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1st Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment
1st Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment served in India and Burma during the Second World War.
11th Jan 1944 Medal Ribbons
14th Jan 1944 Divine Service
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
3rd Apr 1944 In Action
21st of April 1944 Change of Plan
27th of April 1944 Supplies replenished
13th Jul 1945 Patrol
 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Regiment, on patrol aboard an assault boat on the Pegu Canal near Waw, 12th - 13th of July 1945. © IWM (SE 4330)
13th Jul 1945 Patrol
13th Jul 1945 Patrol
 A patrol from the 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Regiment, crossing a paddy field where a Burmese tiller is at work with a team of oxen, near Waw, 12th-13th of July 1945. © IWM (SE 4340)
13th Jul 1945 Patrol
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 1st Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) Regiment ? There are:1327 items tagged 1st Battalion, Royal West Surrey (Queens) 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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Ernest Victor Erridge 1st Battalion Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment    My father Ernest Erridge was born 12th February 1913 in Eastbourne, East Sussex. When dad was young he moved to London with his mother. He was a barrow boy and was selling fruit and vegetables around the Tooting area.
He joined the Army as a young boy at the age of sixteen, he had lied about his age by a year, so he could join the services. He always said it was the best years of his life and wouldn't have changed it.
In the Army, he was the Lightweight Champion Boxer of his Regiment. He served aboard a lot serving in Egypt, India, China. After the Quetta Earthquake in 1934, his Regiment was sent to give help.
When WWII broke out he was coming down the gang plank of a ship
and was told to turn around because War had been declared.
During the war he was in the desert driving lorries taking water to other units. I do not know a lot about his army career, whether he changed units etc. I know snippets of what he has told the family. One of his friends in the army, he used to talk about was called Dickie Brunt.
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Pte. William Leonard Ball 1st Battalion Queens Royal Regiment (d.9th May 1945) William Ball was my uncle, who died in an aircrash in Lancaster RF230 JI-B just after take of in France along with 24 POWs and 6 aircrew. He is buried in Paris.
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