Rigel / Regal Ridge

Hi

My sister and I have been trying to piece together a booklet on our dad's war history. He was in the Scots Guards in North Africa and then taken to Italy as a POW. He then escaped and joined the partisans until he managed to get back to his own lines..

Anyway, I have documentation that he was captured at Regal Ridge.. 13/06/1942 ...I know he was at Tobruk, Halfaya, and all over the desert but I can't find out where Regal Ridge was.. so I am hoping that someone on the forum knows.

Thank you in advance...

 

Silken
13th June '42 was at the beginning of the "Gazala Gallop" back to El Alamein as th Crusader battle was won - then lost - so try between Gazala and Tobruk which fell around the 20th June '42

Cheers

 

Silken
"Google for the Gazala Gallop" 7th Armoured div's account - scroll down to find a map of RIGEL RIDGE- which will be 10 miles NE of Bir El Tamar -3miles North of the Knightsbridge box with 210 Guards bde - and 2nd and 4th Armoured bdes - it was a mess

Cheers

 

Good shout Tom.
I'll add the link
>> Battles 1942 ( a most excellent website that)

map here.
http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/Maps/cauldron_map.jpg

 

Thank you both very much for your replies... I had read on the 'Partisan' document that he had been captured at 'Regal Ridge' so I have been searching on the Internet for days .. It goes to show that it helps if you have the correct spelling.. and you, Owen,were so kind to supply the links .. and thank you, Tom, very much for telling me about the 'Gazala Gallop'..

I go and read about the battle in the morning....

Cheers

 

Silken

When you have finished absorbing the actions back to El Alamein then you should start at the beginning - by borrowing Barrie Pitt's "Crucible of War " when it all started in the desert way back in 1892 then follows your Father through to near the Crusader battles
- note the plural - and takes in both Wavell and Auchinleks commands - then after that "Gallop" comes Montgomery - who sees Rommel off in very short order and begins what were the final battles for Africa and we never did lose another Battle all through the desert - Tunisia - Sicily - Italy and Normandy.

It's a fascinating history and one in which your Father played his part- no doubt with the original 22nd Guards bde to the 201st bde which took a bad beating at the Knightsbridge box.
I thought the spelling was odd until I recalled a neighbour who was Chief Navigator with the QE2- he named his first son - RIGEL- but was by no means a star !

Cheers

 

The History of the SG has several pages about the 2nd Battalion at Rigel Ridge
Scots Guards 1919-1955 - Naval & Military Press

Includes this map, sorry about poor quality, my scanner is on the blink.

 

Di

Is this any better ?

Ron

 

Cheers Ron!
I think anything would be an improvement on my very shaky phone pic.

=

War Diary details for SG can be found in post 9 of this linked thread
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/brigade-guards/37127-researching-guardsmen-foot-guards.html
Post 2 also has address to apply for copy service records, should you not already have them.

 

Thank you all very much for your replies and the efforts you have went to on my behalf... I had always thought that dad had been under Montgomery in Africa but it might have been after he escaped and rejoined his lines in Italy... It's such a pity that we had listened to his war stories as children and never asked him as adults when it would have meant more. Neither did we realise what his medals represented when we played with them as children... But then, we never expected him to pass away at 65..

Thank you all also for the references to books that we can buy to follow it in more detail... I managed to find out quite a bit on the Internet and my sister had sent away for his army records... but, unfortunately, it doesn't mention his DCM... which he was awarded.. Is it possible that it is still kept secret the reason that he got it and that is why we can't find any record of it apart from his red service record? My mother, who is now senile went and gave the medal away to someone and she can't remember who!

Thanks again

 

What's his name or Army No. and I will check for you.


If you'd rather look for yourself - London Gazette Advanced Search

and

TNA recommendations The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Refine Browse Criteria

These TNA images can be found rather quickly for free by by-passing the individual search, - TNA have also released these for free download but as very large unindexed pdfs. Let me know either way - I can advise if you want to download/search them for yourself.

Before searching - most of the SG WW2 awards and honours which I am aware of are listed here on this linked thread, some already have images or transcripts of citations, but it's still incomplete as a reference.
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/scots-guards/37973-gallantry-awards-honours-scots-guards.html

 

What's his name or Army No. and I will check for you.


If you'd rather look for yourself -


Hi DBF

I have been already in those sites.. I have tried everywhere.. The reason I think it might still be 'secret' is because it involved retrieving the body of a someone very close to the king & queen. I have done my homework and from the scanty information I remember as a child... the person did die exactly at the place and time my father said he did and I know that my father was involved in special operations. He was Mentioned in Dispatches already for escape and evasion in Italy but I can find absolutely nothing on the DCM.

Unfortunately, I didn't realise that the DCM was considered next to the VC in bravery terms... And as I already said, our mother is going senile and is feeble minded..

I have found out a lot about what happened in Italy as my sister was able to meet people who still remembered our dad and I was trying to find out about the 'desert' war that he was in..

Thanks anyway for your help

Regards

 

Hello ,
I hope this reaches you as i see the posts are 18 months old> like you my Father served in 2SG and was captured at Rigel Ridge by the Germans handed over to the Italians then escaped from the POW camp in the Po valley Italy to Switzerland where he was eventually repatriated in late 1943.
RHQ Scots Guards have been excellent with help for his records i also have the history of the Scots Guards during this period.I served in the Scots Guards and am researching a article i want to write about my father who died in 1983 ,i am looking ideally for some photos of this area of the Knightsbridge box if i can be of any help let me know.incidently the correct name is Bir El Rigel

 

Hi my grandad too was in 2nd battalion scots guards captured at ' regal ridge' then moved over to various camps in italy via notorious swani ben adhem camp.
Would like to share any information you have

 

Hi Paul,

I’ve sent PM’s to Silken & Graham Fowler asking them to make contact with you.

Steve