World War Two - Part 1
Both the King's Dragoon Guards and The Queens Bays lost their ranking as cavalry of the line in 1939, and became the two senior regiments of the newly formed Royal Armoured Corps. The other two regiments which normally took precedence over the KDG and the Bays were the Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards, but at this time the two latter were still horsed cavalry. The King's Dragoon Guards, when first embodied, had been ranked as the second regiment of horse in the English service, and in numbers, rates of pay at that time, and all other particulars, it was placed upon an equality with the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards. Both the KDG and the Bays during 1939 in England played hard at sport, but also prepared hard for the war that seemed to many to be inevitable.
France Somme Beda Fomm
The King's Dragoon Guards and the Queen's Bays found themselves at the receiving end of hundreds of cavalry reservists as the orders for general mobilisation, issued on 1 September 1939, brought men from many cavalry regiments back to Aldershot and Tidworth. At the same time the two regiments provided soldiers for various headquarters and training regiments. With the outbreak of war on 3rd September, both regiments spent the first months settling down, sorting out, and engaging in individual training of the reservists and recruits.
On 11 September the KDG moved to billets in the Wimborne area of Dorset. Lieutenant Colonel Tiarks left to become second in command of 7 Armoured Brigade in Egypt, his place being taken by Lieutenant Colonel Paton. At the beginning of November the regiment moved to the vicinity of York, and was billeted around Stamford Bridge, as part of 1st Light Armoured Brigade of 2nd Armoured Division. At the end of October a parachute scare had brought orders to the Bays to move to the East Coast. On 2 November Lieutenant Colonel Beddington was posted to a staff appointment and Lieutenant Colonel George Fanshawe took over command. The regiment moved on 3 October to three villages near Cambridge as a part of 2nd Light Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division. Both regiments trained during a very cold and hard winter, the Bays having received the new Mark VIC light tank, which arrived without its armament of a 7.92 mm and a 15 mm Besa, so that a sheet of 3-ply wood covered the mounting where the guns should have been. In December the K.D.G. heard that Major Crossley had been awarded the OBE for his services in Palestine when on secondment to the Transjordan Frontier Force. But these winter months of 1939-40 were the period of the 'Phoney War', when the sense of urgency that was to come later was sadly lacking.
It had been decided to equip the 2nd Armoured Brigade, to which the Bays belonged, with cruiser tanks, as and when they became available, and to abolish the Mark VI light tanks. The first A.9 cruiser tanks arrived in April, armed with a 2-pounder gun and a .303 co-axially mounted Vickers machine gun. In the meantime the KDG had been ordered to hand over to the 3rd Hussars the best of their Mark VI light tanks, as the 3rd were under orders to go to Norway. Lieutenant Lord Clifton, KDG, became the first officer chosen to be attached for battle experience to a cavalry regiment serving in France; unhappily, he was captured during the retreat to Dunkirk, when commanding a troop of the 15/19th Hussars. On 3 May 1940 The Queen's Bays received orders to proceed overseas. Two different types of cruiser tank started to arrive, the A.10 and the A.13, but neither in sufficient numbers to make up the regiment's strength, and they came without any tools or spare parts. Nine Mark VICs still had to be taken, their Besa guns arriving as the Bays were about to sail - still nailed down in their packing cases, and the first sighting the gunners had so far had of them. Before sailing on 14 May the Bays were inspected, first by King George VI, and then immediately afterwards by their Colonel in Chief, Queen Elizabeth, a double event that must be unique in the annals of the British Army.
The Bays embarked at Southampton on 19 May 1940. By then the German offensive had changed the situation. Instead of going to a training area in France, the 1st Armoured Division was ordered to concentrate west of Brussels. Before the division could arrive, the Germans were reported at Cambrai, a few miles east of the division's disembarkation port at Le Havre. It was also found out that Le Havre had been mined, so the convoy was diverted to Cherbourg, where the Bays arrived, disembarking on 20 May. The tanks left by rail on 21 May, with the crews mounting and assembling the guns en route, arriving at the small station of Brevai forty miles south of Rouen on the 22nd. Unloading had to be carried out with ramps improvised by the ingenuity of the crews. The tanks moved with difficulty thorough the mass of refugees crowding the roads to Aigleville, eight miles north, where they were joined by the wheeled transport which had come by road.
