Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Encyclopedia
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry
regiment
of the British Army
.
The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms
, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms
, by the amalgamation of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
and the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
, forming the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Oxfordshire Light Infantry on 1 July 1881.
In 1908 the regiment's title was altered to become the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commonly shortened to the 'Ox and Bucks'.
The 43rd Foot was based in Burma when it became the 1st Battalion. In 1882 it moved to Bangalore
, India. In 1887 the battalion returned home, being based in Parkhurst
, England. It moved to Kinsale
, Ireland in 1893 and, having been based in other parts of Ireland, returned to England in 1898. In December 1899 the Second Boer War
began and the 1st Battalion arrived in Southern Africa to take part in it. It saw extensive service in the conflict, including in the relief of the besieged British garrison at Kimberley
and in the defeat of the Boers at Paardeberg
in February. The war raged on for a further two years and the regiment saw extensive service for the duration of the conflict. The Oxfordshires returned to the UK in 1902 with the conclusion of the war. It moved to India the following year where it was based until the outbreak of war in 1914.
2nd Battalion
The 52nd Light Infantry was based in Oxford
, England when it became the 2nd Battalion. 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. In 1884 it arrived in Gibraltar
and the following year took part in the expedition to Egypt. In 1886 they were based in India, where they would remain into the 20th century. During their stay they took part in the Tirah Expedition in the volatile North-West Frontier
in 1897. In 1903 the battalion returned home, being based in Chatham. They were still based in Britain when World War I was declared.
, two in Italy
, two in Macedonia
and one in Mesopotamia
. The regiment won 59 battle honour
s and four theatre honours. Many gallantry honours were awarded to the Ox & Bucks, including two Victoria Cross
es—the most prestigious honour for bravery in the face of the enemy—that were awarded to Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks and Lance-Corporal Alfred Wilcox
, both of the 2/4th Battalion.
In August 1914 the 2nd Ox and Bucks arrived on the Western Front as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade
, 2nd Division – one of the first divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to arrive in France. 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 battalion subsequently took part in the 220 miles 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
(5–9 September). The 2nd Ox & Bucks later took part in all the subsidiary battles of the First Battle of Ypres
(19 October – 22 November) that saw the heart ripped out of the old Regular Army
, with 54,000 casualties being sustained by the British Army. On 11 November the Germans made another attempt to capture Ypres
, sending—on the orders of the German Kaiser—the élite Prussian Guard against the British forces. The 2nd Battalion counter-attacked them at Nonne Bosschen wood, proceeding to prevent their advance and then routing them; almost one hundred years after the 52nd had defeated Napoleon's Imperial Guards at Waterloo. First Ypres was the last major battle of 1914.
At the Battle of Festubert
– which was launched in support of the French attack south of Vimy Ridge – in May 1915 the 2nd Ox and Bucks were part of the second wave of the 5th Brigade attack and, during the course of the battle, sustained just under 400 casualties; the largest the regiment had suffered so far in the war, and the largest it had suffered for over 100 years. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment also saw action at Loos
in September, and the 2nd Ox & Bucks alone took part in the subsequent attack against the Hohenzollern Redoubt
in October. The 1/4th Ox & Bucks took part in the First Day of the Somme on 1 July 1916, in which the British Army suffered over 60,000 casualties – the largest casualties sustained in a day by the British Army. The battalions of the Ox & Bucks on the Western Front saw extensive service during the Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November), suffering heavily, including at Mametz Wood
, Pozières
, and at Ancre
the last major subsidiary battle. The 2nd Ox and Bucks fought on the Somme battlefield at Delville Wood and Guillemont and on 13 November in the battle of Beaumont Hamel.
In March 1917 the Germans began the retreat to the Hindenburg Line
and the 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment saw much involvement in the Arras Offensive
that began on 9 April and ended on 16 May, including at the Battles of Scarpe and Arleux. The battalions of the Ox & Bucks saw further service in many of the subsidiary battles during the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as Third Ypres) that took place between 31 July-6 November. Some of the battles that the Ox & Bucks took part in included Menin Road and Polygon Wood
in September and early October. The 2nd Ox & Bucks and the 6th (Service) Battalion, Ox and Bucks also took part in the Battle of Cambrai (20 November-3 December) that saw the first large-scale use of tanks by the British and was the last major battle of 1917. On 21 March 1918 the Germans launched the last-gasp Spring Offensive
(Operation Michael
) and the Ox & Bucks suffered yet more heavy casualties as part of the defence of the Somme
during the St. Quentin and in subsequent battles that saw the Germans achieve significant gains. After that offensive lost its momentum, the Germans launched Operation Georgette in April which the Ox & Bucks defended against in the Battle of the Lys and subsequent actions. By August the Germans offensives had failed and the Allies had launched a counter-offensive against the Germans. In August the 2nd Ox & Bucks took part in the Battle of Albert (1918)
and the Second Battle of Bapaume
while the 2/4th Ox & Bucks and the 2/1st Buckinghamshires took part in the advance into Flanders
, with both offensives seeing the Allies advance to the Hindenburg Line by early September. The 2nd Ox & Bucks took part in the offensive against it that saw the Allies break through the defence, taking part in the Battle of Havrincourt
, Battle of the Canal du Nord
and the Second Battle of Cambrai
. The Regiment then took part in the last actions of the war, taking part in the Battle of the Selle and the Battle of Valenciennes. The 2nd Ox and Bucks, following its leading role in the final British offensive, after the Armistice, crossed the German frontier at Malmedy. The war ended on 11 November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany. 15,878 members of the regiment lost their lives during the First World War.
, left India for Mesopotamia
(now Iraq
) in November 1914; there, the Battalion took part in the campaign against the Ottoman forces that ruled the country.
The Battalion took part in the march towards Kut-al-Amara with the intention of capturing it from the Ottomans. The battle for Kut began on 26 September and raged for a number of days until the Ottomans went into retreat and Kut was captured on 28 September. The Battalion then took part in the Battle of Ctesiphon
(22–24 November) during the pursuit of the Ottoman forces and in the effort to capture the capital Baghdad
, which ended in the 6th Poona Division being defeated by the Ottomans. The Division subsequently retreated to Kut, reaching it on 3 December, where they were besieged by the Ottomans, beginning on 7 December, with a garrison of 10,000 British and Indians. The Ottomans launched numerous attempts to take Kut, all of which were repulsed by the defenders, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The British launched numerous attempts to relieve Kut, all of which failed with heavy losses. On 26 April 1916—supplies had dwindled significantly and many of the garrison's defenders were suffering from sickness—the garrison negotiated a cease-fire with the Ottomans and on 29 April the British-Indian force of 8,000 surrendered to the Ottomans, including 300 men of the 1st Ox & Bucks. Many of the Ox & Bucks taken at Kut, like the rest of the prisoners, suffered mistreatment by the Ottomans and did not survive the war; it is estimated that just under 2,000 British and up to 3,000 Indians perished in captivity.
A Provisional Battalion had been formed in January 1916 from reinforcements intended for the 1st Ox & Bucks, joining the 28th (Garwhal) Brigade, 7th (Meerut) Division
. The battalion joined the Lines of Communication (LoC) force and the Provisional Battalion was re-titled the 1st Battalion on 6 July 1917. On 19 October 1917 the Battalion transferred to the 50th Brigade, 15th Indian Division
. By then, the British had taken Baghdad and were gradually pushing the Ottomans further back. Between 26–27 March 1918 it took part in fighting against the Ottomans at Khan Baghdadi
. The Ottomans signed an Armistice
with the Allies on 30 October, ending the war in the Middle East.
, 48th (South Midland) Division
that left the Western Front for Italy in November 1917—a member of the Allies since May 1915—after it suffered very heavy casualties and came close to collapsing after it was defeated at the Battle of Caporetto
. The Regiment and the rest of the British forces did not take part in a major battle until June 1918 when they took part in the Battle of Asiago
(15–16 June) that saw the Austro-Hungarians
—an ally of Germany—successfully defeated in their offensive against the Allies; it was the last Austro-Hungarian offensive against Italy. On 23 October the Allies launched a successful offensive against Austria-Hungary, with the Regiment crossing the Piave River
, taking part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto
. The Austro-Hungarians signed an Armistice with the Allies on 4 November 1918 and the 1/4th Ox & Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshires ended the war in Austria-Hungary.
