129th Battery 15th (Isle of man) Regt LAA Royal Artillery Crete 1941

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by IrishSoldier, Jan 21, 2010.

  1. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    Just spent a couple of facinating hours chatting with my neighbour, Gunner George Hamlet who was the number 2 on a Bofors gun at the harbour in Suda Bay Crete as the British & New Zealand troops were being pulled out in the days leading up to the 20th of may 1941 when the German paras assaulted at Malame. The 4 gun battery are credited with shooting down 38 german aircraft, mostly Stukas, as they attacked in constant waves against the harbour as the troops tried to evacuate the island. Having themselves missed the last ship out they were told to make their way to a small fishing village called Sfakia where the very last ships were leaving from a few nights later.
    After a gruelling 60 mile trek across the white mountains with hardy any food or drink he and the other men from his battery made it to the village only to see the lights of the last Navy destroyer fading into the distance. Then starts an amazing story of survival of the fittest as they woke up on the beach with the jackboots of German mountain troops kicking them awake, and 4 years as a POW in camps all over Germany.
    I am interested in finding out more about the 129/15 LAA during the war,if indeed they continued to exist after Crete..
     
  2. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

  3. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    Cheers Rob, looks like I have it slightly wrong with my heading then, George said the battery were Isle of Man, so its actually an IOM Regiment... I better change that so, many thanks..
    Dave
     
  4. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    Just reading from one of the links Rob posted the following info from Richard Doherty...
    "I've checked the orbat for 15th (IoM) LAA Regiment and its original batteries were 41 and 42, both raised in 1938. On 26 August 1939, 129 Bty was regimented, having been raised in the North Riding of Yorkshire. On 1 July 1941, 129 Bty was disbanded but it was reformed on 27 Oct '43 from X LAA Bty, late of 2nd LAA Regt".
    That answers my main question about the history of 129th battery, it ceased to exist for a couple of years after the battle for Crete.
     
  5. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    Dave
    There was a mistake in R Doherty's post;
    129 Bty was raised in the IOM - Not North Yorkshire.
    Regards
    Rob
     
  6. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Here is a link with some more information which confirms 129 Battery was raised on the Isle of Man.

    Regimental History
     
  7. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    Thanks lads, good info there....
     
  8. Bodston

    Bodston Little Willy

    I have a copy of their history written by an ex-member. 'Ack-Ack, a history of the 15th [Isle of Man] Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment R.A., [T.A.]' by Curwen Clague
    [​IMG]

    If you need anything looking up.

    Or there are a couple for sale on Abe
    Bod
     
  9. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    Bod,
    If you have time to check, could you see if it contains may pictures from Crete, in particular the 129th battery at Suda Bay, or any from the POW camps in Germany of 15th LAA men. If it covers the very early war in England, 1940-41 pics from there?
    Appreciate your help...
    regards
    Dave
     
  10. Bodston

    Bodston Little Willy

    Rather predictably, there are no shots of either Crete or POW's. There is, however a photo showing a very early parade of the 129th battery just after raising on Douglas Promenade in September 1939. They don't even have uniforms yet!

    [​IMG]
     
  11. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    Well thanks for checking... my man George was never near the Isle of Man during the war, in fact he joined up in Belfast and went straight to Aldershot, most if not all of the earlier Officers in the regiment were natives of the IOM though...
     
  12. Paulps

    Paulps Junior Member

    I have a copy of their history written by an ex-member. 'Ack-Ack, a history of the 15th [Isle of Man] Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment R.A., [T.A.]' by Curwen Clague
    [​IMG]

    If you need anything looking up.

    Or there are a couple for sale on Abe
    Bod

    Might I ask if there are any details of their time in Germany at the end of WW2?

    I have been told that they were located in Wilhelmshaven and renamed the Barracks they occupied as "Isle of Man" Barracks. This would have been about March 1946.

    Paul.
     
  13. Bodston

    Bodston Little Willy

    Might I ask if there are any details of their time in Germany at the end of WW2?

    I have been told that they were located in Wilhelmshaven and renamed the Barracks they occupied as "Isle of Man" Barracks. This would have been about March 1946.

    Paul.

    No mention of that in the book Paul. In February 1946, the Regiment was re-designated 2nd LAA Regiment, 41st Battery becoming 5th Battery, and 42nd Battery, 6th Battery, the units moving to Pinneberg, engaged on occupational duties and security exercises
     
  14. IrishSoldier

    IrishSoldier Member

    I'll check back with George but I recall him saying that after they were repatriated, they only got about 6 weeks to rest and get some weight back on before being re-introduced to the parade ground and it wasnt long before they were deployed again... I thought he said they went to Northen Italy/Yugoslav border area as there was alot of unrest in that area... I'll be chatting to him soon so I'll post back then. In the meantime I discovered this photo posted on a POW web site of working party 428 from Stalag 3D at Zernsdorf railway station near Berlin where they were employed repairing railway tracks. George Hamlet is front row third from left. His best mate in prison Norman Norris is back row far right. It was a propaganda shot taken in about 1943 and the prisoners were cleaned up and given uniforms for the photo. By all accounts conditions were much worse than they appear in the picture and most of the time their clothing was a threadbare collection of filthy civilian and old Belgian army odds and sods, with wooden clogs which were basically just hollowed out chunks of timber that cut and tore into your feet and caused terrible hardship for the men forced to wear them while trying to carry out hard physical labour...
     

    Attached Files:

  15. Paulps

    Paulps Junior Member

    No mention of that in the book Paul.

    Many thanks for that, I will pass the information on to the person who sent it to me.

    If I hear of anything else, I will post it.

    Paul.
     
  16. Juheemam

    Juheemam Junior Member

    Airfix do a passable model of the Bofors and Tractor in 1/76 scale.

    It is purported to be a model of one of the guns of 15 LAA Regt RA from the North African campaign.
     
  17. LHKANE

    LHKANE Junior Member

    Irish Solider, my grandfather is in the picture you posted of Stalag 3d....he is the second from the right in the front row. Do you have any more pictures or can sent me any more info??
     
  18. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Just noticed this thread - I have all of the regiments and attached units war diaries covering WW2 - All 27 of them. Just shout if there is something very specific you want looking up.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  19. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Bodston

    Is there anything about their time during Operation CRUSADER in the book (11/41 - 2/42)?

    Many thanks in advance!

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  20. manxdan

    manxdan Junior Member

    Hi all,

    I am a grandchild of Curwen Clague; if people are looking for more information regarding the 129th Reg. then I can try help find more information for you. My father (Curwen's son) may also be able to assist.

    On the Island we have a small museum which covers the history of the 15th (Isle of Man) Light AA Regiment Isle of Man Guide - Manx Regimental Museum

    Here there is an original bofor gun on view, with many other artifacts that may be on interest to people in this forum.

    Let me know if I can assist.

    Kind Regards,
    Dan
     

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