4th Bn The East Lancashire Regiment, 76th Division, Norfolk 1944

Bit of a long shot but does anyone have the 4th East Lancs 1944 war diary? The Duke of Lancaster's museum doesn't have a copy as held at the National Archives which I'm unable to get to.

I'm interested in the location of the battalion in 1944. I know they were in Norfolk as part of the 76th Reserve Division but a more specific location would be helpful.

Thanks,
Mark

 

I checked the East Lancashire Regimental history, but there is nothing on locations mentioned past 1941.

 

Thanks dryan67. From the history I own I have the same information also (it's probably the same as your copy) so the war diary looks like the only answer.

 

Although in 1945 this indicates a possible link: Army casualty Mundesley, Norfolk Feb 1945

If you use "training" + "Norfolk" + "ww2talk.com" Google adds site:ww2talk.com it returns a list of threads that could help. Needless to say adding your formation didn't help.

Wiki explains the divisions role and when the 4th were posted there: 76th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia

If you search on the division and two brigades the 4th were with that might work.

 

I tried a different approach to locating the 4th East Lancs in 1944 with some limited success. I took a look at the two three other battalions it served with in 1944:

213th Infantry Brigade – 15 November 1943 to 23 July 1944
1st Sherwood Foresters
4th East Lancashire Regiment
7th Border Regiment – Until 31/3/44 (Renamed 5th Battalion 1/4/44)

45th Infantry Brigade – 23 July 1944 to 25 September 1944 (Renumbered 113th 26/9/44)
4th East Lancashire Regiment
5th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
5th Border Regiment

Both the regimental histories of the Sherwood Foresters and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers provided no information on this period for these battalions. The Border Regiment history has some information that may be useful. Here are the page scans:

 

Dryan67 thank you for those excellent scans. I actually live in Cromer so very pleased with that info. I found online a bit of info about another battalion in the 213th Brigade (9th Royal Berks) who left in Nov43 but were stationed at North Walsham near Cromer so more evidence the East Lancs were probably in my locality. Many thanks again for your help.

 

No problem. I'm sorry I could not be more helpful.

 

Reading the divisional Wiki one gets the impression the division / brigade and battalions assigned were not kept at full strength. Wiki states:

So with a cadre battalion taking in regular intakes of recruits, to improve skills and get them physically fit, would they have their own barracks or share them? Elsewhere in today's research there were references to tented camps no longer being in full-time use by 1943.

 

C Company 4th battalion east lancashire regiment are mentioned as stationed at the Emergency Coastal Battery in Mundesley in the 1940s

 

Many thanks for your scan Denise and apologies for the very late reply. I have now obtained the war diary for 4th East Lancs, C Coy were stationed at Stow Hill camp. Unfortunately there is no mention to mundesley battery but they were under orders to defend the radar at Trimingham and wireless station at Mundesley if the Germans raided.

All the best,
Mark