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5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment
After home defence duties, guarding the airfields of the south east, the 4th and 5th Territorial Battalions of The Dorsets landed in Normandy with XII Corps and 43rd Wessex Division. Fighting their first battle against the Waffen SS of 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions on the slopes of Hill 112 as part of the 43rd Wessex Division.
The 5th Dorsets were sucessful in attacking Chateau Fontaine Etoupfour. The 4th Dorset's attack on Etterville, was met with stiff opposition and heavy mortar fire, but was also successful. However during the final phase of the attack in Maltot, a battalion of German Tiger tanks separated the British infantry from their tanks, the 4th Dorsets reduced to little more than a company in strength. In 1945 The 4th and 5th Dorsets crossed the Rhine by assault craft supported by the 7th Dorsets (by now renamed the 94th and 110th Lt Anti Aircraft Regiment) with their 25 pounder guns. Having crossed the River Waal at Nijmegen the 43rd Wessex Division lead the advance to the Rhine at Arnhem. The 4th Dorsets were to cross the Rhine to reinforce the airborne troops but the current was too strong and they were dispersed along the enemy beach. Again the 4ths suffered many casualties with three hundred either killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. The final drive of the War took the Dorsets across Northern Germany to Bremerhaven on the North Sea coast.
12th Jun 1944 Sport and Entertainment
6th Jul 1944 Reliefs
7th Jul 1944 Reliefs
8th Jul 1944 Reliefs Complete
10th Jul 1944 Orders
10th Jul 1944 Attack made
14th Aug 1944 Attack Made
1st Sep 1944 Move
2nd Sep 1944 Reorganisation
3rd Sep 1944 Preparations
4th Sep 1944 Awards
25th Sep 1944 In Action
25th Sep 1944 Withdrawal 
26th Sep 1944 On the River Banks
26th Sep 1944 In Action
26th Sep 1944 In Action
26th Sep 1944 First Aid and Rest
13th Feb 1945 Advance Continues
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Those known to have served with 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Baalham Gorge Henry. Cpl.
- Blake Charles Albert. Sgt.
- Burke George William. Pte. (d.10th July 1944)
- Champion Walter Jack. Pte.
- Clark Frank Allen. Pte. (d.27th Apr 1944)
- Connor Peter Anthony. Pte. (d.30th Jul 1944)
- Eames George William John. Cpl. (d.11th Jul 1944)
- Fryer Wilfred Frank. Pte.
- Gatehouse Leonard Charles. L/Sgt (d.30th July 1944)
- Hutton Harry. L/Cpl. (d.10th July 1944)
- Kilcar Stephen. L/Cpl. (d.19th Nov 1944)
- Lawrence Michael. Pte. (d.19th November 1944)
- Murphy William Patrick. Pte. (d.5th June 1942)
- O'Brien Gerald. Pte. (d.10th July 1944)
- Sweet Albert James. Cpl (d.29th April 1945)
- Whymark George Roy. Pte. (d.10th July 1944)
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 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment from other sources.
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Want to know more about 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment? There are:1336 items tagged 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire 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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Cpl. George William John Eames 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment (d.11th Jul 1944) George Eames served with the 5th Dorsetshire Regiment. He was married to Elsie May Eames (nee Hallett)
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Pte. Walter Jack Champion 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment  Walter Champion was working in his uncle's bakery (Wyatt’s) in Pangbourne, Berkshire, when called up. He had previously joined 4th (Pangbourne) Home Guard. He then joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment on 12th of December 1941 at Brock Barracks No. 17 Infantry Training School.
On D-Day, he landed on Juno Beach as part of No. 8 Beach Group and then served on the beach until 8th of August 1944, when he transferred to the 5th Dorsetshire Regiment. On 27th of August 1944, he was promoted to acting Lance Corporal but decided he preferred to "be one of the lads", as he put it. He served as batman to his company commander (possibly Major Meade, not sure). When his officer was posted to Division HQ, he was invited to go too as it would be safer, but he turned down this opportunity saying that if his mates had to face front-line danger then so should he.
When his battalion crossed the Rhine, he was on leave, but he was in the area around Hannover when Germans surrendered on VE Day. His battalion was the closest to the location of surrender.
He participated in the following actions:
- D-Day landings
- Falaise Gap.
- CrossIng the Seine at Vernon on 27 August 1944
- Market Garden with XXX Corps at Nijmegen.
- Various actions around southern Netherlands and Aachen
- Periphery of the Battle of the Bulge, covering US left flank.
- Tripsrath (Dorset Wood)
After the war, he served in Berlin and was transferred to HQ XXX Corps on 20th June 1946, just before 5th Dorsets were mothballed. During that time, he helped to guard Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison. On 18th October 1946, he demobbed and went into the Reserve.
He died in October 2014, just before his 92nd birthday. He was a great chap and a wonderful father-in-law to me.
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Pte. George William Burke 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment (d.10th July 1944) George Burke served with the 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment in WW2. He was involved in Operation Jupiter in the heavy fighting to take Hill 112. He was acting as a dispatch rider at the time of his death on 10th of July 1944 and was most likely killed by artillery.
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Pte. Wilfred Frank Fryer 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment Wilfred Fryer served with the 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment.
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Sgt. Charles Albert Blake 5th Battalion Dorset Regiment Charles Blake was my great grandfather. He was born in Stenning in 1897.
He served with the Royal Marines Light Infantry for the duration of WW1 seeing many fronts.
He married Vyvyan Agnes Maud Aynsworth Allen in Dec 1920 and they moved to Wimborne where Charles worked as a steam roller driver, they had 4 children.
In 1939 he is shown on a local electoral register as being a Sgt with the 5th Battalion, Dorset Regiment a partial service number is visible 5721...
Any further information on this second military career will be gratefully received.
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Pte. William Patrick Murphy 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment (d.5th June 1942) William Murphy was my grandfather. He was Irish from Cork but moved to England and enlisted in the Army. He was in the 5th Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment.
We have found out that he died on a beach opposite Chequers Rifle Range, Deal in Kent on 5th of June 1942 aged 37 as a result of extensive injuries suffered due to an explosion of a landmine.
Any further information on my grandfather and this incident would be very much appreciated.
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Cpl. Gorge Henry "Spiter" Baalham 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment Gorge Baalham served in the 8th Army fighting through the North African campaign (1942-1943) then got a transfer to the 5th Dorset Regiment and though the Normandy campaign (6th June 1944 - 20th August 1944) went though Caen and that is when the story ends.
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Pte. Michael Lawrence 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment (d.19th November 1944) I am researching those who lost their lives in WW2 and named on our school memorial board. Michael Lawrence was a groundsman at the school before he joined up.
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Pte. George Roy Whymark 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment (d.10th July 1944) George Roy Whymark (listed by the Army as George 'Robert' Whymark) was killed in action as a member of the 5th Dorsetshire Regiment on 10th July 1944. He is buried, alongside others of his regiment who are listed as being killed in action on the same day, in the Saint Manvieu War Cemetery Norry, Department du Calvados, Basse-Nomandie, France. In memory of an uncle I never knew and who died so young.
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L/Sgt Leonard Charles Gatehouse 5th Btn Dorset Regiment (d.30th July 1944) Charlie Gatehouse as he was known to his family was my uncle, my mother's brother. He is buried in Bayeux War Cemetery. I am lucky enough to still have the last letter he wrote to his mother and the photograph of the wooden cross placed on his grave which was sent to her. I am just looking up the history of his short fighting career in Normandy.
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