ox & bucks at dunkirk

mudblood · 12-12-2006, 01:35 PM

Hello all,does anybody know or where to get info on what and where the ox & bucks battalions were on to the lead up to and the evac from dunkirk,my grandad was captured there and i would like to try and follow what hi s battalion was up to
cheers all

52nd Airborne · 12-12-2006, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudblood

Hello all,does anybody know or where to get info on what and where the ox & bucks battalions were on to the lead up to and the evac from dunkirk,my grandad was captured there and i would like to try and follow what hi s battalion was up to
cheers all

I have details of the 1st battalion, I will post it later.

Have you contacted the Ox & Bucks Museum, I'm sure they will be able to help you with your research. I used them a couple of years ago and they couldn't do enough to help me.
Regimental Museum of the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry
Slade Park
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7JL

mudblood · 12-12-2006, 02:56 PM

and again i take my hat of to you sir,reggy museum will be my next step

52nd Airborne · 12-12-2006, 06:05 PM

On the 17th May 1940, the 1st Bn Ox & Bucks had moved into Belgium to Seignies, south of Brussels. Companies then spent an anxious night holding an extended line through the forest to cover the withdrawal of the second Division, expecting an attack that never came. This was followed by a 26mile march to Zavelberg to rejoin the 143rd Brigade of the 48th Division – the start of the retreat that ended at Dunkirk on June 1st. As in 1914, on most days and nights the men had to march long distances in hot weather and to be continually under arms; moreover on two occasions the 1st Bn was engaged in desperate actions with the enemy to stem a breakthrough, reminiscent of Ypres in 1914.

It must be understood that the whole retreat was made under nerve-wracking conditions of a crumbling front with all the terrible congestion and confusion caused by pitiable sight of refugees. Troops were also often under shell-fire and the target of dive-bombers with there piercing shrieks.

Colonel Whitfield, rather like Colonel Davies in 1914 wrote, “I should like to stress now, and shall refer to the matter again, that the men are very tired. For five days in section posts they have been guarding vulnerable points which entailed constant vigilance and little sleep. So far as myself was concerned I had a good night’s sleep on the 15th, but from then on until the 26th I had practically none – perhaps an hour or two or more in the 24hours except one or two nights when I had four to five hours. I did not know it was possible to go so long without sleep”. Colonel Whitfield wrote this account shortly after the retreat whilst a prisoner in hospital in Brussels. He gave it to a Belgian gentleman, Monsieur Georges Tiberghien for safe keeping until after the war.

On May 22nd at 03:00 the troops, for the first time, had settled into some billets at Lesdain for a few hours rest when the Brigadier arrived and ordered a counter-attack at dawn, to restore the situation on the front of the 2nd Gloucestershire Regiment. Reconnaissance proved this to be unnecessary but the men had lost the chance of some precious sleep. Later in the morning of this eventful day General Thorne, Commanding the Division, ordered Colonel Whitfield to counter-attack in a wood near the village of Hallain on the canal, adding, “The situation is very grave and as your regiment attacked in 1914, so I want you restore the situation here. Remember Nonneboschen”.

The Colonel then ordered Companies to move forward in artillery formations whilst he went forward to reconnoitre. 2nd Lieutenants Ingham and Duncan were killed at this stage. The counter-attack, achieved its object killing Germans and capturing a few. Captain Jephson later found thirty-five dead Germans in the corner of the small wood.

On the 25th May the 1st Bn were back in France at Vertbois where a French regiment took over and companies went into billets for a few hours rest; but by 14:00 they were on the road again and marched a further 20miles to Sainguin, which they reached at 03:00 on the 26th May and there relieved the 4th Gordon Highlanders on the Comines canal. On the march companies came under particularly heavy shell-fire with catastrophic congestion caused by motor columns meeting head-on with French Army horsed transport. It was here, just before dawn that, owing to cruel misadventure, Colonel Whitfield was severely wounded by a bullet from one of the forward posts whilst on reconnaissance. He might have reached Dunkirk but remained with other wounded men in an ambulance that fell into the enemy’s hands. On this same day occurred the greatest crisis of the retreat on that part of the front, comparable to November 11th 1914, every available soldier in the 1st Bn had to man frontline positions to prevent a German breakthrough. Soon after the attack started Captain Godman, commanding B Company, reported the enemy to be crossing the canal on his left apparently unopposed, but on the right Major Edmunds, Commanding D Company, reported the front to be holding firm. All telephones lines to A (Major Conant) and B Company then broke down; C Company (Major Richards) was also out of touch. Soon after this Major Edmunds reported the enemy was over running the frontline and advancing towards Regimental Headquarters. Captain Godman is known to have been killed fighting to the last. Major Colvill, now commanding the 1st Bn, at once disposed all the men in Headquarters for defence and Captain Jephson with all the cooks and orderlies dashed across the Comines road to line the railway. Meanwhile Captain Rowland Hill, with the signals and anti-tank rifle platoon organised the defence of Regimental Headquarters and Sergeant-Major Rowlands soon had the mortar platoon dropping bombs into the covered approach of a stream. Major Covill and the Adjutant, Captain Warner moved into the neighbouring field to cover the right flank, and for the next three hours the whole regiment was fighting hard to maintain the front. Headquarters suffered a number of casualties including Colvill and Jephson being wounded.

