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5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment
5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment was a territorial unit serving with 48th (South Midland) Division. They proceeded to France in January 1940, transferred to 11th Brigade 4th Division, and saw action in the Battle of France and were evacuated via Dunkirk. After a spell on Hone Defence duty, 11th Brigade joined 78th (Battleaxe) Division in June 1942 and went on to see action in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
26th Jan 1940 A New Brigade
27th Jan 1940 Change of Brigade
29th Jan 1940 Icy Roads
16th May 1940 Defences
18th May 1940 Defensive Positions
19th May 1940 Bridge Protected
21st May 1940 Shelling
22nd May 1940 Orders Issued
25th May 1940 In the Line
28th May 1940 Withdrawal
29th May 1940 Withdrawal
30th May 1940 Defensive Perimeter
12th Mar 1941 Excerises
 Infantry and Bren gun carriers of the 5th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment pass through a village during 3rd Division exercises near Christchurch in Dorset, 12th of March 1941. © IWM (H 7971)
 5th Northamptonshire Regiment, 3rd Division, on the march during exercises near Christchurch in Dorset, 12th of March 1941 © IWM (H 7979)
12th Mar 1941 Excerises
16th Apr 1943 Shelling
21st Apr 1943 Planning
21st Jun 1943 On the Move
6th Jul 1943 On the Move
23rd Jul 1943 On the Move
24th Jul 1943 On the Move
31st Jul 1943 Under Fire
1st Oct 1943 In Action
5th Oct 1943 In Action
5th Oct 1943 In Action
13th February 1944 Roads Bad
22nd February 1944
23rd February 1944
11th May 1944 Preparations
11th May 1944 Equipment
12th May 1944 Offensive Begins
12th May 1944 Briefing
13th May 1944 Orders
13th May 1944 Orders
14th May 1944 On the Move
14th May 1944 On the Move
15th May 1944 Attack Made
15th May 1944 In Action
16th May 1944 Into Position
16th May 1944 In Action
16th May 1944 In Action
17th May 1944 In Action
17th May 1944 In Action
17th May 1944 Air Raid
18th May 1944 On the Move
7th of April 1945 Training
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Want to know more about 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment? There are:1362 items tagged 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire 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. |
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L Pearson 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment L Pearson served with the 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Pte. F Linnell 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment Pte.F Linnell served with the 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Cpl. George Maiden 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment (d.29th Nov 1942) George Maiden is remembered on the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial, in Tunisia, he was 34 years old.
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Pte. Albert Fredrick James "Keana" Haynes 5th (Huntingdonshire) Btn. A Coy. Northamptonshire Regiment My father, Albert Haynes, served with the 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment in WW2. Healways spoke of North Africa, Dunkirk, Monte Cassino and his good mate Jack Watts. I am trying to piece together timelines and involvements.
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Capt. John Hele Johnson 5th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment (d.20th May 1940) Capt. John Johnson is named on the St Ives War Memorial. I am the Poppy Appeal Organiser for St Ives (Cambs) and have come across the family grave of the Johnson family in Broad Leas Cemetery (St Ives), which gives mention to John H. Johnson. Having researched his history I am aware of his Battalion's fatal last stand at Calais in May 1940 facing the advancing German Army. Without their sacrifice many of the 338,000 that were lifted from the Dunkirk beaches may well have been captured or killed.
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Pte. Norman Goldthorpe 5th Btn. Northamptionshire Regiment Norman Goldthorpe was born on 12th February 1910 in Ossett, West Yorkshire. Settled in Peterborough as young man and held many labouring jobs.
He enlisted on the 6th April 1939 into the 5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment and mobilised on the 2nd of September 1939.
Served in France from 11th of January before being evacuated from Dunkirk on the 4th of June 1940.
The regiment spent time in the UK until the 15th October 1942 when they went to North Africa (Tunis and Algiers).
On the 11th of December 1943 he returned to UK on findings of medical board following mental health issues and graded as category c and was demobbed on 25th of December 1945 into reservists but was never called up.
He returned to Ossett after the war, after his marriage had broken down.
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Joseph Britten 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment (d.30th May 1940) Joe Britten survived the fighting in Oudenaarde, Belgium and made it to Dunkirk. He and a colleague were sent on a recce to east Dunkirk in a vehicle but were hit by a German shell and killed, Joe is buried at Coxyde cemetery.
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Pte. Stephen Albert Betsworth 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment Stephen Betsworth signed on with the British army in December 1942, following the death of friends in Farlington during a German bombing raid. Private Betsworth, serial number 14396516, was stationed with the Northamptonshire Regiment 5th Battalion 78th Division.
In June 1944, during active service, he was captured in Central Italy while in action connected with the Monte Cassino campaign.
According to the POW records, he was moved to Moosburg an der Isar, Bavaria, Germany where, listed as POW number 133317, he was held at Stalag 7 A (VII A) until the 23 Jul 1944. On the 2nd August 1944 he was billeted out to Wilhelm Mozer family household (delicatessen owner) and detailed to assist with the "demolition of bombed areas".
He used to speak of "how lucky he was, compared to some of the others, because as an British soldier he was respected and, given the circumstances, treated quite well" by the family he was billeted with.
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Pte. Charles Ernest Woolley 5th Btn. Northamptonshire Regiment (d.1st Aug 1943) My father Ernie Woolley was killed in action in 1943 in Sicily during World War 2. I think it was at a place called Centuripe.
He was born in Ellesmere Port but moved to Dudley in the West Midlands.
I understand that my father was buried in a shallow grave during the fighting. His body still lies there in an unmarked grave.
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Tpr. Arthur David Coleman 4th Regt Reconnaissance Corps My father joined the 5 Bat Northants Regt on 30 April 1939 aged 31 and was posted to France with the BEF. He was one of the lucky ones at Dunkirk.
On 22 January he transferred to the new Recce Corps where he served with both 4 Regt and 1 Regt and saw action in North Africa and Italy.
He was discharged from the Army 18 September 1945 and settled back into civvy life in Peterborough where he was born and raised. He became a prominent councelor and served his community for many years and died in Peterborough Hospital in May 1988. He is sadly missed.
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