[65] On 14 April the battalion advanced through Celle and spent the night in nearby woods[65] and on 15 April whilst moving to the village of Nettelkamp, east of Uelzen, they were bombed by Jet planes. Capt. Open: Tuesday-Friday 10-4. In February 1941, they became part of the 167th (London) Infantry Brigade, serving alongside the 8th and 9th battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, both Territorial units, and were attached to the 56th (London) Infantry Division. [2] As part of the formation of the regiment, the following Volunteer Force and Militia units were placed under command of the regiment:[3], 1st Battalion (d.16th May 1940) Hope John Anthony. The battalion met fierce enemy resistance at Gross Hauslingen before continuing the advance through Dauelsen, Gyhum and Wehldorf and the 1st Ox and Bucks eventually reached the city of Hamburg captured on 3 May by British forces where they remained until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe Day. [52], 1st Battalion The bocage country of small fields and orchards surrounded by thick hedges was of greater advantage to the German defenders than to the Allied troops and the battalion sustained many casualties from snipers, mortar and shell fire. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (43/52nd Regiments On 3 April 2 Ox and Bucks was the first Allied unit to cross the Weser during which the unit was bombarded by enemy flak artillery. The regiment saw service in France, North Africa, Burma, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. They carried out investigations in Hanover, Bremen and Hamburg. [17], In August 1914, the 2nd Ox and Bucks, commanded by Henry Rodolph Davies, arrived on the Western Front, as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division, I Corps[18] the 2nd Division was one of the first divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to arrive in France. The 2nd Ox and Bucks following their return from Germany in May 1945 were due to be deployed to the Far East in South-East Asia Command. Our Archive Enquiry Service & Family History. [116] Bandmaster, later Major Arthur Kenney was Bandmaster of the 1st Oxford and Bucks from 1949 to 1958 and the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) to 1960 and then took up the same post with the Royal Artillery at Plymouth and finally with the Welsh Guards; he retired from the Army in October 1969. Only four soldiers from the two groups of 4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry that had left Cassel returned to the UK. 1/4th Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, War Diary Fighting around Caen continued for much of the month, with the battalion sustaining significant casualties. Researched and written by James Pearson BA (Hons), previously an Archivist at the museum. Pegasus Stories: Day by Day - A 2nd Battalion, Ox and Bucks Light At the time of the outbreak of WW2 the regular full time battalions were augmented by four territorial units: the 4th and 5th Battalions that recruited from Oxfordshire and the 1st and 2nd Buckinghamshire Battalions recruiting from Buckinghamshire. Approximately 1,408 officers and other ranks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry lost their lives during the Second World War. The ground operation was intended to cross three bridges that had been taken by airborne troops and on into Germany. Sgt. The 2nd Bucks were posted as reinforcements to battalions deployed in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. Reprographics: documents and photographs can be scanned on request. On 2 January 1945 the battalion moved to Custinne and then to Resteigne. This was the 52nd of Waterloo fame who, under the command of Colonel Sir John Colborne, broke a battalion of the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II . The 31st Infantry Brigade was selected for this task and accordingly, on the 10th October of that year, it was renamed the 1st Airlanding Brigade. The 1st Oxford and Bucks were called back from leave and on 10 August 1956 sailed from Southampton on HMT Dilwara and arrived at Limassol on 20 August 1956. CSM John Stevenson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for defeating several enemy attacks with a platoon he led on the east bank of the River Issel. [34], One soldier who arrived on Sunday 7 April as one of the reinforcements to replace the 2/4th Battalion (184th Brigade, 1st Division) recorded that they had been reduced to 22 survivors with one rifle and three sets of webbing between them, commenting, 'I doubt if in the whole war any battalion was wiped out so completely'. 7th Bn OXF & BUCKS LI 1940-1945 - LIGHTBOBS They moved to Havrincourt Wood later that month, and then on 9 February to Metz-en-Couture. German gunners fired at the 1st Bucks from Lebisey wood and from the high ground at Houlgate; there was also much sniping from houses along the beachfront. Lieutenant Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for an action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. L/Cpl. There, the regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Peter Young, saw active service performing internal security duties. By August the German offensives had failed and the Allies had launched a counter-attack. The Colonel Commandant of the regiment General Sir Bernard Paget visited the regiment in November 1952. Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - The Long, Long Trail During the landing which took only 10 minutes to complete there was thick smoke and dust from the area of Wesel and many of the battalion's 30 gliders were on fire and there were many casualties. