CHAPTER 2 — To Egypt and the United Kingdom; CHAPTER 7 — Battle for Crete; Index; Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume I. Battle Of Crete Commemorations- Red Arrows - posted in Explore Crete: For those who might be interested, and fortunate enough to be in Crete around the time of the Battle of Crete Commemoration events, the Royal Air Force display team, better known as the Red Arrows, will perform over Chania on the morning of Saturday 23rd MAY starting at 9.45hrs. As a result of the casualties sustained, and a severe shortage of British infantry replacements in the Mediterranean theatre, 168th Brigade was disbanded and the 1st Battalion was reduced to a small cadre of 5 officers and 60 other ranks. Shannon) - Bristol Blenheim 1.2. Other headdress worn by the 2nd Welch at this … On Crete it consisted of three brigades and an artillery regiment. Despite the weakness of the RAF, some squadrons did take part in the battle. On 26 May Freyberg sought permission to begin an evacuation of his forces, as he considered the situation hopeless. 1719 – 1918' author unknown, 'The History of The Welch Regiment 1919 – 1951', This page was last edited on 24 December 2020, at 16:14. East Africa, Cameroon and West Afr… Your email address will not be published. They took part in heavy fighting on the Gothic Line, one of many German defensive lines in Italy, and in the Croce area where the battalion, and the rest of the 56th Division, suffered heavy casualties. There are some records relating to Layforce listed in our catalogue here. Also not all of the files are open, even after this amount of time. At the end of Novemeber they moved to Egypt with 22nd Brigade, 6th Divison. [12], The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 58th Brigade in the 19th (Western) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. [23] For its final overseas posting the battalion moved to Stanley Fort on Hong Kong Island in June 1966. MNBDO records can be found in series ADM 202. at right is a lieutenant of the 1st Welch on Crete 1941. These records are the unit war diaries of the British Army in the First World War and are held by The National Archives in record series WO 95. The 41st was raised in March 1719 as a Regiment of Invalids, namely Out-Pensioners of the Royal Hospital, to release active units for service overseas in the wars against the French. Colonel H.H. 428 — General Freyberg to General Wavell ; Journey Towards Christmas. The Battalion saw its bitterest fighting along the Taungoo-Mawchi Road where for a hundred miles, with deep jungle on either side, the Japanese defended vigorously all the way. The Welch Regiment can trace its origins from its constituent regiments back to the Regiment of Invalids formed from - among others - Pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in 1688. [11], The 1/4th Battalion and 1/5th Battalion landed at Suvla Bay as part of the 159th Brigade in the 53rd (Welsh) Division in August 1915; after being evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915 the battalion moved to Egypt. [23], The battalion moved to Hong Kong as part of the 27th Infantry Brigade in November 1952 and then returned home to Llanion Barracks in Pembroke Dock in 1954. St Thomas Becket and Edwardian Canterbury, Good will to all: Henry VI’s Christmas pardon of 1470-71, Cast-iron cosiness: Designs for the Victorian hearth, Friends of The National View this object . With the numerous sources available at The National Archives, there are many ways to find information covering the occupation of Crete, the battle itself and the men who took part. The battalion was now assigned to 168th (London) Infantry Brigade,[18] replacing the now disbanded 10th Royal Berkshire Regiment and serving alongside 1st London Irish Rifles and 1st London Scottish, making the brigade a mixture of Irish, Scottish and Welsh. It landed at Le Havre in October 1914 to work on the Lines of Communication on the Western Front. Friday 7 August 2020 | Michael McGrady | Records and research | 2 comments. 22ndFebruary 1941 A meeting takes place in Athens between the Foreign Secretary, General WAVELL and Field Marshal Sir John DILL and representative of the Greek government. Different parts of the collection cover units serving in different theatres: 1. [24] The battalion returned to the United Kingdom and became the Demonstration Battalion of The School of Infantry, stationed first at Knook Camp in Heytesbury and then at the newly built Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster in 1965. Following the loss of Maleme the Allies fell back to regroup, but within a few days the situation deteriorated as the Germans began to push towards Canea, threatening the supply base at Suda Bay. However it can trace its history back a further 160 years prior to this date. [15] The 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion of the Territorial Army, which had absorbed the 7th (Cyclist) Battalion in 1921, was converted into a searchlight regiment in 1938 and was transferred to the Royal Artillery as 67th (Welch) Searchlight Regiment in 1940. They were also still holding ground outside Retimo and Heraklion, and their air attacks put the Allied troops under great strain throughout the battle. The National Archives does not hold a war diary for the Australians at Retimo, though there is a related report at CAB 106/382. After heavy fighting in the area of Benghazi the 1st Battalion was again overrun in mid-1942 and again suffered heavy casualties when Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps swept through Cyrenaica and Libya in the First Battle of El Alamein. While on embarkation leave for Malaya he was transferred to the Welch Regiment in