Lt Colonel Ronald Prestwich Taylor 17th Dogras killed March 1945

Thank you again for all this fabulous information. Lance Naik Jai Ram deserved a medal.

 

Lee tanks mentioned in the war diary should be from 150th Regiment RAC (York & Lancaster). If I'm not wrong a squadron from this regiment supported 20th Indian Division. The Frontier Force Rifles' platoon sholud be 14/13 FFRif from 100th Indian Brigade.

 

Sol, you're not wrong. Seems it was 'B' Squadron, 150th Regiment RAC in support of the 20th Indian Division at this time ("The York & Lancaster Regiment, 1919-1953", Sheffield O.F.).

Interestingly the information I have places the 4/17 Dogras as the 20th Division Defence Battalion. The role of these battalions was HQ defence and they often operated with companies detached one per brigade and one for division H.Q. They could be seen to sometime have an easier life than the battalions in the line with the brigades. It's interesting to note in the war diary account that Lt. Col. Taylor had gone along with this force as an observer of infantry-tank co-operation.

Steve

 

The action in which Taylor was killed is described briefly in the history of the Frontier Force Rifles:

"....the news that on the 16th March one platoon of 'A' Company [14th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles] under Captain Priestly, with one platoon of the 4/17th Dogra Regiment and five Lee tanks of the 150th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, in support, had engaged a party of more than one hundred enemy at the village of Pya, about six miles to the north [of Chaunggwa]. The enemy had left eighty one dead on the field, and equipment captured included an 81mm mortar, one 3-inch mortar, one light machine gun and several rifles, while they had completely destroyed three medium machine guns and five light machine guns. Our own casualties in this mist successful action was one I.O.R. wounded."

Steve

 

My dad (and avatar) was a member of 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, also part of 20th Indian Division, at the time.

 

Taylor has a file at the British Library, IOR/L/MIL/14/6520, but it possibly wouldn't contain any additional information to that provided above.
http://hviewer.bl.uk/IamsHViewer/Default.aspx?mdark=ark:/81055/vdc_100000000156.0x000042

Cheers
Maureen

The Search link is http://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&afterTimeout=BCDED0A5DA2CDDD9233FF054AB9C8717&dstmp=1447383963220&vid=IAMS_VU2&fromLogin=true ,if the above link doesn't open.

 

Thank you all once again for this fabulous information.