No further news had come from any of the companies and with Brigade and Division Headquarters out of touch the situation was as uncertain as it could be.

Headquarters could do little but hold on, but at 14:30 Major Edmunds got a message through to say that the enemy had more or less by passed his front and that Major Conant had been killed leading an immediate counter-attack.

Covill then withdrew Headquarters and D Company to Warneton. He also regained touch with Richards of C Company. They had been almost over ran but an immediate counter-attack had saved the front there, Lieutenant Clutterbuck, last seen firing his pistol at point blank range, was killed.

On 30th May the 1st Bn at last reached the Dunkirk perimeter south of Houthes, 9miles from the port, where all vehicles were destroyed. The 31st May was a day of tension and orders, counter-orders, and much bombing, but at 19:00 instructions came to march to Dunkirk for embarkation. At the mole the men waited in closed ranks for 4 hours before embarking, but in spite of heavy bombing casualties were few.

At dawn HMS Worcester and the channel steamer Maid of Orleans rushed alongside and the troops doubled on board; a total of 9 Officers and 320 NCO’s and men.

The Reverend W H Cox, Chaplain of the 1st Bn wrote of May 31st
“Bombing and machine gun attacks were frequently made of the woods (in the Dunkirk perimeter) and we found our slit trenches invaluable, some of the men having made marvellous escapes. And all the while our Artillery crept nearer. We hoped, of course, that we would be evacuated, but some of us wondered if it could be done, as the thousands of men we saw early Thursday morning made us realise the magnitude of the task and we knew it was a fight against time. All our men kept cheerful, however, and there was much good humoured banter. Then, on June 1st, Dunkirk itself was in terrible state. Stray horses galloped up and down the streets, shells fell all around, the oil store at the docks blazed furiously while enemy aircraft by the light of the fires continued to bomb the city and the docks”

At Dover the men piled into trains for unknown destinations and too tired to care. At 19:00 four Officers and 93 men woke up to find themselves at Porthcawl in Wales; various other parties arrived in the neighbourhood and in the next few days the whole 1st Bn was concentrated in Hereford.

Thus ended a retreat in many ways comparable to the Retreat from Corunna, in that on both occasions they were mainly caused by the failure of Allies. The men of the 1st Bn throughout this ordeal well upheld the standard of discipline and fortitude set by their ancestors in the Peninsula.

Source – The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry by Philip Booth

Owen · 12-12-2006, 10:21 PM

If he was with 4th Bn they were at the famous engagment at Cassel with the Glosters.

Rich Payne · 13-12-2006, 12:41 AM

This link from the British Pathe archive might be of interest

British Pathe Limited

Scroll down to "it's a long long way" - It is captioned as Ox & Bucks in 1940 and I am prety sure that it is France (House type and car driving on the right)

Rich

turenne · 16-07-2008, 04:29 PM

There are three battalions:
1st Bucks Battalion (TA) who were to hold HAZEBROUCK.

Ist Battalion Ox & Bucks Light Infantry (43rd Light Infantry), which is here.

4th Battalion Ox & Bucks Light Infantry (TA) who were to hold CASSEL.

