The main objective of the 1st Battalion was a prominent outcrop dominating their area, nicknamed “the Bou”. The 3rd Battalion continued on into Belgium, Holland and finally Germany, the other Battle Honour attributable to them after the crossing of the frontier, but shared with others, being “RHINELAND”. He was placed on terminal leave under Regimental Headquarters on 08 June 1953 but recalled for training with the Second Battalion on 27 July 1954. Now available on Blu Ray & DVD I am regularly asked if I can produce a DVD of this and my other military band parades. It was very cold, but that it was so wet was worse over terrain of large easily defensible woods, low lying farmland and fortified villages. Of these men, 237 are buried or commemorated in Italy, 95 in Tunisia and 10 in Norway. There are six appendices including a roll of honour and a list of honours and awards. Notes: A good war diary with lots of information, especially when the Battalion was in action. On 4 October 1943, what was left of the Battalion proceeded to Pirbright Camp where the soldiers were posted to the Training Battalion. There are lists of Scot Guard prisoners showing which German camp they are being held in. The Battalion trained at Bordon and it wasn’t until the end of February 1940 that it received its Lee-Enfield rifles. Lord Lyell dashed at the gun position across the open, killed most of its crew before being killed himself and was awarded a posthumous VC. These are mostly strength returns and lists of officers “recommended for acceptance as other ranks” for February. This is one of the best regimental histories to come out of the war and has been reprinted by the Naval and Military Press. For appendices, there is an order of battle for the officers from January and officer and other rank field returns between January and March. This website is operated by the Scots Guards Charity – more information can be found on the Army website. Their first battle in Normandy was the assault on a long ridge, known usually as the Battle of Caumont, but for which the Battle Honour “QUARRY HILL”, part of the ridge, was awarded. Find out and research your past; find relatives and ancestors that have served with the Scots Guards. The 2nd Battalion Scots Guards marching away from Waterloo Station. The Battalion was assembled at Wanstead, London on 11 October where the unit remained until 31 May 1942 when it moved to Marston Bigot Camp near Frome in Somerset. The cost to order a file is currently £30 unless you are the spouse or civil partner of the soldier. The 2nd Battalion plays a key role in the Falklands War. Notes: Another average war diary with a small number of appendices including a field return of officers, and a field return of other ranks dated 6 March 1943. The 2nd Battalion’s next major battle began on 5 November and was finally concluded on 9 December, a grim and gruelling fight up steep rocky slopes on thoroughly prepared German positions. By 2 pm, however, major attacks were developing on the boundary between 2RS and 1GORDONS to their In an attempt to speed matters up there was a plan to break into the German defences from behind by landing at Anzio just south of Rome. The 5th (Special Reserve) Battalion was a short-lived and very unusual unit of the British Army. In the operations to cross the Rhine and subsequently the 6th Guards Tank Brigade were for a time working with the Americans following which the Brigade Commander received a message from General Matthew Ridgway, Commander of the US Airborne Corps, later the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe “The period of our joint service has been brief but includes momentous days in a brilliant and now historic operation [the Rhine crossing and the advance to capture Műnster]. This article is one of a series of guides I’ve written to researching soldiers who served in the British Army during the Second World War: I offer a Second World War Soldier Research Service. The 2nd Battalion had left England in 1938 but instead of going on leave, the unit was quarantined for three weeks due to a case of smallpox. The enemy had withdrawn across the Rhine by mid March. First they attacked the machine gun post which Lord Lyell demolished with a grenade. The British and American Armies advancing from the south of Italy joined up with those at Salerno and, as the autumn wore on and the conditions worsened, slowly and painfully moved on from each deep river valley across each mountain range beyond. There aren’t a lot of resources online for researching those who served in the British Army during the Second World War. On 2 March, the Battalion travelled to Southampton and landed in France the next day. Recommendations for Honours and Awards for Gallant and Distinguished Service, The search is set up to show recommendations for those who served with the Scots Guards between 1940 and 1949. The only other appendix is an internal security scheme which “details action to be taken by the Battalion occupying area Equile Lipizzano in the event of civil disturbance in Allied Occupied Guilia” dated 22 February. On 6 April 1942, the Brigade was reorganized as the 200th Guards Motor Brigade Group, then the 201st Guards Motor Brigade Group before being