2nd Bn KRRC June 1942 ... ?

Discussion in 'North Africa & the Med' started by Skip, Dec 18, 2012.

  1. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Hi,

    Can anyone tell me where in The Middle East the 2nd Battalion of The Kings Royal Rifle Corps was fighting in June 1942? I have someone I am researching who was injured that month by a mine.

    Cheers

    Skip
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Hope this helps until someone else posts war diary or regt history pages.

    Infantry Regiments Page
    2KRRC
    The battalion was reformed with the rest of 1st Armoured Division and reached the Middle East in late 1941. Along with the rest of the 1st Armoured Division the battalion fought in the Gazala battle of May/June 1942, withdrawing to the El Alamein line with the rest of the Army. At El Alamein the battalion was part of 7th Motor Brigade (the old 7th Armoured Division Support Group) along with 2nd and 7th Bn. Rifle Brigade, still under command of 1st Armoured Division.
     
  3. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Cheers Owen - that helps a lot.

    Does anyone know if that means that 2nd Bn KRRC was actually part of 1st Armd Div?
     
  4. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    The 2nd Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps served under the command of the 7th Motor Brigade from February 9th, 1942 to December 18th, 1942. During June 1942, the 7th Motor Brigade was a part of the 7th Armoured Division until June 26th, 1942 and then came under the command of the 1st Armoured Division.
     
  5. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Cheers Dryan67. He was wounded before the 26th so that puts him under the command of 7th Armd. Much appreciated.
     
  6. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Skip:

    Here are the pages that cover the period of June 1942 for the 2nd Bn KRRC. It is from the regimental history The Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Volume VI by Glen Mills and Roger Nixon. The other history, Swift and Bold, does not have a section on the 2nd KRRC during the Gazala battles.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here are the rest of the pages.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Dryan67 - cheers for that. If the book has an index could you please check if it mention Lt James 'Jimmy' Lees at all?
     
  9. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Both books mention Captain J. (Jimmy) Lees later in the desert campaign. He is mentioned in the list of officers in December 1939 as a 2nd Lieutenant of the KRRC as Lees, J. The mention in both books is the same since one sourced from the other, but Swift and Bold does list him in the Roll of Honour as Capt James Lees killed in 1945. There is a page in the Annals second volume about the death of Capt. J. Lees. I am not sure if this is the same person, but I included both listings.
     

    Attached Files:

  10. Skip

    Skip Senior Member

    Cheers for all of that Dryan67. Yes - this is the same man and thanks very much for posting the relevant pages. Can you tell me if the first reference to him is during the Second Battle of El Alamein? If so this obviously means that he returned to A Company after recovering from his wounds.
     
  11. Jerman72

    Jerman72 New Member

  12. Nick Ilic

    Nick Ilic New Member

    Capt J lees is buried in Belgrade in Serbia.
     
  13. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
    Name: Capt James Lees
    Death Date: 9 Mar 1945
    Cemetery: Belgrade War Cemetery
    Burial or Cremation Place: Belgrade, City of Belgrade (Grad Beograd), Serbia
    Has Bio?: N
    URL: https://www.findagrave.com/mem...


    UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947
    Name: James Lees
    Age: 25
    Birth Date: abt 1920
    Death Date: 9 Mar 1945
    Cemetery: Belgrade War Cemetery
    Father: Sir John Victor Elliott Lees
    Regimental Number: 175078
    Region or Memorial: Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania

    UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
    Name: James Lees
    Given Initials: J
    Rank: Captain
    Death Date: 9 Mar 1945
    Number: 175078
    Birth Place: India
    Residence: Dorset
    Regiment at Enlistment: King's Royal Rifle Corps
    Branch at Enlistment: Infantry
    Theatre of War: Italy
    Regiment at Death: King's Royal Rifle Corps
    Branch at Death: Infantry

    TD
     
  14. MarkN

    MarkN Banned

    Zdravo Nikola,

    Indeed he is. Will you be there next Sunday too for the annual commemoration?

    Pozdrav,
    Mark
     
  15. Nick Ilic

    Nick Ilic New Member

    Mark

    Yes I will. Saw his grave the other day when visiting.

    Where are you?

    N
     
  16. Edward Bosworth

    Edward Bosworth New Member

    Re. the above - do you know where this is archived/ accessible?

    Looking specifically for the history/ diaries of 1st Bn KRRC 1940-1945
     
  17. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Those pages are from a book I own.
     
    Edward Bosworth likes this.

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