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
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.
Cheers Owen - that helps a lot. Does anyone know if that means that 2nd Bn KRRC was actually part of 1st Armd Div?
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.
Cheers Dryan67. He was wounded before the 26th so that puts him under the command of 7th Armd. Much appreciated.
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.
Dryan67 - cheers for that. If the book has an index could you please check if it mention Lt James 'Jimmy' Lees at all?
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.
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.
Excellent website here: http://moore-familytree.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Moore-Len-krrc-battle-of-gazala-1942.htm Mentions my great Uncle, Pat Chaplin who died 1st June 1942. (B Company 2KRR)
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
Zdravo Nikola, Indeed he is. Will you be there next Sunday too for the annual commemoration? Pozdrav, Mark
Re. the above - do you know where this is archived/ accessible? Looking specifically for the history/ diaries of 1st Bn KRRC 1940-1945