I am an ex member of RAF Regiment and one of a small group of volunteers who work alongside serving members and RAF Regiment Association to promote the history and ethos of RAF Regiment through The RAF Regiment museum which is based at RAF Honington ,Suffolk. As a group we are trying to build up an even better understanding and document I on of our Corps history. I am looking forward to your forums. As a young Regiment formed in 1942 our first combined operation was Op Torch Areas of particular interest are RAF Armoured Car Companies,Operations in far East Burma particularly Imphal and meiktila, Op Neptune & Overlord, Op Diver Operations initially on South Coast and Later Was Coast. Regards Pete
Hi Pete, I have a copy of a "advert" from the East Yorks Regt journal the Snapper, dated 1940, which begins: " There is an urgent need for ex-Service men to enlist in the Royal Air Force for duty on the ground defence of aerodromes" If you've not seen it before I'll post a picture Regards 4Bn
Hello and welcome to the forum. There's a couple of members I've done some RAF Reg work for at the National Archives on here. Hopefully they'll be along soon
Hi Pete Link to PDF downloadable version of "Through Adversity the History of the RAF Regiment 1942-1992 on http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/27883-through-adversity-history-of-the-raf-regiment/ Order of Battle - Op Manna (2nd British Expedition to Greece) - October 1944 - RAF Regiment Formation Unit Force Nationality From Role Weapon System (Qty) Officers ORs Vehicles Force 276 1321 Wing RAF British San Spirito, Bari, Italy HQ RAF Regiment 2 8 3 Force 276 2902 Sqn RAF British San Spirito, Bari, Italy Field Squadron RAF Regiment 8 201 26 Force 276 2924 Sqn RAF British San Spirito, Bari, Italy Field Squadron RAF Regiment 8 201 263 Force 276 2923 Sqn RAF British San Spirito, Bari, Italy Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Squadron, RAF Regiment Bofors (12) & Hispanos (8) 8 197 27 Force 276 2926 Sqn RAF British San Spirito, Bari, Italy Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Squadron, RAF Regiment Bofors (12) & Hispanos (8) 8 197 27 In a preliminary action, armoured cars of 2908 Sqn landed on Katakolon in Greece, on 26th September 1944, in a combined services operation involving 400 troops of the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, No 4 (Royal Marine) Commandos, ‘M’ detachment of the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and ‘L’ Detachment of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). BUCKETFORCE was under the command of the Major Earl George Jellicoe, SBS. Their task was to secure the airfield at Araxos, the town and port of Patras and finally the landing strip at Megara from where the remainder of 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade would land. On the 27th October 1944, POMPFORCE (BUCKETFORCE and FOXFORCE (9 Commando)), tasked with harassing the Germans withdrawal from Northern Greece, battled with the German rear guard in the border village of Kozani, inflicting 70 casualties but lost 7 troops of 4th Parachute Brigade who were mown down by a German machine gun post on St Elias Hill. Flying Officer J.H. Dennis, of the RAF Regiment died when his Otter Armoured Car was hit by an enemy 37mm Anti-tank shell. For recovering his mortally wounded troop commander and the Otter, under heavy enemy fire and whilst badly injured himself, Cpl G.H. Wingate of 2908 Sqn RAF Regiment, was awarded the Military Medal. When the civil war broke on 3rd December 1944. 2902 Sqn, RAF Regiment were taken under command ARKFORCE (Brig Robert Arkwright) and sent, along with 139th Infantry Brigade and 64th Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Regiment, Royal Artillery (acting as infantry) to defend the Vital Points (VPs) at the ports of Piraeus and Pharelon. Hope this helps Gus (ex-penguin 83-05)
Partner's grandfather was an early (if not founder) officer member of the RAF Regiment; he was rather over age (having served in the 2nd Boer War, all of WW1 and in the North Russia Relief Force) - but there is a photograph of him in RAF uniform with other 'old and bold' officers with WW1 service, we think at Jurby. We always suspected he gave his date of enlistment in the Army (1899) as his date of birth