Cyprus. The War Diary of 22 Battalion 2NZEF who defended and lost Maleme can be found at In March 1945 the 1st Battalion was transferred to the 1st Guards Brigade, serving alongside the 3rd Grenadier Guards and 3rd Welsh Guards and replacing the disbanded 3rd Coldstream Guards, part of 6th Armoured Division, and remained with it until the end of the war. Crete had killed 4000 German soldiers, most from the 7th Parachute Division; nearly half the 1st Assault Regiment had died in action. *The main figure shows a Company Sergeant Major of the 2nd Welch at Toungoo, Burma. The action at Maleme is covered in an account from 2 New Zealand Division, as well as in the war diary of 22 New Zealand Infantry Battalion (WO 179/735). In the past twelve years it has grown accustomed to fighting on the side with small Battalion, for the Welch were with Wavell in the earliest days of the North Africa Campaign, and again in Crete, and later at Benghazi, and three times the Battalion had to be reformed as a result of heavy … vi; I: New Zealand Arrivals from Greece; Divisional Signals. 30 Squadron RAF (Squadron Leader RA Milward/Sqn. Allied and civilian resistance was much stronger than expected, and by the first night of the battle the Germans had gained little except a precarious foothold at Maleme. E. Headon. Welch Regiment 8th Greek Infantry Battalion. [10] The 19th (Service) Battalion (Glamorgan Pioneers) landed at Le Havre as pioneer battalion to the 38th (Welsh) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front. Some Italian forces were included in the operation as well. The first significant Royal Navy casualties happened on 22 May, when the light cruiser HMS Naiad was among the ships attacked. [23] The 1st Battalion moved to Dering Lines in Brecon in February 1948 and amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion in June 1948. [23] The battalion was stationed at Brooke Barracks in Spandau from April 1961 where duties included guarding Rudolf Hess. Some of the hardest fighting took place around the Falaise Gap where on 16 August 1944, near Balfour, Lieutenant Tasker Watkins of the 1/5th Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross for supreme personal bravery and inspired leadership. REEL 2 Continues: … [23] It moved to Lüneburg in Germany as part of 10th Infantry Brigade in June 1956 before being deployed to Cyprus in October 1957. The Germans planned to lead the invasion with their airborne troops, with men from a mountain infantry division following up, though the plan depended entirely on gaining control of at least one of the airfields. 1. Significantly the Battalion did not lose a man. [23] The battalion moved to North Africa in December 1958 and established its headquarters in Benghazi with company detachments at Derna, Marj and Al Adm and then returned to the United Kingdom the following year. Gericke, who had come across the dropping zone of its III Battalion on 23 May, was appalled by the evidence of what had befallen it. He wears a jungle -green uniform. He says it is quite unique that as a national serviceman he actually served with all three former Welsh Regiments. The National Archives also holds various sources for Allied prisoners, casualties and gallantry awards relating to Crete. The Welch Regiment arrives in Crete and joins the 14thInfantry Brigade. A Whitfield served with the 4th Battalion Welch Regiment British Army. Known as Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Fieldings Regiment of Foot (or the Invalids), between 1719 and … Lucky indeed to escape Crete in May 1941, when 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment was overwhelmed by swathes of enemy paratroopers at Chania, he was less fortunate at Benghazi, where he became P.O.W. Archives, Open Heraklion was defended by a British-Australian-Greek force under 14 Infantry Brigade (the original Creforce), and events at the airfield there were recorded in the 2 Battalion Black Watch war diary. 50 ME Commando departed Castelorizzo in March for Crete being replaced in their garrison duties there by the 1st Royal Welch Regiment. WO 373/27/344 is a recommendation for a Military Medal for Stanley Lawrence Carroll, an Australian signalman who escaped from Crete by himself. Crete. The largest group of men had to retreat to Sphakia, a hamlet on the south coast, to be met by the Royal Navy. [17], The 2nd Battalion had been retained in India but in October 1944 the battalion moved to Burma as part of the 62nd Indian Infantry Brigade attached to the 19th Indian Infantry Division where it joined the British Fourteenth Army, led by Bill Slim. . Two of the brigades, 4th and 5th, were in fairly good shape; 4th included three regular NZ infantry battalions and an artillery battery, 5th four NZ battalions as well as a Greek regular infantry regiment and assorted attachments. The War Illustrated magazine published an article about Crete on 20 June 1941, and our library has a set of the volumes of this publication. They are not personal diaries (try the Imperial War Museumor Local Record Offices for those). [3], The 1st Battalion moved to Malta in 1889 while the 2nd Battalion went to India in 1892; the 1st Battalion moved to Pembroke Dock in December 1893 where almost all the regiment's artifacts, plate and silver were lost in a large fire in 1895. [2] The 1st Battalion was dispatched to South Africa in November 1899 for the Second Boer War: it was engaged in Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900, where they suffered heavy losses, and again at the Battle of Driefontein in March 1900. The Welch Regiment. We will not be able to respond to personal family history research questions on this platform. