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2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment
2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment was stationed at the garrison of Jerusalem when war broke out in September 1939. I in March 1940 they joined 14th Infantry Brigade in Palestine and moved to Egypt in July. The battalion saw action in the in the defence of Tobruk with 16th Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division (later redesignated 70th Infantry Division) and later formed part of the garrison of Ceylon. In September 1943, the battalion was stationed at Bangalore in India with 70th Division when it was selected for attachment to the second Long Range Penetration or Chindits brigade (111th Indian Infantry Brigade) for the Burma Campaign. 2nd Kings formed 41 and 46 Columns in the Second Chindit Campaign, moving to Burma in March 1944 and being flown out to India in July 1944. Between November 1944 to February 1945, the 2nd Kings were served with 14th Airlanding Brigade, 44th Indian Airborne Division.
2nd Jan 1941 Reliefs 
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
21st of April 1944 Change of Plan
24th of April 1944 Orders Recieved
1st of May 1944 Report
6th May 1944 Orders
10th May 1944 Evacuation
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment? There are:1325 items tagged 2nd 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. Frank Miller 2nd Btn. Kings Own Frank Miller began his military life joining the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. After training he transferred into the Kings Own. Serving in India he became a member of the Chindits, his story (along with many others) was recently told on a programme aired by Channel 4 called "Calling Blighty. A message home". After his time in the jungle, Frank transferred once again to the Army Catering Corp when he came out of the Jungle. Many of the guys saw this as a fast track to food.
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Pte. John Thomas Antrobus 2nd Battalion Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment My grandfather Tom Antrobus served with 2nd battalion KORR from March 1940 until the end of the second Chindit Campaign (Operation Thursday) when he returned to England sick with dysentry and malaria. Any info would be great to piece together his time in the forces.
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Pte. Leonard "Wingy " Woodhead 2nd Btn. Kings Own Royal Regiment(Lancaster) My dad who from Leeds, West Yorkshire, Pte. Leonard Woodhead 2nd Bn King's Own Royal Regiment, was captured at Dunkirk whilst holding off the advancing Germans. He endured the "Death March" to Stalag V111B. He spent nearly 4 years in captivity in Lamsdorf. After an accident, in the forced labour coal mines, he lost his right hand and had multiple injuries to his head arms and legs. He met up with a fellow Yorkshireman, Richard Pape who was a captured RAF navigator,and after the war an author of a book on his wartime experencies.
My dad was repatriated in November 1943, but before he left stalag V111b Richard Pape asked my dad if he would smuggle a message home to Ernest Osborn editor of the "Yorkshire Post Newspapers". He got this message through in a ring made out of a toothbrush.
My dad describes his feelings in the book, “Boldness Be My Friend” written by Richard Pape, when he was stripped and searched by the German guards before he was allowed to embark on his way home.
My Dad was known as Wingy Woodhead in the book. Risking his life Dad got the message to Ernest Osborn, and in return was presented a world atlas from the editor of the Yorkshire Post Newspaper, which I still have today. It has a signed and dated label in the front.
Sadly my dad died in 1980, 2 months after my mother, I have one or two photos of him in Stalag v111b plus POW letters etc., if anyone has any more knowledge of him during his captivity I would be most interested in it.
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