Deatils on the first and third in Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, Dunkirk. Fight To The Last Man (2006). Details on all in the 4-volume Ox & Bucks War Chronicle.

turenne · 16-07-2008, 04:49 PM

143rd Brigade—Brigadier James Muirhead MC (1892 – 1973)

a) 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Regular) CO: Lt Col E H Whitfield; Major E C Richards OBE War Diary: WO 167/805

[They had originally been in 11th Brigade, 4th Division, but were transferred in January/February 1940 as part of a scheme to mix Regular and Territorial battalions. The 5th Northamptonshire Regiment was transferred from this brigade to 11th Brigade, 4th Division.]
b) and c) 1st/7th and 8th Battalions The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (TA) CO: (8) Lt Col Reginald Baker; War Diaries: WO 167/840 and WO 167/841

144th Brigade—Brigadier James Melvill “Hammy” Hamilton DSO (1886 - 1972)

a) 2nd Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Regular) [WORMHOUDT; massacre] CO: Lt Col Piers Duncan Williams Dunn DSO MC (1896 – 1957); Major, later Lt Col, P W Hicks MC ( - after 1966) War Diary: WO 167/839
[They were transferred to the brigade in January/February 1940 from 2nd Division.]

b) 5th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (TA) [LEDRINGHEM] CO: Lt Col Guy A H Buxton ( - between 1946 and 1953) War Diary: WO 167/743

c) 8th Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment (TA) [WORMHOUDT] [see Worcestershire Regiment History (29th/36th of Foot) CO: Lt Col Johnstone? War Diary: WO 167/847

145th Brigade—Brigadier Archibald Cecil Hughes (to 15 May 1940) (1886 – 1961)
Brigadier The Hon. Nigel Fitzroy “Slasher” Somerset (from 15 May 1940) (1893 – 1990)

a) 2nd Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (Regular) [CASSEL] CO: Lt Col Nigel Fitzroy Somerset (1893 – 1990); Major Edward Maurice Blunt Gilmore ( - after 1963) War Diaries: WO 167/741 and WO 167/742.

[They were transferred to the brigade in 1940 from 8th Brigade, 3rd Division.]

b) 4th Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) [CASSEL] CO: Lt Col Geoffrey Walsham Kennedy (1895 – 1984) War Diary: WO 167/806

c) 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) [HAZEBROUCK] CO: Lt Col Ronald Davidson Reed Sale (1904 – after 1952); Lt Col Alexander Denis Burnett-Brown MC (1894 – 1966); Major Brian Kay Heyworth (1907 – 1940) War Diary: WO 187/804

CROONAERT · 16-07-2008, 08:57 PM

I've got the (very detailed!) War Diary for 1/OBLI between 23rd and 31st May if anyone needs anything specific looking up.

Dave

12-12-2006, 01:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
mudblood Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: bristol,uk Posts: 12	ox & bucks at dunkirk Hello all,does anybody know or where to get info on what and where the ox & bucks battalions were on to the lead up to and the evac from dunkirk,my grandad was captured there and i would like to try and follow what hi s battalion was up to cheers all

