5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment

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Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion
5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment
Active27 February 1914 – 1 May 1961
Country 
Second World War
Battle of France
Tunisia Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Italian Campaign
Commanders
Honorary Colonels
KCB DSO
Notable
commanders		William Edward Green

The Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion was a

Italy from 1943–45 before ending the war in May 1945 in Austria. It continued to serve after the Second World War until May 1961 when it was amalgamated with the 4th Battalion
, Northamptonshire Regiment, to form the 4th/5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.

History

Antecedents

From being close allies in the

Volunteer Force.[1] The first volunteer unit in Huntingdonshire was raised in Huntingdon in 1860 as the 1st Huntingdonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps. By June 1880, it had been reduced to J Company, 1st Cambridgeshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, at St Neots. J Company was disbanded in 1889.[2]

On 4 December 1900, the 4th Volunteer Battalion,

Bedfordshire Regiment, was raised with headquarters at Huntingdon and eight companies at Huntingdon, St Ives, Fletton, and St Neots. In April 1901, it was redesignated as the 4th (Huntingdonshire) Volunteer Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. It was later reduced to six companies.[2]

The Volunteer Force was reorganised and combined with the

Yaxley) and H Company at Huntingdon (with detachments at St Ives and Ramsey).[5]

Formation

A bicycle company at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, c. 1910

With the formation of the Territorial Force, Huntingdonshire was one of the few counties that did not have its own battalion. After protracted negotiations with the

First World War. Once established, men of the two Huntingdonshire companies of the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, were allowed to transfer and almost all did so.[6] Its headquarters were at St Mary's Street drill hall, Huntingdon, and it had the following companies:[2]

The battalion was in Eastern Command, unattached to any higher formation.[7] It was to be used as mobile infantry, and for work on signals, scouting and similar activities.[8]

First World War

In accordance with the

7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, 3rd Line units were formed to act as reserves, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Lines.[9]

1/1st Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion

The battalion was mobilised on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the

First World War and moved to its war station at Grimsby. It remained in England throughout the war. In 1916 it was at Scarborough and in June 1918 it was at Whitby where it remained until the end of the war.[10] The battalion was disembodied on 14 April 1919.[2][11]

In late July 1916, the battalion provided a draft of over six hundred men for the 1/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, on the Western Front.[8]

2/1st Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion

The 2nd Line battalion was formed in October 1914. It spent most of the war in Lincolnshire on coastal defence duties. In 1916 it was at Sutton-le-Marsh near Mablethorpe, in March 1917 at Alford and in July at Chapel St Leonards. In May 1918 it was at Skegness where it remained until the end of the war.[10] The battalion was disbanded on 12 December 1919.[11]

3/1st Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion

The 3rd Line battalion was formed in 1915 to provide trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line battalions.[8] It was disbanded in March 1916 and the men were posted to 1/1st and 2/1st Battalions and to the Machine Gun Corps.[10]

Between the wars

The Territorial Force was disbanded after the First World War, although this was a formality and it was reformed in 1920. On 1 October 1921 it was renamed as the Territorial Army.[12]

One major change with the new Territorial Army had an effect on the number of infantry battalions. The original 14 divisions were reformed with the pre-war standard of three brigades of four battalions each, for a total of 168 battalions. Infantry were no longer to be included as Army Troops or part of the Coastal Defence Forces so the pre-war total of 208 battalions had to be reduced by 40. This was achieved by either converting certain battalions to other roles, usually artillery or engineers, or by amalgamating pairs of battalions within a regiment.[12] In particular, based on war time experience, the Army decided to dispense with cyclists units and the existing battalions were either disbanded or converted to artillery or signals units.[13] However, the Huntingdonshire Battalion was converted to infantry and on 7 February 1920 was reconstituted as 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment,[d] with headquarters at Peterborough.[2] It joined the 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, in the 162nd (East Midland) Infantry Brigade, which also included the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment. The 162nd Brigade was part of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division.[15]

The increasing need to defend against attack from the air led to a number of Territorial Army units being converted to the

48th (South Midland) Infantry Division, after the second of four battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment had been converted to the anti-aircraft role.[17][e]

By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out and, as a direct result of the

German invasion of Czechoslovakia on 15 March,[16] the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate.[18] Consequently, the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion formed the 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.[19][f]

