|
|
|
51st Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery
51st (Westmoreland & Cumberland) Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery was a Territoria Army unit based in Cumbria. In 1940, their 203rd Battery saw action in the Norway. The saw action in the Western Desert and
served in Ceylon before moving to India. They were assigned as infantry to the Long Range Penetration Group (The Chindits) and saw action in Burma.
21st Nov 1941 In Action
Feb 1944 Chindit force preparations In early February 1944 preparations began for the 2nd Chindit Expedition. The Special Force or 3rd Indian Division as it was known consisted of the following units, which were split into Columns.
3rd West African Brigade and 14th Brigade
- 6th Btn. Nigeria Regiment. (Columns 66 & 39)
- 2nd Btn. Black Watch (Columns 42 & 73)
- 7th Btn Nigeria Regiment (Columns 29 & 35)
- 1st Btn. Beds & Herts Regiment (Columns 16 & 61)
- 12th Btn. Nigeria Regt (Columns 12 & 43)
- 2nd Btn. York & Lancaster Regiment (Columns 84 & 65)
- 7th Btn Leicestershire Regiment (Columns 47 & 74)
- 54th Field Company, Royal Engineers
77 Brigade and 111 Brigade
- 3rd Btn. 6th Gurkha Rifles (Columns 36 & 63)
- 1st Btn. Cameronians (Columns 26 & 90)
- 1st Btn. Kings (Liverpool) Regiment (Columns 81 & 82)
- 2nd Btn. Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment (Columns 41 & 46)
- 1st Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (Columns 20 & 50)
- 3rd Btn. 4th Gurkha Rifles (Column 30)
- 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (Columns 38 & 80)
- 3rd Btn. 9th Gurkha Rifles (Columns 57 & 93)
23rd Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Btn. Essex Regiment (Columns 44 & 56)
- 2nd Btn. Duke of Wellington's Regiment (Columns 33 & 76)
- 4th Btn. Border Regiment (Columns 34, 55)
- 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, deployed as infantry, (Columns 60 & 68)
- 12th Field Company, Royal Engineers
16th Brigade Morris Force
- 1st Btn. Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment (Columns 21 & 22)
- 4th Btn. 9th Gurkha Rifles (Columns 49 & 94)
- 2nd Btn. Leicestershire Regiment (Columns 17 & 71)
- 3rd Btn. 4th Gurkha Rifles (Column 30)
- 45th Recce Regiment (Columns 45 & 54)
- 51st and 69th Field Regiments, Royal Artillery, deployed as infantry (Columns 51 & 69)
- 2nd Field Company, Royal Engineers
Dah Force
Stronghold Defences
- R S & U Troop 160th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (25 Pounders)
- W X Y & Z Troops 69th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Bofors)
Divisional Troops
- 219th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
- Detachment 2nd Burma Rifles
- 145th Brigade Company, R.A.S.C.
- 61st Air Supply Company, R.A.S.C.
- 2nd Indian Air Supply Company, R.I.A.S.C.
Feb 1944 Chindit force preparations
5th Feb 1944 On the Move
21st of April 1944 Change of Plan 
28th of April 1944 Move
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
|
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 19th Nov 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
264989 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
|
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
Want to know more about 51st Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery? There are:5 items tagged 51st Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery 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. |
|
Harold Arthur Armstrong While 51st Field Regiment Royal Artillery Harold While served in the 51st Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery in Tobruck, Western Desert in 1940. He was awarded a medal and his daughter is trying to locate a copy of the citation.
|
Sgt. Robert William Vincent 51st Field Regiment, 203rd Battery Royal Artillery Billy Vincent served with 203rd Battery, 51st Field Artillery, Royal Artillery.
|
Sgt. Robert William Vincent 51st Field Regiment, 203rd Battery Royal Artillery My father, Billy Vincent was a coal miner (born in 1908) working at the Haig Pit in Whitehaven Cumbria with his best friend Billy Burney of Hilltop Road Whitehaven. Both were members of 203rd Battery, 51st Regiment. Royal Artillery along with my father's brother Edgar Vincent (later of Central Avenue, Whitehaven. All (I believe) served in 203rd Battery between the wars, I guess for the bounty and the annual camp at Hawick, in the Scottish Borders. They were horse drawn Artillery and still wore WW1 type uniform.
