The Wartime Memories Project

- 2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment during the Second World War -


Allied Forces Index
skip to content


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site

please consider making a donation.




    Site Home

    WW2 Home

    Add Stories

    WW2 Search

    Library

    Help & FAQs


 WW2 Features

    Airfields

    Allied Army

    Allied Air Forces

    Allied Navy

    Axis Forces

    Home Front

    Battles

    Prisoners of War

    Allied Ships

    Women at War

    Those Who Served

    Day-by-Day

    Library

    The Great War

 Submissions

    Add Stories

    Time Capsule

    TWMP on Facebook



    Childrens Bookshop

 FAQ's

    Help & FAQs

    Glossary

    Volunteering

    Contact us

    News

    Bookshop

    About


Advertisements











World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment



   2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment was stationed at the garrison of Jerusalem when war broke out in September 1939. I in March 1940 they joined 14th Infantry Brigade in Palestine and moved to Egypt in July. The battalion saw action in the in the defence of Tobruk with 16th Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division (later redesignated 70th Infantry Division) and later formed part of the garrison of Ceylon. In September 1943, the battalion was stationed at Bangalore in India with 70th Division when it was selected for attachment to the second Long Range Penetration or Chindits brigade (111th Indian Infantry Brigade) for the Burma Campaign. 2nd Kings formed 41 and 46 Columns in the Second Chindit Campaign, moving to Burma in March 1944 and being flown out to India in July 1944. Between November 1944 to February 1945, the 2nd Kings were served with 14th Airlanding Brigade, 44th Indian Airborne Division.

 

2nd Jan 1941 Reliefs  location map

Feb 1944 Chindit force preparations  In early February 1944 preparations began for the 2nd Chindit Expedition. The Special Force or 3rd Indian Division as it was known consisted of the following units, which were split into Columns.

3rd West African Brigade and 14th Brigade

  • 6th Btn. Nigeria Regiment. (Columns 66 & 39)
  • 2nd Btn. Black Watch (Columns 42 & 73)
  • 7th Btn Nigeria Regiment (Columns 29 & 35)
  • 1st Btn. Beds & Herts Regiment (Columns 16 & 61)
  • 12th Btn. Nigeria Regt (Columns 12 & 43)
  • 2nd Btn. York & Lancaster Regiment (Columns 84 & 65)
  • 7th Btn Leicestershire Regiment (Columns 47 & 74)
  • 54th Field Company, Royal Engineers

77 Brigade and 111 Brigade

  • 3rd Btn. 6th Gurkha Rifles (Columns 36 & 63)
  • 1st Btn. Cameronians (Columns 26 & 90)
  • 1st Btn. Kings (Liverpool) Regiment (Columns 81 & 82)
  • 2nd Btn. Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment (Columns 41 & 46)
  • 1st Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (Columns 20 & 50)
  • 3rd Btn. 4th Gurkha Rifles (Column 30)
  • 1st Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment (Columns 38 & 80)
  • 3rd Btn. 9th Gurkha Rifles (Columns 57 & 93)

23rd Indian Infantry Brigade

  • 1st Btn. Essex Regiment (Columns 44 & 56)
  • 2nd Btn. Duke of Wellington's Regiment (Columns 33 & 76)
  • 4th Btn. Border Regiment (Columns 34, 55)
  • 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, deployed as infantry, (Columns 60 & 68)
  • 12th Field Company, Royal Engineers

16th Brigade Morris Force

  • 1st Btn. Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment (Columns 21 & 22)
  • 4th Btn. 9th Gurkha Rifles (Columns 49 & 94)
  • 2nd Btn. Leicestershire Regiment (Columns 17 & 71)
  • 3rd Btn. 4th Gurkha Rifles (Column 30)
  • 45th Recce Regiment (Columns 45 & 54)
  • 51st and 69th Field Regiments, Royal Artillery, deployed as infantry (Columns 51 & 69)
  • 2nd Field Company, Royal Engineers

Dah Force

  • Kachin Levies

Stronghold Defences

  • R S & U Troop 160th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (25 Pounders)
  • W X Y & Z Troops 69th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Bofors)

Divisional Troops

  • 219th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
  • Detachment 2nd Burma Rifles
  • 145th Brigade Company, R.A.S.C.
  • 61st Air Supply Company, R.A.S.C.
  • 2nd Indian Air Supply Company, R.I.A.S.C.


Feb 1944 Chindit force preparations

21st of April 1944 Change of Plan  location map

24th of April 1944 Orders Recieved

1st of May 1944 Report  location map

6th May 1944 Orders

10th May 1944 Evacuation


If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.



Those known to have served with

2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Antrobus John Thomas . Pte.
  • Dickinson Charles. Cpl. (d.14th May 1944)
  • Marsden Thomas. (d.11th Jul 1941)
  • Miller Frank. Pte.
  • Rutter Benjamin Clarke. Pte.
  • Shackley Ronald Pape. Pte
  • Woodhead Leonard. Pte.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of 2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment from other sources.



The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements



  • The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
  • 28th March 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263784 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
  • Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's
  • The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
    If you enjoy this site

    please consider making a donation.


Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.



We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.

If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.


Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.

If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.



Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment?


There are:1325 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Pte. Frank Miller 2nd Btn. Kings Own

Frank Miller began his military life joining the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. After training he transferred into the Kings Own. Serving in India he became a member of the Chindits, his story (along with many others) was recently told on a programme aired by Channel 4 called "Calling Blighty. A message home". After his time in the jungle, Frank transferred once again to the Army Catering Corp when he came out of the Jungle. Many of the guys saw this as a fast track to food.

Tony Moore



Pte. John Thomas Antrobus 2nd Battalion Kings Own Royal (Lancaster) Regiment

My grandfather Tom Antrobus served with 2nd battalion KORR from March 1940 until the end of the second Chindit Campaign (Operation Thursday) when he returned to England sick with dysentry and malaria. Any info would be great to piece together his time in the forces.

Amanda Antrobus



Pte. Leonard "Wingy " Woodhead 2nd Btn. Kings Own Royal Regiment(Lancaster)

My dad who from Leeds, West Yorkshire, Pte. Leonard Woodhead 2nd Bn King's Own Royal Regiment, was captured at Dunkirk whilst holding off the advancing Germans. He endured the "Death March" to Stalag V111B. He spent nearly 4 years in captivity in Lamsdorf. After an accident, in the forced labour coal mines, he lost his right hand and had multiple injuries to his head arms and legs. He met up with a fellow Yorkshireman, Richard Pape who was a captured RAF navigator,and after the war an author of a book on his wartime experencies. My dad was repatriated in November 1943, but before he left stalag V111b Richard Pape asked my dad if he would smuggle a message home to Ernest Osborn editor of the "Yorkshire Post Newspapers". He got this message through in a ring made out of a toothbrush. My dad describes his feelings in the book, “Boldness Be My Friend” written by Richard Pape, when he was stripped and searched by the German guards before he was allowed to embark on his way home. My Dad was known as Wingy Woodhead in the book. Risking his life Dad got the message to Ernest Osborn, and in return was presented a world atlas from the editor of the Yorkshire Post Newspaper, which I still have today. It has a signed and dated label in the front. Sadly my dad died in 1980, 2 months after my mother, I have one or two photos of him in Stalag v111b plus POW letters etc., if anyone has any more knowledge of him during his captivity I would be most interested in it.

Les Woodhead









Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.







Links


















    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

    The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

    If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.



    Hosted by:

    The Wartime Memories Project Website

    is archived for preservation by the British Library





    Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
    - All Rights Reserved

    We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.