Hi, I am researching an officer of the Wiltshire Regiment, Kingsley Jack Oliphant. Commisioned approx 1910, POW 1914, MC for repeated escape attempts. I have a photo of him in 1939 from the book 'Wiltshire Regiment 1914-1959' in which he is test firing a Bren Gun in 1939. The photo captions says it shows senior officers of the 2nd Battalion including the Commanding Officer Lt Col Oliphant MC What I would like to find out is if Oliphant went on to active service in WW2, I know from the London Gazette he retired in 1942 so was wondering what he movements were between 1939 and then. Any help much appreciated.
He did indeed take them to France, they left UK under his command on 14/9/1939 . Last entry I can find at the moment in the war diary is for 8/2/1940 when he departed the Bn at 13.45 hours to go to Lille to proceed on leave to UK. Major Moore became the CO.
He did indeed take them to France, they left UK under his command on 14/9/1939 . Last entry I can find at the moment in the war diary is for 8/2/1940 when he departed the Bn at 13.45 hours to go to Lille to proceed on leave to UK. Major Moore became the CO. I did wonder if you'd have the diaries. I've been meaning to copy the 1940 ones for a while but they come in two parts which says they are Uber thick, so I've put it off. Are they any good?
I've got all the Wilts Regt transcribed diaries from The Wardrobe for both world wars. Here's the 2nd Bn. Most excellent. I'm sure though the real ones are full of maps that are not in these, although the WW1 diaries have some colour pages of maps etc. https://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/prodInfo.php?prod_id=170
Thanks for the help. Sounds like he would have had a cracking medal group MC 1914 Star with Clasp British War Medal Victory Medal then possibly 1939-45 Star Defence Medal (maybe) War Medal
Indeed, MC just visable under the Copright sign. The Wardrobe - The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum 2nd Bn, Wiltshire Regiment - A black and white photograph of the Orderly Room Staff at Catterick Camp, 1939. (rear row Left to Right) Private B.J. Whiting, L/Corporal A.H. Daniels, L/Corporal L. G. Stone, Private A. E. Bartlett, L/Corporal A.F. Jell. (front row) Acting Quartermaster Sergeant (O.R.S.) H. G. Tyrrell, Lieutenant and Adjutant G.G. Woolnough, Lieutenant Colonel K.J.P. Oliphant MC, WO1 (RSM) G. E. Flanner, Temporary Sergeant (ORC) R.H.G. Harris
The Wardrobe - The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum ah after leaving the 2nd Bn it seems he went to the 7th Bn Wilts Regt, he's in this pic. 7th Bn, Wiltshire Regiment - A black and white photograph of the officers of the Battalion at New Milton in Hampshire somtime between 1940 and 1941 showing (in the rear row 3rd from the left) Lieutenant I. Herridge, followed by Lieutenant G. Glasshooper, Lieutenant R, Burgess, (then 8th from the left) Lieutenant Avery. (Second row 9th from the left) followed by Lieutenant Black, Lieutenant N. Awdry, Lieutenant Lee-Smith, Lieutenant Browne (sat 3rd from left) Captain Goldsmith, Major Slee, Major Kenrick, Lieutenant Colonel Oliphant MC, Captain (Adjutant) Pointer, Major Thomas MC, Captain Ruck, Captain Wilson, (far right) Lieutenant (QM) Milsom.
as a POW in WW1. Wiltshire Regiment - A sepia photo of a group of Officers who shared a room as Prisoners of War at Krefeld 1914 to 1915; the caption reads 'Room occupants in the PoW camp at Krefield 1914-15 from Left to Right Lieut Oliphant, Lieut Lloyd, Captain Barbour, Lieut Petroviski, Lieut Rose'. The Wardrobe - The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum
Many, many thanks for those. I had seen the one of him as a POW. I'm a regular on The Wardrobe site but usually concerned with WW1, my great grandfather was with the Wilts 1897-1909 and three of his younger brothers were all pre 1914 regulars with the Regiment and went onto serve in WW1.
Just reading in 'A Conscript At War' by LC Pinner [available from The Wardrobe.] that 7th Bn Wilts was 'reformed during late August 1940 at an erstwhile mushroon farm situated on the outskirts of Basingstoke in Hampshire , under the command of Lt-Col Oliphant.' No sure of date he left 7th Bn but the next CO to be mentioned is Lt-Col NCE Kenrick. Later Kenrick went on to command 4th Bn in NW Europe & write the Regimental history.
From Kenrick's Story of the Wiltshire Regiment; Commanded 2nd Bn Feb 39 - Feb 40 He joined the 1st Battalion in South Africa in 1911, returned to Enngland in 1913, and landed with them in France at the beginning of the war in 1914. That October he was captured at Neuve Chapelle, and spent the rest of the war making repeated .. efforts to escape. Adj 1st Bn 1927-1931... later commanding the Regt Depot, and serving with 2nd Bn whom he took to France on the outbreak of war ... In 1940 he reached the age limit for command in the field. .. he raised and trained the 7th Wilts, commanding them on the coast of Hampshire and in the Isle of Wight. He retired after the War and settled in Wiltshire near a trout stream. Charles
Jack Oliphant was my Grandfather. Somehow he wangled his way back into active service with the regiment in 1944, after having been Commandant of the POW camp in Devizes. Later that year he was with the regiment when they passed within a mile of the place in France he had been captured in the Great War. As indicated above he retired to Netheravon in Wiltshire and spent many hours fishing. My two brothers continue to fish the same stretch to this day.
