37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
| 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA | |
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Tunisia |
The 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of the
Origin
The unit was raised in late August 1939, as part of the rapid expansion of the
World War II
Mobilisation
37 LAA Regiment was still in course of formation when World War II broke out in September 1939.[1][5][6] It comprised 123 LAA Battery, forming at the Royal Artillery Drill Hall at Seaham Harbour, and 127 LAA Battery forming at the Yorkshire Hussars Drill Hall in Middlesbrough. Lieutenant-Colonel W. Brooks was appointed Commanding Officer on 21 September, and established Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at Middlesbrough. 123 Battery had some clothing and equipment from the County Durham TA, but 127 'had neither clothing or equipment of any description'.[7]
The regiment came under the command of 30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade in 7th AA Division.[8][9] On 27 October it began to take over LAA defence at various RAF stations and other vital points (VPs) in NE England:[1][6][7]
123 LAA Battery, County Durham
- 345 Troop at Birtley
- 346 Troop at Birtley
- 347 Troop at Ouston
- 348 Troop at RAF Thornaby
- 349 Troop at Darlington Junction
127 LAA Battery, North Riding of Yorkshire
- 361 Troop at RAF Catterick
- 362 Troop at RAF Dishforth
- 363 Troop at RAF Leeming
- 364 Troop at RAF Topcliffe
Each troop consisted of five
In July 1940 52 (Independent) LAA Bty was attached to the regiment with new recruits. This had been formed at Thorncliffe on 15 December 1938.[1][7][10] There were occasional engagements with hostile aircraft during the Battle of Britain in August 1940. At the end of August all three batteries were finally at full establishment, and were reorganised the following month:[7]
- 52 LAA Bty: 348, 351, 464 Tps
- 123 LAA Bty: 345, 346, 347, 349, 461 Tps
- 127 LAA Bty: 361, 362, 363, 364 Tps
The Blitz
From September there were frequent air raid warnings and some action over Wallsend and Seaham.[7]
During this period Bombardier James Newby of the regiment carried out a notable act:
- "On 11th November 1940, two officers of Fixed Defences, Tyne Area, were killed by the explosion of an anti-tank mine in a minefield. Bombardier Newby, who was nearby, believing one of the officers to be only wounded, cut the wire round the minefield and at a great personal risk, not knowing the location of the mines, entered the minefield for a distance of about 25 yards and got the body of one of the officers out. It was afterwards found that Bombardier Newby actually passed within six inches of other mines".[11]
Newby was awarded the George Medal, gazetted on 11 March 1941.[12]
In February 1941, 52 (Ind) LAA Bty left the regiment, going to Iceland in March to reinforce the AA cover for 'Alabaster Force', which had occupied the island the previous year. While there it joined the newly-formed 12th HAA Rgt. It was replaced in 37th (TEE) LAA Rgt on 10 March 1941 by 222 LAA Bty, which had formed on 12 December 1940 at 213th LAA Training Rgt at Carlisle from a cadre supplied by 28th LAA Rgt.[1][7][13][14][15]
The regiment still formed part of 30 AA Bde in 7th AA Division, but at the end of May 1941 it handed over its VPs and moved to Blandford Camp for mobile training, and during July it mobilised at Barnsley for overseas service.[7][16][17]
Middle East
RHQ embarked with 123 and 127 Btys, and the regimental sections of the
After training in Iraq, the regiment moved in February 1942 to
North Africa
In September, the regiment was warned that it was to be sent to Cyprus, but this move was cancelled. Batteries continued to be swapped between regiments, but in mid-October the regiment received orders to reform and move into the desert to join Eighth Army with 123, 127, and 222 Btys back under command.[20] The regiment was in 18 AA Bde held in reserve until after Eighth Army's anticipated breakthrough and advance into Libya.[22]
The Second Battle of El Alamein opened on 23 October, and 37 LAA Regiment followed the subsequent advance. By the end of the year it was defending the area around Benghazi under 2 AA Bde, with 213 HAA Bty attached. 37th LAA's RASC section was redesignated 1548 LAA Regiment Platoon, RASC, on 19 February 1943.[5][20][21][23]
In late February 1943 the regiment moved up to
The last Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered on 13 May 1943. 291 HAA Battery ceased to be under 37th LAA Regiment's command on 26 May, and on 30 May the regiment began to move from Hani back to Tripoli and then to Egypt (Qassassin in the Nile Delta). Here it re-equipped and trained, before moving to
Disbandment
By January 1944 the regiment was deployed defending Haifa under 1 AA Bde,[26] but the Middle East was now a backwater, and manpower was required in other theatres. In August the regiment moved back to Egypt, where on 19 August it received orders from Twelfth Army to begin disbanding. This process took until 22 September, when 37th LAA Regiment was formally placed in a state of suspended animation.[1][27]
Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, a number of the reformed units could trace their origin to the Tyne Electrical Engineers, including 537 Searchlight Regiment (Tyne Electrical Engineers), RA, representing both 37th S/L Regiment and 37th LAA Regiment.[1][4][28][29][30]
Commanding officers
- Lieutenant-Colonel W. Brooks, OBE, TD, 21 September 1939 – 25 June 1942
- Lieutenant-Colonel J.T. Kidd, 25 June 1942 – 7 August 1944
- Major C.S. Drabble, 7 August 1944–disbandment
Prominent members
- Lieutenant Sir Ulick Temple Blake, 16th Baronet of Menlough[7]
- Captain Hon J.R.H.T Cumming-Bruce, younger son of 6th Baron Thurlow[7][31]
- Captain Viscount Castlereagh (later 8th Marquess of Londonderry)[7]
- Bombardier George Newby, GM (see above)
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Frederick, pp. 801, 803, 814–5, 825.
- ^ Tyne Electrical Engineers at Regiments.org
- ^ 37 S/L Rgt at Regiments.org
- ^ a b Litchfield, pp. 193–4.
- ^ a b c "37 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45". Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ a b AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 37 LAA Rgt War Diary, September 1939–July 1941, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/2709.
- ^ Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
- ^ "7 AA Division 1940 at British Military History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ Frederick, p. 800.
- ^ TNA file WO 373/66 Pt 1.
- ^ London Gazette, 11 March 1941.
- ^ Frederick, p. 767.
- ^ Order of Battle of Iceland and Faroe Islands, 3 March 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/347.
- ^ Routledge, p. 211.
- ^ Routledge, Table LXV, p. 397.
- ^ Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/79.
- ^ 37 LAA Rgt War Diary 1941, TNA file WO 169/1638.
- ^ Routledge, p. 199.
- ^ a b c 37 LAA Rgt War Diary 1942, TNA file WO 169/4887.
- ^ a b Joslen, p. 485–7.
- ^ Routledge, Table XXIII, p. 161.
- ^ Routledge, Table XXIV, p. 162.
- ^ a b 37 LAA Rgt War Diary 1943, TNA file WO 169/9982.
- ^ Routledge, Table XXV, p. 164.
- ^ Routledge, Table XXVI, p. 165.
- ^ 37 LAA Rgt War Diary 1944, TNA file WO 169/16076.
- ^ Frederick, p. 1021.
- ^ Watson.
- ^ 520–563 RA Rgts at British Army 1945 on.
- ^ Burke
References
- Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 68th Edn, 1906.
- 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