Could anyone supply me with the movements of 111th Field Regiment (R.A) in the latter half of 1942 please.
111th Field Regiment, R.A. (T.A.) HQ, 211th, 212th (East Lancashire) Btys: Bolton The regiment served under command of 66th Infantry Division in the United Kingdom from 3 September 1939 until 22 June 1940. It then served under command of 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division in the United Kingdom from 3 July 1940 until 31 October 1941. On 29 November 1940, ‘R’ Battery was formed at Woodbridge. It was renumbered 476th Battery on 14 January 1941. The word (Bolton) was added to regiment’s name on 17 February 1942. The regiment received 102nd Anti-Tank Battery from 14th Anti-Tank Regiment on 24 May 1942 and was then shipped to the Middle East. The regiment lost 102nd Anti-Battery to 95th Anti-Tank Regiment on 19 September 1942 and the order to convert to a Medium Regiment was cancelled. The regiment then served under command of 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division in Egypt from 15 October 1942 until 21 November 1942. It then came under direct command of 8th Army during the campaign in North Africa from November 1942 until May 1943. It then served under command of XIII Corps Artillery (6th Army Group Royal Artillery) during the campaign in Sicily from 10 July until 17 August 1943. It served under command 15th Army Group during the campaign in Italy from September 1943 until the end of the war as an army field regiment. It was detached to the island of Vis in Yugoslavia, arriving there in March 1944 and remained until September 1944. It then returned to Bari and became part of Floydforce for further service in Yugoslavia. The regiment landed on mainland Yugoslavia as part of the Adriatic Brigade (Floyd Force) on 27 October 1944 and remained there for two and a half months operating with the Partisans. It served on various raids in Jugoslavia and the Aegean during this time.
David, Many thanks. Do you have a more accurate date of arrival in North africa than after 24/05/42 but before 15/10/42 please?
I see that they were issued with Stuart OP tanks in September of 1942. Would this have been likely to have taken place in the U.K or in theatre? What was the usual amount of OP tanks per artillery Regiment?
My Grandma's Cousin, Gunner Eric Butterfield, served with 111th Field Regiment & was killed in Bari 5/10/1944. He was 24. I have a Photo of his Headstone.
Almost certainly happened in ME. No idea on numbers, but at a guess I would say one per battery at least, maybe one per troop. All the best Andreas