In October 1915 the British and French landed in Salonika at the request of the Greek
Prime Minister. The British 26th Division—including the 7th (Service) and 8th (Service) Battalions, Ox & Bucks—landed between December 1915 and February 1916. The Regiment's time in the Balkans
was mostly quiet, experiencing sporadic fighting, but it included the repulsing of a Bulgaria
n invasion of Greece at Lake Doiran
in April–May 1917. The Regiment saw very heavy fighting against the Bulgarians around Doiran the following September, after the Allies had launched an offensive in July 1918 with the intention of ending the war in the Balkans. The war did end on 30 September 1918, with Bulgaria signing an Armistice with the Allies. The Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of the division, was subsequently employed for a brief period of time on occupation duties in Bulgaria.
The 1st Ox & Bucks arrived in Archangel
, Northern Russia in May 1919 as part of the Allied force that intervened in the Russian Civil War
to assist the 'White Russians
' in their fight against the Bolsheviks. The Battalion left later in the year, being based in Limerick
, Ireland in 1920 to assist in operations against Sinn Féin
and the IRA
. It moved to Shorncliffe, England two years later. In 1925 the Battalion joined the British Army of Occupation in Germany, remaining there for two-years before heading for Parkhurst
, England. The 1st Ox & Bucks remained in England until the outbreak of war in 1939.
2nd Battalion
In 1919 the 2nd Ox and Bucks left the Western Front, moving to Tipperary
, Ireland to, like the 1st Battalion, take part in operations against the IRA and Sinn Féin. In March 1922 the Battalion arrived in Rawalpindi
, India, later moving to Razmak in Waziristan on the North-West Frontier. In 1929 the Battalion moved to Maymo in Upper Burma and then to Rangoon. In 1934 the Battalion returned to India initially to Bareilly and then to Mhow where they remained until they left India in June 1940 arriving home the following month.
had invaded Poland—the British Empire, France, and their Allies declared war on Germany, beginning the Second World War. During the Second World War the Regiment raised 9 Battalions and the 3rd (Special Reserve) Training Battalion. The Regiment saw service in France, North Africa, Burma, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
(BEF) to France in September which included the 1st Ox & Bucks as part of 4th Division. They were joined by the Territorial 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and the 4th Ox & Bucks in January 1940, all of which eventually became part of the 48th (South Midland) Division, with the 1st Ox & Bucks part of the 143rd Brigade and the 4th Ox & Bucks and 1st Buckinghamshires part of the 145th Brigade
.
The Germans launched their invasion of the Low Countries
on 10 May 1940, shattering a period of the conflict that was known as the Phoney War. The German invasion of northern Belgium—where the BEF was located—was a diversion with the main attack being through the poorly-defended Ardennes
forest. The BEF withdrew west towards the Dendre river after the Dutch Army had surrendered, and then withdrew further towards the Scheldt
river by 19 May. The British force, having given a good account of themselves in the defence of the Scheldt, eventually withdrew into France, moving towards the Dunkirk
area where, on 26 May, the evacuation of the British force back to Britain began, known as Operation Dynamo
(26 May-3 June). The 1st Ox & Bucks took part in the defence of the Ypres-Commines Canal (26–28 May) and were eventually evacuated from Dunkirk, having had more than 300 casualties. The other battalions took part in the defence of Mount Cassel until 29 May where they eventually attempted a breakout though the 4th Battalion was encircled by German forces near Watou and being finally overwhelmed. The 1st Bucks took part in the battle for Hazebrouck which commenced on 27 May where they came under heavy attack from all directions by the German 8th Panzer Division and managed to delay the German advance. The 1st Bucks were eventually ordered to fight their way back to Dunkirk; only 10 officers and approximately 200 men of the battalion reached the UK. More than 330,000 British and French troops were evacuated during the Dunkirk evacuation.
The Buckinghamshire Battalion was part of the 6th Beach Group, landing on D-Day on 6 June 1944 as part of the beach group that organised the units on the landing beaches. In July the Battalion supplied companies for the Bridgehead defence particularly to the 2nd Ox and Bucks. The 1st Ox & Bucks landed later that month as part of the 71st Infantry Brigade
, 53rd (Welsh) Division
. On 25 June Operation Epsom
began that was intended to take the town of Caen
—a vital objective for the British that proved to be a formidable town to capture—and failed in its intention of capturing Caen though, however, it did divert significant numbers of Germans away from the Americans. The Germans counter-attacked and the 1st Ox & Bucks moved to positions around the Odon
bridgehead where it suffered from heavy German artillery barrages. The Allies launched further attempts to capture Caen, and the first Allied troops entered it on 9 July; by then, much of it had been destroyed. After holding the line the 1st Ox & Bucks first major engagement with the enemy during the battle for Caen was the successful attack to capture the village of Cahier and a nearby mill. Fighting around Caen continued for much of the month, with the Battalion sustaining significant casualties. In August the Battalion took part in an advance towards Falaise
, known as Operation Totalize, that saw the Allies reach and capture it. The Battalion captured Pierrefitte during the operation to close The Falaise Pocket
which was eventually closed, encircling two German armies, one of which was effectively destroyed by the Allies. The victory of the Falaise Pocket signified the end of the battle for Normandy. The 1st Ox & Bucks then took part in the advance east, eventually entering Belgium in early September.
On 17 September the invasion of the Netherlands began, known as Operation Market Garden
in a combined land and airborne operation. The Battalion took part in the ground operation in support of the airborne corridor to Arnhem. The 1st Ox & Bucks led the advance of 71st Infantry Brigade to the Wilhelmina canal where they encountered heavy enemy resistance. The ground operation was intended to cross through three bridges taken by airborne troops and into Germany, that would end at the furthest captured bridge at Arnhem
—taken by 1st Airborne
—though the operation ended in failure by 25 September. The 1st Ox & Bucks subsequently took part in operations around the Lower Maas that took place during October and November including forcing the enemy from its position holding a bridgehead over the River Maas, west of Roermond. Lieutenant Colonel JH Hare the Battalion's Commanding Officer was killed during the battle for Hertogenbosch on 28 October and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Howard of the Buffs. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched their last-gasp major offensive of the war in the Ardennes
that became known as the Battle of the Bulge
. The 1st Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of its division, was rushed to Belgium shortly afterwards to assist in the defence where it experienced awful weather conditions, some of the worst Belgium had seen in years. The Allies launched a counter-attack in early January and the German offensive was defeated later that month, by which time the 53rd Welsh Division had been relieved and returned to Holland soon afterwards in preparation for the invasion of Germany.
In February the Battalion was involved in the Allied invasion of the German Rhineland
, including taking part in the Battle of the Reichswald: the five-division assault on the Reichswald Forest, where the battalion was involved in heavy fighting against German paratroops and armour at the village of Asperberg. The Battalion crossed the Rhine in late March and attached to 8th Armoured Division continued its eastwards advance, seeing action at, among others, Ibbenburen
in April where they saw heavy fighting against determined German marines though, in spite of this, the British succeeded in capturing the town. The Battalion met with fierce enemy resistance at Gross Hauslingen before continuing the advance through Dauelsen, Gyhum and Wehldorf and the 1st Ox & 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.
2nd Battalion
In 1941 the 2nd Battalion re-roled as an airborne, specifically an Air Landing
, unit, joining the 1st Airborne Division
and in 1943 the 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division
. As part of Operation Deadstick
just before the landings on D-Day 6 June 1944, D Company, 2nd Ox & Bucks Commanded by Maj. John Howard as well as Royal Engineers and men of the Glider Pilot Regiment
(totalling 181 men), were to land via 6 Horsa gliders to capture the vital Pegasus Bridge
over the Caen Canal
and the bridge over the Orne River
(known as Horsa Bridge
and east of Pegasus). This was intended to secure the eastern flank to prevent German armour from reaching the British 3rd Infantry Division
that was landing on Sword Beach
.
The Ox and Bucks landed very close to their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight—the first Allied unit to land in France—they poured out of their battered gliders, completely surprising the German defenders, and taking the bridges within 10 minutes, losing two men—Lieutenant Den Brotheridge
and Lance-Corporal Greenhalgh—in the process. One Glider assigned to the capture of Horsa Bridge was landed at the bridge over the River Dives, some 7 miles from where they were meant to land. They, in spite of this, captured the River Dives bridge, advanced through German lines towards the village of Ranville where they eventually rejoined the British forces. The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half an hour after the landings by 7 Para, with further units arriving shortly afterwards. The Germans launched many attempts to re-capture the bridges, all being repulsed. Later in the day, at about 1:00pm, Lord Lovat
and elements of his 1st Special Service Brigade
arrived to relieve the exhausted defenders, followed by the British 3rd Infantry Division
. The operation was immortalised in the film The Longest Day
.