My father gained the rank of Serjeant Signaller. On the outbreak of war 1939 they were "Called to the Colours" and my parents were married on the Boxing Day of the that year. When the Germans invaded Norway my father was part of the military response and 203rd Battery was sent to support the Norwegian forces.
The following is dredged up from my childhood memories of stories from my father of his active service and books and research I have done.
The Allied (French and British) Forces landed at various points along the the Norwegian coast, (Narvic and Andalsnes I believe). My father told me that they advanced to the south to support the Norwegian forces but from the first contact with the German forces they were under retreat, due to the terrain and the allies (French & British) being confined to the roads. Whenever they set up a blocking position the Germans had ski troops to by pass them and place them under fire.
After evacuation back to Britain, the 203rd Battery was sent to North Africa where they were involved in driving the Italian Army back from the Egyptian frontier and eventually ended up in the Siege of Tobruk. The 203rd Battery fought in the siege of Tobruk alongside the Australian forces and received a letter of commendation from the Australian commander when both units were withdrawn to Alexandria and replaced with Polish and South African forces.
During the evacuation the ship that my father was on was sunk (torpedoed? Bombed?). We still have my fathers paybook and photos of my mother and sister that were in his pockets when he was rescued which were stuck together due to being immersed in the sea.
Sometime after arriving at Alexandria my father was taken ill and hospitalised and the 51st Field Artillery was sent to India and eventually became Chindits under Orde Wingate and resulting in ill health for many after the war.
My father was drafted into another outfit as he put it and took a voluntary reduction in rank to lance bombardier to remain in the Artillery. Following his return to duty he was back in action until Rommel succeeded in driving the British forces back and finally capturing Tobruk and my father. A letter to my mother from his comrade on that day said that they were out repairing a field telephone line and while returning with some equipment he saw 2 Germans jump out of a trench and take my father prisoner.
He eventually ended up, I believe, in Campo 7 in Italy. When the Allied Forces invaded Italy and Italy capitulated the prisoners were ordered by the Allies to stay in the Italian POW camps until relieved by Allied Forces. Unfortunately the Germans arrived first and my father ended up in Stalag 4b at Muhlberg near Dresden. This would be about 1943 I think. We still have his German dog tags and ID card which state he was a driver. I believe this was a ruse to enable him to get on work parties outside the camp as he used to tell of bartering luxury items like soap, chocolate, milk powder, etc. from Red Cross parcels with the locals for basics like bread, potatoes and vegetables. He remained there until liberated by Russian forces in April 1945 although I believe that they were not released immediately.
My father suffered ill health due to his war service dying at age 59 from arterial sclerosis. I believe this was due to excessive smoking when he was a POW in order to kill hunger pangs, cigarettes were the main currency in the camp.
He also told me that although life was hard for allied POWS it was far worse for the Russian POWS who were separated from the Allies and who didn't have Red Cross parcels and often begged scraps from the other prisoners.
|
Gnr. Thomas Willis Akitt 51st Field Regiment Royal Artillery Thomas Akitt was wounded in North Africa on 3rd of January 1942.
|
Gnr. William James Morrey 51st Heavy AA, 151 Bty. Royal Artillery Billy Morrey's POW number was E91075. With Russian artillery heard in the distance he left Piaski and began the Long March on 19th January 1945 (his 24th birthday). Although alright the day before, he awoke as sick as a dog. His friends put him on a sled they had made and pulled him for the first day. On the second day he awoke and felt much better and walked for the next three months through Poland, Northern Czechoslovakia and Germany to be liberated by the US army South on Munich.
|
Gnr. Edward Weightman 51 (Westmorland & Cumberland Yeomanry) Field Regt Royal Artillery (d.22nd Apr 1941) Edward Weightman, son of George and Mary Weightman and husband of Eva Gwendoline Weightman of Jarrow, County Durham, died aged 25 during the Siege of Tobruk. He is buried at Tobruk War Cemetery, Libya and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance to Jarrow Town Hall.
|
Gnr. William Hensley Hudson 51st (Westmorland & Cumberland Yeo) Field Regt. Royal Artillery (d.11th Dece 1941) William Hudson died aged 23 whilst serving with the Royal Artillery.
Born in Jarrow in 1918 he was the son of James and May Hudson (nee Hunton) of Jarrow.
William is remembered on the Alamein Memorial and is is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