By now the enemy had taken Amiens and Abbeville, and had leading elements across the Somme, approaching Rouen from the east. The Bays were ordered to move to the Foret de Lyons east of Rouen to destroy any enemy encountered and to deny the approaches to the Seine. Having reached their positions, the Bays, with the 4th Border Regiment carried in lorries, received urgent orders to seize crossings over the Somme, cut off the advanced German elements, and so relieve the pressure against the right of the retreating BEF. Captain Barclay was sent ahead to reconnoitre the Somme crossings, which were said to be held by the French. On arrival there were no French troops to be seen, but plenty of German motorised patrols; a patrol on foot revealed that the whole of the north bank of the river was held by Germans. Captain Keyworth, who had become separated from the regiment in the dark, joined a small group of scout cars from brigade and ran into a German road block by the Somme. Keyworth and his other leading tank charged the block, both being blown up on mines; Keyworth and his gunner got out and were taken prisoner.
On 24 May Major Asquith, commanding 'C' Squadron, was ordered to seize the bridges at Dreuil, Ailly and Picquigny, using three troops, with the 4th Borders and 'B' Squadron in support. On the right Lieutenant Viscount Erleigh of 2 Troop, with only two Mark VIC tanks, advanced on Dreuil, and when a mile from the objective, his leading tank was fired at by an anti-tank gun. Returning the fire, the tank spun round and withdrew. A machine gun then opened up on Erleigh's tank from a water tower. It was silenced for a time with fire from the Besa, but it soon reopened on the Border infantry, who suffered casualties. Small arms fire then started from various directions, with a fire fight ensuing, but no progress could be made against the dug in Germans. Erleigh's two tanks then attempted an outflanking movement. Sergeant Bunn on the left met no opposition; the Border infantry in the centre were involved in a melee with bayonets, rifles and machine guns; Erleigh on the right was blocked by a wood. The two tanks withdrew when they heard that a cruiser troop was coming up, but it failed to arrive at 1 p.m. 2 Troop, out of ammunition and petrol, was ordered back into reserve. For this action Viscount Erleigh was awarded the Military Cross.
In the Centre, 3 Troop with TSM Ayling found the bridge at Ailly destroyed, but two platoons of the Borders managed to cross and , covered buy fire from the tanks, engage the enemy. Eventually they had to withdraw under increasing pressure, but gave the tanks more targets as they came back. Ayling was awarded the Military Cross.
On the left, Lieutenant Gavin's 4 Troop made for the bridge at Picquigny, meeting a French officer who told them that the Germans were in great strength. The Border Company who had taken another route ran into an ambush in a wood, taking many casualties and having their lorries set on fire. Gavin went to their aid, engaging parties of enemy infantry, driving them out of the wood and coming under heavy anti-tank and machine gun fire for Picquigny. He took up a position to cover the Border survivors, as about fifteen wounded straggled back during the day, to be evacuated in French ambulances. At 8 p.m. Gavin withdrew, taking thirty more Border survivors back on his tanks, with nine others making their way on foot.
Major Asquith with squadron headquarters had followed Erleigh's and Gavin's troops, engaging some German infantry near Picquigny. Lieutenant Nicholson's Cruiser Troop form 'B' Squadron, with only two runners, was under command, and Asquith sent him to Erleigh's support. When Nicholson arrived, one tank having broken down en route, Erleigh had withdrawn, so Nicholson also retired, hitting a mine and coming under anti-tank fire, but without sustaining any serious damage.
'A' Squadron, under Captain Horton, now down to four light tanks, was ordered to the assistance of the Border Regiment at Dreuil, which they reached at 3 p.m. and engaged the Germans. The tanks fired broadside and made two runs as they traversed the position; on the third run Horton's tank was knocked out by an anti-tank gun. The gunner, Corporal Brown, was killed and the driver, Trooper Hunt, wounded, but in spite of his wounds he brought the tank out of action. Another tank was disabled, and the reminder retired. Hunt was awarded the Military Medal for his gallantry.
