Somme

The first offensive operation of the 1/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment was on 1 July 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. Together with 1/7th, the battalion held a two-mile stretch of trench adjoining the attack of 31st Division towards Serre. They were not to attack, but made simulated preparations for doing so. The enemy wire was cut, and they released smoke just before zero hour, but no assembly trenches had been dug nor was the British wire cut, and the German defenders were not fooled. 31st Division was dreadfully cut up, as was the rest of 143 Brigade, which had attacked with 4th Division.^[30]

During the Battle of Bazentin Ridge, the battalion captured Ovillers-la-Boisselle on the night of 15/16 July. The prospects for the attack were unpromising: the troops were exhausted before the attack and were suffering from the effects of lachrymatory gas shells; the men were too closely bunched and the waves too close together; and there was no artillery support. Nevertheless, in the dark, a party of the 1/5th Battalion led by Charles Carrington hit on a weak spot in the German defences with no machine gun cover, and captured a trench well behind the German main position without losing a man. Carrington persuaded his superiors not to withdraw his men, and the following morning the cut-off main German position surrendered.^[31]

The 1/5th Battalion was involved in the following further operations during the Battle of the Somme:^[20][26]

• Battle of Pozières Ridge, 23–27 July and 13–28 August 1916
• Battle of the Ancre Heights, 3–11 November 1916
• Battle of the Ancre, 13–18 November 1916

Lt-Col Sladen was promoted to command 143rd Bde, and Lt-Col C. Retallack was appointed to succeed him as CO on 4 September. By December the battalion occupied trenches at Le Sars. Casualties during the Somme campaign had been heavy. Company Serjeant-Major F. Townley was awarded the Military Cross (MC) after he had twice taken command of A Company when all the officers became casualties.^[29][32]

The 1/5th Battalion was involved in the following operations during the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line in March and April 1917:^[20][26]

• Occupation of Peronne, 18 March 1916
• The battalion advanced on Épehy in April^[29]

Ypres

In July the battalion entrained at Authie for Proven in Belgium. After a short period of training it took part in the Third Battle of Ypres^[29]

• Battle of Langemarck, 16–18 August 1917: Serious losses were suffered in an impossible situation near St Julien; Lt-Col Retallack was severely wounded, leaving Capt W.H. Bloomer in temporary command^[29]
• Battle of Polygon Wood, 28 September–3 October 1917
• Battle of Broodseinde, 4 October 1917: Lt-Col W.C.C. Gell, who had assumed command in September, led another attack at St Julien, which was an outstanding success^[29]
• Battle of Poelcappelle, 9 October 1917

The battalion was moved to Vimy and returned to trench duty and rest periods.^[29]

Italy

On 10 November 1917, the 48th Division received orders to move to Italy. The battalion entrained at Ligny-Saint-Flochel;^[21][29] HQ and C Companies travelled via the Mont Cenis Tunnel, A, B and D Companies by the Riviera route. They detrained at Bovolone near Verona on 27 November.^[33] By 1 December the division had concentrated around Legnago on the Adige. On 1 March 1918, the division relieved 7th Division in the front line of the Montello sector on the Piave Front, and held the line until 16 March. On 1 April, it moved westward into reserve for the middle sector of the Asiago Plateau Front.^[20][26]

When the Austrians attacked the Asiago Plateau during the Battle of the Piave River on 15 June, 1/5th Bn was occupying the Cesuna re-entrant. The understrength D Company occupied the right front, with partly obscured fields of fire, while B Company on the left had good fields of fire. A and C Companies were in support between the Cesuna switch trench and Battalion HQ at Perghele Farm., a high promontory with steep clear slopes to the front and sides. D Company was quickly overrun and its commander captured. The neighbouring battalions were also driven back, opening a potentially dangerous breach in the line. When Battalion HQ went forward to investigate, the acting CO, second-in-command, adjutant and intelligence officer all became casualties, leaving Regimental Serjeant-Major Townley to take charge once more. He organised a defensive post of battalion cooks and orderlies at Perghele Farm, even though the farmhouse had been captured, and held out for 4 1⁄2 hours until relieved by a company of 1/6th Warwicks, while 1/7th Warwicks restored the line. The following day 143rd Bde went over to the counter-attack and regained all the lost ground. 1/6th Battalion was relieved on 17 June and went into reserve at Busibello where Lt-Col Gell returned to take command. The 1/5th Battalion took part in other engagements during August and September in the Mount Kaberlaba sector, returning to Granezza between each tour of duty.^[34]