As the first day of the landings closed, more reinforcements arrived as part of Operation Mallard
, they included the rest of the 2nd Ox & Bucks. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown DSO replaced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Roberts who had been injured during the landings and remained in command of the Battalion during the defence of the Ardennes and on the Rhine landing. On 7 June the Battalion captured the small village of Herouvillette
and then headed for the village of Escoville where they met some extremely determined resistance. Having experienced intense fighting with German troops supported by armour and unable to successfully dig in and hold the village, the Battalion withdrew, moving back to Herouvillette where they took part in its defence. The Battalion subsequently held the line at Chateau St Come on Bréville
ridge until August, then taking part in the British breakout and advance to the Seine
that began in August, known as Operation Paddle. The Battalion crossed the River Touques and the advance continued through St Philibert, La Correspondance, Pretreville and Malbortie. On 25 August the Battalion was ordered to attack and capture the village of Manneville La Raoult, where a German Garrison was based. After heavy fighting, during which the enemy used mortar and artillery fire, by nightfall the Battalion had occupied the village and had captured a number of prisoners and transport. Lieutenant Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. The battle for Manneville La Raoult was to be the last battle the Battalion fought in France. The following day, the Battalion moved to Foulbec. The 2nd Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of 6th Airborne, was withdrawn to the UK in early September to recuperate and reorganise. By then, of the original 181 men that had taken part in the Pegasus and Horsa operation, just 40 remained fit for active duty. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and the rest of the 6th Airborne were then rushed back to Belgium, by sea and land, to take part in the defence of the Ardennes, after the German invasion
on 16 December. By the time the Battalion arrived in the Ardennes, in freezing weather conditions, the German offensive had lost its momentum. One of its companies was involved in heavy fighting whilst in support of 13 Parachute Battalion in the village of Bure. The 2nd Ox and Bucks remained in the Ardennes until 24 January. The Battalion then moved 200 miles north to the River Maas, near Venlo, in Holland to defend the position there, before returning to the UK in late February.
The 2nd Ox and Bucks were once again involved in a gliderborne air assault landing, known as Operation Varsity
, the objective of which was to cross the Rhine. Operation Varsity, which began on 24 March 1945, was the last major battle on the Western Front during the Second World War. The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed further east than any other British Army unit to capture bridges from the Germans. 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, suffering hundreds of casualties. The 2nd Ox and Bucks casualties included 103 killed during the battle of the landing area. The Battalion had lost half its strength, companies were severely depleted and non commissioned officers were frequently required to act as platoon commanders. It saw very heavy fighting at Hamminkeln
, where its objectives were the railway station and bridges over the River Issel
between Hamminkeln and Ringenburg. Lieutenant Hugh Clark led a bayonet charge to take a road bridge for which he was awarded a Military Cross. CSM John Stevenson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for defeating several enemy attacks with a platoon he commanded on the east bank of the River Issel. The 2nd Ox and Bucks captured and held all its objectives. The Germans launched a number of counter-attacks, all of which were repelled. The Battalion subsequently took a leading part in the 300 mile advance across Germany, mostly on foot, including taking part in the opposed crossing of the Weser and eventually linking up with the Russians near the Baltic
port of Wismar
on 3 May 1945. The Battalion was selected to represent the British Army in providing the Guard of Honour for the meeting between British commander Field Marshal Montgomery and his Russian counterpart, Rokossovsky
, at Wismar on 7 May 1945. 1,408 officers and other ranks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry lost their lives during the Second World War.
T-Force
During spring and summer 1945 two companies of the Buckinghamshire Battalion, along with the 5th Battalion of the King's Regiment, were attached to a secretive unit known as T-Force
. Their role was to locate Nazi scientists and military research facilities. The creation of T-Force had been inspired by James Bond
author Ian Fleming
who had created 30 Assault Unit, which worked alongside T-Force in Germany. They carried out investigations in Hanover, Bremen and Hamburg. Post-war, elements of the Bucks who had been attached to T-Force were absorbed into No.1 T Force which continued to search for military secrets in the Ruhr
.
in 1945. An advance party of 2nd Ox and Bucks was in India in August 1945 preparing for an airborne assault in the Far East.
—the following year the Free Territory of Trieste
—as part of the British-American force there. The Battalion left in May 1947. In 1948, with the end of the Second World War, the British Government implemented substantial defence cuts, which involved all second battalions in the Line Infantry being amalgamated with the 1st Battalions, this included the Ox & Bucks. Following the amalgamation the Regiment was re-titled as the 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd.
In 1949 the Regiment moved to Greece during the Greek Civil War. In October 1951, following a short period in Cyprus, the Regiment deployed to the British-controlled Suez Canal Zone in Egypt
. There, the Regiment saw active service performing internal security duties. The Regiment left Suez in April 1953. It was subsequently based in Osnabrück
, West Germany
as part of the British Army of the Rhine
(BAOR). In July 1956 the Regiment took part in operations against EOKA
terrorists in Cyprus
. On 7 November 1958, after transferring from the Light Infantry Brigade
to the Green Jackets Brigade
, the Regiment was re-titled as the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) and subsequently left Cyprus for home—the first time it had been based in the UK since 1939. The Regimental Depot which had been at Cowley Barracks, Oxford from 1876 to 1957 moved to Peninsula Barracks, Winchester in 1958. The Regiment was based at Warminster from 1959 to 1962 when it became the first regiment to be posted to the Far East without any National Servicemen following the end of conscription in 1961.
In April 1962, almost two years after the Malayan Emergency
was declared over, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) arrived in the Malayan state of Penang
. Peace did not reign for long and the Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Tod Sweeney MC was deployed to Brunei
on the island of Borneo
in December 1962, after an Indonesian-backed uprising occurred. In 1963, while still in Borneo, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) was re-designated as a rifle
regiment to conform to the rest of the Green Jackets Brigade
. The Regiment returned to Penang in April 1963. The Regiment was later involved in further operations in North Borneo and Sarawak. In March 1965 the Regiment was posted to West Berlin
- its last overseas deployment as a regiment. On 1 January 1966 the Regiment amalgamated with the two other regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade
to form the three battalion Royal Green Jackets
, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) becoming the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets. The battalion was disbanded in 1992 as a consequence of Options for Change
and the 2nd Battalion (formerly The King's Royal Rifle Corps) was re-designated as the 1st Battalion. The 3rd Battalion was renumbered as the 2nd. In February 2007 the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 2nd Battalion The Rifles and the 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms
Cardwell Reforms
The Cardwell Reforms refer to a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
, by the amalgamation of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot
The 43rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was raised as Thomas Fowke's Regiment of Foot in 1741 with its headquarters at Winchester. The regiment was numbered 54th Foot until 1748 when it became the 43rd Foot...
and the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
, forming the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Oxfordshire Light Infantry on 1 July 1881.
In 1908 the regiment's title was altered to become the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commonly shortened to the 'Ox and Bucks'.
Operations across the Empire (1881–1914)
1st BattalionThe 43rd Foot was based in Burma when it became the 1st Battalion. In 1882 it moved to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India. In 1887 the battalion returned home, being based in Parkhurst
Parkhurst
-People:*Carolyn Parkhurst*Charles Henry Parkhurst, , clergyman and social reformer in New York City*Charles Percy Parkhurst , American museum curator who recovered works stolen by Nazis*Charley Parkhurst*Frederic Hale Parkhurst...
, England. It moved to Kinsale
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
, Ireland in 1893 and, having been based in other parts of Ireland, returned to England in 1898. In December 1899 the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
began and the 1st Battalion arrived in Southern Africa to take part in it. It saw extensive service in the conflict, including in the relief of the besieged British garrison at Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
and in the defeat of the Boers at Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
in February. The war raged on for a further two years and the regiment saw extensive service for the duration of the conflict. The Oxfordshires returned to the UK in 1902 with the conclusion of the war. It moved to India the following year where it was based until the outbreak of war in 1914.
2nd Battalion
The 52nd Light Infantry was based in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England when it became the 2nd Battalion. This was the 52nd of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
fame who, under the command of Colonel Sir John Colborne
John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton
Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was a British field marshal and colonial governor.-Early service:...
, broke a battalion of the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. In 1884 it arrived in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and the following year took part in the expedition to Egypt. In 1886 they were based in India, where they would remain into the 20th century. During their stay they took part in the Tirah Expedition in the volatile North-West Frontier
North-West Frontier (military history)
The North-West Frontier was the most difficult area, from a military point of view, of the former British India in the Indian sub-continent. It remains the frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the...
in 1897. In 1903 the battalion returned home, being based in Chatham. They were still based in Britain when World War I was declared.
First World War (1914-18)
During the war, the Ox & Bucks raised 12 battalions (17 in all), six of which fought on the Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, two in Italy
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, two in Macedonia
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
and one in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamian Campaign
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
. The regiment won 59 battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s and four theatre honours. Many gallantry honours were awarded to the Ox & Bucks, including two Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
es—the most prestigious honour for bravery in the face of the enemy—that were awarded to Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks and Lance-Corporal Alfred Wilcox
Alfred Wilcox
Alfred Wilcox VC , was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, both of the 2/4th Battalion.
