Official History of 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in WW2

A most impressive piece of work,well done that man.

 

If I may.. I have seen action many times with the RUR, and here; I would like to pay testimony to their courage and fighting qualities...Great lads.... The names of places that are listed in the Normandy battles, are names that I know only too well. Some of them, where quite savage fighting took place.
I also pay fulsome tribute to all the great infantry lads that made up the three Brigades of Monty's Ironsides 8th brigade, 9th, and 185. Their fighting courage and the way they conducted themselves was in the finest traditions of the British Army
"Bless their cotton socks"
Sapper

 

I have a couple of questions re insignia for 2 RUR for the period 1939 /41.


Can't answer with any certainty re 1939-41 but you can see some half decent images of uniforms from March 1944 (officers, NCOs and riflemen) at 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in WW2: Gallery

Also I've still got my old man's battledress in the wardrobe if you've got any other queries re buttons/insignia - alas no cap.

Might be a red herring but the post D-Day photos show officers wearing berets rather than caps.

Quis Separabit

 

If I may.. I have seen action many times with the RUR, and here; I would like to pay testimony to their courage and fighting qualities........

Sapper


I too have heard separate reports that RUR were excellent scrappers but relates mainly to their punch ups in Hawick pubs with the locals/KOSBs.......

 

Can't answer with any certainty re 1939-41 but you can see some half decent images of uniforms from March 1944 (officers, NCOs and riflemen) at 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in WW2: Gallery


Thanks for that but I've pretty much got the post '44 stuff down. It's the 39-40 period that I'm mostly interested in. There seems to be fewer photographs from this period and what there is isn't always clear as to what divisional insignia was worn on the BD.

Might be a red herring but the post D-Day photos show officers wearing berets rather than caps.


Yes, as to be expected in the field no-one is going to wear anything that makes them standout as an officer. But the coloured field service cap was still there, somewhere. But I do take your point I have seen a pic somewhere of a load of 2nd Batt officers all attired in the GS Cap, and even some wearing it in the non-Caubeen fashion. i.e. pulled to the right with the cap badge over the left eye!!!!

 

Throughout the early part of the 14th the withdrawal of Belgian units and some British recce. elements along the two routes into Louvain was almost continuous. A regrettable accident occurred on " A " Company's front, where a Belgian ammunition lorry drove through a fence surrounding a small anti-tank minefield on the side .of the road and blew itself up, killing one N.C.O. and wounding five men. The lorry caught fire and exploding ammunition caused a thoroughly successful roadblock for the next two hours. Fortunately, a nearby street led directly to the southerly bridge which coped successfully with the added traffic. One casualty was caused by bombs dropped round Battalion H.Q. by low-flying enemy aircraft.

In the afternoon traffic began to thin out and by 1500 hours, as a result of much questioning of the withdrawing units, it became reasonably certain that all our own troops and the Belgians had gone through. For an hour the deserted city was quiet until two very loud bangs indicated the destruction of the bridges. Shortly afterwards two Germans in a motorcycle and sidecar slowly rounded a bend in the road and ran into an accurately placed burst from a Bren. First blood to the Rifles.

Hello,

Is there anything to find in the officiel records of the 2d RUR regarding preparation of their position in Louvain between the two railway bridges, regarding the incident with the Belgian lorry and the casualties due to the explosion on the 14th of May? Does anybody know for certain who laid the minefield (Royal Engeneers?) and what type of mines were used in that area?

If possible I would like to obtain photographs or scans of the batallions records of that particular period. As I'm living in Belgium, it is impossible for me to search for these records in the UK. I would be extremely thankful with all the help I could get in this matter.

I believe it was Rifleman Robert Fulton (7011706, age 33) who died of the wounds he sustained at the Blauwput bridge where the explosion took place ([FONT=&quot]buried in Leuven Communal Cemetery)[/FONT]. I ignore if there were other British casualties. Several Belgian soldiers passing through, died in the explosion.

Best regards,
Bram.

 

Hi Bram,

2 RUR's war diary for 14th May states that at 7am:

Large explosion from the direction of Louvain. Report received that civilian lorry had exploded a anti-tank mine killing one NCO and wounding 5.


If the diary is accurate then the soldier killed would be Lance Corporal Robert Wilson RUR. He is the only NCO to be killed on this day from the battalion.

