/L were at Tunis and Bizerta, under 52nd AA Bde, which held a number of AA units on their wheels and ready to move into the objectives of

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

and Bizerta immediately behind the leading battle groups. They deployed in Tunis on 7 May before the last German combat groups had been cleared out. During the Italian Campaign, 30 Regiment was once again the only British searchlight unit operating under AFHQ, but on 7 December 1943 it was placed in suspended animation and its personnel dispersed to other units. 567 and 568 Batteries continued as independent units in 1944, serving with British Land Forces Adriatic; they were disbanded on 15 February 1946 and 7 November 1945 respectively. and 89th HAA Rgt/AA Defence Command

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) 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. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

respectively

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the regiment reformed as 565 Searchlight Regiment, RA (Surrey), with its HQ once more at Kingston. It formed part of 106 AA Bde, also based at Kingston. On 16 March 1949, the regiment's role was partly changed and it was redesignated 565 (Mixed) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment (Surrey), 'Mixed' indicating that some of the personnel were from the

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992 except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chap ...

.Frederick, p. 1022.564–591 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on.
/ref> When AA Command was disbanded on 10 March 1955, 565 LAA regiment absorbed two other Surrey AA units: 566 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (City of London Rifles), based at

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 ...

, and 598 LAA Regiment (4th Bn, The Queen's Regiment), at

, the original 565 personnel becoming R Battery in the merged regiment: * P (City of London Rifles) Bty * Q (4th Queen's) Bty * R (Surrey) Bty * S (City of London Rifles) Bty In 1961, a further reorganisation saw 565 Regiment converted to infantry and merged with 6th Battalion The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) to form 3rd (V) Battalion The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment, when the RE and RA lineage ended.

First-hand account

To hear an Imperial War Museum interview with Sergeant Percy Mutimer on his experiences with 316 Searchlight Battery in peacetime Kingston, in the Malayan campaign, and as a Japanese POW, visit http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80004760.

Honorary Colonel

Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow (1876–1945) was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Surrey Group of AA Companies in 1927 and continued in the role for 30th (Surrey).''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.

Notes

References

* 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, . * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1939–1946'', London: Brasseys, 2002, . * * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony (Revised by Gen Sir William Jackson), ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I: 1 April to 4 June 1944'', London: HMSO, nd/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, * ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927. * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . * Ray Westlake, ''Tracing the Rifle Volunteers'', Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2010, {{ISBN, 978-1-84884-211-3.

External sources

British Army units from 1945 on

British Army website

British Military History

Croydon Council website

Imperial War Museum

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

* ttps://ra39-45.co.uk The Royal Artillery 1939–45
Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947''
Military units and formations established in 1924 Military units and formations disestablished in 1961 Searchlight regiments of the Royal Artillery Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Surrey Military units and formations in Kingston upon Thames