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2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders were based in Malaya as part of the Singapore garrison. They saw action in February 1942 in the battle for Singapore and on the 15th of February they surrendered along with 130,000 other British Commonwealth soldiers. The battalion suffered more casualties as Prisoners of War in Japanese captivity than they did during the fighting on Singapore Island and mainland Malaysia.
In May 1942 2nd Battalion was was reformed from personnel of the 11th Battalion joined 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. They landed in Normandy on D-Day and fought alongside the 1st Battalion through France, Belgium and the Netherlands into Germany.
3rd Jan 1944 Street Fighting Exercise
13th of April 1944 Amendment
29th of April 1944 Photographs
1st Jun 1944 Orders
2nd Jun 1944 Orders
3rd Jun 1944 Orders
21st Jun 1944 Orders
22nd Jun 1944 Preparations
23rd Jun 1944 Briefing
25th Jun 1944 Preparations 
25th Jun 1944 Conference
26th Jun 1944 Move
26th Jun 1944 In Action
28th Jun 1944 Orders
1st July 1944 Orders
2nd July 1944 Reliefs
3rd Jul 1944 Locations
3rd July 1944 Relief Complete
4th July 1944 Conference
6th Jul 1944 Paswords
6th July 1944 Passwords
11th July 1944 Conference
13th Jul 1944 Enemy Positions
13th July 1944 Orders
13th July 1944 Recce Patrols
14th Jul 1944 Orders
14th July 1944 Orders
14th July 1944 Preparations
15th Jul 1944 Orders
15th July 1944 Orders
15th July 1944 Into Position
16th Jul 1944 Shelling
16th Jul 1944 Attack
16th Jul 1944 Advance
16th July 1944 Air Raid
16th July 1944 In Action
17th Jul 1944 Bombs
17th July 1944 Air Raid
18th Jul 1944 Orders
18th July 1944 Orders Issued
19th Jul 1944 Minefields
19th Jul 1944 Moves
19th July 1944 Instructions
20th Jul 1944 Moves
21st Jul 1944 Orders
21st July 1944 Orders
23rd Jul 1944 HQ Moves
23rd July 1944 Divisional HQ Moves
24th Jul 1944 Conference
24th July 1944 Conference
25th Jul 1944 Minefields
25th July 1944 Minefields
26th Jul 1944 Orders
26th July 1944 Orders
28th Jul 1944 Orders
28th July 1944 Instructions
29th Jul 1944 Preparations
30th Jul 1944 In Action
30th Jul 1944 Attack Made
30th Jul 1944 In Action
30th Jul 1944 HQ Moves
30th July 1944 Divisional HQ Moves
30th July 1944 In Action
31st Jul 1944 Advance
31st Jul 1944 Attack Made
31st Jul 1944 HQ Moves
31st July 1944 Orders
1st Aug 1944 In Action
6th Aug 1944 Attacks
6th Aug 1944 In Action
6th Aug 1944 Attack Made
6th Aug 1944 Attack Made
13th Sep 1944 Canal
25th Oct 1944 In Action
26th Oct 1944 In Action
28th Oct 1944 Assault Made
 Carriers and 6-pdr anti-tank guns of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, 15th (Scottish) Division, during the assault on Tilburg, 28th of October 1944. © IWM (B 11420)
28th Oct 1944 Assault Made
29th Oct 1944 Rumours
30th Oct 1944 British dig in on Maas Bend
30th Oct 1944 Reliefs
1st Nov 1944 Shelling
13th Nov 1944 Objectives
14th Nov 1944 Conference
15th Nov 1944 Conference
17th Nov 1944 Planning
20th Nov 1944 In Action
21st Nov 1944 Advance
24th Nov 1944 Patrols
25th Nov 1944 Advance
26th Nov 1944 Shelling
28th Nov 1944 Prisoners Taken
11th Jan 1945 Artillery Support
18th Jan 1945 Reliefs
14th Feb 1945 Moving Forward
 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders moving forward to attack Cleves, accompanied by a stray goat which persisted in following them, 14th of February 1945. The Battalion, part of the 15th Scottish Division, occupied the town with support of tanks of the 6th Tanks Guards Brigade. © IWM (B 14595)
14th Feb 1945 Moving Forward
24th of February 1945 Move
8th May 1945 Victory
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Those known to have served with 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Braidwood William Patrick. Pte
- Cooper Harry. Pte. (d.26th September 1944)
- Cowrie John George. Pte.