At the end of October, the Austrians began to withdraw (the Battle of Vittorio Veneto) and 143rd Bde followed up along the Valle d'Assa, covering up to 14 miles (23 km) per day. Led by 1/5th Bn, it reached Osteria del Termine on 2 November, being the first British formation to enter enemy territory on the European fronts. The following day the 48th Division surrounded and captured a large force of Austrian troops including the corps commander and three divisional commanders. By 15.00 on 4 November, when the Armistice with Austria came into force, the division had pushed forward into the Trentino with 1/5th Bn at Faida. After the conclusion of hostilities the division was withdrawn to Italy for the winter.^[34]

Demobilisation for 1/5th Bn began on 23 December and parties left at intervals. On 3 April 1919, the residual cadre of battalion under Maj Bloomer marched through Birmingham from New Street Station to Thorp Street by torchlight.^[20][34][35] The battalion was formally disembodied on 2 May 1919.^[3]

Home Defence

On the outbreak of World War II, 45th AA Bn was assigned to a new 54th AA Brigade being formed at Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham, as part of 4th AA Division.^[52][53][54] The battalion established its HQ at Kingstanding Drill Hall, and the S/L sites were manned by 380 and 381 AA Companies, with HQs at Halesowen and Maxstoke Castle respectively. Meanwhile, 378 and 379 AA Companies manned Lewis guns in the Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) role to defend various vital points (VPs), including Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory, RAF Cosford, RAF Shawbury and RAF Ternhill.^[50]

By mid-December, the commitments at the VPs had been handed over to specialist LAA units, and the battalion was wholly engaged in S/L duties, with company HQs distributed as follows:^[50]

• 378 at Maxstoke Castle, later at Sheldon and then Shenstone during 1940–41
• 379 at Halesowen
• 380 at Shirley, with a temporary operational HQ at Hewell Grange in November–December 1940
• 381 at Pendeford Hill, later at Shenstone, Wightwick Hall, Weston Park and finally Arbury Park

In August 1940, the remaining AA units of the RE were transferred to the RA, the unit being redesignated 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, RA, and the AA companies becoming S/L batteries.^{[3][42][44][50][55][56][57]}

In a reorganisation of AA Command in November 1940, 54 AA Bde assumed responsibility for searchlight provision for the Gun Defence Areas (GDAs) of the West Midlands under a new 11th AA Division.^{[53][58][59][60][61]}

After the initial deployment, the periods of greatest activity for 45th S/L Rgt were in August 1940, when it suffered five casualties in the first raids of the Birmingham Blitz, in November when there were heavy raids on Birmingham and Coventry, and again in March and April 1941.^[50]

The regiment supplied a cadre of experienced officers and men to 237th S/L Training Rgt at Holywood, County Down, where it provided the basis for a new 552 S/L Bty formed on 16 January 1941. This battery later joined a newly-forming 91st S/L Rgt.^[62]

The S/L layouts had been based on a spacing of 3500 yards, but due to equipment shortages this had been extended to 6000 yards by September 1940. In November this was changed to clusters of three lights to improve illumination, but this meant that the clusters had to be spaced 10,400 yards apart. Each S/L Troop manned two clusters. 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 Night fighters. Eventually, one light in each cluster was to be equipped with SLC radar and act as 'master light', but the radar equipment was still in short supply.^[50][63]

In May 1941, site BGo 31 at Shirley was credited with bringing down a Heinkel He 111 bomber. The Troop officer, Lt P.A.G. Osler, described how the Heinkel flew over the site four times, being illuminated by the lights and engaged with small arms fire (each S/L site was equipped with Lewis guns). After the fourth run the aircraft veered away and crashed into trees, where its bombload exploded.^[50] In June 1941, two S/L sites received direct hits and three men were wounded, but there was little activity of the rest of the year.^[64]

On 1 September 1941, Brevet Colonel A.W. Ward-Walker, TD, who had been Commanding Officer since 16 February 1934, relinquished command and was succeeded by Lt-Col C.D. Oliver, promoted from 44th (Leicestershire Regiment) S/L Rgt.^[8][64][65]

In 1941, the searchlight layout over the Midlands was reorganised, so that any hostile raid approaching the GDAs around the towns must cross more than one searchlight belt, and then within the GDAs the concentration of lights was increased.^[66] The regiment was undergoing redeployment in December 1941 when it was announced that it was being considered for conversion to the LAA gun role. This opportunity for greater involvement was welcomed by the regiment, which handed over its S/L sites to 80th S/L Rgt in December and January 1942.^[64]