Thanks for your warm welcomes to this site. I shall go through the thread by member to reply: WTID: As far as the Burma input goes there shall be hopefully some good photos and very detailed account is coming in the near future. The museum was very fortunate to be left some ducumentation belonging to Mr Henry Kirk. Henry was an LAC armourer in Burma during the Second World War. He was attached to an RAF Regiment Squadron and was a muliteer.After return to UK he became a police officer and a very active member of The South East Asia Command Association which in later years he became President of the Association. I shall be serialising some of his documents which are fantastic to say the least. 4bn: if you could post a copy of the advert you have please could I reproduce it for to place in our museum. In 1940 these guys would have been Ground Gunners which were a predecessor to the RAF Regiment. Primarily there duties were guard in VP's and LLAD using Lewis Guns and Vickers Machine Guns. When it was saw how fast the Germans had fought through Europe and the fall of France it was realised the threat of Airborne Forces this was confirmed with The fall of Crete in 1941. Gus: Thanks for the Orbat I see you have done some research on RAF Regt if interested in helping out with museum let me know seeing as you are at Norwich. Staffs Yeoman: A lot of the early senior officers were exWW1 Army Veteran .Please could I have the details of the Gentleman to see if we have any further info in our Archives. As WW2 started slot of these gentlemen took up engagements as Ground Defence Advisors to the RAF. Col Morrey Salmon was one of these Officers who actually ended up leading RAF Regt Forces in Op Torch in North Africa. Regards Pete
Wellcome to the forum. Thou it is not much at the moment I am working on a complete orbat of the Allied Forces Netherlands East Indies (AFNEI) including the RAF Regiment and will be happy to share info.
Tiger B looked at your site interested in the hand over from British Forces to Netherlands forces in Java and Sumatra. I am researching a sword gifted to an RAF Regiment WG CDR SCE Norris at Medan in March 1946 by a Japanese Lt Sakamoto of Japanese Air Force. We have reason to believe that Lt Sakamoto and his men were part of Japanese Surrendered Forces who assisted in Policing with British forces until Mar 1946 when Netherlands Forces assumed responsibility for that role. Did the employment of JSF continue under Dutch Forces or did this practise cease.
Hi Pete The British/Indian practise of using Japanese forces stopped when the Dutch arrived. I will mail you later.
Hi Peter Very interested in your article because I am trying to trace 64 light anti aircraft royal artillery in North Africa, Italy, and greece without a lot of success. Your article mentions them but as infantry group so this maybe why it is difficult. Can you tell me where you got your your info from Does anyone else out there know about the 64th LAA Royal Artillery being used as infantry in any of the campaigns above Thanks
Does anyone know about 2827 Squadron please? My Dad's unit. They were amongst the first into Belsen-Bergen.
An excerpt from my War Memoirs, pp 5-6, contains a reference to the early formation days of the RAF Regiment at RAF Station, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire: Before being called to the Officers Selection Board I was selected to go with a small cadre being seconded to the Royal Air Force from the 8th Battalion The Royal Scots for the training of what proved to be the first echelons of the RAF Regiment. This followed a decision by Winston Churchill in June 1941, after the fall of Crete, that Air Force ground personnel at aerodromes should have to undergo "sharp, effective and severe military training in the use of their weapons and in all manouvres necessary for the defence of the aerodromes." I went as a corporal with an officer and two sergeants to train the ground staff at Waterbeach Airfield near Cambridge, a part of Bomber Command. The idea of this assignment was to give me a chance to gain more experience as an instructor in basic weapon training and field tactics before appearing in front of the Officers Selection Board. It was just what I needed as most of my experience lay in signalling, and shows how well the Army plans things; clearly the 8th Royal Scots wanted me to succeed and my success would reflect on them. However, the assignment also proved to be dangerous. One day whilst assisting the training of senior RAF warrant officers to throw Mills 36 grenades, one Warrant Officer whilst aiming at the target let his grenade leave his hand sideways which struck me on the side of the head. As I went into unconsciousness I heard shouts of "Oh!" When I became conscious again in the airfield's underground hospital, an RAF officer wearing a DFC ribbon, was looking down into my face said aloud: "Oh, this 'brown job' is going to live!" 'Brown job' was the derogative description used by the RAF to refer to the khaki-clad Army. Joe Brown
