Markings and Insignia for Armour in the BEF

Discussion in '1940' started by LondonNik, Jan 3, 2011.

  1. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  2. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

  3. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    Hi all,

    would you have additional information on the location and the regiment?

    I think 1st Lothians & Border Yeomanry because tanks with the same name were destroyed in May 44

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    JINGLIN' GEORDIE
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    HAL O' THE WYND

    best regards

    Mathieu
     
  4. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    Hi all,

    I found the place, I will spread the pictures very soon

    best regards

    Mathieu
     
  5. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Keep up the good work, Chaps !
     
  6. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    Cailleville June 11, 1940:


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    Tuesday 11 June 1940
    The perimeter around St Valery ran from Le Tot on the cliffs five kilometres (three miles) west to a point beyond the town of Veules-les-Roses seven kilometres (four and a quarter miles) east. The At Le Tot were the 2nd Seaforths and to their left were the 1st Gordons at Ingouville and then the 4th Camerons at Neville. The French troops, 2nd and 5th Light Cavalry, and remnants of 31st and 40th Divisions held the south front, facing inland. The 1st Black Watch were at Houdentot, 5th Gordons at St Pierre-le-Vigier and 4th Seaforths south-east of Veules-les-Roses, next to the sea. The French were due to take up the bottom or south side of the box but until they arrived the Lothian's, Norfolk's and the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (Pioneers) would cover the gap. The Division was in position early on the 11th June but the perimeter was never fully established.
    1100 hours: A and B plus 3 troops from C ordered to fall back and hold line covering Neville. German reconnaissance plane over our positions for at least ½ hour. Result violent shelling and several casualties.
    Woolward states: All day the French, broken and in disorder, without arms, carrying sticks with white handkerchiefs, passed through the Regiment from the south, pressing in a mass towards the coast. Only one French unit, recognisable as such, appeared: it took up position in the defence perimeter, stayed an hour, and then quietly passed back into St. Valery, which was by now seething with the remains of an army, and was under fire from high ground overlooking the harbour. German pressure was maintained on the defence perimeters; A Squadron in particular was busy. C Squadron, in repelling a severe attack, lost its commanding officer, Major Usher, mortally wounded.
    During the morning, the Squadrons ordered to withdraw to a new line, some 2 miles further back, in front of Cailleville.
    In the evening General Fortune, the Divisional Commander, visited the unit: the situation was grave, there was doubt about the possibility of evacuation from the harbour, and the question of splitting up, in the hope of getting away in small parties, was reluctantly mooted.
    At 10 pm the order was given for the destruction of all vehicles and equipment, with the exception of a few Bren guns which were to be retained, and for B squadron to rendez-vous at Cailleville before proceeding to St Valery for embarkation. The regiment reached St Valéry shortly after midnight.
    During the afternoon the 1st Black Watch at St. Pierre-le-Viger came under great pressure from the Germans and by 1800hrs had lost some 50 men wounded or dead. They were supported by French cavalry who dismounted and, leaving their horse in a wood, fought as infantry. The position was finally overrun at dawn.
    Towards the middle of the day on Tuesday 11 June Rommel approached from the west, finding, first, the Seaforths and then the Gordons and eventually the Camerons. ... So tenacious was the enemy defence that hand-to-hand combat developed at many points. Meanwhile the 25th Panzer Regiment had thrust forward [past the Seaforths] to the high ground immediately north-west of St Valery and was using every gun to prevent embarkation of enemy troops. To the west the perimeter was penetrated and the 2nd Seaforths cut off in Le Tot. Without their anti tank platoon, which was on the other side of St Valéry, the enemy tanks were able to bypass them but not without loss. There were many fires in the town which was under constant bombardment from artillery and air attack. In the town the Divisional HQ, the 51st Anti-Tank regiment, part of the Norfolks and a Company of Kensingtons secured the perimeter. An attack into the town was repulsed in the late afternoon but the town was now surrounded. Final plans were now made for the evacuation, beaches allotted and orders given but these did not reach the 2nd Seaforths cut off in Le Tot.

    source: 1st Lothians & Border Yeomanry Website
     
    Drew5233 likes this.
  7. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Good find! Well done!

    Cheers,
    Jan
     
  8. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    carries 1940.jpg carries 1940 close up.jpg Found this photo in my collection same house.
    There are names on the side of the carriers.
    Keith
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
  9. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Tank T2352 OLA hit on front.jpg Tank T2352 OLA photo 1..jpg One more original that came in the post.
    T2352 FME -57? looks like the name OLA on the front.
    Been shot up in the front.
    Keith
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
  10. KevinT

    KevinT Senior Member

    Hi Keith,

    T2352 is FME 957

    Scout Carrier in previous post MEG MERRILEES is from 1st Lothian & Border Yeomanry. I would love to know the name on the next Scout as the only other Scout name I have is LORD PRESIDENT.

    Cheers

    Kevin
     
    Rich Payne likes this.
  11. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    carrier name.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2016
  12. KevinT

    KevinT Senior Member

    Yes it is a shame about the photo resolution. I have a full list of names and vehicle type from 1944 for 1st LBY so it would have nice to add another to the1940 list.

    Cheers

    Kevin
     
  13. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    Hello everyone,


    I will wish to repeat the legend of these pictures but can someone identify the unit, I know he is the 1 Armoured Division, and 2 Armoured Brigade and in the village cemetery there is a grave of a man the Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards)

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    thanks in advance

    Mathieu
     
  14. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Zaloga's Blitzkrieg markings book suggests the '3' does indeed indicate a tank of The Queens Bays - tank looks like an A10 - can't see other markings but 1st Armoured always difficult due to the speed they were rushed over and mixed equipment - HQ Squadron had A10's?
     
