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1st Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment
1st Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment was stationed in Malta on the outbreak of war in September 1939. At the end of the year they moved to Karachi, India. They later transferred to the 17th Indian Infantry Brigade and then went to in Iraq and Syria with 25th Indian Infantry Brigade, 10th Indian Infantry Division. In August 1942, the 1st Battalion embarked from Egypt for Cyprus, but the transport was torpedoed and the troops had to return and re-embark on another ship. In May 1943, they returned to Syria. In October 1943 they transferred to 234th Infantry Brigade in the Aegean Islands where the bulk of the battalion was captured by the Germans after the Battle of Leros on 16 November. Only 57 officers and men managed to escape the island. On 30th of January 1944, 1st Battalion was reformed by amalgamating with the 8th Battalion King's Own in 25th Indian Infantry Brigade. The reformed battalion later served in the Italian Campaign with 25th Indian Brigade.
10th April 1941 Coup in Iraq
6th May 1941 Attack Made
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Want to know more about 1st Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment? There are:1322 items tagged 1st Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment 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. Eric "Smudger" Smith 1st Btn. King's Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment My father Eric Smith was part of a Vickers machine gun section and was captured on the Greek Island of Leros on 16th of November 1943 after an intense four-day battle with invading German forces and incessant air attacks by the Luftwaffe. My father spoke very little about the war and you had to coax stories out of him. His main gripe was the lack of air cover, obsolete equipment, and incompetent allied command.
My father spent some time in the American Hospital in Athens post battle. He was wounded in the Allied air raid of 21st of July 1944 on Brux, suffering a broken pelvis.
Incredibly I knew nothing of these events till just recently, having researched his war history.
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Pte. Samuel James Henry Hulse 1st Battalion Kings Own Royal Regiment Lancaster This story was passed on to me from my elder brother. I was only five & a half years when the WW2 started. Samuel Hulse, my uncle, relates a story when he & his fellow prisoners were working on a railway track and the guard in charge apparently lost his false eye in a disturbance, and had the prisoners looking for it, story has it that it was eventually found. This incident caused some slight amusement in a what must have been a drab and repetitive, drudgery day.
Sam was captured in Leros, Dodeconese Islands after a very short battle in November 1943. He was torpedoed 17th of August 1942 on HMT Princess Margerite but was one of the fortunate few to survive. I have a group photo of other fellow comrades in a camp but I don't know where it was taken but I do know that his aunt in Canada enlarged it and sent it to my grandmother in Cheshire, there are names on the back of the original, small photo(that I understand were sent to all relatives back home).
I recently bought a (book called SBS in WW2 by Gavin Mortimer & one of the main men mentioned in the book was Dick Holmes who it appears is on the photo. It could be that another was Duggie Pomford, it would be good to know more about the photo & it's people. The men of SBS in this book were transporting troops by boat in the Agean at the time, they left Alexandria, on 2/11/43 not knowing where their destination would be & arrived on Leros on 5/11/43. If anyone has any information on the photo or any connection with other facts I would be most grateful if they could get back to me.
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Pte. Alfred Connolly 1st Btn. King's Own Royal Rgt. (d.4th July 1944) Pte Connolly was killed in action on 4th July 1944 whilst serving with the 1st Btn. King's Own Royal Regiment. He is buried in Assisi War Cemetery, Italy.
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Don Pearce 1st Btn. King's Own Royal Regiment I have a special interest 1st Btn The King's Own Royal Regiment in which I served. I celebrated my 21st birthday 7.7.44 in Montone and I am trying to find any one who was was involved in the Battle of Montone, July 1944, military or civilian.
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