Second World War

5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment

The 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion mobilised on 1 September 1939

11th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, swapping places with the 1st Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.[21] The battalion remained with 11th Infantry Brigade for the rest of the war, serving alongside the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, and the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, both Regular formations.[22]

When the

Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal (26 – 28 May)[22] but the rapid German breakthrough into France forced the BEF into a withdrawal to Dunkirk. It was evacuated to England on 1 June 1940.[23] It spent the next two years in the United Kingdom on anti-invasion duties preparing for a possible German invasion of the United Kingdom.[22][24]

Men of the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, during an exercise near Christchurch, Dorset, 12 March 1941

In June 1942, 4th Infantry Division was reorganised as a Mixed Division

21st Tank Brigade was assigned.[23] On 5 June 1942, 11th Infantry Brigade left the division and came under command of First Army, before joining the 78th "Battleaxe" Infantry Division on 22 June.[27] The 11th Brigade remained with the Battleaxe Division for the rest of the war.[24]

The battalion left the United Kingdom on 16 October 1942 and deployed to

final battle for Tunis (5 – 12 May).[22][27]

It next saw action as part of the

Italian Front.[22][28]

The battalion landed at Taranto and, with the division, advanced up the Adriatic coast under the command of V Corps. It took part in the crossing of The Sangro (19 November – 3 December 1943) under the command of V Corps. The division transferred to XIII Corps and took part in the First Battle of Monte Cassino (20 January – 20 March 1944), the Second Battle of Monte Cassino (11 – 18 May 1944), the advance up the Liri Valley (18 – 30 May) and the Battle for the Trasimene Line (20 – 30 June).[22][29][30][h]

Men of the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, on the march near Coldragone, Italy, 25 May 1944

The battalion was transferred to Egypt on 17 July for rest and refitting, arriving back in Italy on 16 September. Again in V Corps, it took part in the final offensive in Italy (codenamed Operation Grapeshot) with the crossing of The Senio (9 – 12 April 1945) followed immediately by the Battle of the Argenta Gap (13 – 21 April).[22][29][30]

The battalion entered Austria on 8 May 1945, following the surrender of German forces in Italy.[22] It remained in Austria on occupation duties[30] until it was placed in suspended animation[i] on 15 September 1946.[11]

4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment

The original 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment had originated as the

50th (The Northamptonshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers.[19]

Formed on 1 June 1939 at Wellingborough,[11] the new 4th Battalion was assigned on 6 November 1939 to the 183rd Infantry Brigade, serving alongside the 7th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment and the 10th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment. The 183rd Brigade was part of the 61st Infantry Division (duplicate formation of the 48th (South Midland) Division).[j] It remained with the brigade in the United Kingdom for most of the war, including a considerable stint in Northern Ireland from June 1940 to February 1943.[38][39]

On 28 August 1944, it transferred to

North West Europe where it remained until the end of the war[20] serving variously under the direct command of VIII, XII and I Corps.[40]

The 4th Battalion was placed in suspended animation[i] in Germany on 4 February 1946. On 1 January 1947 it was amalgamated with the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion.[11]

Post war

The Territorial Army was disbanded at the end of the Second World War but, again, this was a formality. TA units were reactivated on 1 January 1947, though no personnel were assigned until commanding officers and permanent staff had been appointed in March and April 1947.[41] The battalion was formally reconstituted on 1 January 1947 at Peterborough, absorbing its wartime duplicate 4th Battalion at the same time.[2]

The battalion was assigned to the 162nd Independent Infantry Brigade along with the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment.[42]

On 1 May 1961, the battalion amalgamated with R (The Northamptonshire Regiment) Battery, 438th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (the original 4th Battalion)[43] to form 4th/5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.[44]

See also

  • Army Cyclist Corps
  • Mayor of Peterborough
    who served with the Cyclist Battalion during the First World War

