V L Lò Ie the JOURNAL of the MIDDLESEX REGIMENT
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V L lò ie THE JOURNAL OF THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT a ule o f (farnliidqe S Own) VOL. IX. No. 1 MARCH, 1949 PRICE V- THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT (CUKE OF CAMBRIDGE'S OW N| _ (57) The Plume of the Prince of Wales. In each of the four comers the late Duke of Cambridge's Cypher and Coronet. ” Mysore," “ 8*rlngapatam,” “ Albuhera," “ Ciudad Rodrigo,” “ Badajor,” " Vittoria,” “ Pyrenees,” “ Nivelle,” ” Nive,” ” Peniniutar,” "Alm a,” ” Inkerman,” "Sevastopol,” "New Zealand,” "South Africa, 1879,” “ Relief of Ladysmith,” "South Africa, 1900-02.” The Great War— 46 Battalions— “ Mons,” “ I.e Cateau,” “ Retreat from Mons,” " Marne, 1914,” “ Aisne, 1914, ’x8,” “ La Bassée, 1914,” “ Messines, 1914, ’17, ’18,” “ Armentières, 1914,” “ Neuve Chapelle,” “ Ypres, 1915, ' 17, ’18,” " Gravenstafel," '* St. Julien,” ” Frezenberg." “ Bellewaarde," “ Aubers,” " Hooge, 1915,” “ Loos," "Somme, 1916, '18,” “ Albert, 1916, ' 18,” “ Bazentin,” “ Del ville W ood,” “ Pozières,” “ Ginchy," “ Flers-Courcelette,” ” Morval,” " Thiepval,” “ Le Transloy," " Ancre Heights," “ Ancre, 1916, ’18,” “ Bapaume, 1917, ’18,” “ Arras, 1917, ’18,” " Vimy, 1917,” " Scarpe, 1917, ’18,” " Arleux,” “ Pilckem,” " Langemarck, 1917,” “ Menin Road,” “ Polygon Wood," “ Broodseinde,” ” Poelcappelle," " Passchendaele,” "Cambrai, 1917, ’18," “ St. Quentin," “ Rosières," “ Avre," " Villers Bretonneux,” " Lys,” " Estaires,” " Hazebrouck,” “ Bailleul," " Kemmel," “ Scherpenberg," “ Hindenburg Line,” " ("anal du Nord,” “St. Quentin Canal,” “ Courtrai,” "Selle,” “ Valenciennes," “ Sambre,” "France and Flanders, 1914-18," "Italy, 1917-18," "Struma," “ Doiran, 1918,” "Macedonia, 1915-18,” " 8uvla,” "Landing at Suvla," "Scimitar Hill," "Gallipoli, 19 15 ," " Rumani," "Egypt, 1915-17," “ Gaza,” "El Mughar,” “ Jerusalem,” "Jericho,” “ Jordan," “ Tell ’Asur,” “ Palestine, 1017-18,' ” Mesopotamia, 1917-18, * “ Murman, 1919,” " Dukhovskaya,” " Siberia, 1918-19.” Regular and Militia Battalions. Dominion Alliances of Canada ist Bn. (57th Foot). 2nd Bn. (77th Foot). 31st Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, Ontario. 5th Bn. (Royal Elthome Militia). 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. 6th Bn. (Royal East Middlesex Militia). 50th H.A.A. Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. Depot—Mill Hill. Records Office, Infantry Records, Warwick. 102nd (Wentworth) Field .Artillery, Royal Canadian Artillery. Pay Office— Old Infantry Barracks, Canterbury. The Royal Rifles of Canada. Territorial Army Battalions Allied Battalion of Australian Infantry. 57th Bn. Preston. 2/7th Bn. 8th Bn. 30th Bn. 9th Bn. 595 L.A .A ., R .A ., T .A . Allied Regiment of New Zealand Military Forces 1st and 2nd Bns. Princess Louise.ouise's Kensington Regiment, The Taranaki Regiment New Plymouth. ict, 2nd and 3rd Independent Coys. No. 1 Heavy Support Coy. Colonel of the R egim ent: Colonel M. Browne, M.C., D .L ., J.P. Affiliated A/A Units of the Territorial Army (7th City of London) Searchlight Regiment R.A. Officer Com m anding Depot: (St. Pancras) Searchlight Regiment R.A. Major R. C. H. Bellers. Agents—Lloyds Bank Limited, 127 The Broadway, Mill Hill, N.W .7. CONTENTS Page Editorial . 2 Army Reserve of Officers .. 22 Lt.-Gen. Sir Brian G. Horrocks 3 2/7th Battalion O.C.A. • • 23 Photograph of Lt.-Gen. Sir Brian G. Horrocks .. 4 The Story of the 8th Battalion, N.W. Europe .. 24 Usher of the Black Rod .. .. 5 9th Battalion (595 L.A.A. Regiment, R.A.). .. 27 Col. Sir E dw in K in g . 6 2/ioth Battalion Branch O.C.A. 28 Photograph of Col. Sir Edwin King. .. 7 nth Parachute Battalion (Middlesex T.A.).. • • 29 Officers’ C lub N o tes . 8 News from Allied Dominion Units .. ■ • 29 Association Meeting . 9 Correspondence to the Editor -30 Depot Notes . .. .. 10 Some Reminiscences of Troopships. 31 1st. Battalion N o te s . ix The Modem Pentathlon 32 H.C. B .T .C . N o t e s .................................................................................... 20 The Middlesex Pipers • • 33 7th Battalion N o te s . 