Western Front
British 5th Infantry Brigade
The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army formation from the First World War to disbandment in 1999.- History :During both World War I and the Second World War the 5th Brigade was part of the 2nd Infantry Division. It served in France in 1940, was evacuated to Britain from Dunkirk and...
, 2nd Division – one of the first divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to arrive in France. The battalion took part in the first British battle of the war, at Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
, where the British defeated the German forces that they had encountered on 23 August. The battalion subsequently took part in the 220 miles 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
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
(5–9 September). The 2nd Ox & Bucks later took part in all the subsidiary battles of the First Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
(19 October – 22 November) that saw the heart ripped out of the old Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
, with 54,000 casualties being sustained by the British Army. On 11 November the Germans made another attempt to capture Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, sending—on the orders of the German Kaiser—the élite Prussian Guard against the British forces. The 2nd Battalion counter-attacked them at Nonne Bosschen wood, proceeding to prevent their advance and then routing them; almost one hundred years after the 52nd had defeated Napoleon's Imperial Guards at Waterloo. First Ypres was the last major battle of 1914.
At the Battle of Festubert
Battle of Festubert
The Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and continued until May 25.-Context:...
– which was launched in support of the French attack south of Vimy Ridge – in May 1915 the 2nd Ox and Bucks were part of the second wave of the 5th Brigade attack and, during the course of the battle, sustained just under 400 casualties; the largest the regiment had suffered so far in the war, and the largest it had suffered for over 100 years. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment also saw action at Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
in September, and the 2nd Ox & Bucks alone took part in the subsequent attack against the Hohenzollern Redoubt
Hohenzollern Redoubt
The Hohenzollern Redoubt, near to Auchy-les-Mines in France, was a German fortification on the Western Front in World War I.-Introduction:The British first attacked the Redoubt on September 25, 1915, the first day of the Battle of Loos...
in October. The 1/4th Ox & Bucks took part in the First Day of the Somme on 1 July 1916, in which the British Army suffered over 60,000 casualties – the largest casualties sustained in a day by the British Army. The battalions of the Ox & Bucks on the Western Front saw extensive service during the Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November), suffering heavily, including at Mametz Wood
Mametz wood
Mametz Wood was the objective of the 38th Division during the First Battle of the Somme. The attack occurred in a Northerly direction over a ridge, focussed on the German positions in the wood between 7 July and 12 July 1916. The attack of the 7 July failed to reach the wood before the men were...
, Pozières
Battle of Pozières
The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
, and at Ancre
Battle of the Ancre
The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
the last major subsidiary battle. The 2nd Ox and Bucks fought on the Somme battlefield at Delville Wood and Guillemont and on 13 November in the battle of Beaumont Hamel.
In March 1917 the Germans began the retreat to the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
and the 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment saw much involvement in the Arras Offensive
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
that began on 9 April and ended on 16 May, including at the Battles of Scarpe and Arleux. The battalions of the Ox & Bucks saw further service in many of the subsidiary battles during the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as Third Ypres) that took place between 31 July-6 November. Some of the battles that the Ox & Bucks took part in included Menin Road and Polygon Wood
Battle of Polygon Wood
The Battle of Polygon Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I. The battle was fought near Ypres, Belgium, in an area named the Polygon Wood after the layout of the area...
in September and early October. The 2nd Ox & Bucks and the 6th (Service) Battalion, Ox and Bucks also took part in the Battle of Cambrai (20 November-3 December) that saw the first large-scale use of tanks by the British and was the last major battle of 1917. On 21 March 1918 the Germans launched the last-gasp Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
(Operation Michael
Operation Michael
Operation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
) and the Ox & Bucks suffered yet more heavy casualties as part of the defence of the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
during the St. Quentin and in subsequent battles that saw the Germans achieve significant gains. After that offensive lost its momentum, the Germans launched Operation Georgette in April which the Ox & Bucks defended against in the Battle of the Lys and subsequent actions. By August the Germans offensives had failed and the Allies had launched a counter-offensive against the Germans. In August the 2nd Ox & Bucks took part in the Battle of Albert (1918)
Battle of Albert (1918)
Battle of Albert was the third battle by that name fought during World War I, following the First Battle of Albert, and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart...
and the Second Battle of Bapaume
Second Battle of Bapaume
The Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of World War I that took place at Bapaume, Francebetween 21 August and 3 September 1918. It followed the Battle of Amiens and is also referred to as the second phase of that battle...
while the 2/4th Ox & Bucks and the 2/1st Buckinghamshires took part in the advance into Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, with both offensives seeing the Allies advance to the Hindenburg Line by early September. The 2nd Ox & Bucks took part in the offensive against it that saw the Allies break through the defence, taking part in the Battle of Havrincourt
Battle of Havrincourt
- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
, Battle of the Canal du Nord
Battle of the Canal du Nord
The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
and the Second Battle of Cambrai
Battle of Cambrai (1918)
The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
. The Regiment then took part in the last actions of the war, taking part in the Battle of the Selle and the Battle of Valenciennes. The 2nd Ox and Bucks, following its leading role in the final British offensive, after the Armistice, crossed the German frontier at Malmedy. The war ended on 11 November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany. 15,878 members of the regiment lost their lives during the First World War.
Mesopotamia
The 1st Ox & Bucks, as part of the 17th (Ahmednagar) Brigade, 6th (Poona) Division6th (Poona) Division
For the World War II formation see 6th Infantry Division The 6th Division was a division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903, following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army.-World War I:...
, left India for Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
(now Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) in November 1914; there, the Battalion took part in the campaign against the Ottoman forces that ruled the country.
The Battalion took part in the march towards Kut-al-Amara with the intention of capturing it from the Ottomans. The battle for Kut began on 26 September and raged for a number of days until the Ottomans went into retreat and Kut was captured on 28 September. The Battalion then took part in the Battle of Ctesiphon
Battle of Ctesiphon (1915)
The Battle of Ctesiphon was fought in November 1915 by the British Empire and British India, against the Ottoman Empire, within the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I....
(22–24 November) during the pursuit of the Ottoman forces and in the effort to capture the capital Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, which ended in the 6th Poona Division being defeated by the Ottomans. The Division subsequently retreated to Kut, reaching it on 3 December, where they were besieged by the Ottomans, beginning on 7 December, with a garrison of 10,000 British and Indians. The Ottomans launched numerous attempts to take Kut, all of which were repulsed by the defenders, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The British launched numerous attempts to relieve Kut, all of which failed with heavy losses. On 26 April 1916—supplies had dwindled significantly and many of the garrison's defenders were suffering from sickness—the garrison negotiated a cease-fire with the Ottomans and on 29 April the British-Indian force of 8,000 surrendered to the Ottomans, including 300 men of the 1st Ox & Bucks. Many of the Ox & Bucks taken at Kut, like the rest of the prisoners, suffered mistreatment by the Ottomans and did not survive the war; it is estimated that just under 2,000 British and up to 3,000 Indians perished in captivity.
A Provisional Battalion had been formed in January 1916 from reinforcements intended for the 1st Ox & Bucks, joining the 28th (Garwhal) Brigade, 7th (Meerut) Division
7th (Meerut) Division
The 7th Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service during World War I.-Pre-Mutiny:The Meerut Division first appeared in the Indian Army List in 1829, under the command of Sir Jasper Nicolls, KCB...
. The battalion joined the Lines of Communication (LoC) force and the Provisional Battalion was re-titled the 1st Battalion on 6 July 1917. On 19 October 1917 the Battalion transferred to the 50th Brigade, 15th Indian Division
15th Indian Infantry Division
The 15th Indian Division was a formation of the British Indian Army, operational from 1916 to 1919.The division was formed on 7 May 1916 on the Euphrates Front in Mesopotamia, as a replacement for 12th Indian Division. It served throughout the war on the Euphrates Front, and was formally disbanded...
. By then, the British had taken Baghdad and were gradually pushing the Ottomans further back. Between 26–27 March 1918 it took part in fighting against the Ottomans at Khan Baghdadi
Action of Khan Baghdadi
The Action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I.The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since its capture of the town in September 1917...
. The Ottomans signed an Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
with the Allies on 30 October, ending the war in the Middle East.
Italy and Macedonia
The 1/4th Ox & Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion were part of the 145th (South Midland) BrigadeBritish 145th Infantry Brigade
- History :First formed in 1908 as the 145th Infantry Brigade, the brigade, together with 143 Brigade and 144 Brigade eventually formed the 48th Division in Second Army during World War I. The brigade was in continuous service in France until the Armistice in 1918 when it was disbanded...
