7th Field Battery R.A

Hi, I hope someone can help me.
My great uncle served with the 7th field battery in Egypt during WW2. I have found he is buried at Halfaya Sollum, near the Lybian boarder. I also know he spent time in Hyderabad, India. Is anyone able to advise me how I can track his service history or even provide information on the above battle zones?

Name: James Hollingworth
Died: 25/11/1941

I appreciate any advice/help from anyone.
Karen

 

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good luck with your search.

 

Hi Owen,
This is great - thank you. I have also looked at your link and it's certainly him! (Hodthorpe is a very small village so no mistake).

Any info you can give is greatfully received.
Regards
Karen

 

Thanks Drew
I hope to find all the information I can for my Dad - his uncle just dissapeared and was last heard of in India. To actually find where he's buried is great but in view of the troubles in Lybia, it's virtually impossible, not to mention dangerous to visit!

 

Owen, this is fantastic - thank you so much - I really do appreciate it!

 

Hi Karen and welcome, I see you are getting lots of help already.
Owen, what's the title of that book?

 

The attached map is from A tiger Kills, general history of the Indian divisions in North Africa, it tells the same story of the engagement as Owens book, but not in as much detail, although it puts 1st Field Regiment more specifically at Qineiqina, which i have underlined in red.


If its of interest, in case you haven;t already found it the location of Solum Halfaya war cemetery can be found - click here

 

P.S. a photograph of the grave/headstone can be bought click here, although it might be worth searching this site or google images first to see if someone already has it.

 

FOURTH INDIAN DIVISION

Lt Col GR Stevens, OBE

Thanks, added it to my list.

 

I've already had a look and can't find a headstone photo in any of the free locations. The site that RemeDesertRat mentioned will be the only place you can get a copy.

£3-50 for an e-mailed image, but they normally are high quality.

 

Thank you so so much to everyone who has helped me in this search - I really do appreciate it. Hope you will help in my next search (for my mam this time).

 

Karen

The action is described in a lot of detail in the Royal Artillery Commemoration Book. I append below an excerpt by the report of the Commander 4 Indian Division from February 1942.

I also think it would be important to point out that it was this action more than anything else that sealed the fate of Rommel's 'dash to the wire', and that destroyed a large part of the remaining combat power of the Afrika Korps, which had already been considerably weakened by the battle of Totensonntag at Sidi Rezegh. The stand by the gunners was exemplary, and very very bad news for the Germans. The tank numbers of 21st Panzer never recovered after this. They lost in total during the day 15 out of the 20 tanks they started with (but in two separate actions).

It is however not correct, as stated in the document below, that Colonel Stephan received his wound during this battle. According to the report of Panzer Regiment 5 he was wounded in an air attack earlier in the day.

All the best

Andreas

 

Karen

Completely forgot - this will give you a good overview of the battle until 25 November:

The Battle of the Omars: Information Bulletin No. 11, U.S. War Department, 1942 (Lone Sentry)

All the best

Andreas

 

Hodthorpe that small i live there

 

My grandfather (Bdr. Leslie Harris) was in Bengal Rocket Troop, and I think he was at the battle of the Omars. I remember him telling me about a battle involving tanks, where "there wasn't even a blade of grass to hide behind". I assume now it was this action. In 2011 I passed very close to the location on my way into Benghazi to film. If I go back, I'll try to visit the actual location. Interestingly, for history buffs, there are a couple of British 16 pdr (I think) outside one of the barracks just outside Benghazi.

First visit, by the way. Excellent site.

Regards,

G