- Day Edward. Pte. (d.16th August 1943)
- Greenlaw William. Pte
- Gunn William A.. Pte.
- Harter Michael William. Capt. (d.18th June 1943 )
- Higson Robert. (d.30th October 1944)
- Jewers Henry Charles. Cpl.
- McArthur Maxwell. Pte (d.29th of April 1945)
- Pettitt Cyril. (d.5th August 1944)
- Rennie Joseph. Pte.
- Sivewright Charles. Pte.
- Sivewright Henry George. Pte
- Smith Hector. Sgt. (d.March 1942)
- Taylor Alexander Jesse Chisholm. Sgt.
- Taylor Charles Gillan Nicholson. Sgt.
- Todd John Gilmour. Pte
- Unsworth Frank. Sgt.
- Walker John. Pte. (d.15th Feb 1945)
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders from other sources.
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Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders? There are:1416 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Pte. John Walker 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders (d.15th Feb 1945) Private John Walker, 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders was killed in action during the battle for Singapore. He was the son of Joseph and Catherine Walker who lived in East Finchley in Middlesex. John Walker was married to Susan and he was my great uncle. John's body was never found after the battle. During my childhood in the 1970's, my Great Aunts Annie and Betty used to think that one day, John would return home. During the 1970's there were the occasional stories of Japanese soldiers emerging from the jungle, not realising that the war was over. This always gave my Great Aunts hope. Alas, it wasn't to be. John's name appears on the memorial wall alongside his brothers in arms who were also lost during the fall of Singapore in 1945. Rest in Peace, John. He was 27 years old when he died.
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Cyril Pettitt 2nd Btn. Gordon Highlanders (d.5th August 1944) Cyril Pettitt signed up under age at 17 years old and went across to France in July 1944. He died in August 1944. His mother had passed away when he was 11 years old and he was very close to his younger sister who was heartbroken when the Padre broke the news that he had been killed in action.
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Pte Maxwell "Mexi" McArthur 2nd Btn Gordon Highlanders (d.29th of April 1945) Maxwell McArthur was killed in action on the 29th of April 1945 in the area of Tesperhude and the Krummel factory, after crossing the river Elbe below Lauenburg on one of the final small skirmishes leading to the final victory in a German surrender 8 days later when the war ended. He gave his all for King, Country and the honour of the Gordon Highlanders.
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Pte William "Tarzan" Greenlaw 2nd Btn Gordon Highlanders William Greenlaw served with the 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders in WW2.
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Pte. Joseph Rennie 5th Btn. Gordon Highlanders Joseph Rennie was my Dad. I've been looking into his journey with the historian's at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen.
He was captured after the failed offensive at St Valery.
I know one camp he was in BAB21. As I have a postcard that was sent to him there that he kept. POW number was 6707. The historian thought that was some kind of punishment camp. Possible for those that had made escape attempts.
My Dad did talk about being next to a concentration camp and about passing whatever rations they could do the Jews whenever possible. Sounds like BAB21 bordered Auschwitz.
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Pte. William A. Gunn 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders William Gunn was serving with 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders and stationed in Malaya. In February 1942 he was captured and held as a prisoner of war until summer of 1945. He later served in Korea.
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Pte. Edward Day 2nd Btn. Gordon Highlanders (d.16th August 1943) Edward Day is buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand.
I believe he was one of the very unlucky 600 soldiers that were chosen by the Japanese to be transferred to Thailand and forced to work on the railway.
Edward was the son of Arthur and Agnes Gwenneth Day (nee King)
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Capt. Michael William Harter 2nd Btn. Gordon Highlanders (d.18th June 1943 ) Michael Harter was one of the Old Etonian, Gordon Highlanders in WW2, based in Singapore in 1942. My Mum, 80 years old, has shown an interest in finding out about her Uncle Michael. The information she has is that he was captured and put to task on the Burma Railway. She thinks he died from malaria etc.
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Pte. Harry Cooper 2nd Btn. Gordon Highlanders (d.26th September 1944) Harry Cooper is buried in the Mierlo War Cemetery in Holland.
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Pte William Patrick Braidwood 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders My Dad, William Braidwood was a prisoner of war in the Far East. He was in Nong Pladuk when allied planes bombed it killing 100 prisoners. On return home he had to fill in a form asking if he had carried out any acts of sabotage, he wrote "putting sand in the oil tanks and burying machinery parts", if caught doing this, he would have been killed.
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