  15. MarkN

    MarkN Banned

    Sorry to contradict, but the "3" identifies this as a tank from HQ 2nd Armoured Brigade - and not one of the Regimental HQ tanks.

    4 = Queens Bays
    5 = 9L
    6 = 10H

    7 = HQ 3rd Armoured Bde
    8 = 2RTR
    9 = 3RTR (ie Calais)
    10 = 5RTR

    Additionally, the "0130" chalk marking identfies it as having been sent to France as an HQ 2nd Armoured Brigade tank so the "3" has not been added subsequently. QBs would have had "0132".

    Nevertheless, this is indeed an A10 Cruiser Tank, later designated as Cruiser Mk.II.
     
    Owen likes this.
  16. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    hi, thank you for your answers, I also thought of the 2nd Armoured Brigade HQ but I was not in on

    this picture was take in Ferrieres (Somme) near Amiens the 24 May 1940

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    source google


    extract of Queen's Bay war diary:

    "On 24 May Major Asquith, commanding 'C' Squadron, was ordered to seize the bridges at Dreuil, Ailly and Picquigny, using three troops, with the 4th Borders and 'B' Squadron in support. On the right Lieutenant Viscount Erleigh of 2 Troop, with only two Mark VIC tanks, advanced on Dreuil, and when a mile from the objective, his leading tank was fired at by an anti-tank gun. Returning the fire, the tank spun round and withdrew. A machine gun then opened up on Erleigh's tank from a water tower. It was silenced for a time with fire from the Besa, but it soon reopened on the Border infantry, who suffered casualties. Small arms fire then started from various directions, with a fire fight ensuing, but no progress could be made against the dug in Germans. Erleigh's two tanks then attempted an outflanking movement. Sergeant Bunn on the left met no opposition; the Border infantry in the centre were involved in a melee with bayonets, rifles and machine guns; Erleigh on the right was blocked by a wood. The two tanks withdrew when they heard that a cruiser troop was coming up, but it failed to arrive at 1 p.m. 2 Troop, out of ammunition and petrol, was ordered back into reserve. For this action Viscount Erleigh was awarded the Military Cross.
    In the Centre, 3 Troop with TSM Ayling found the bridge at Ailly destroyed, but two platoons of the Borders managed to cross and , covered buy fire from the tanks, engage the enemy. Eventually they had to withdraw under increasing pressure, but gave the tanks more targets as they came back. Ayling was awarded the Military Cross.
    On the left, Lieutenant Gavin's 4 Troop made for the bridge at Picquigny, meeting a French officer who told them that the Germans were in great strength. The Border Company who had taken another route ran into an ambush in a wood, taking many casualties and having their lorries set on fire. Gavin went to their aid, engaging parties of enemy infantry, driving them out of the wood and coming under heavy anti-tank and machine gun fire for Picquigny. He took up a position to cover the Border survivors, as about fifteen wounded straggled back during the day, to be evacuated in French ambulances. At 8 p.m. Gavin withdrew, taking thirty more Border survivors back on his tanks, with nine others making their way on foot.
    Major Asquith with squadron headquarters had followed Erleigh's and Gavin's troops, engaging some German infantry near Picquigny. Lieutenant Nicholson's Cruiser Troop form 'B' Squadron, with only two runners, was under command, and Asquith sent him to Erleigh's support. When Nicholson arrived, one tank having broken down en route, Erleigh had withdrawn, so Nicholson also retired, hitting a mine and coming under anti-tank fire, but without sustaining any serious damage.
    'A' Squadron, under Captain Horton, now down to four light tanks, was ordered to the assistance of the Border Regiment at Dreuil, which they reached at 3 p.m. and engaged the Germans. The tanks fired broadside and made two runs as they traversed the position; on the third run Horton's tank was knocked out by an anti-tank gun. The gunner, Corporal Brown, was killed and the driver, Trooper Hunt, wounded, but in spite of his wounds he brought the tank out of action. Another tank was disabled, and the reminder retired. Hunt was awarded the Military Medal for his gallantry.
    By early afternoon 'B' Squadron was the only one still capable of action, and was sent to the assistance of 'A' Sqn. As Lieutenant Webb's troop advanced it managed to shoot down a low-flying enemy aircraft, but then encountered anti-tank and machine gun fire, while three German tanks closed and opened fire. TSM Snoswell's tank was hit twice and knocked out. TSM Merrin then moved his tank in front, as Webb's tank received two direct hits, killing him and his driver. Merrin managed to rescue the wounded gunner, corporal Parsons, and then retired. For his bravery Merrin was awarded the DCM. In this first action the Bays had lost one officer killed, two officers wounded and one captured, one troop sergeant major and three other ranks killed, and two wounded, with six missing."
     
  17. BrianM59

    BrianM59 Senior Member

    Mark - no need to apologise, always happy to be corrected - that's what the forum is about. I got the misinformation from a modelling website as I was away from my books at the time. Nice photos, thanks to both of you.
     
  18. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    Hello,

    it attached some pictures of the chariot of the A9 Cruiser 9th Queen's Royal Lancers in Mesnil Godefroy (in road of Neufchatel en Bray to Rouen)
     

    Attached Files:

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  19. JERICHO

    JERICHO Junior Member

    and last
     

    Attached Files:

    Drew5233 likes this.
  20. Blanket Stacker

    Blanket Stacker Junior Member

    What a superb series of pictures, thanks for sharing them.
     

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