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (43rd and 52nd The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed on the north-east perimeter of 6th Airborne Divisions's landing zone, the furthest east of any British Army unit, to capture bridges from the Germans. They were at Vallulart Camp, Ytres, when on 21 March 1918 the Germans launched the last-gasp Spring Offensive (Operation Michael), also known as the Ludendorf offensive, which led to the furthest advance by either side since 1914. On 4 January, C Company, commanded by Major Johnny Granville, was involved in heavy fighting, whilst in support of 13 Parachute Battalion in the village of Bure. [65] Sale was awarded the George Medal for his role in limiting the damage caused by a German air attack, on an ammunition dump at La Breche, near Ouistreham, on 8 June. 167 Infantry Brigade World War II Summary 50th Holding Battalion formed in Fleet near Aldershot June 1940 Moved to Crookham, Hants - then to Devon and became the 7th Battalion 1941 - Moved to Devon - Kent - Colchester 1942 - from Colchester drafted in November to Middle East. Major General Sir John Winterton Colonel Commandant visited the regiment in April 1957. [30], The New Year of 1917 brought with it a period of severe weather conditions on the Somme plain which led to an unofficial truce between the two sides. On 15 April 1946, 6th Airlanding Brigade, which the battalion was still part of, was renumbered the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade. This was a British Army Field Service Regulation dating from 1907. [93] The 2nd Ox and Bucks crossed the River Elbe on 30 April and the advance continued through Nostorf, Schwartow and Lutterstorf to Bad Kleinen, on the banks of the Schweriner See. It was unveiled in 1923 and is now a grade II listed building. Description A Brief Account of the Wartime Record of 6th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1940 - 1945 . British Army War Diaries were handwritten or typed documents providing a daily account of the activities of British Army units on active service. Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (d.9th August 1944) Robert Winter, born 16th of January 1923, served with the 1st Battalion Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in WW2. In 1943 the battalion had sent 46 officers and 1,524 other ranks as replacements. The battalion was assigned to the 14th Infantry Group, later the 214th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), serving alongside the 19th, 20th and 21st battalions of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). During its stay the battalion formed part of the Peshawar column in the Tirah Expedition in the volatile North-West Frontier in 1897; where the battalion saw action in the Khyber Pass, around Koda Khel and Ali Masjid. The history of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry begins in 1755 when it was raised as the 54th (or Lambton's) Regiment of Foot; two years later it was re-numbered as the 52nd. [65] Lieutenant Colonel RDR Sale commanded both 1st Bucks and 6th Beach Group and after the Commander of No 5 Beach Group Lieutenant Colonel DHV Board was killed soon after landing, Sale assumed command of both Beach Groups approximately 7,000 men. [11] Also in 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve;[12] the regiment now had one Reserve battalion and two Territorial battalions. The Austro-Hungarians signed an Armistice with the Allies on 4 November 1918 and the 1/4th Ox and Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshires ended the war in Austria-Hungary. 26 November 1942 GPEU, RAF Netheravon Hotspur II HH284 The glider was being used to give air experience flying to Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire LI glider troops and it was released from the tow over the airfield at 500 feet. [48], The 1/4th Battalion, Ox and Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion were part of the 145th (South Midland) Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division that left the Western Front for the Italian Front in November 1917which had been a member of the Allies since May 1915after she suffered very heavy casualties at the Battle of Caporetto. L/Sgt. The 1st Ox and Bucks took part in the Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal (2628 May) and were eventually evacuated from Dunkirk, having suffered more than 300 casualties. A combination of German numerical advantage and the French fifth Army's retreat led to the battalion subsequently taking part in the 220-mile retreat, in exceptionally hot weather, that began the following day, not stopping until just on the outskirts of Paris, then halting the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne (59 September). On 26 April 1946 the battalion wore their red berets for the final time, at a farewell to the division parade. It was initially based in Chatham and in 1907 moved to Tidworth, Wiltshire. [97], The 6th Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry was a hostilities-only unit created in early July 1940, from a cadre of eighteen officers, five warrant officers, fifty-three Non-commissioned officers and sixty-five other ranks, nearly all of them from the Regular Army. On 17 May Gunners from the 5th British Infantry Division relieved the battalion which then moved to the former German cavalry barracks at Lneburg before flying home to the United Kingdom on 18 May 1945[95] and returning to Bulford Camp, Wiltshire. On 19 March the battalion moved to Birch camp, RAF Birch, near Colchester, Essex. The battalion crossed the River Rhine in late March and, attached to 7th Armoured Division, continued its eastwards advance, seeing action at among other places, Ibbenburen in April where it saw heavy fighting against determined German Marines; although the