21 History of the World War I . - 3 4 NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS. “ The Die-Hards ” is published in March, June, September and December, and copies may be obtained by application to the Editor, „ All Contributions intended for publication should reach the Editor not later than the 1st of the month previous to that or issue. CO NTRIBU TIO NS SHOULD BE TYPED IN TRIPLICATE, AND BE ON ONE SIDE OF THE PAPER ONLY . and signed, stating whether it is desired to Polish the contributor's name or not. Rejected manuscripts, etc., will only be returned if accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. The Editor will thankfully receive Contributions from past or present members of the. Regiment or others interested, but necessarily reserves to himself the right of publication. All communications concerning the paper, including Advertisements, should be addressed to the Editor, The Die-Hards Journal, The Middlesex Regiment, Inglis Barracks, M ill H ill, London, N.W .7. Subscriptions should be forwarded to the Editor " The Die-Hards " Journal. Cheques and Postal Orders should be made payable to Secretary Regimental Association and crossed “ — & Co." ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 5/- (Post Free) "Dhe Ubie-^JJarch ^Jhe 2)ie-^JJardd m one or two uniforms in hand but no helmet plates appointed to command Ripon Reserve Centre, which »make up groups of figures at a later date. If any he held until 1918, and he retired m November of that Lt.-Col. F. G. Parker, until recently employed as reader c o u ld h elp w o u ld th ey please com m unicate year, Camp Commandant, the W ar Office, retired on January with th e C u ra to r a t In g lis B arracks. 233 1949- He served in the ranks of the T.F. for 234 days becoming a temporary 2nd Lieutenant on Novem LT.-GEN. SIR BRIAN HORROCKS, K.B.E., News o f I n d iv i d u a ls ber 27, 1915, and substantive regular 2nd Lieutenant, Major Bertie Lambert, R.A.P.C. (formerly in the C.B., D.S.O., M.C. D e c e m b e r 4 , 1916. H e c o m m an d ed th e 1st Battalion Regiment) is now in Eritrea, his address being 12, Lt.-Gen. Sir Brian Horrocks retired from the Army P.L. Kensington Regiment from March 5, 1940, and F.B.P.O., Asmara, Eritrea. at the beginning of this year. His career has been as E d ito r : Major A. W. Clark, O.B.E. was substantive Lieutenant-Colonel on October 22, Col. F. Walden writes from H.Q., B.T.E. and remarkable as it has been distinguished, and in answer to 1942. Mediterranean Command, where he is in charge of m an y req u ests a b rie f o u tlin e o f it is g iven here. A full account of his service will be appearing in the Labour Corps troops. He was gazetted to the Middlesex Regiment from EDITORIAL Colonel of the Regiment’s News Letter. Major R. W. D. Sword, M.C., is now with the 6th Sandhurst in August, 1914, and almost at once joined The past quarter has been a busy one for most people K.A.R. in Dar-es-Salaam. He has been away in the the 1st Battalion with the British Expeditionary Force as is reflected in the contributions that follow. The M u s e u m Tanganyika Territory recruiting. in F ran ce. Editor would like to thank all those writers who have The Museum has now the framed copies of the Major G. Hodding is now commanding “ E ” On October 21, during the Retreat, his Platoon— Guard Report of the first King’s Guard found by the responded so well to the appeal for more news. Company, Royal Pioneer Corps, at Woodlands Camp, No. 8—was surrounded and practically everyone was Every one will wish to join in congratulating Gen. R eg im en t. I n th e sam e fram e th e re is also the Guard Singapore, and Major Massby of the 2/8th Middlesex either killed or wounded. He himself was captured Report for the first guard at the Bank, the loyal and Sir Brian Horrocks on his appointment as Gentleman commands a company in another group. after having been severely wounded in the stomach and congratulatory telegram sent to H.R.H. the Princess Usher of the Black Rod. This is a position of great Major E. Thompson, M .C., is D.A.A.G. at G.H.Q., spent approximately a year in different German hos Elizabeth on the birth of the Royal Prince, and the dignity and importance dating from 1350. An article on Far East L a n d F o rces. pitals. As soon as he was fit he started to make plans to rep ly fro m th e ir R oyal H ig h n esses th e Princess Elizabeth this office is included later on in this number. In addi By the time these notes are published CoL N. P. get free. He rapidly achieved a legendary reputation for and the Duke of Edinburgh. tion to the duties to which it refers it should be men Procter, C.B.E., M.C., should be back from West escaping and as far as the Germans were concerned Recently the Colours of the following Battalions ;ame tioned that Black Rod is the Sovereign’s personal Africa. H e w rites to say th a t M a jo r A. G . H ew itt, proved quite incorrigible in these matters. Even the to the Depot for netting to assist in their preservation attendant in the House of Lords, and Usher of the M.C., is n o w in G am bia. most rigorous imprisonment and vigilant watch failed n th Service Battalion, 12th Service Battalion, 13th Order of the Garter. He is also responsible for keeping The Regiment are fully represented in this part of to break his determination to get back to France.