, 48th (South Midland) Division
British 48th (South Midland) Division
The British 48th Division was a Territorial Force division. Originally called the 'South Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 48th Division in 1915.- 1914 - 1918 :...
that left the Western Front for Italy in November 1917—a member of the Allies since May 1915—after it suffered very heavy casualties and came close to collapsing after it was defeated at the Battle of Caporetto
Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
. The Regiment and the rest of the British forces did not take part in a major battle until June 1918 when they took part in the Battle of Asiago
Battle of Asiago
The Battle of Asiago ' or the Trentino Offensive , nicknamed Strafexpedition by the Austrians, was a counteroffensive launched by the Austro-Hungarians on the Italian Front on 15 May 1916, during World War I...
(15–16 June) that saw the Austro-Hungarians
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
—an ally of Germany—successfully defeated in their offensive against the Allies; it was the last Austro-Hungarian offensive against Italy. On 23 October the Allies launched a successful offensive against Austria-Hungary, with the Regiment crossing the Piave River
Piave River
Piave is a river in north Italy. It begins in the Alps and flows southeast for into the Adriatic Sea near the city of Venice....
, taking part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Battle of Vittorio Veneto
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
. The Austro-Hungarians signed an Armistice with the Allies on 4 November 1918 and the 1/4th Ox & Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshires ended the war in Austria-Hungary.
In October 1915 the British and French landed in Salonika at the request of the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Prime Minister. The British 26th Division—including the 7th (Service) and 8th (Service) Battalions, Ox & Bucks—landed between December 1915 and February 1916. The Regiment's time in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
was mostly quiet, experiencing sporadic fighting, but it included the repulsing of a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n invasion of Greece at Lake Doiran
Battle of Doiran (1917)
During the Second conference of the Military Counsel of the Entente in Chanties, it was decided to continue with the attempts at a breakthrough. The task for the Entente forces on the Macedonian Front was to inflict major defeats on the Bulgarian army and effect a wide breakthrough in the Balkans...
in April–May 1917. The Regiment saw very heavy fighting against the Bulgarians around Doiran the following September, after the Allies had launched an offensive in July 1918 with the intention of ending the war in the Balkans. The war did end on 30 September 1918, with Bulgaria signing an Armistice with the Allies. The Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of the division, was subsequently employed for a brief period of time on occupation duties in Bulgaria.
Inter-War
1st BattalionThe 1st Ox & Bucks arrived in Archangel
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
, Northern Russia in May 1919 as part of the Allied force that intervened in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
to assist the 'White Russians
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
' in their fight against the Bolsheviks. The Battalion left later in the year, being based in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland in 1920 to assist in operations against Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
. It moved to Shorncliffe, England two years later. In 1925 the Battalion joined the British Army of Occupation in Germany, remaining there for two-years before heading for Parkhurst
Parkhurst
-People:*Carolyn Parkhurst*Charles Henry Parkhurst, , clergyman and social reformer in New York City*Charles Percy Parkhurst , American museum curator who recovered works stolen by Nazis*Charley Parkhurst*Frederic Hale Parkhurst...
, England. The 1st Ox & Bucks remained in England until the outbreak of war in 1939.
2nd Battalion
In 1919 the 2nd Ox and Bucks left the Western Front, moving to Tipperary
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
, Ireland to, like the 1st Battalion, take part in operations against the IRA and Sinn Féin. In March 1922 the Battalion arrived in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, India, later moving to Razmak in Waziristan on the North-West Frontier. In 1929 the Battalion moved to Maymo in Upper Burma and then to Rangoon. In 1934 the Battalion returned to India initially to Bareilly and then to Mhow where they remained until they left India in June 1940 arriving home the following month.
Second World War (1939-45)
On 3 September 1939—two days after GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
had invaded Poland—the British Empire, France, and their Allies declared war on Germany, beginning the Second World War. During the Second World War the Regiment raised 9 Battalions and the 3rd (Special Reserve) Training Battalion. The Regiment saw service in France, North Africa, Burma, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
North-West Europe (France & Belgium) 1939-40
The British rapidly sent the British Expeditionary ForceBritish Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
(BEF) to France in September which included the 1st Ox & Bucks as part of 4th Division. They were joined by the Territorial 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and the 4th Ox & Bucks in January 1940, all of which eventually became part of the 48th (South Midland) Division, with the 1st Ox & Bucks part of the 143rd Brigade and the 4th Ox & Bucks and 1st Buckinghamshires part of the 145th Brigade
British 145th Infantry Brigade
- History :First formed in 1908 as the 145th Infantry Brigade, the brigade, together with 143 Brigade and 144 Brigade eventually formed the 48th Division in Second Army during World War I. The brigade was in continuous service in France until the Armistice in 1918 when it was disbanded...
.
The Germans launched their invasion of the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
on 10 May 1940, shattering a period of the conflict that was known as the Phoney War. The German invasion of northern Belgium—where the BEF was located—was a diversion with the main attack being through the poorly-defended Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
forest. The BEF withdrew west towards the Dendre river after the Dutch Army had surrendered, and then withdrew further towards the Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
river by 19 May. The British force, having given a good account of themselves in the defence of the Scheldt, eventually withdrew into France, moving towards the Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
area where, on 26 May, the evacuation of the British force back to Britain began, known as Operation Dynamo
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
(26 May-3 June). The 1st Ox & Bucks took part in the defence of the Ypres-Commines Canal (26–28 May) and were eventually evacuated from Dunkirk, having had more than 300 casualties. The other battalions took part in the defence of Mount Cassel until 29 May where they eventually attempted a breakout though the 4th Battalion was encircled by German forces near Watou and being finally overwhelmed. The 1st Bucks took part in the battle for Hazebrouck which commenced on 27 May where they came under heavy attack from all directions by the German 8th Panzer Division and managed to delay the German advance. The 1st Bucks were eventually ordered to fight their way back to Dunkirk; only 10 officers and approximately 200 men of the battalion reached the UK. More than 330,000 British and French troops were evacuated during the Dunkirk evacuation.
North-West Europe (D-Day to Germany) 1944-45
1st BattalionThe Buckinghamshire Battalion was part of the 6th Beach Group, landing on D-Day on 6 June 1944 as part of the beach group that organised the units on the landing beaches. In July the Battalion supplied companies for the Bridgehead defence particularly to the 2nd Ox and Bucks. The 1st Ox & Bucks landed later that month as part of the 71st Infantry Brigade
British 71st Infantry Brigade
The 71st Infantry Brigade formed part of the 53rd Infantry Division during World War II. It fought with the division throughout the North-West Europe campaign, before finally being disbanded in March 1946.-Order of battle:...
, 53rd (Welsh) Division
British 53rd (Welsh) Division
The British 53rd Infantry Division was a Territorial Army division that fought in both World Wars. During the First World War the division fought at Gallipoli and in the Middle East. Remaining active during the interwar years as a peace-time formation, the division again saw action in the Second...
. On 25 June Operation Epsom
Operation Epsom
Operation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a Second World War British offensive that took place between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy...
began that was intended to take the town of Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
—a vital objective for the British that proved to be a formidable town to capture—and failed in its intention of capturing Caen though, however, it did divert significant numbers of Germans away from the Americans. The Germans counter-attacked and the 1st Ox & Bucks moved to positions around the Odon
Odon
Odon may refer to:People* Odon of Greater Poland, duke of Greater Poland* Odon de Pins, Grand Master of the Knights HospitallerPlaces*Odon , a river in France*Odon, Indiana, United StatesOther...
bridgehead where it suffered from heavy German artillery barrages. The Allies launched further attempts to capture Caen, and the first Allied troops entered it on 9 July; by then, much of it had been destroyed. After holding the line the 1st Ox & Bucks first major engagement with the enemy during the battle for Caen was the successful attack to capture the village of Cahier and a nearby mill. Fighting around Caen continued for much of the month, with the Battalion sustaining significant casualties. In August the Battalion took part in an advance towards Falaise
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman Kings of England. The Château de Falaise , which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of...
, known as Operation Totalize, that saw the Allies reach and capture it. The Battalion captured Pierrefitte during the operation to close The Falaise Pocket
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
which was eventually closed, encircling two German armies, one of which was effectively destroyed by the Allies. The victory of the Falaise Pocket signified the end of the battle for Normandy. The 1st Ox & Bucks then took part in the advance east, eventually entering Belgium in early September.
On 17 September the invasion of the Netherlands began, known as Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
in a combined land and airborne operation. The Battalion took part in the ground operation in support of the airborne corridor to Arnhem. The 1st Ox & Bucks led the advance of 71st Infantry Brigade to the Wilhelmina canal where they encountered heavy enemy resistance. The ground operation was intended to cross through three bridges taken by airborne troops and into Germany, that would end at the furthest captured bridge at Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
—taken by 1st Airborne
British 1st Airborne Division
The 1st Airborne Division was a division of the British airborne forces during the Second World War. The division was formed in 1941, after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanded an airborne force...