captured at Tobruk in June 1942. Men of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards in a barn on the road between Sailly-sur-la-Lys and Rue Petillon near Fleurbaix, December 1914 As we approach the centenary of The Great War, it is useful to outline the operational organisation of the Household Cavalry and the … On 1 March 1940, the Battalion joined the 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards) in which it served for the remainder of the war. In 2007 the Scots Guards were For example on 2 January, the unit had its belated Christmas dinner which “included tomato soup, turkey and pork with vegetables, plum pudding, cake, fruit, nuts, chocolate, cigarettes, two bottles of beer per man, hot rum punch and vino ad lib”. The roll call of 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards on the Menin Road, 27 October 1914 answered by 12 officers and 460 soldiers. On 25 June, the Battalion sent a draft of four officers and 217 other ranks to the Holding Battalion prior to it embarking for North Africa. the Strathspey King, III. Feb 24, 2016 - Explore Aron's board "Scots Guards" on Pinterest. 08-07-1915. On the evening of 9 March, the Samaria docked at Algiers in Algeria, just in time for a short air raid. They often contain appendices in the form of orders, maps, battle reports etc. Notes: An average war diary for the period with a variety of appendices, including a special regimental order dated 11 October 1940 regarding the formation of the Battalion. The Battalion served with the Brigade until 19 March 1940 when it joined the 18th Infantry Brigade. 5 Sep. The Stirlingshire Militia, II. There are forty-four photographs but in the reprint these are very poor quality, and forty-five maps. Almost immediately after their arrival the 2nd Battalion in the Guards Armoured Division and the 3rd Battalion again with the 15th Division were in from the start in the Battle of the Rhineland. The 3rd Armoured Battalion landed at Arromanches in Normandy on 21 July 1944 and served in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. The documents are very useful as they often contain accounts of the circumstances in which a soldier was last seen. The last German line of defence was in rough, rocky hills (“djebel” in Arabic) twenty five miles from Tunis itself. There is an index. The Scots Guards is unusual, in that their service records are still held by the regimental archive, while the rest are held by the Ministry of Defence. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission recorded 329 dead for the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards between 3 September 1939 and 15 August 1945. On 1 October, the Battalion joined the 32nd Infantry Brigade (Guards) in which it served until 5 September 1943. When Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, the 1st Battalion Scots Guards was stationed at Chelsea Barracks, London. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards. It was in North Africa that Colonel Archie Stirling of the Scots Guards formed and had the ideal conditions to carry out raiding operations behind the enemy lines with the Special Air Service Regiment. By this time British and American troops were well into Tunisia. Imperial war Museum Q57228 3rd (Reserve) Battalion … The problem at Anzio was that shortage of landing craft made it impossible to land a large enough force to give the American commander the confidence to land and advance rapidly to cut the main German supply route twelve miles inland. Lance Corporal, 10400. Early on the Italians were the only enemy, but when they were badly defeated and there was a risk of their being expelled from Libya the Germans intervened. Here, news was received of an armistice between Finland and Soviet Russia. Their email address is on the page and there is also a phone number should you require further information. The British withdrew to the Alamein position along the Egyptian border, which they held successfully ahead of the counterstroke at the Battle of Alamein. The Battalion then travelled across France to Chamonix where it was billeted in hotels and began training, helped by the 199th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins. The day after it was formed, the Battalion joined the 30th Independent Infantry Brigade (Guards). Age 26. The Battalion’s position was near the centre of 2nd Corps whilst most of the action during the day was against the flanks. During the Second World War the principal centres of attention for the Scots Guards were North Africa, Italy and the moves through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany in 1944 and 1945 until the German surrender. On 15 April, the Battalion landed at Harstad and served in the country until it was evacuated on 5 and 6 June, reaching Gourock, Scotland on 10th. The German positions at the Bou finally fell on 5 May. The other two Battalions in the 24th Guards Brigade had suffered similarly. The Atholl Cummers, III. Notes: A good war diary with a wide variety of appendices. Missing Personnel North Africa Middle East. In 1939 the 2nd Battalion was already stationed in Egypt. The website of the Scots Guards Regimental Family –. 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