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36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery

(Redirected from 317th (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Company, Royal Engineers)

The 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment was a volunteer air defence battalion of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) from 1936 until 1961, at first as part of the Royal Engineers, later in the Royal Artillery. As part of 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade it defended air bases in East Anglia through the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. Towards the end of 1944 the unit underwent infantry training, serving briefly in Norway at the end of the war. After the war, the 36th continued as a TA unit, with some women serving with it. In 1961, the remnants of the regiment amalgamated with others to form a combined infantry battalion, and all links with air defence were severed.

36th (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE
36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, RA
634th (Middlesex) Infantry Regiment, RA
571 (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, RA
Active15 December 1935–1 May 1961
Country United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
TypeSearchlight Regiment, Infantry Battalion, Anti-Aircraft Regiment
RoleAir Defence
Part ofAnti-Aircraft Command
Garrison/HQHendon
Edgware
EngagementsThe Blitz
Operation Doomsday
90 cm 'Projector Anti-Aircraft', displayed at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth.

Origin

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Cap badge of the Royal Engineers (cipher of King George VI).

The regiment had its origins in 317 (Middlesex) Independent Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Company, one of a number of air defence companies of the Royal Engineers formed in the Home counties by the Territorial Army during 1924. 317 AASL Company, based at Hendon, was grouped with two companies from Kent in the Kent & Middlesex Group.[1][2] John (later Sir John) Perring (1870–1948), a businessman and prominent member of the London County Council and Middlesex Territorial Association was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Group in 1931.[1][3][4]

In October 1935 the Kent & Middlesex Group became 29th (Kent) AA Battalion, RE and on 15 December 1935 317 Company was separated and expanded into a full battalion as the 36th (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers (TA). The battalion raised three new companies, 344 at Harrow, 345 at Edgware and 346 at Southall. It formed part of 29th (East Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade. Major Edward Boggis, MBE, was transferred from 26th (London) Air Defence Brigade Signals, Royal Corps of Signals, to be Officer Commanding 344th AA Company. Sir John Perring was reappointed Honorary Colonel of the new unit.[1][2][5][6]

The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis, with units manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October.[7]

On 1 November 1938, 344 AA Company was detached to form the cadre for a duplicate unit, which became 58th (Middlesex) AA Bn, RE, under the command of Lt-Col Boggis, while 36th AA Bn began raising a new 424 AA Company.[2][5][8]

World War II

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Mobilisation

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Formation sign of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division.

In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command. In June, as the international situation worsened, a partial mobilisation of the TA was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun and searchlight positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations.[9] By the outbreak of war, 36th (Middlesex) AA Bn had moved to Edgware and it formed part of 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade in 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. It had the following organisation:[2][5][10][11][12][13]

  • Battalion HQ (Edgware)
  • 317 AA Company (Edgware)
  • 345 AA Company (Edgware)
  • 346 AA Company (Southall)
  • 424 AA Company (forming)

36th (Middlesex) S/L Regiment, RA

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Cap Badge of the Royal Artillery (pre-1953).

In common with other RE searchlight battalions, the unit was transferred to the Royal Artillery on 1 August 1940, becoming 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment RA (TA), and the companies were termed batteries.[2][5][12][14][15] At this time, AA Command was heavily engaged in the Battle of Britain, in which 40th AA Bde was responsible for guarding airfields in East Anglia. This was soon followed by the night-bombing campaign of The Blitz, in which searchlights were a key element in the defences.[12][16][17][18]

In November 1940 AA Command changed its S/L layouts to clusters of three lights to improve illumination, but this meant that the clusters had to be spaced 10,400 yards (9,500 m) apart. The cluster system was an attempt to improve the chances of picking up enemy bombers and keeping them illuminated for engagement by AA guns or Royal Air Force (RAF) Night fighters. Eventually, one light in each cluster was to be equipped with Searchlight Control radar (SLC) and act as 'master light', but the radar equipment was still in short supply.[19][20]

In early 1941, 36 S/L Rgt sent a cadre of experienced men to 236 S/L Training Rgt at Oswestry, where they formed 542nd S/L Bty with recruits mainly from London. This battery then formed part of 89th S/L Rgt, which was later converted into 133rd Light AA Rgt, and fought in the North West Europe campaign.[21][22]

Mid-War

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36th (Middlesex) S/L Regiment remained in 40th AA Brigade in 2nd AA Division (later 5th AA Group) for much of the war.[23][24][25][26][27][28] In September 1943 it transferred within 5th AA Group to 50th AA Brigade. 50th AA Brigade HQ was then transferred to 21st Army Group preparing for the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord); 36th S/L Rgt remained in AA Command and came under 27th (Home Counties) AA Brigade from January 1944.[28]

With the lower threat of attack by the weakened Luftwaffe, AA Command was being forced to release manpower for Overlord, and all Home Defence searchlight regiments were reduced by a battery. 424 S/L Battery commenced disbandment on 7 February 1944, completing by 28 February. Then on 18 March E Troop of 346 S/L Bty left to become D Trp of 332 S/L Bty in 33rd (St Pancras) S/L Rgt.[5][29][30]