India

The regiment embarked at Gourock on the Firth of Clyde on 10 March 1943 aboard HM Transport Strathnaver. It docked at Durban on 14 April and the regiment went into camp for six weeks before re-embarking on HMT Strathmore on 14 May, to land at Bombay on 10 June. The regiment then travelled across India to Ranchi to join 7th Indian Infantry Division. On 20 August the regiment moved to Khumbargaon and joined 36th Indian Infantry Division. Early in September the regiment received its lorries and Bofors guns and began intensive training. On 30 November the regiment underwent a major change in organisation and role. Two of its LAA batteries, 400 and the newly formed 'X' Bty, joined 100 (Gordon Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA, and in exchange it received 168 and 321 A/T Btys (the latter being newly formed) equipped with 6-pounder A/T guns. The regiment was subsequently redesignated 122 LAA/AT Regiment.^{[3][5][55][67][57][68][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81]}

The division was training for Operation Porpoise, a projected amphibious assault,^[81][82] but the opening of the Japanese offensive in the Arakan in February 1944 changed everything, and elements of the division (including 168 A/T Bty serving with 130th Field Rgt) were employed in mopping up after the attack had been stopped.^{[78][83][84][85]}

The amphibious plans were cancelled and, in May 1944, 122 LAA/AT Rgt moved by rail and riverboat to Shillong, where it was rejoined by 168 A/T Bty and where 36th Indian Division reorganised as a standard infantry division.^[86][87] Early in July 1944, infantry units of the division started to fly from Ledo into Myitkyina airfield in North Burma to reinforce the US-led Northern Combat Area Command. They saw much bitter fighting in the following campaign, but left the divisional artillery behind. However, 321 A/T Bty did move up to Ledo under the command of 178th Field Rgt, ready to move into the forward area; it returned to the regiment at Shillong in September. The division was recategorised as British on 1 September 1944, becoming 36th British Infantry Division.^[81][83][88]

Burma

Meanwhile, 122 LAA/AT Rgt was redesignated 122 (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) A/T Rgt on 14 September, and lost its LAA guns, reorganising into three batteries, each composed of twelve 6-pounder A/T guns and twelve 3-inch mortars, still commanded by Lt-Col Oliver.^{[3][5][67][55][89][81][88][78][83][90]} Once it rejoined, it served as the divisional anti-tank regiment in 36th Division until the end of the war.^[81][88]

On 29 October 1944, 168 Bty moved to Moran and three days later was flown to the forward area. Under the command of 26 Indian Bde it remained in contact with the enemy until the closing weeks of the campaign. It distinguished itself on 1–2 February 1945 supporting 2nd Bn The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) at Myitson where an attempt to infiltrate over the Shweli River had miscarried, but suffered its heaviest casualties on 3 February.^[91][92]

The main body of the regiment (RHQ, F Troop of 321 Bty and 402 Bty) remained at Shillong until 12 November, when it was moved by road to the Ledo area and began intensive training. On 22 December, it left Ledo in convoy and moved up to join he forward troops of 36th Division. It crossed the Irrawaddy River between 13 and 16 January 1945.^[91]

During early February 1945, a further reorganisation took place: 168 and 402 Btys were now wholly equipped with 3-inch mortars, leaving only F Trp, 321 Bty, with 6-pounders. The regiment was now also engaged in the attempts to cross the Shweli, where the Japanese were well dug-in. It crossed between 25 February and 2 March, having fired 9500 mortar rounds and 120 6-pounder rounds in a month of supporting the infantry units held up on the far bank, sometimes dropping mortar bombs accurately only a few yards in front of them.^[91]

During the advance, 26th Indian Bde converged with the rest of 36th Indian Division on the Shweli River, until 168 Bty was back in touch with the regiment. It was relieved by 402 Bty on 12 March. During March and April, F Trp operated firstly with 72 Bde and later with 29 Bde at Thazi Township, frequently firing its A/T guns over the river into Japanese bunkers.^[91][93]

It was not possible to maintain all the divisions in Burma, and many troops from 36th Division were due for repatriation to the UK under the 'Python' scheme, having served in the Far East for longer than 3 years and 8 months. The division was therefore sent back to India. 122nd A/T Regiment was flown from Meiktila to Imphal and Chittagong, then began the long journey by road and rail to Poona on 6 May.^[78][91][94]

Once at Poona, the regiment rested and reorganised, while 36th Division where it went into training for Operation Zipper, the proposed amphibious invasion of Malaya. However, the war had ended with the Surrender of Japan on 15 August, Lieutenant-Colonel Oliver relinquished the command on 26 June, being replaced on 20 August by Lt-Col J.W. Calver from 21st West African A/T Rgt. The regiment was transferred from 36th Division to XV Corps at Coimbatore and re-equipped with 4.2-inch mortars in place of the 3-inch. Demobilisation began in October 1954 and the regiment was placed in suspended animation on 15 September 1946.^{[3][74][81][78][95]}