British succeeded in capturing the town. 6th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in the One of the 2nd Ox and Bucks companies came under heavy machine gun fire in the hills to the north east of the town. [65] The 1st Bucks established themselves on Queen Red and Queen White sectors of Sword Beach opposite La Breche on the easternmost landing site of the invasion. Due to the recent heavy casualties, on 23 September 1944 the 7th Ox and Bucks was reduced to a small cadre and placed in 'suspended animation', transferred to the non-operational 168th Brigade and men were used as replacements for other infantry units in 56th Division, mainly for the 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th battalions of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) of 169th (Queen's) Brigade. On 23 July the battalion returned to Le Mesnil and a week later to the trenches of Breville. Some of the battles that the Ox and Bucks took part in included Menin Road and Polygon Wood in September and early October. [86], The 2nd Ox and Bucks were once again involved in a gliderborne air assault landing, known as Operation Varsity: the largest airborne operation in the history of warfare and the airborne support for Operation Plunder: the Rhine Crossing in late March 1945. First Ypres was the last major battle of 1914. In the meantime you can contact us on: 01993 810 210 frontofhouse@sofo.org.uk Or visit us at: Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, OX20 1SN Tuesday - Saturday: 11am - 5pm In August 1946 the 1st Battalion deployed to Triestethe following year the Free Territory of Triesteas part of the British-American force there. The 2nd Bucks battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Richards, was stationed in Northern Ireland from June 1940 where the battalion's preparations for war included training exercises at Castledawson, County Londonderry. The 1st Ox and Bucks remained in England, based at Hyderabad Barracks, Colchester, until the outbreak of war in 1939. During Operation Veritable, 21-year-old Lieutenant Tony Paget, the youngest son of General Sir Bernard Paget, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The battalion, like many others during the assault, suffered heavily as the Germans met the landing gliders with ferocious fire in the air and on the ground; the 2nd Ox and Bucks lost 400 killed or injured out of a total battalion strength of 800 men. After the fighting at Anzio the 7th Ox and Bucks were reduced to a mere 60 men, out a strength of 1,000, testimony to the severe fighting in the beachhead. In 1925 the battalion joined the British Army of Occupation in Germany, remaining there for two-years before heading for Parkhurst, England. This was the 52nd of Waterloo fame who, under the command of Colonel Sir John Colborne, broke a battalion of the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. The last Colonel Commandant of the regiment was Major General Sir John Winterton who also became the first Colonel Commandant of the renamed regiment the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd). [73], D Company landed very close to their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight (the first Allied unit to land in France). The victory at Falaise signified the end of the Battle for Normandy. [50] The regiment's time in the Balkans was mostly quiet, experiencing sporadic fighting, but it included the repulsing of a Bulgarian invasion of Greece at Lake Doiran in AprilMay 1917. The battalion took part in the first British battle of the war, at Mons, where the British defeated the German forces that they had encountered on 23 August. The Commanding Officer, with tongue firmly in cheek, put him in for a Distinguished Flying Cross. The 1st Ox and Bucks led the advance of 71st Infantry Brigade to the Wilhelmina canal where it encountered strong enemy resistance. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. Seeing both the pilot and co-pilot of the glider slump over their joysticks as casualties, he took control of the aircraft and brought it safely down. Just before the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, a small force led by Major John Howard landed in six Horsa gliders and captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges. 2nd Battalion Ox & Bucks - D Company - Battle of Normandy Shortly after arriving in Palestine Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown was injured in a road traffic accident and Lieutenant Colonel Henry van Straubenzee replaced him as commanding officer of the 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd). D Company, led by Major, later Colonel John Tillett, was involved in heavy fighting at the Dortmund-Ems Canal; the company secured the position and captured more than a dozen anti-aircraft guns however sustained casualties from enemy artillery fire. However, more than 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops were evacuated during the Dunkirk evacuation. Sgt. The 1st Ox and Bucks took part in the ground operation in support of the airborne corridor to Arnhem. Under command of 17th Indian Brigade of 6th (Poona) Division, Indian Army. Formerly Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Museum. The 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks then took part in the advance east, eventually entering Belgium in early September. The battle for Kut began on 26 September 1915 and raged for a number of days until the Ottomans went into retreat and Kut was captured on 28 September. [113], In 1950 a Service of Dedication was held in the Regimental Chapel, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, for the Roll of Honour and Regimental Memorial Tablet for the Second World War.