By early afternoon 'B' Squadron was the only one still capable of action, and was sent to the assistance of 'A' Sqn. As Lieutenant Webb's troop advanced it managed to shoot down a low-flying enemy aircraft, but then encountered anti-tank and machine gun fire, while three German tanks closed and opened fire. TSM Snoswell's tank was hit twice and knocked out. TSM Merrin then moved his tank in front, as Webb's tank received two direct hits, killing him and his driver. Merrin managed to rescue the wounded gunner, corporal Parsons, and then retired. For his bravery Merrin was awarded the DCM. In this first action the Bays had lost one officer killed, two officers wounded and one captured, one troop sergeant major and three other ranks killed, and two wounded, with six missing.
The next day, 25 May, was spent in rest and maintenance, with the crews catching up on sleep. On the night of the 25th and through the 26th the brigade moved to an area twelve miles south of Abbeville to cooperate with the French in an attack on 27 May on the German bridgehead at Abbeville. At 6 a.m. the Bays attacked on the right, with the 10th Hussars on their left, 'C' Squadron leading with a composite squadron of 'B' and A' in support. As 'C' passed over the crest of the Bailleul ridge through a lightly held line of French riflemen, they were met by a hail of heavy machine gun and anti-tank fire from strongly held enemy positions in a wood to the north of Limeux. Four of the leading tanks were hit at once, and as the remainder started to withdraw, giving each other supporting fire, Lieutenant Aitken was killed, with TSM Ayling and Sergeants Barnard and Blythe wounded. Lord Erleigh's troop was then sent round to the right, but could not get forward due to the intensity of the enemy's fire, Erleigh's tank being knocked out. Contact had been lost with the 10th Hussars and Lieutenant Dance's troop was sent to reconnoitre the Huppy area, where the 10th were thought to be. On meeting a French officer Dance learnt that the Germans were holdign Huppy in strength, and that the 10th Hussars had had heavy casualties. By this time the enemy at Limeux were quiet, and it was decided to test the position again with a troop of the compsite squadron, 'B' and 'A'. Lieutenant Behrens with Sergeants Norton and Burnside moved throught the French infantry on the ridge. As soon as the three tanks were well clear, the Germans opened up. Norton's and Burnside's tanks were destroyed, Norton being killed and Burnside mortally wounded and his crew killed. Norton's driver managed to extricate and save his wounded gunner. Only Behrens's tank managed to return safely. That evening the Bays withdrew, leaving the 9th Lancers in support of the French infantry. That day Lieutenant Aitken, two sergeants and six troopers were killed, one warrant officer, one sergeant and five other ranks were wounded, and twelve tanks were lost.
During the next four days the remaining tanks of the brigade reorganised into a composite regiment of two squadrons of the 9th Lancers and one each of the 10th Hussars and Bays, the latter under Major Asquith. On 31 May Colonel Fanshawe was injured in a motor accident and was evacuated to England, Major Sykes taking over command. The composite regiment remained at St Leger until 5 June, when the Bays squadron was ordered to advance to the River Bresle to contact the 51st Highland Division and to counter-attack a German breakthrough near Abbeville. The Bays were bombed as they made their way forward to the infantry around Fressenville. During the afternoon the squadron succeeded in driving back three German attempts to infiltrate the Gordon Highlanders, and at dusk it was withdrawn south of Bresle. On the two following days the squadron held crossings over the Bresle without coming into contact with the enemy, But on 8th June a move sixty miles had to be made to the vicinity of Rouen to counter a German Penetration. Contact was made with a German armoured division at about 3.30 p.m. and fire was exchanged.
In the meantime Major Sykes reorganised the remainder of the regiment: 'A' Squadron became lorried infantry, armed with rifles and light machine guns under Captain Barclay; the remnant of the tanks from all three squadrons was organised into 'B' Squadron under Major Scott; and the 'B' Echelon, having given up many of its lorries to 'A' Squadron, was reorganised under Captain Blackett. The Bays were now to operate in three parts.
On the evening of 7th June, Major Sykes and the dismounted 'A' Squadron were ordered to hold the line of the Andelle to block another German breakthrough north of Poix towards Rouen. Major Scott's tanks, together with a squadron of the 10th Hussars, were to deny the crossings over the Epte, but on arrival found the enemy in possession and so took up positions forward of the Andelle. Early on the 8th Major Sykes was ordered to fall back across the Seine at Pont de l'Arche, and on the 9th he was told to deny the crossings, the bridges having been blown. He was given fifteen miles of river to cover with his dismounted squadron. The French, who were meant to be holding the line of the Seine, had nearly retreated south. That evening 'A' Squadron was withdrawn, leaving Captain Hibbert and his troop to patrol up to the Pont de l'Arche.