—though the operation ended in failure by 25 September. The 1st Ox & Bucks subsequently took part in operations around the Lower Maas that took place during October and November including forcing the enemy from its position holding a bridgehead over the River Maas, west of Roermond. Lieutenant Colonel JH Hare the Battalion's Commanding Officer was killed during the battle for Hertogenbosch on 28 October and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Howard of the Buffs. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched their last-gasp major offensive of the war in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
that became known as the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. The 1st Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of its division, was rushed to Belgium shortly afterwards to assist in the defence where it experienced awful weather conditions, some of the worst Belgium had seen in years. The Allies launched a counter-attack in early January and the German offensive was defeated later that month, by which time the 53rd Welsh Division had been relieved and returned to Holland soon afterwards in preparation for the invasion of Germany.
In February the Battalion was involved in the Allied invasion of the German Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
, including taking part in the Battle of the Reichswald: the five-division assault on the Reichswald Forest, where the battalion was involved in heavy fighting against German paratroops and armour at the village of Asperberg. The Battalion crossed the Rhine in late March and attached to 8th Armoured Division continued its eastwards advance, seeing action at, among others, Ibbenburen
Ibbenbüren
Ibbenbüren or Ibbenbueren is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on position 185 of the largest cities in Germany and the largest city in Tecklenburger Land.-Geography:...
in April where they saw heavy fighting against determined German marines though, in spite of this, the British succeeded in capturing the town. The Battalion met with fierce enemy resistance at Gross Hauslingen before continuing the advance through Dauelsen, Gyhum and Wehldorf and the 1st Ox & Bucks eventually reached the city of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
—captured on 3 May by British forces—where they remained until the end of the war in Europe.
2nd Battalion
Air Landing Regiment
An Air Landing was the term used for British Army, glider-borne troops. Air Landing units included infantry battalions and light armoured regiments together with combat support and combat service support units and sub-units. The Glider Pilot Regiment provided the aircrew to fly the gliders into...
, unit, joining the 1st Airborne Division
British 1st Airborne Division
The 1st Airborne Division was a division of the British airborne forces during the Second World War. The division was formed in 1941, after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanded an airborne force...
and in 1943 the 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division
British 6th Airborne Division
The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne division in the British Army during the Second World War. It took part in Operation Tonga, the airborne landings on the left flank of the invasion beaches in the Normandy Landings. It played a small part in the Battle of the Bulge and was involved in...
. As part of Operation Deadstick
Operation Deadstick
Operation Deadstick was the codename for an airborne forces operation by the British Army that took place on 6 June 1944 as part of the Normandy landings. The mission's objective was to capture intact two road bridges in Normandy across the River Orne and the Caen Canal providing the only exit...
just before the landings on D-Day 6 June 1944, D Company, 2nd Ox & Bucks Commanded by Maj. John Howard as well as Royal Engineers and men of the Glider Pilot Regiment
Glider Pilot Regiment
The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European Theatre of World War II in support of Allied airborne operations...
(totalling 181 men), were to land via 6 Horsa gliders to capture the vital Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge , built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham, in Normandy, France....
over the Caen Canal
Canal de Caen à la Mer
Canal de Caen à la Mer also called the "Caen Canal") is a short canal in the department of Calvados, France, connecting the Port of Caen, in the city of Caen, downstream to the town of Ouistreham and the English Channel....
and the bridge over the Orne River
Orne River
The Orne is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées...
(known as Horsa Bridge
Horsa Bridge
Horsa Bridge, also known as Ranville bridge, over the Orne River, was, with Pegasus Bridge, captured during Operation Deadstick by gliderborne troops of the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in a coup de main operation in the opening minutes of D Day, 6 June 1944, before the main...
and east of Pegasus). This was intended to secure the eastern flank to prevent German armour from reaching the British 3rd Infantry Division
British 3rd Infantry Division
The 3rd Mechanised Division, known at various times as the Iron Division, 3rd Division or as Iron Sides; is a regular army division of the British Army...
that was landing on Sword Beach
Sword Beach
Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord; the Allied invasion of German-occupied France that commenced on 6 June 1944...
.
Den Brotheridge
Lieutenant Herbert Denham Brotheridge was a British Army officer, and is often considered to be the first Allied soldier to be killed in action on D-Day, 6 June 1944, during Operation Tonga...
and Lance-Corporal Greenhalgh—in the process. One Glider assigned to the capture of Horsa Bridge was landed at the bridge over the River Dives, some 7 miles from where they were meant to land. They, in spite of this, captured the River Dives bridge, advanced through German lines towards the village of Ranville where they eventually rejoined the British forces. The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half an hour after the landings by 7 Para, with further units arriving shortly afterwards. The Germans launched many attempts to re-capture the bridges, all being repulsed. Later in the day, at about 1:00pm, Lord Lovat
Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat
Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat and 4th Baron Lovat DSO, MC, TD was the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser and a prominent British Commando during the Second World War...
and elements of his 1st Special Service Brigade
1st Special Service Brigade
The 1st Special Service Brigade was a brigade of the British Army. Formed during World War II, it consisted of elements of the army and the Royal Marines. The brigade's component units saw action individually in Norway and the Dieppe Raid , before being combined under one commander for service in...
arrived to relieve the exhausted defenders, followed by the British 3rd Infantry Division
British 3rd Infantry Division
The 3rd Mechanised Division, known at various times as the Iron Division, 3rd Division or as Iron Sides; is a regular army division of the British Army...
. The operation was immortalised in the film The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
.
As the first day of the landings closed, more reinforcements arrived as part of Operation Mallard
Operation Mallard
Operation Mallard was the codename for an airborne forces operation which was conducted by the British Army on 6 June 1944, as part of the Normandy landings....
, they included the rest of the 2nd Ox & Bucks. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown DSO replaced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Roberts who had been injured during the landings and remained in command of the Battalion during the defence of the Ardennes and on the Rhine landing. On 7 June the Battalion captured the small village of Herouvillette
Hérouvillette
-References:*...
and then headed for the village of Escoville where they met some extremely determined resistance. Having experienced intense fighting with German troops supported by armour and unable to successfully dig in and hold the village, the Battalion withdrew, moving back to Herouvillette where they took part in its defence. The Battalion subsequently held the line at Chateau St Come on Bréville
Bréville
Bréville may refer to several communes in France:*Bréville, Charente*Bréville-les-Monts, in the Calvados département*Bréville-sur-Mer, in the Manche département...
ridge until August, then taking part in the British breakout and advance to the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
that began in August, known as Operation Paddle. The Battalion crossed the River Touques and the advance continued through St Philibert, La Correspondance, Pretreville and Malbortie. On 25 August the Battalion was ordered to attack and capture the village of Manneville La Raoult, where a German Garrison was based. After heavy fighting, during which the enemy used mortar and artillery fire, by nightfall the Battalion had occupied the village and had captured a number of prisoners and transport. Lieutenant Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. The battle for Manneville La Raoult was to be the last battle the Battalion fought in France. The following day, the Battalion moved to Foulbec. The 2nd Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of 6th Airborne, was withdrawn to the UK in early September to recuperate and reorganise. By then, of the original 181 men that had taken part in the Pegasus and Horsa operation, just 40 remained fit for active duty. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and the rest of the 6th Airborne were then rushed back to Belgium, by sea and land, to take part in the defence of the Ardennes, after the German invasion
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
on 16 December. By the time the Battalion arrived in the Ardennes, in freezing weather conditions, the German offensive had lost its momentum. One of its companies was involved in heavy fighting whilst in support of 13 Parachute Battalion in the village of Bure. The 2nd Ox and Bucks remained in the Ardennes until 24 January. The Battalion then moved 200 miles north to the River Maas, near Venlo, in Holland to defend the position there, before returning to the UK in late February.
The 2nd Ox and Bucks were once again involved in a gliderborne air assault landing, known as Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
, the objective of which was to cross the Rhine. Operation Varsity, which began on 24 March 1945, was the last major battle on the Western Front during the Second World War. The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed further east than any other British Army unit to capture bridges from the Germans. 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, suffering hundreds of casualties. The 2nd Ox and Bucks casualties included 103 killed during the battle of the landing area. The Battalion had lost half its strength, companies were severely depleted and non commissioned officers were frequently required to act as platoon commanders. It saw very heavy fighting at Hamminkeln
Hamminkeln
Hamminkeln is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Issel, approximately 10 kilometers north of Wesel. It is twinned with Sedgefield, United Kingdom...
