Sherwood Foresters

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by ammoboot, Jan 20, 2013.

  1. ammoboot

    ammoboot Junior Member

    Can anyone help with information regarding the Sherwood Foresters during the Normandy period? Ta. :)
     
  2. Steve Foster

    Steve Foster Senior Member

    Can anyone help with information regarding the Sherwood Foresters during the Normandy period? Ta. :)
    Sherwood Foresters:

    8th Battalion fought in Norway in 1940 and was destroyed.

    2, 1/5, 2/5 and 9th Battalions fought with the BEF in 1940.

    1st Battalion was captured intact in the Knightsbridge box during the fall of Tobruk.

    1/5 Battalion was captured intact at the fall of Singapore.

    14th battalion took part in the battle of El Alamein

    2 and 5th Battalions took part in the Tunisian campaign.

    2, 5 and 14th took part in the whole of the Italian campaign

    The 6th and 7th Battalions were converted to Royal Artillery, first as searchlight units and then 149 LAA RA and 42 SL Regt RA respectively. They did see action in the NW Europe campaign but I am not sure where/when. I think they were the only two battalions to do so.

    Hope that is of help

    Steve
     
  3. ammoboot

    ammoboot Junior Member

    Sherwood Foresters:

    The 6th and 7th Battalions were converted to Royal Artillery, first as searchlight units and then 149 LAA RA and 42 SL Regt RA respectively. They did see action in the NW Europe campaign but I am not sure where/when. I think they were the only two battalions to do so.

    Hope that is of help

    Steve


    Thanks Steve.
    That's just what I was after.
    Steve :)
     
  4. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    I think 149 LAA (which at some point has been 20 SL BN RE) on 31 Aug 1944 were in Normandy as part of 107 AA Brigade in 1st Canadian Army. On the same date I think 42 SL regiment were in 31 AA Brigade GHQ Troops in the UK. and may have gone to Italy later that year. I wonder if they wernt as infantry? I have read that AA units in the Itlaian theatre ended up in an infantyr role from mid 1944 onwards, e.gin the odds and sods battlegroup on the western coast.
     
  5. ammoboot

    ammoboot Junior Member

    The date I'm interested in is around 19th Aug '44. I also have a name - B S M Eric Pink.
    I think 149 LAA is where I want to be but keep coming to a dead end. Would you agree anti-aircraft would be used against ground targets - tanks, strong points, etc?
     
  6. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    From the regimental history of the Sherwood Foresters regarding 149th LAA Regiment in August and September 1944:

    "After a number of false starts the 6th Foresters, under Lieut-Colonel J. P. Widgery, arrived in France during August 1944, the move of the batteries being spread over most of the month. Between the 27th August and the 16th September the Regiment advanced rapidly across France, deploying en route in an Anti-Aircraft role in defence of various defiles, road junctions and other likely air targets. No enemy aircraft were seen."
     
  7. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is a little more on the 149th LAA Regiment, RA:


    40th (The Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, R.E. (T.A.)
    HQ, 358th-361st Coys: Chesterfield

    The battalion covered the area of the Humber up to May 1943 forming part of 39th AA Brigade. It transferred to the Royal Artillery on 1 August 1940 as 40th (The Sherwood Foresters) Searchlight Regiment, R.A. (T.A.) with 358th-61st Batteries. 359th Battery left on 20 February 1943.
    It moved to Hollywood, Northern Ireland in May 1943. The regiment was converted to 149th (Sherwood Foresters) Light AA Regiment, R.A. (T.A.) on 4 June 1943 with 501st-503rd Batteries. In mid-July 1943 the regiment left Northern Ireland and moved to East Anglia and the south-east. 501st and 503rd became independent and 80th Battery joined on 23 February 1944. 283rd Battery joined by 1946. It served under 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division in the United Kingdom from 31 August to 23 December 1943. It was stationed at Colchester, Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Aldershot, Brighton, and Hove until the summer of 1944. It then served in Northwest Europe from 6-19 August 1944 until the end of the war. It moved to Dunkirk under 107th Anti-Aircraft Brigade on 17 September 1944 and was located in the Nijmegen area by 3 October 1944. 504th Battery was detached at Nijmegen under 74th AA Brigade. It moved to Grave on 7 March 1945 under the 107th AA Brigade and to Leer on 5 May.
     
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  8. magpie1944

    magpie1944 Junior Member

    Just to clarify one point, the 8th Batt Sherwoods were at Narvik with the 148 Infantry Brigade but eventually would be part of the 148 Training Brigade pre-OCTU at Wrotham Camp [Vigo, Kent] from 1942 - 1946. Further info can be found at Vigo Parish website at http://www.vigo-kent.org/History.htm
    Paul.
     
  9. Harrogate

    Harrogate Member

    These replies have been very helpful to me in my researches, particularly the reply from dryan67.

    I can add that 501 Independent Battery was assimilated by 25 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment in March 1944. The 3 Troops (with 20mm guns) were split one per existing 25 LAA Battery, and the name 501st was lost.

    These 3 Troops landed in Normandy in July 1944. However, on 8th August 1944, the establishment of LAA Regiments was reduced to 3 Batteries each of 2Troops. This meant that half of the Troops in 25 LAA were sent to 38 RHU for disbandment or whatever, and this included the 3 Troops that had made up 501 Battery.
     

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