634th (Middlesex) Regiment, RA

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By the end of 1944, however, the Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted. At the same time, 21st Army Group fighting in North West Europe was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry.[31] In January 1945, the War Office began to reorganise surplus anti-aircraft and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.[32][33] 27th (Home Counties) AA Brigade was one of the HQs selected for conversion, becoming 303rd Infantry Brigade on 22 January 1945. Within the brigade, 36th S/L Rgt was redesignated 634th (Middlesex) Infantry Regiment RA.[5][6][12][14][15][34][35][36]

After infantry training, including a short period attached to 61st Infantry Division, 634 Regiment was sent to Norway in June 1945 following the liberation of that country (Operation Doomsday).[14][35][36] On 15 October 1945 the regiment began passing into suspended animation, completing the process by 12 November.[34]

Postwar

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571st LAA/SL Regiment

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When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the regiment reformed as 571st Searchlight Regiment RA (Middlesex) at Edgware. It formed part of 82nd AA Brigade at Ealing. Two years later, it was redesignated 571st (Mixed) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment (Middlesex), ('Mixed' indicating that it was composed partly of women of the Women's Royal Army Corps).[5][14][15][37][38][39][40][41]

Amalgamation

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On 10 March 1955, Anti-Aircraft Command was disbanded, and many of its TA regiments were disbanded or reduced. 571st was amalgamated with two other LAA/SL regiments in NW London – 595th (9th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment) and 604th (Royal Fusiliers) – to form a new regiment: 571st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, (9th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment, Duke of Cambridge's Own),[a] in which the old 571st formed 'P' Battery. The new unit was in 33 AA Brigade[14][37][38][42][43]

Finally, on 1 May 1961, the 571st (9th Middlesex) amalgamated with the 7th and 8th battalions of the Middlesex Regiment to form a combined infantry battalion, (5th Bn) and all links with air defence and the Royal Artillery were severed.[14][37][38][42]

Honorary Colonels

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The following officers served as Honorary Colonel of the unit:

  • Sir John Perring, see above, was Hon Col successively of the Kent & Middlesex AA Group, 36 AA Bn, and 36 S/L Rgt.[1]
  • Lieutenant-General Sir Maurice Grove-White, former General Officer Commanding of 2 AA Corps, was Hon Col of 571 S/L Rgt until 4 September 1950.[44]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ The only RA unit with its own Queens and Regimental colour.[citation needed] New colours were presented on Horse Guards in 1960.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Monthly Army List, 1924–39.
  2. ^ a b c d e Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 109–14.
  3. ^ 'Colonel Sir John Ernest Perring', Who Was Who 1941–50.
  4. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, vol. 3 (107th ed.), Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage & Gentry, p. 3100, ISBN 978-0-9711966-2-9 (Cited at thePeerage.com, which accessed 18 July 2020)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Frederick, pp. 858, 860, 865.
  6. ^ a b "1st AA Division 1936–38 at British Military History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  7. ^ Routledge, pp. 62–3.
  8. ^ Monthly Army List, January 1939.
  9. ^ Routledge, pp. 65–6, 371.
  10. ^ "2nd AA Division 1939 at British Military History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  11. ^ AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
  12. ^ a b c d 36 SL Rgt at RA 39–45
  13. ^ Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Litchfield, p. 178.
  15. ^ a b c Farndale, Annex M, p. 339.
  16. ^ "2nd AA Division 1940 at British Military History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  17. ^ 2 AA Div at RA 39–45
  18. ^ Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.
  19. ^ Routledge, p. 393.
  20. ^ Farndale, p. 107.
  21. ^ 89 S/L Rgt War Diary 1941, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/3109.
  22. ^ Frederick, p. 861.
  23. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, TA file WO 212/79.
  24. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, TNA file WO 212/80.
  25. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, TNA file WO 212/81.
  26. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, TNA file WO 212/82.
  27. ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 13 March 1943, TNA file WO 212/83.
  28. ^ a b Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84.
  29. ^ Routledge, p. 409.
  30. ^ Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, TNA file WO 212/85.
  31. ^ Ellis, pp. 141–2.
  32. ^ Ellis, pp. 369, 380.
  33. ^ Infantry Regiments RA at RA 39–45
  34. ^ a b Frederick, p. 882.
  35. ^ a b Joslen, p. 399.
  36. ^ a b 634 Infantry Rgt at RA 39–45
  37. ^ a b c Frederick, p. 1023.
  38. ^ a b c 564–591 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
  39. ^ 67–106 AA Bdes at British Army 1945 on.
  40. ^ Litchfield, Appendix 5.
  41. ^ Watson, TA 1947.
  42. ^ a b 9th Middlesex at Regiments.org
  43. ^ 3rd City of London Regiment (The Royal Fusiliers) at Regiments.org
  44. ^ Grove-White at British Military History.[permanent dead link‍]

References

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  • Maj L. F. Ellis, "History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West", Vol II: "The Defeat of Germany", London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, ISBN 1-84574-059-9.
  • Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
  • Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
  • Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.
  • Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3.
  • Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018, Tiger Lily Books, 2018, ISBN 978-171790180-4.
  • Who Was Who 1941–50.

External sources

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