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Those known to have served with 9th (The Rangers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Blyth MiD. Richard Percu. Major
- Blythe Wilfred John. Rflmn.
- Deakin Henry. Rfmn. (d.12th April 1941)
- Dibley Albert Edward. L/Cpl. (d.12th to 27th April 1941)
- Lambert Thomas. Sgt.
- Marsh Ron.
- Pettit Bernard Richard. Rflmn. (d.21st April 1941)
- Smith Horace Henry. Rfm. (d.27th Oct 1942)
- Smith Thomas George. Rflmn.
- White Peter Anthony . 2Lt. (d.27th May 1941)
- Wood George John. L/Cpl. (d.12th April 1941)
- Yexley Arthur David. Cpl.
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 9th (The Rangers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps from other sources.
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Want to know more about 9th (The Rangers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps? There are:1342 items tagged 9th (The Rangers) Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps 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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Ron Marsh 9th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps I served in the 9th KRRC from 1939 to 1942 then with the 9th Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry until demob.
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Rflmn. Thomas George "Pop" Smith 9th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps My Dad, Thomas Smith, joined the Territorial Army on 5th Feb 1925. He was a Gunner in the 867th (London) Battery, 92nd Field Brigade and transferred to 12th London Rangers on 12th Apr 1927. He was 'Called to Colours' at the outbreak of war on 1st Sept 1939.
He was wounded, captured and made a prisoner of war (no.6047) at the Battle of Crete and was taken first to Stalag VIIA camp 2780, then to Stalag VIIIB/344 with work party E594.
At the war's end he was taken on the infamous death marches, but survived even though he was 44 years old by then.
I have a lot of letters and postcards that Dad sent to my eldest sister between Nov 1941 - Dec 1944. I am so glad she kept them, as not much else seems to have survived and I am the last of the family alive now at age 80! But I do have his Soldier's Release book and I also have a programme/booklet of King George V Silver Jubilee, 6th May 1935, given to my Dad because he, with his 12th London Regt 'Rangers' lined the procession route.
I've had a strong interest in researching my family history and especially the military side so it's been such a joy to me to find this site on line and to remember my Dad here - thank you!
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Major Richard Percu Blyth MiD. 9th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps Richard Blyth was twice mentioned in despatches, he served with the 9th Rangers Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps and the Sudan Defence Force.
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Sgt. Thomas Lambert 9th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps Thomas Lambert was captured in Crete on 3rd July 1941 - though some records suggests it was 28th May 1941. He remained in the camp until he was liberated on 11th May 1945. He was demobbed at Knella Hall in Winchester in August 1947 and went home to his family in Battersea, London.
He then joined the Royal London Territorial Army (London Rifle Brigade Rangers) on 29th September 1965 he retired from service at the age of 54, after 18 years service and was commended by the Lord Mayor of London for his service.
In his civilian life he had worked for British Gas since the 1930s and retired in March 1972. His wife passed away in May 1981 and he remarried. He died peacefully at home on 18th February 2004. His second wife survived him by four years.
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Cpl. Arthur David "Yec" Yexley 9th (The Rangers) Btn. King's Royal Rifle Corps  Taken prisoner in Crete, Arthur Yexley my dad, was first sent to Stalag IIID, located at Freigeghlen near Berlin. He later transferred to Stalag 383 where he spent the remainder of his incarceration.
He told a few stories of the good times but only occasionally talked about the bad days.
Like most camps, cigarettes were currency, for both prisoners and guards alike. Dad said that whilst they were reasonably fed (although often hungry), the Russian prisoners in the next camp along were in a very poor state. As the British went out on work parties, driving past the Russian camp, they would throw cigarettes over the fence. Dad swore that, on occasions, the Russian prisoners would grab whatever was thrown in and simply push it straight in their mouths and eat. That memory stayed with him always.
Whilst they didn't have it "cushy", he did love to talk about the long bridge tournaments in which he played; of the Gilbert and Sullivan productions (some photos of which he also had) and the fact that, far from digging tunnels, towards the end of the conflict, the guards would collude in prisoner escapes for the right amount of tobacco. He did not attempt an escape, always saying that life under the Nazis was preferable to my other!
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Rflmn. Bernard Richard "Brudge" Pettit 9th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps (d.21st April 1941) I found Bernard Pettit named on a grave stone that belonged to his mum and dad and wanted to find out what happened to him.
Bernard was born c1918, his parents were Bernard Joseph and Helen Rosetta Pettit of Battersea, London. He died aged 23yrs, in Greece. The British Army tried to halt the Germans invading Greece, unfortunately they were unsuccessful in stopping them. Apparently they were poorly equipped. Having eventually being evacuated back to Egypt. Bernard belonged to 9th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps also known as The 1st Rangers.
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Rflmn. Wilfred John Blythe 9th Btn. Kings Royal Rifle Corps Bill Blythe served in Greece and Crete (he was captured in the latter). While fighting in the former, he told me (his son), that he and colleagues would use a .55" Boys anti-tank rifle at long range across valleys as a sort of sniping weapon in 1941.
Proper sniping rifles of similar calibre would not be introduced until about the 2000s in Afghanistan.
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Rfmn. Henry Deakin 9th Btn (The Rangers) King's Royal Rifle Corps (d.12th April 1941) Henry Deakin died aged 22 whilst serving with The Rangers. He was the son of George A. and Sarah J. Deakin (nee Havelock, known as Sadie) of Jarrow
Henry is remembered on the Athens Memorial.
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Rfm. Horace Henry "Orrie" Smith 2nd Battalion (d.27th Oct 1942) Horace Henry Smith (who was my great uncle) was born in Walthamstow, London on 31st December 1917, the youngest of 10 children. He worked as a builder's labourer but was conscripted into the army in 1940, assigned to 9th Battalion 'The Rangers' KRRC. After serving alongside the Greek army against the German invasion, his section of the Batalion was evacuated from Greece in April 1941 and transported to Egypt where they were integrated into the 2nd Batalion KRRC, 8th Army.
On the night of 26th/27th October 1942, during the battle of El Alamein, the 2nd Battalion - as part of the 7th Motor Brigade, 1st Armoured Division - was engaged in an attack to capture an enemy anti-tank gun position nick-named the 'Woodcock Feature'. During this action Horace Smith was killed (we believe by a land-mine), aged 24. He has no known grave but his name is inscribed on the Alamein Memorial.
I never knew my great uncle 'Orrie', as I was not born until after the war, but my grand-mother, who was his older sister, often spoke to me about him. The remembrance day service was always a poignant reminder in our house when I was a child - and remains so today.
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