Major Scott's 'B' Squadron of tanks, covering the Andelle, was attacked by a German Panzer division at about 11 a.m. on 8 June and was gradually pushed back to the line of the Rouen-Beauvais road. Late that night the squadron was withdrawn, crossing the Seine by the Pont St Pierre and at Les Andely's, but having a narrow escape from being cut off at the Andelle, only avoided by the daring of TSM Merrin, who discovered - and avoided - a force of German tanks that had crossed ahead of them. Scott's squadron with the 9th Lancers and Brigade Headquarters, fifteen tanks in all, remained to support and encourage the French, and withdrew alongside as they retreated. On 14 June, with the Germans driving the French before them south of Rouen , Scott rejoined the regiment near Le Mans.
On 10 June Major Asquith's 'C' Squadron was told to hold the crossings over the Eure, south of Louviers, but on the 11th the Squadron was withdrawn and made its way to La Ferriere, reaching Le Mans on 13 June. On the 14th the Bays were reorganised back into the original four squadrons, and on the 15th news came that the French had asked for an armistice. The regiment left for Brest at once, reaching the port that evening, with the main party embarking on HMT Isle of Man. They remaind on board throughout the 16th, while the harbour was cleared of mines, and eventually reached Plymouth early on 17 June. The vehicle party was left to load the vehicles at Le Mans, and the fifteen remaining tanks were put onto railway flats, but never reached the coast. The drivers made their way in the lorries to Cherbourg, and so to England. The Bays then assembled under canvas at Longbridge Deverill in Wiltshire, moving to Warminster on 1 July 1940.
On 18 June 1940 The King's Dragoon Guards moved from Yorkshire to Haselbech near Northampton, where it was still short of nearly half its tanks. on 17 July Lieutenant Colonel McCorquodale took over command of the regiment, and on the 24th the Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, inspected to KDG. On 18 August the regiment was moved to Stetchworth, south of Newmarket, to be ready for any possible invasion, while the Battle of Britain was being fought overhead. His Majesty the King inspected the KDG on 23 August, and the Duke of Gloucester on 5 September. On 6 October the regiment was ordered back to Northampton, when it became clear, in spite of the strictest secrecy, that a move overseas was in the offing: the issue of tropical kit was otherwise hard to explain away. The KDG embarked on the old Cunard liner SS Scythia at Liverpool on 16 November, with a strength of 38 officers, and 482 other ranks. The convoy reached Durban, where the regiment was transferred to the troopship Dunera and where two days were spent as guests of the hospitable South African people. Port Tewfik was reached on 23 December and the main body disembarked at Port Said on the 30th, proceeding by train to an empty stretch of desert at El Quassassin, where they went under canvas at Tahag Camp. On 1 January 1941 the Colonel was told that the KDG was to convert to an armoured car regiment and be equipped with the South African-built Marmon Harringtons.
The Queen's Bays on their return from France spent the summer and autumn of 1940 at Warminster as part of 1st Armoured Division in the Canadian Corps, forming the GHQ central reserve for counter-attack against invasion south of the Thames. By October, when a move was made to billets near Farnham in Surrey, the regiment had been brought up to strength with a full complement of cruiser tanks. On 7 Ocotber Lieutenant Colonel Draffen assumed command from Lieutenant Colonel Fanshawe. The winter was spent in training and exercises, and on 14 February 1941 the Prime Mister, Mr Winston Churchill, accompanied by the Polish General Sikorski and General de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French, visited the regiment. On 2 June 1941 the Bays moved to Marlborough, where they stayed for the rest of their time in England. On 8 August 1st Armoured Division was told to prepare for embarkation to the Middle East, and the Bays were equipped with thirty six British Crusader and sixteen American Honey Tanks. The Queen paid a farewell visit to the regiment on 18 September and the Bays embarked on the Empire Pride at Gourock on the Clyde on 24 September.