, where its objectives were the railway station and bridges over the River Issel
Oude IJssel
Oude IJssel or Issel is a river in Germany and the Netherlands approximately 80 km long. It is a right tributary of the river IJssel....
between Hamminkeln and Ringenburg. Lieutenant Hugh Clark led a bayonet charge to take a road bridge for which he was awarded a Military Cross. CSM John Stevenson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for defeating several enemy attacks with a platoon he commanded on the east bank of the River Issel. The 2nd Ox and Bucks captured and held all its objectives. The Germans launched a number of counter-attacks, all of which were repelled. The Battalion subsequently took a leading part in the 300 mile advance across Germany, mostly on foot, including taking part in the opposed crossing of the Weser and eventually linking up with the Russians near the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
port of Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
on 3 May 1945. The Battalion was selected to represent the British Army in providing the Guard of Honour for the meeting between British commander Field Marshal Montgomery and his Russian counterpart, Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Konstantin Rokossovskiy was a Polish-origin Soviet career officer who was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, as well as Marshal of Poland and Polish Defence Minister, who was famously known for his service in the Eastern Front, where he received high esteem for his outstanding military skill...
, at Wismar on 7 May 1945. 1,408 officers and other ranks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry lost their lives during the Second World War.
T-Force
During spring and summer 1945 two companies of the Buckinghamshire Battalion, along with the 5th Battalion of the King's Regiment, were attached to a secretive unit known as T-Force
T-Force
T-Force was an elite British Army force which operated during the final stages of World War II. Originally used to secure and exploit targets that could provide valuable intelligence of scientific and military value, they were later tasked with seizing Nazi German scientists and businessmen in the...
. Their role was to locate Nazi scientists and military research facilities. The creation of T-Force had been inspired by James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
author Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
who had created 30 Assault Unit, which worked alongside T-Force in Germany. They carried out investigations in Hanover, Bremen and Hamburg. Post-war, elements of the Bucks who had been attached to T-Force were absorbed into No.1 T Force which continued to search for military secrets in the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
.
North Africa & Italy (1942-45)
The 7th Ox and Bucks, part of 56 (London) Division, took part in the final battle in Tunisia in 1942. The Battalion made a successful attack at Enfidaville following a 3000-mile road move from Iraq. In the Italian campaign 7th Ox and Bucks took part in the landings at Salerno and Anzio and had heavy casualties. The Battalion fought its way up Italy to the Gothic Line near Rimini. 7th Ox and Bucks were dispersed as reinforcements to other regiments in 56 Division in late 1944.Far East (1944-45)
The 6th Ox and Bucks served on the Arakan Front during the advance down the west coast of Burma in 1944/45. The Battalion fought at Akyab in 1944 and at the main Japanese Base at TamanduTamandu
Tamandu was a village in Ann Township, Kyaukpyu District, in northern Rakhine State in the westernmost part of Burma . Tamandu was located on the southside of the Dalet River just after it passes through the Kolonzin Range of hills and on the edge of the delta...
in 1945. An advance party of 2nd Ox and Bucks was in India in August 1945 preparing for an airborne assault in the Far East.
Post-World War II (1945-1966)
In October 1945, the 2nd Battalion as part of 6th Airborne Division arrived in Palestine as Britain's Imperial Strategic Reserve in the Middle East. Palestine was in a highly volatile political situation and the Battalion was extensively deployed on internal security duties and in assisting the civil authorities in maintaining peace between the different communities. The Battalion left Palestine in 1947. In 1946 the 1st Battalion deployed to TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
—the following year the Free Territory of Trieste
Free Territory of Trieste
The Free Territory of Trieste was to be a city-state situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, created by the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath of World War II and provisionally administered by an appointed military governor commanding the peacekeeping United...
—as part of the British-American force there. The Battalion left in May 1947. In 1948, with the end of the Second World War, the British Government implemented substantial defence cuts, which involved all second battalions in the Line Infantry being amalgamated with the 1st Battalions, this included the Ox & Bucks. Following the amalgamation the Regiment was re-titled as the 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd.
In 1949 the Regiment moved to Greece during the Greek Civil War. In October 1951, following a short period in Cyprus, the Regiment deployed to the British-controlled Suez Canal Zone in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. There, the Regiment saw active service performing internal security duties. The Regiment left Suez in April 1953. It was subsequently based in Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as part of the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
(BAOR). In July 1956 the Regiment took part in operations against EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
terrorists in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. On 7 November 1958, after transferring from the Light Infantry Brigade
Light Infantry Brigade
The Light Infantry Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular English light infantry regiments....
to the Green Jackets Brigade
Green Jackets Brigade
The Green Jackets Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the English rifle regiments. The designation "Green Jackets" was derived from their rifle green tunics indicating their status as rifles....
, the Regiment was re-titled as the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) and subsequently left Cyprus for home—the first time it had been based in the UK since 1939. The Regimental Depot which had been at Cowley Barracks, Oxford from 1876 to 1957 moved to Peninsula Barracks, Winchester in 1958. The Regiment was based at Warminster from 1959 to 1962 when it became the first regiment to be posted to the Far East without any National Servicemen following the end of conscription in 1961.
In April 1962, almost two years after the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
was declared over, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) arrived in the Malayan state of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
. Peace did not reign for long and the Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Tod Sweeney MC was deployed to Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
on the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
in December 1962, after an Indonesian-backed uprising occurred. In 1963, while still in Borneo, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) was re-designated as a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
regiment to conform to the rest of the Green Jackets Brigade
Green Jackets Brigade
The Green Jackets Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the English rifle regiments. The designation "Green Jackets" was derived from their rifle green tunics indicating their status as rifles....
. The Regiment returned to Penang in April 1963. The Regiment was later involved in further operations in North Borneo and Sarawak. In March 1965 the Regiment was posted to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
- its last overseas deployment as a regiment. On 1 January 1966 the Regiment amalgamated with the two other regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade
Green Jackets Brigade
The Green Jackets Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the English rifle regiments. The designation "Green Jackets" was derived from their rifle green tunics indicating their status as rifles....
to form the three battalion Royal Green Jackets
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) becoming the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets. The battalion was disbanded in 1992 as a consequence of Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
and the 2nd Battalion (formerly The King's Royal Rifle Corps) was re-designated as the 1st Battalion. The 3rd Battalion was renumbered as the 2nd. In February 2007 the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 2nd Battalion The Rifles and the 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 4th Battalion The Rifles.
Victoria Cross recipients
- Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks (2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry)
- Lance-Corporal Alfred WilcoxAlfred WilcoxAlfred Wilcox VC , was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
(2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry)
Other information
- Colonel-in-Chief: HM Carlos I of PortugalCarlos I of Portugal-Assassination:On 1 February 1908 the royal family returned from the palace of Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. They travelled by train to Barreiro and, from there, they took a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarked at Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the open...
- Anniversaries: WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
(18 June) - Alliances:
- 52nd Regiment (Prince Albert Volunteers) - Canada
- Le Régiment de Joliette - Canada
- 43rd Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment) - Australia
- The Western Australia University Regiment
- The Hauraki RegimentHauraki RegimentThe Hauraki Regiment is a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. The regiment is unique among the TF units in that it has never been amalgamated, and thus can trace its history directly back to its formation in 1898. The regiment was formed as the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Rifle Volunteers...
- New Zealand
See also
- Air Landing RegimentAir Landing RegimentAn Air Landing was the term used for British Army, glider-borne troops. Air Landing units included infantry battalions and light armoured regiments together with combat support and combat service support units and sub-units. The Glider Pilot Regiment provided the aircrew to fly the gliders into...
- Parachute Regiment
- Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers
Battle honours
- Quebec 1759Battle of the Plains of AbrahamThe Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
, Martinique 1762, Havannah, MysoreAnglo-Mysore WarsThe Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency...
, Hindoostan, Martinique 1794Battle of Martinique (1794)The Battle of Martinique was a successful British invasion in 1794 of the island of Martinique in the West Indies, during the French Revolutionary Wars. On 5 February, a fleet under the command of Admiral Sir John Jervis landed troops under the command of General Charles Grey. The invasion was...
, VimieraBattle of VimeiroIn the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
, CorunnaBattle of CorunnaThe Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
, Busaco, Fuentes d'OnorBattle of Fuentes de OnoroIn the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro , the British-Portuguese Army under Viscount Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.-Background:...
, Ciudad Rodrigo, BadajozBattle of Badajoz (1812)In the Battle of Badajoz , the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieged Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison....
, SalamancaBattle of SalamancaThe Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
, VittoriaBattle of VitoriaAt the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
, PyreneesBattle of the PyreneesThe Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s order, in the hope of relieving French garrisons under siege at Pamplona and San Sebastián...