12-12-2006, 06:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
52nd Airborne Very Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Looking for a Landing Zone Posts: 1,267	On the 17th May 1940, the 1st Bn Ox & Bucks had moved into Belgium to Seignies, south of Brussels. Companies then spent an anxious night holding an extended line through the forest to cover the withdrawal of the second Division, expecting an attack that never came. This was followed by a 26mile march to Zavelberg to rejoin the 143rd Brigade of the 48th Division – the start of the retreat that ended at Dunkirk on June 1st. As in 1914, on most days and nights the men had to march long distances in hot weather and to be continually under arms; moreover on two occasions the 1st Bn was engaged in desperate actions with the enemy to stem a breakthrough, reminiscent of Ypres in 1914. It must be understood that the whole retreat was made under nerve-wracking conditions of a crumbling front with all the terrible congestion and confusion caused by pitiable sight of refugees. Troops were also often under shell-fire and the target of dive-bombers with there piercing shrieks. Colonel Whitfield, rather like Colonel Davies in 1914 wrote, “I should like to stress now, and shall refer to the matter again, that the men are very tired. For five days in section posts they have been guarding vulnerable points which entailed constant vigilance and little sleep. So far as myself was concerned I had a good night’s sleep on the 15th, but from then on until the 26th I had practically none – perhaps an hour or two or more in the 24hours except one or two nights when I had four to five hours. I did not know it was possible to go so long without sleep”. Colonel Whitfield wrote this account shortly after the retreat whilst a prisoner in hospital in Brussels. He gave it to a Belgian gentleman, Monsieur Georges Tiberghien for safe keeping until after the war. On May 22nd at 03:00 the troops, for the first time, had settled into some billets at Lesdain for a few hours rest when the Brigadier arrived and ordered a counter-attack at dawn, to restore the situation on the front of the 2nd Gloucestershire Regiment. Reconnaissance proved this to be unnecessary but the men had lost the chance of some precious sleep. Later in the morning of this eventful day General Thorne, Commanding the Division, ordered Colonel Whitfield to counter-attack in a wood near the village of Hallain on the canal, adding, “The situation is very grave and as your regiment attacked in 1914, so I want you restore the situation here. Remember Nonneboschen”. The Colonel then ordered Companies to move forward in artillery formations whilst he went forward to reconnoitre. 2nd Lieutenants Ingham and Duncan were killed at this stage. The counter-attack, achieved its object killing Germans and capturing a few. Captain Jephson later found thirty-five dead Germans in the corner of the small wood. On the 25th May the 1st Bn were back in France at Vertbois where a French regiment took over and companies went into billets for a few hours rest; but by 14:00 they were on the road again and marched a further 20miles to Sainguin, which they reached at 03:00 on the 26th May and there relieved the 4th Gordon Highlanders on the Comines canal. On the march companies came under particularly heavy shell-fire with catastrophic congestion caused by motor columns meeting head-on with French Army horsed transport. It was here, just before dawn that, owing to cruel misadventure, Colonel Whitfield was severely wounded by a bullet from one of the forward posts whilst on reconnaissance. He might have reached Dunkirk but remained with other wounded men in an ambulance that fell into the enemy’s hands. On this same day occurred the greatest crisis of the retreat on that part of the front, comparable to November 11th 1914, every available soldier in the 1st Bn had to man frontline positions to prevent a German breakthrough. Soon after the attack started Captain Godman, commanding B Company, reported the enemy to be crossing the canal on his left apparently unopposed, but on the right Major Edmunds, Commanding D Company, reported the front to be holding firm. All telephones lines to A (Major Conant) and B Company then broke down; C Company (Major Richards) was also out of touch. Soon after this Major Edmunds reported the enemy was over running the frontline and advancing towards Regimental Headquarters. Captain Godman is known to have been killed fighting to the last. Major Colvill, now commanding the 1st Bn, at once disposed all the men in Headquarters for defence and Captain Jephson with all the cooks and orderlies dashed across the Comines road to line the railway. Meanwhile Captain Rowland Hill, with the signals and anti-tank rifle platoon organised the defence of Regimental Headquarters and Sergeant-Major Rowlands soon had the mortar platoon dropping bombs into the covered approach of a stream. Major Covill and the Adjutant, Captain Warner moved into the neighbouring field to cover the right flank, and for the next three hours the whole regiment was fighting hard to maintain the front. Headquarters suffered a number of casualties including Colvill and Jephson being wounded. No further news had come from any of the companies and with Brigade and Division Headquarters out of touch the situation was as uncertain as it could be. Headquarters could do little but hold on, but at 14:30 Major Edmunds got a message through to say that the enemy had more or less by passed his front and that Major Conant had been killed leading an immediate counter-attack. Covill then withdrew Headquarters and D Company to Warneton. He also regained touch with Richards of C Company. They had been almost over ran but an immediate counter-attack had saved the front there, Lieutenant Clutterbuck, last seen firing his pistol at point blank range, was killed. On 30th May the 1st Bn at last reached the Dunkirk perimeter south of Houthes, 9miles from the port, where all vehicles were destroyed. The 31st May was a day of tension and orders, counter-orders, and much bombing, but at 19:00 instructions came to march to Dunkirk for embarkation. At the mole the men waited in closed ranks for 4 hours before embarking, but in spite of heavy bombing casualties were few. At dawn HMS Worcester and the channel steamer Maid of Orleans rushed alongside and the troops doubled on board; a total of 9 Officers and 320 NCO’s and men. The Reverend W H Cox, Chaplain of the 1st Bn wrote of May 31st “Bombing and machine gun attacks were frequently made of the woods (in the Dunkirk perimeter) and we found our slit trenches invaluable, some of the men having made marvellous escapes. And all the while our Artillery crept nearer. We hoped, of course, that we would be evacuated, but some of us wondered if it could be done, as the thousands of men we saw early Thursday morning made us realise the magnitude of the task and we knew it was a fight against time. All our men kept cheerful, however, and there was much good humoured banter. Then, on June 1st, Dunkirk itself was in terrible state. Stray horses galloped up and down the streets, shells fell all around, the oil store at the docks blazed furiously while enemy aircraft by the light of the fires continued to bomb the city and the docks” At Dover the men piled into trains for unknown destinations and too tired to care. At 19:00 four Officers and 93 men woke up to find themselves at Porthcawl in Wales; various other parties arrived in the neighbourhood and in the next few days the whole 1st Bn was concentrated in Hereford. Thus ended a retreat in many ways comparable to the Retreat from Corunna, in that on both occasions they were mainly caused by the failure of Allies. The men of the 1st Bn throughout this ordeal well upheld the standard of discipline and fortitude set by their ancestors in the Peninsula. Source – The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry by Philip Booth __________________ *52nd Airborne.* Remembering the fallen from the 5th Hampshire Regiment and The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