Notes

  1. Bedfordshire Regiment were amalgamated to form the Hertfordshire Regiment.[3][4]
  2. ^ The first commanding officer – Colonel E. Roland Herbert – was promoted and transferred from second in command of the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment on 27 February 1914.[6]
  3. ^ a b Peterborough was not in Huntingdonshire but in the Soke of Peterborough.
  4. First World War. It was formed on 15 August 1914 at Northampton as part of First New Army – K1 – initially as an Army Troops battalion attached to the 12th (Eastern) Division. In January 1915, it became the Pioneer Battalion of the division and on 30 May crossed over to France. It remained the Pioneer Battalion of the 12th (Eastern) Division on the Western Front for the rest of the war.[14] It was disbanded on 26 June 1919 at Aintree.[11]
  5. 69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery, in 1938. The 7th and 8th Battalions, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, remained with 143rd Brigade.[17]
  6. ^ The 4th Battalion was not given the "Huntingdonshire" subtitle.[20]
  7. ^ A Mixed Division had one tank brigade with infantry tanks and two non-motorised infantry brigades,[25] which was intended to improve tank/infantry cooperation. The experiment considered to be a failure and Mixed Divisions reverted to divisions of three infantry brigades in 1943.[26]
  8. Advance to Florence (17 July – 10 August 1944) while also stating that the brigade and division were en route to (17 – 23 July) or in Egypt (23 July – 9 September) in the same period.[22][29]
  9. ^ a b "Suspended animation" means that the unit continues to exist but without any personnel or equipment assigned.[31]
  10. 145th Infantry Brigade[36]
  11. 4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
  12. 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, OBLI
  13. 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment
  • 5th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
  • 2nd Buckinghamshire Battalion, OBLI
  • 6th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment

    • References

    1. ^ Westlake 1986, p. 11
    2. ^ a b c d e f g "The Huntingdonshire Battalion 1860-1961 at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 2005-12-26.
    3. ^ "The Hertfordshire Regiment T.A. 1859-present at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 10 January 2006. Retrieved 2006-01-10.
    4. ^ "2nd Hertfordshire Rifle Volunteers 1860-1908 at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 27 December 2005. Retrieved 2005-12-27.
    5. ^ "Bedfordshire Rifle Volunteers 1860-present at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 27 December 2005. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
    6. ^ a b c Smith, Martyn (31 May 2015). "The Formation of the Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalions". The Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalions. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    7. ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914". Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    8. ^ a b c Baker, Chris. "The Cyclist Battalions TF". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
    9. ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 35
    10. ^ a b c James 1978, p. 118
    11. ^ a b c d e f g Frederick 1984, p. 228
    12. ^ a b Westlake 1986, p. 47
    13. ^ "Army Cyclist Corps at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
    14. ^ James 1978, p. 89
    15. ^ Palmer, Rob (11 December 2009). "54th (East Anglia) Infantry Division (1930-38)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    16. ^ a b Westlake 1986, p. 49
    17. ^ a b Palmer, Rob (14 January 2010). "48th (South Midland) Infantry Division (1930-38)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    18. ^ "History of the Army Reserve". MOD. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
    19. ^ a b Westlake 1986, p. 171
    20. ^ a b Bellis 1994, p. 97
    21. ^ Palmer, Rob (22 January 2012). "48th (South Midland) Infantry Division (1939)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joslen 1990, p. 249
    23. ^ a b Palmer, Rob (25 June 2014). "4th Infantry Division (1940)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
    24. ^ a b Joslen 1990, p. 49
    25. ^ Joslen 1990, pp. 133–134
    26. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 127
    27. ^ a b c Palmer, Rob (23 November 2009). "78th Infantry Division (1942-43)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    28. ^ Palmer, Rob (9 November 2011). "78th Infantry Division (1943)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    29. ^ a b c d Joslen 1990, p. 102
    30. ^ a b c Palmer, Rob (19 July 2010). "78th Infantry Division (1943-45)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    31. ^ Bellis 1994, p. 8
    32. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 328
    33. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 357
    34. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 329
    35. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 358
    36. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 330
    37. ^ Joslen 1990, p. 359
    38. ^ Palmer, Rob (22 January 2012). "61st Infantry Division (1939)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    39. ^ Palmer, Rob (24 January 2014). "61st Infantry Division (1944-45)" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    40. ^ a b Joslen 1990, p. 307
    41. ^ Beckett 2008, p. 169
    42. ^ "United Kingdom: The Territorial Army 1947 by Graham Watson (March 10, 2002)". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
    43. ^ "Northamptonshire Volunteers 1859-1961 at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
    44. ^ "4th/5th Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment 1961-present at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2005-12-26.

    Bibliography

    External links
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