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

The History of the Royal Ulster Rifles Vol III adds:

Throughout the early part of the 14th the withdrawal of Belgian units and some British recce. elements along the two routes into Louvain was almost continuous. A regrettable accident occurred on "A" Company's front, where a Belgian ammunition lorry drove through a fence surrounding a small anti-tank minefield on the side of the road and blew itself up, killing one N.C.O. and wounding five men. The lorry caught fire and exploding ammunition caused a thoroughly successful road block for the next two hours. Fortunately, a nearby street led directly to the southerly bridge which coped successfully with the added traffic. One casualty was caused by bombs dropped round Battalion H.Q. by low-flying enemy aircraft.

 

Hi Bram,

2 RUR's war diary for 14th May states that at 7am:



If the diary is accurate then the soldier killed would be Lance Corporal Robert Wilson RUR. He is the only NCO to be killed on this day from the battalion.

CWGC :: Casualty Details

Hello Drew and Idler,

The explosion of the Belgian artillery vehicle took place around 0330H on the 14th. The Irish wounded were brought to a hospital and probably one man died of his wounds in the hospital. The fighting between the 2nd RUR and the German invader began on the 14th in Kessel-Lo (suburb of Louvain), if my memory is correct. Was Robert Wilson of A Company?

If someone could send me a scan or a picture of that diary (13 to 15 May), that would be grate! Especially A Company interests me.

Many thanks and best regards,
Bram.

 

It was going so well...

According to Orr and Truesdale's The Rifles Are There, Cpl John Moore was killed by the lorry in the minefield and Rfmn Ritchie Matthews was killed when Bn HQ was strafed. Perhaps the extra information is from a regimental journal?

 

It was going so well...

According to Orr and Truesdale's The Rifles Are There, Cpl John Moore was killed by the lorry in the minefield and Rfmn Ritchie Matthews was killed when Bn HQ was strafed. Perhaps the extra information is from a regimental journal?

Hello Idler,

Thanks for this information. I appreciate it a lot.

The picture below shows Robert Fulton. I wonder where or how he was killed. Probably during the fighting the next days then.



What does "The Rifles are there" mention about the period of 13 to 15 May 1940 in and around Leuven/Louvain? In "The Royal Ulster Rifles" of Charles Graves Moore is only mentioned in the Roll of Honour.

Does anyone have a clear picture of Corporal John Henry Moore (7011035, age 25)?

How does one can obtain a copy of the regimental journal or the Batallions records of this period during WWII?

Thanks again.

Regards,
Bram.

 

Hello,

The grave of Moore in Leuven. With all my respect.



Best regards,
Bram.

 

To be honest, it reads much the same as Graves and the diaries, but the authors have gleaned more personal data from somewhere. At the back of TRAR there is an annotated roll of honour.

Robert Fulton is listed as killed on 15 May, but no mention of the L/Cpl Wilson that Andy (Drew) found.

The Regimental Museum would be the best place to ask about the journals, though the authors of TRAR appear to have got a lot of the biographical detail from newspaper announcements (there's a detail in there I might add to another thread...)

Andrew

 

OK, thanks.

Any idea who laid the minefield (RUR, Engeneers, ...) and what type of mines were used (A.T. Mine G.S. Mk II, Mk III, ...)?

Regards,
Bram.

 

From the War Diary:

 

This is GREAT ! As a source, how does one has to refer to it?

Thanks again,

Bram.

 

Hello,

Meanwhile I ordered the book "The Rifles are there". I'll probably receive it sometime at the end of next week or the beginning of the week after. As I shall be unable to follow this forum next week, I shall come back to this matter lateron.

Again many thanks to you all for the precious information I found here.

Keep up the good work!

Best regards,
Bram.

 

7012114 Enlisted on the 03/03/1933 so these men who have 7011... numbers probably enlisted sometime in 1931/1932.

 

Hello,

I just received a copy of "The Rifles are there" from an English bookstore on ebay. The second photo shown is that of the men waiting to blow up the railway bridge on the main road from Leuven/Louvain to Tienen/Tirlemont beween 10 and 14 May 1940. The bricks on the ground are due to a German air raid over the city killing a lot of civilians. The IWM holds several pictures of this period, amongst others of 2nd RUR in 1940.

Regarding Moore the book also mentions that he was born in Manchester and a resident in County Tyrone. Moore died at 25, so he must be born around 1915. Maybe a little young to be enlisted in 1931/32.

Best regards,
Bram.