The King's Dragoon Guards at Tahag Camp started to receive their armoured cars, and to hand over their light tanks, during January, when they were suddenly asked to send a squadron up to the desert at once to relieve the 11th Hussars. 'B' Squadron , under Major Crossley, left Tahag on 27 January 1941 and reached the regimental headquarters of the 11th Hussars at Mechili in Libya on 2 February, having suffered their first casualty when Trooper Lamour kicked and exploded one of the small red italian hand grenades which littered the desert. After two days spent in maintenance after the long drive, 'B' Squadron became the advance guard to a thrust by 7th Armoured Division across the desert to cut off the Italian army retreating from Bengazi along the coast road. On 4 February Msus was reached and on the 5th 'B' Squadron resumed the advance, reaching Gotsdes, fifty miles to the south west as the advance guard to composite force, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Combe with the 11th Hussars and including the 1st Rifle Brigade and the 4th RHA.
Reports were then received that enemy traffic was moving north and south along the main coast road. 'B' Squadron was ordered to cut the road and hold it until the Rifle Brigade were able to get into position. Lieutenant Chrystal's and Lieutenant Taylor's troops were soon established astride the coast road with Beda Fomm slightly to the east. Lieutenant Delmege's troop was sent south west to give warning of any enemy approach from that direction. As soon as Chrystal and Taylor had taken up their positions, they came under artillery fire from an Italian column trying to retreat down the coast road. Major Crossley had been given two 25-pounders and two anti-tank guns, which he sent to help stiffen the defence. Lieutenant Cubitt's troop moved to support Chrystal and Taylor, followed by Major Crossley, who brought the rest of the RHA into action on the north-east flank. Moving about a mile further north, Major Crossley positioned some anti-tank guns on the Italian flank, where they were able to shoot up a long line of halted lorries. Thus the KDG fired the opening shots in the Battle of Beda Fomm.
As the whole squadron fired on the enemy columns, white flags began to appear; individual armoured cars dashed across the desert to round up prisoners, but some of the more determined Italians managed to inflict casualties on both 'B' Squadron and the artillerymen. A hundred and fifty Italians surrendered to Corporal Ashbrooke, armed only with a jammed bren gun, then forty officers surrendered to Lieutenant Taylor. By this time some 350 prisoners had been collected and driven away in lorries, as the Rifle Brigade began to arrive. An Italian anti-tank gun scored a direct hit on Lieutenant Cubitt's armoured car, killing him and all his crew.
As the Rifle Brigade dug in across the coast road, 'B' Squadron moved to the west to stop enemy columns from escaping around the slenderly held position. The Italian Breda 20 mm guns, firing high explosive and armour-piercing bullets, gave both Chrystal and Taylor a lot of trouble, but the armoured cars certainly drew that fire away from the infantry. The Italians now counter-attacked, reoccupying some of their former positions, so both Chrystal and Taylor stayed with the Rifle Brigade while sergeant Watkins was sent to round up another Italian column trying to get away to the west. As night came on, 'B' Squadron moved five miles south, blocking the main road, and the night passed without incident. SSM Buckley had been sent to meet and escort the supply echelon, and on his way surprised an escaping Italian column, which he attacked single-handed, capturing 100 prisoners and handing them over to the Rifle Brigade before rejoining the squadron.
On the following day, 6 February, KDG partols moved south to round up escaping Italians and take up observation positions. SSM Buckley came upon a fort where he captured another 150 Italians, and in the evening the squadron captured the walled town of Zuetina. This could only be approached by a causeway, but the garrison of 2,000 surrendered, so rendering a very difficult operation unnecessary. That night 'B' Squadron leaguered at the fort, guarding prisoners numbering fifteen times their own strength and firing at Italian columns trying to escape. As the greater part of the Italian army in Cyrenaica now been captured by 7th Armoured Division at Beda Fomm, 'B' Squadron moved south on Agedabia, capturing the airfield and several aircraft by a charge in line, and on 8 February moved on seventy miles to El Agheila, sending out patrols into Tripolitania.
On 14 February 'B' Squadron was attacked by fourteen Messerschmitt 110's, when four KDG were wounded, but two of the aircraft were brought down by the combined fire of nearby Bofors gunners, together with the Vickers guns on the armoured cars. This was the first appearance of German aircraft in the desert. Later that day the 11th Hussars lost a car by a direct hit from a Junkers 87, the dreaded Stuka. The next day the attacks from the air continued, but that evening Lieutenant Colonel McCorquodale appeared, followed shortly afterwards by the rest of the regiment. For his fine example at Beda Fomm SSM Buckley was awarded the DCM.
