Does anyone know if the 1st Cheshires returned to the Western desert after they were sent to Malta in July of 1941? Thanks, David.
The answer to your question is some did. After El Alamein and once the security of Malta was assured, C Company was detached and on 2nd AUgust 1943 sailed to Tripoli and the following month joined 131 Infantry Brigade in the Italian Campaign where they were lent out in platoons to 1/7 Queens (10 platoon) and 1/5 Queens (11 and 12 platoon) and remained with them until 7th january 1944. They rejoined the Ballion which had by now departed Malta for the UK. On 11th February 1945 the full battalion were added to 115 Brigade (4th Northamptons and 30th Royal Berkshires) and joined in the general movement in Germany starting at the Maas (Oojen). They covered the crossing of the Rhine by the Royal Scot Fusilliers and through to Lubeck via a disgusting interlude at Belsen. By the way if you are interested in a day by day account of the seige of Malta (and the 1st battalions role) there is website running on this which makes powerful reading.
Just remind members of this most excellent website regards all things to do with Vickers MG. The Vickers Machine Gun The 1st Battalion was in North Africa when Italy declared war in 1940. It fought in the battles of Mersa Matruh, Sidi Barani and Torbruk until February 1941 when it ws despatched to Malta to take part in the defence of that island. The Battalion remained there until July 1943 when C Company was despatched to North Africa to join the 7th Armoured Division and it provided the Independent Machine Gun Company to that Division for the invasion of Salerno. The Battalion re-absorbed C Company when they returned from Italy to the UK and was stationed in the Grimsby area. It was allocated to prepare for operations in NW Europe but the 21st Army Group had no requirement for an additional MG Battalion so it was converted to an Infantry Battalion and joined the British Liberation Army as a regular Infantry Battalion as part of the 115th Independent Infantry Brigade. It embarked for Operations in Holland in February 1945.
I have found several references to a small detachment of the 1st Cheshire Regiment were present on 1/17/1942 @ Deir el Shein, with the 18th Indian Infantry Brigade. They had one fatal death. The Sikh’s War Diary 30/6/1942[1] refers to the presence of four Medium Machine Guns (MMG, likely to be Vickers MG) from the Cheshire Regimen. They also won a regimental honour for Deir el Shein. From: Medals of the Cheshire Regiment Alan Jeffreys refers to them too in ‘Training the Troops: The Indian Army in Egypt, Eritrea, and Libya, 1940–42’ by Alan Jeffreys which is available online via: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edit...+"essex+regiment"&pg=PT68&printsec=frontcover Also mentioned in ‘The History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Second World War’ by Arthur Crookenden, pub. 1949 and available in The British Library or the RUSI Library (NT 3/4/24). Plus, WO 169.4520. Plus, possibly in ‘The Tanks’ by Basil Liddell-Hart, pub. 1959; available in a few public reference libraries. Currently try to track down anyone who has access to the Crookenden book! [1] From Post 1 Deir el Shein sources - July 1942
Update. Thanks to dryan69 and others for their help in accessing Crookenden's official history. The Cheshire detachment @ Deir el Shein on 1/7/1942, was from the 2nd Battalion, not the 1st.