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment. They returned to Geneifa on the Suez Canal where they were amalgamated with their comrades from No. Ldr. Patrols were sent out to the west and south; none returned. It later fought alongside the 1st Battalion with 28th Division at the Hohenzollern Redoubt and spent the rest of the war as the divisional pioneer battalion for 1st Division[10], The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at ANZAC Cove as part of the 40th Brigade in the 13th (Western) Division in August 1915; after being evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915 the battalion moved to Egypt and on to Mesopotamia in February 1916. Suda Bay was defended by a mixed Allied force including the Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation (MNBDO), a Royal Marine outfit. The memorial takes the form of squat cenotaph, following Lutyens' design of the famous Cenotaph on Whitehall in London. On the AKROTIRI Peninsula, parachutists and caique-borne troops moved … No. The Greeks advise they do not require assistance and will fight on regardless of support. Up to 4 Territorial and Volunteer battalions. There's even an Edo-period cat cafe just because, well, cats. The defence and loss of Crete, 1940-1941 (Part 2). . [10] The 16th (Service) Battalion (Cardiff City) landed at Le Havre as part of the 115th Brigade in the 38th (Welsh) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front. Roadside memorial in Galatas, Crete, to the men of The Welch Regiment, British Army, who died in the Battle for Crete in 1941 Jul. Recruiting poster for The Welch Regiment, 1930. Mesopotamia, Iraq and North Persia: WO 95/4965-5288 3. 6 Apr 1897 The regiment embarked for Crete and landed at Candia on 9 and 10 April 1897. [10] The 17th (Service) Battalion (1st Glamorgan) and 18th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glamorgan) landed in France as part of the 119th Brigade in the 40th Division in June 1916 for service on the Western Front. Their marksmen at Gemaizah Fort and the remainder of the half-Battalion on the left fired section volleys driving the Dervishes from their right position and inflicting severe punishment upon them when in the open. 33 Squadron RAF (Sqn. [16], The 1st Battalion moved to Palestine in 1939 to play its part in operations connected with the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. John James Lewis served in the Welch Regiment and was killed during the Battle for Crete in May 1941. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment, by which it was known until 1920 when it was renamed the Welch Regiment. Maleme quickly became the crucial objective in the battle. The information on John James Lewis has been compiled from a number of sources, including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, from the South Wales Voice newspaper, and the Parish Burial Register (courtesy of the Swansea Archives). I am happy to cover all costs, if you are a family member or can put me in touch with them, please get in touch. See more ideas about world war two, world war ii, regiment. AIR 23/6110 includes translations of captured documents from Operation Mercury. 52 … General Freyberg was among them, because he knew about the secret Enigma decrypts and could not be left behind as a prisoner. [14], The 2nd Battalion was deployed to Ireland in 1920 while the 1st Battalion returned to British India and served there until 1924 when it moved to Waziristan. 52 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was another unit in this area (WO 169/1640). 1 Militia and Special Reserve battalion These troops were meant to carry out raids but instead had to be used as a rear-guard once the withdrawal began. 07, 1954 - Zoo goat becomes new mascot of the welsh regiment handing over ceremony at the London zoo. 1.1. Required fields are marked *, Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open . From the start of the campaign the 4th Battalion was involved in fierce fighting during the Battle for Caen, and around the Falaise Pocket, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Reichwald where it sustained very heavy casualties and involved some of the fiercest fighting in the North West Europe Campaign for British soldiers as they were up against determined German paratroopers. It was not possible to evacuate all the men and many were left behind, including those trapped at Retimo. The 45 Squadron account can be seen at AIR 27/455/11 and some other AIR (Air Ministry) sources for Crete in this period are listed here. The aerial photograph above shows several German transport aircraft on the airfield just after it was captured. Allied Forces at Heraklion: HQ British 14th Brigade [4], A 3rd, militia battalion, was embodied in December 1899, and embarked for South Africa in February 1900 to serve in the same war. The 2nd Battalion moved to Shanghai in 1927 for service with the Shanghai Defence Force and then on to India in 1935. R.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, good very fine, together with a badge with the word 'Athens' applied to the … The Regiment was officially formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of the 41st and 69th Regiment of Foot. In November the battalion crossed the Chindwin River at Sittang, captured Pinlebu and saw some very hard fighting on the Swebo Plain. General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (4077002 Pte. The invasion began on 20 May, with airborne landings along the coast between Maleme and Heraklion, backed by heavy air attacks. Six: Private E. G. Headon, Welch Regiment, who died as a prisoner of war in 1945 having previously been captured at the fall of Crete. 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