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- 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment



   2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment was based in Northern Ireland when war broke out in 1939. They joined 133rd (Royal Sussex) Infantry Brigade, 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division and went to France in April 1940, to join the British Expeditionary Force, seeing action the Battle of France and the retreat to Dunkirk and the evacuatation to England. They were sent to North Africa in May 1942 and saw action in the Battle of Alam el Halfa in September 1942 and the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. In 1943 the 2nd Battalion was redesignated 10th Parachute Battalion, Parachute Regiment. 2nd Battalion was re-raised and joined 133rd Brigade. In 1943 they were sent to Iraq and Persia as part of 24th Indian Infantry Brigade, 6th Indian Infantry Division and remained there until the war ended.

 

19th Oct 1939 Signalling Instruction

26th May 1940 Reliefs

27th May 1940 Defensive Positions

8th of January 1941 Postings

18th of April 1941 New recruits and inspection

3rd of November 1942 Under fire


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, Royal Sussex Regiment

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Bament Reginald Charles. L/Cpl.
  • Beeton Charles Alfred. Pte.
  • Cowell Alfred Graham. Pte. (d.21st May 1940)
  • Davies Thomas Henry. Cpl. (d.29th May 1940)
  • Hawkins George. Pte.
  • Rollings Clifford Albert. Pte. (d.16th Apr 1945)
  • Winter John Edward. Sgt. (d.21st May 1940)

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, Royal Sussex Regiment from other sources.



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Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment?


There are:1324 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex 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. Clifford Albert Rollings 2nd Btn. Royal Sussex Regiment (d.16th Apr 1945)

My uncle Clifford Rollings (PoW number 11314), died on the forced march from Stallag XX-B, westwards. He died outside Magdeburg in Germany. He has no known grave, but is remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial. After marching 683km, he died approximately 97 km before the column met the US forces at Burns Wick.

Kevin Rollings



Pte. George Hawkins 2nd Btn. Royal Sussex Regiment

George Hawkins (marked with white square) and some fellow PoWs at Arbeits Kommando E72

My father George Hawkins, 2nd Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment, was in working party E72 for the duration of the war after being captured near Hazebrouk in 1940. It was the Hohenzollern coalmine at Beuthen. He was marched out on Jan 22nd 1945 and "walked the whole length of Czechoslovakia". The Americans eventually picked him up and took him to Erfurt. He returned home via ship to Tilbury, in April 1945. We would be pleased to hear from anyone who remembers him.

Chris Parry



Pte. Charles Alfred Beeton 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment

My granddad, Charles Beeton who is sadly no longer with us, joined the Suffolk Regiment in 1938, and was sent to India in 1940. He trained there before he was sent to Singapore. He was captured in Singapore by the Japanese and sent to build the death railway in Burma, were he spent the rest of war as a POW. He returned home after being liberated by the Americans in late 1945.

He lived a full life until his tragic death in 1966 when he knocked down by a motorbike.

J



Pte. Alfred Graham "Fred" Cowell 2nd Btn. Royal Sussex Regiment (d.21st May 1940)

Unfortunately I have a short story to tell, my grandfather Fred Cowell was killed at Dunkirk and my mother never knew her father. I know he was born in Wales in 1920, my grandmother was Irish, as far as I know he stationed in Victoria Barracks in Belfast in 1939 when he was the called for war. I know he had 2 brothers and 1 sister all from Wales. I have visited his memorial stone in Dunkirk Cemetery, column 64. I would like to hear from any one from the same regiment or any information which would be very helpful.

Elizabeth Mcevoy









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