8th Rifle Brigade (11th Armoured Division) website

No less than 34 (!) new photos of members of the 8th Rifle Brigade (11th Armoured Division), from G, H and (mainly) E Company, have recently been found and added to http://8thriflebrigade.co.uk/officersandmen/, a list of names, photos and much more, of 1536 members of the battalion in WW2.

If you, or anyone you know, might be able to add new photos, or anything else, of individual members, companies or other groups of the 8th Rifle Brigade, please get in touch!

 

Another 8th Rifle Brigade platoon photo has recently turned up: that of 16 Platoon, H Company. So far, four men in it have been identified, one of them being Rifleman Wheatly, who got killed in Normandy, on 19 July 1944, during Operation Goodwood. This photo and some 20 other group photos can be found in http://8thriflebrigade.co.uk/group-photos/.

 

Attached platoon photo at first was thought to be from 18 Platoon, E Company, 8th Rifle Brigade. Lt. Gould, in it, got transferred from 8th KRRC (9th Armoured Division) to 8th Rifle Brigade (11th Armoured Division) in August 1944.

At closer inspection the photo appears to be showing him with his KRRC platoon. It had therefore been removed from http://8thriflebrigade.co.uk/group-photos/.

Still, it has now returned. Looking at E Company's history (text attached), not just Lt. Gould but almost his entire platoon got transferred to the 8th Rifle Brigade in early August 1944. At least 1 person besides Lt. Gould has now been identified.

Group photos and much more about the battalion and its history can be found in other pages of the website, under Home - 8th Rifle Brigade

 

During its existence in and around WW2, from March 1939 until April 1946, the 8th Rifle Brigade (or 2nd London Rifle Brigade, prior to 18 January 1941) had eight Commanding Officers or Lieutenant-Colonels. Can anyone help finding photos of three of them?



To find out more about the 8th Rifle Brigade in WW2, have a look at http://8thriflebrigade.co.uk/, or become a member of https://www.facebook.com/groups/8thriflebrigade/

 

8RB - 28 June 1944 - Epsom, day 4

‘…from here we went forward up the long slope of a cornfield beyond which lay the Caen-Evrecy road, the calvary at the cross roads, the orchard and the wood and pt. 112…’

To read more about the 8th Rifle Brigade's campaign from Normandy to the Baltic, look at http://8thriflebrigade.co.uk/d-day-to-ve-day/

 

An item on Rifleman Dick Elmes (10 Platoon, G Company, 8th Rifle Brigade, 11th Armoured Division) has recently been added to http://8thriflebrigade.co.uk/biographies/

 

A 1939 dated photo of H.Q. 2nd London Rifle Brigade has now been added to Group photos - 8th Rifle Brigade. In early 1941, the "2nd London Rifle Brigade" became the "8th Rifle Brigade", which not much later became part of the 11th Armoured Division.

It is one of 24 group photos of the 8th Rifle Brigade which can now be seen on this page of my website. I expect two more will soon be added: from F Company's 5 'Scout' Platoon and from H Company's 14 'Motor' Platoon.

 

More than 20 photos, from the collection of Rfn. Donald King, have been added to Wanted - 8th Rifle Brigade. Do have a look, especially if you think you might be able to add a name to any of the faces shown!

 

8RB Website now part of BL Web archive

Since mid 2019, on a regular basis, a copy of the 8th Rifle Brigade website is being archived by the British Library's UK Web Archive. Finding it through BL's website, however, is still not possible. I am happy to say, through this link, I have now finally received confirmation from the British Library, that the website is indeed kept in their archives: Search Results (webarchive.org.uk)

Main importance of this, is that all information on the website will be available to future generations, even if the website should come to an end. For many years to come, however, I hope it will remain to be viewed at Home - 8th Rifle Brigade

 

Not yet on the website, but figured these would be nice to share. When in Amiens, a few days ago, I was finally able to make these "then and now" photos on the corner of the Boulevard d'Alsace Lorraine and Rue Lameth. Same location, 31 August 1944 and 26 July 2023.

For more about the 8th Rifle Brigade: Home - 8th Rifle Brigade
, or become a member of 8th Rifle Brigade - Normandy to the Baltic - June '44 - May '45 | Facebook

 

From 8 KRRC’s war diary August 1944, location Pembroke Docks:

Draft index RXQBF to be despatched to 54 RHU Camp Coniborough [Conyboro] TC on 5 August. Comprised A Coy and part of SP Coy.
Three drafts from the Battalion each consisted on 6 or 7 officers and 200 men.
W/Lt Gould R, amongst others, struck off strength w.e.f. 6.8.44 on proceeding overseas RXQBF.