, NivelleBattle of NivelleThe Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
, NiveBattle of the NiveThe Battles of the Nive were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army in a series of battles near the city of Bayonne.Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington...
, OrthesBattle of OrthezThe Battle of Orthez saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington defeat a French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France near the end of the Peninsular War.-Preliminaries:...
, ToulouseBattle of Toulouse (1814)The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
, PeninsulaPeninsular WarThe Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, South Africa 1851-2-3Xhosa warsThe Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa people and European settlers, from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa....
, Delhi 1857Siege of DelhiThe Siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian rebellion of 1857.The rebellion against the authority of the British East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the units of the Army which...
, New ZealandNew Zealand land warsThe New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
, Relief of KimberleySiege of KimberleyThe Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, PaardebergBattle of PaardebergThe Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, South Africa 1900-02Second Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State... - First World War:
- Western Front: MonsBattle of MonsThe Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914First Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
, Aisne 1914First Battle of the AisneThe First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
, Ypres 1914First Battle of YpresThe First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
-'17, Langemarck 1914 '17Battle of LangemarckBattle of Langemarck can refer to :* Battle of Langemarck : part of the First Battle of Ypres* Battle of Langemarck : part of the Third Battle of Ypres...
, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Aubers, Festubert 1915Battle of FestubertThe Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and continued until May 25.-Context:...
, Hooge 1915HoogeHooge can refer to:*Hooge, Prince Su*Houvenkopf Mountain known as "Hooge Kop"*Hooge, Germany, an island and municipality in northern Germany*Hooge, Belgium...
, LoosBattle of LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916 '18Second Battle of the Somme (1918)During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
, Albert 1916Battle of Albert (1916)The Battle of Albert, 1 July – 13 July 1916, was the opening phase of the British and French offensive that became the Battle of the Somme.-Haig's desire to break through versus Rawlinson's "bite and hold":...
'18Battle of Albert (1918)Battle of Albert was the third battle by that name fought during World War I, following the First Battle of Albert, and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart...
, Bazentin, Delville Wood, PoziéresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
, GuillemontBattle of GuillemontThe Battle of Guillemont was a British assault on the German-held village of Guillemont during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Guillemont lay on the right flank of the British sector where it linked with French forces and by holding it, the Germans prevented the Allied armies from operating in...
, Flers-CourceletteBattle of Flers-CourceletteThe Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
, MorvalBattle of MorvalThe Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
, Le TransloyBattle of Le TransloyThe Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the 1916 Battle of the Somme.-Prelude:With the successful conclusion of the preceding Battle of Morval at the end of September, the Fourth Army of Lieutenant General Henry Rawlinson had finally captured the...
, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Bapaume 1917 '18Second Battle of BapaumeThe Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of World War I that took place at Bapaume, Francebetween 21 August and 3 September 1918. It followed the Battle of Amiens and is also referred to as the second phase of that battle...
, Arras 1917Battle of Arras (1917)The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
, Vimy 1917Battle of Vimy RidgeThe Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
, Scarpe 1917, Arleux, Menin Road, Polygon WoodBattle of Polygon WoodThe Battle of Polygon Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I. The battle was fought near Ypres, Belgium, in an area named the Polygon Wood after the layout of the area...
, BroodseindeBattle of BroodseindeThe Battle of Broodseinde was the most successful attack of the Battle of Passchendaele. Using the "bite and hold" tactic , the Allied forces conducted an attack on well-entrenched German forces and showed that it was possible for the allies to overcome even the stoutest German...
, Poelcapelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 and 1918Battle of Cambrai (1918)The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
, St Quentin, Rosiéres, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Béthune, Hindenburg LineHindenburg LineThe Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
, HavrincortBattle of Havrincourt- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
, Canal du NordBattle of the Canal du NordThe Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
, Selle, Valenciennes, France and Flanders 1914-18Western Front (World War I)Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne... - Middle East: Kut-al-Amara, CtesiphonBattle of Ctesiphon (1915)The Battle of Ctesiphon was fought in November 1915 by the British Empire and British India, against the Ottoman Empire, within the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I....
, Defence of Kut-al-AmaraSiege of KutThe siege of Kut Al Amara , was the besieging of 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. Its known also as 1st Battle of Kut. In 1915, its population was around 6,500...
, Tigris 1916, Khan BaghdadiAction of Khan BaghdadiThe Action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I.The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since its capture of the town in September 1917...
, Mesopotamia 1914-18Mesopotamian CampaignThe Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :... - Other: Doiran 1917Battle of Doiran (1917)During the Second conference of the Military Counsel of the Entente in Chanties, it was decided to continue with the attempts at a breakthrough. The task for the Entente forces on the Macedonian Front was to inflict major defeats on the Bulgarian army and effect a wide breakthrough in the Balkans...
'18Battle of DoiranThe third Battle of Doiran was fought from 18 September to 19 September 1918, with the Greeks and the British assaulting the positions of the Bulgarian First Army near Dojran Lake. The battle was part of World War I and took place in the Balkan Theatre...
, Macedonia 1915-18Macedonian front (World War I)The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
, PiaveBattle of the Piave RiverThe Battle of the Piave River , known in Italy as Battaglia del Solstizio , Battaglia di Mezzo Giugno , or Seconda Battaglia del Piave , was a decisive victory for the Italian Army during World War...
, Vittorio VenetoBattle of Vittorio VenetoThe Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
, Italy 1917-18Italian Campaign (World War I)The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, Archangel 1919North Russia CampaignThe North Russia Intervention, also known as the Northern Russian Expedition, was part of the Allied Intervention in Russia after the October Revolution. The intervention brought about the involvement of foreign troops in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White movement...
- Western Front: Mons
- Second World War:
- North-West Europe: Defence of Escaut (Scheldt), Cassel, Ypres-Comines-Canal, Normandy LandingOperation OverlordOperation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, Pegasus BridgePegasus BridgePegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge , built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham, in Normandy, France....
, CaenBattle for CaenThe Battle for Caen from June-August 1944 was a battle between Allied and German forces during the Battle of Normandy....
, Esquay, Lower Maas, OurtheBattle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, Rhineland, ReichswaldReichswaldA Reichswald designates a historic woodland under imperial protection and usage in the lands of the former Holy Roman Empire. It may refer to:* Nürnberger Reichswald — an old cultivated forest with near Nuremberg, which is today a nature reserve....
, Rhine, IbbenbürenIbbenbürenIbbenbüren or Ibbenbueren is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on position 185 of the largest cities in Germany and the largest city in Tecklenburger Land.-Geography:...
, North-West Europe 1940 '44-45 - North Africa: EnfidavilleEnfidhaEnfidha is a town in northeastern Tunisia with a population of approximately 10,000. It is visited by tourists on their way to Takrouna. Enfidha is located at around . It lies on the railway between Tunis and Sousse, approximately 45 km northeast of Sousse and a few kilometers inland from the Gulf...
, North Africa 1943North African campaignDuring the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had... - Italy: Salerno, St LuciaBorgo Santa LuciaBorgo Santa Lucia is an historical rione of Naples, Italy. The area rises around the street of the same name and takes that name from the parish sanctuary of Santa Lucia a mare, of which the presence is attested since the 9th century, on the river of the sea, in spite of legend that would have it...
, Salerno Hills, TeanoTeanoTeano is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta, 30 km north-west of that town on the main line to Rome from Naples. It stands at the south-east foot of an extinct volcano, Rocca Monfina.- Ancient times and Middle Ages:...
, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, DamianoDamianoDamiano is a small village outside the town of Giannitsa, in Greece's Pella Prefecture. The village, of only about one hundred people, is famous for the agricultural regions around it, and its church of Ayios Dimitrios. The village is the birthplace of a silver medalist in the Athens 2004...
, AnzioAnzioAnzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
, CorianoCorianoCoriano is a comune in the province of Rimini. This town is known for being the city of the Motorcycle World Champion, in 250cc class, Marco Simoncelli.- History :Coriano's origins are ancient: it was an Umbrian, Etruscan and Roman colony...
, Gemmano Ridge, Italy 1943-45Italian Campaign (World War II)The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the... - Far East: Arakan Beaches, TamanduTamanduTamandu was a village in Ann Township, Kyaukpyu District, in northern Rakhine State in the westernmost part of Burma . Tamandu was located on the southside of the Dalet River just after it passes through the Kolonzin Range of hills and on the edge of the delta...
, Burma 1943-45Burma CampaignThe Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
- North-West Europe: Defence of Escaut (Scheldt), Cassel, Ypres-Comines-Canal, Normandy Landing
External links
- http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk [British Light Infantry Regiments]
- 1/4th Oxford and Bucks War Diary July and August 1917
- 1/4th Oxford and Bucks, Roll of Honour First World War