16-07-2008, 04:49 PM	#8 (permalink)
turenne Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Canterbury, Kent Posts: 11	Ox & Bucks Battalions 143rd Brigade—Brigadier James Muirhead MC (1892 – 1973) a) 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Regular) CO: Lt Col E H Whitfield; Major E C Richards OBE War Diary: WO 167/805 [They had originally been in 11th Brigade, 4th Division, but were transferred in January/February 1940 as part of a scheme to mix Regular and Territorial battalions. The 5th Northamptonshire Regiment was transferred from this brigade to 11th Brigade, 4th Division.] b) and c) 1st/7th and 8th Battalions The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (TA) CO: (8) Lt Col Reginald Baker; War Diaries: WO 167/840 and WO 167/841 144th Brigade—Brigadier James Melvill “Hammy” Hamilton DSO (1886 - 1972) a) 2nd Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Regular) [WORMHOUDT; massacre] CO: Lt Col Piers Duncan Williams Dunn DSO MC (1896 – 1957); Major, later Lt Col, P W Hicks MC ( - after 1966) War Diary: WO 167/839 [They were transferred to the brigade in January/February 1940 from 2nd Division.] b) 5th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (TA) [LEDRINGHEM] CO: Lt Col Guy A H Buxton ( - between 1946 and 1953) War Diary: WO 167/743 c) 8th Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment (TA) [WORMHOUDT] [see Worcestershire Regiment History (29th/36th of Foot) CO: Lt Col Johnstone? War Diary: WO 167/847 145th Brigade—Brigadier Archibald Cecil Hughes (to 15 May 1940) (1886 – 1961) Brigadier The Hon. Nigel Fitzroy “Slasher” Somerset (from 15 May 1940) (1893 – 1990) a) 2nd Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (Regular) [CASSEL] CO: Lt Col Nigel Fitzroy Somerset (1893 – 1990); Major Edward Maurice Blunt Gilmore ( - after 1963) War Diaries: WO 167/741 and WO 167/742. [They were transferred to the brigade in 1940 from 8th Brigade, 3rd Division.] b) 4th Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) [CASSEL] CO: Lt Col Geoffrey Walsham Kennedy (1895 – 1984) War Diary: WO 167/806 c) 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) [HAZEBROUCK] CO: Lt Col Ronald Davidson Reed Sale (1904 – after 1952); Lt Col Alexander Denis Burnett-Brown MC (1894 – 1966); Major Brian Kay Heyworth (1907 – 1940) War Diary: WO 187/804 Last edited by turenne; 16-07-2008 at 04:58 PM.

16-07-2008, 08:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
CROONAERT Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 705	I've got the (very detailed!) War Diary for 1/OBLI between 23rd and 31st May if anyone needs anything specific looking up. Dave __________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk

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12-12-2006, 02:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
mudblood Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: bristol,uk Posts: 12	and again i take my hat of to you sir,reggy museum will be my next step

12-12-2006, 10:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
Owen Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs Posts: 8,698	If he was with 4th Bn they were at the famous engagment at Cassel with the Glosters.

13-12-2006, 12:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
Rich Payne Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 629	This link from the British Pathe archive might be of interest British Pathe Limited Scroll down to "it's a long long way" - It is captioned as Ox & Bucks in 1940 and I am prety sure that it is France (House type and car driving on the right) Rich

16-07-2008, 04:29 PM	#7 (permalink)
turenne Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Canterbury, Kent Posts: 11	There are three battalions: 1st Bucks Battalion (TA) who were to hold HAZEBROUCK. Ist Battalion Ox & Bucks Light Infantry (43rd Light Infantry), which is here. 4th Battalion Ox & Bucks Light Infantry (TA) who were to hold CASSEL. Deatils on the first and third in Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, Dunkirk. Fight To The Last Man (2006). Details on all in the 4-volume Ox & Bucks War Chronicle.

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